diff --git a/plugins/football-scoreboard/test_empty_mode_signals_no_content.py b/plugins/football-scoreboard/test_empty_mode_signals_no_content.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4e96ca6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/football-scoreboard/test_empty_mode_signals_no_content.py
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Tests that a mode with no games reports "no content" instead of "displayed".
+
+Companion to the same test in hockey-scoreboard, which was added after the bug
+was found there. football-scoreboard ships its own fork of sports.py and had no
+equivalent guard, so the same regression could land here unnoticed -- the forks
+diverge and a fix in one lineage does not reach the other. The manager's dispatcher treats a
+non-boolean as success ("Result is None or other - assume success"), so every
+mode reported content whether or not it had any.
+
+The display controller skips a mode whose display() returns False. Reporting
+success for an empty mode meant it was never skipped, so an out-of-season
+league sat on a blank panel -- the no-games branch calls display_manager.clear()
+-- for its entire display duration. The NFL equivalent is the stretch before Week 1: recent and
+live are empty while upcoming already carries the preseason schedule.
+
+The methods are exercised against a stand-in ``self`` rather than a constructed
+manager, so the test needs no display hardware, no network and no cache.
+
+Run: <core-venv>/bin/python plugins/football-scoreboard/test_empty_mode_signals_no_content.py
+"""
+
+import sys
+import threading
+from pathlib import Path
+
+plugin_dir = Path(__file__).parent
+sys.path.insert(0, str(plugin_dir))
+
+import sports  # noqa: E402
+
+
+class _Logger:
+    def warning(self, *a, **k): pass
+    def info(self, *a, **k): pass
+    def debug(self, *a, **k): pass
+    def error(self, *a, **k): pass
+
+
+class _DisplayManager:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.clears = 0
+        self.updates = 0
+
+    def clear(self):
+        self.clears += 1
+
+    def update_display(self):
+        self.updates += 1
+
+
+class _Manager:
+    """A stand-in ``self`` carrying only what display() touches."""
+
+    def __init__(self, games, enabled=True):
+        self.is_enabled = enabled
+        self.games_list = list(games)
+        self.current_game = games[0] if games else None
+        self.display_manager = _DisplayManager()
+        self.logger = _Logger()
+        self.sport_key = 'nfl'
+        self._games_lock = threading.Lock()
+        self.current_game_index = 0
+        self.last_game_switch = 0.0
+        self.game_display_duration = 1e9   # never switch mid-test
+        self.last_warning_time = 0.0
+        self.warning_cooldown = 1e9
+        self._last_warning_time = 0.0
+        self.draws = 0
+        # SportsLive.display() consults the celebration mixin before drawing.
+        self.active_celebration = None
+        self.celebration_end_time = 0.0
+
+    def _draw_scorebug_layout(self, game, force_clear=False):
+        self.draws += 1
+        self.display_manager.update_display()
+
+    # SportsLive.display() drives rotation through these before drawing; the
+    # test pins one game, so they are no-ops.
+    def _advance_live_game_if_due(self):
+        pass
+
+    def _get_live_game_duration(self, *a, **k):
+        return 1e9
+
+
+GAME = {'id': 'g1', 'away_abbr': 'KC', 'home_abbr': 'BUF'}
+
+# Unlike hockey's fork, this one overrides display() on SportsLive. Its only
+# paths that do not delegate are `return False` when disabled and `return True`
+# for an active celebration; the no-games case falls through to
+# `super().display(force_clear)`, so SportsCore below covers it. SportsLive is
+# checked separately for the disabled path, because exercising super() needs a
+# real subclass instance rather than this stand-in.
+CASES = [
+    ('SportsCore', sports.SportsCore.display),
+    ('SportsUpcoming', sports.SportsUpcoming.display),
+    ('SportsRecent', sports.SportsRecent.display),
+]
+
+failures = []
+
+
+def check(name, actual, expected):
+    if actual == expected:
+        print("  PASS  %s" % name)
+    else:
+        print("  FAIL  %s: expected %r, got %r" % (name, expected, actual))
+        failures.append(name)
+
+
+def main():
+    print("an empty mode reports no content, so the controller can skip it")
+    for label, display in CASES:
+        mgr = _Manager([])
+        result = display(mgr, force_clear=False)
+        check("%s with no games returns False" % label, result, False)
+        check("%s with no games draws nothing" % label, mgr.draws, 0)
+
+    print("\nthe same is true when the manager is disabled")
+    for label, display in CASES:
+        mgr = _Manager([GAME], enabled=False)
+        check("%s disabled returns False" % label, display(mgr), False)
+
+    print("\na mode that does have a game still reports success")
+    for label, display in CASES:
+        mgr = _Manager([GAME])
+        result = display(mgr, force_clear=False)
+        check("%s with a game returns True" % label, result, True)
+        check("%s with a game draws it" % label, mgr.draws, 1)
+
+    print("\nthe result is a real bool, not something merely truthy")
+    # The dispatcher branches on `result is True` / `result is False`, so a truthy
+    # non-bool would fall through to the "assume success" path and reintroduce this.
+    for label, display in CASES:
+        check("%s empty -> bool" % label, type(display(_Manager([]))), bool)
+        check("%s populated -> bool" % label,
+              type(display(_Manager([GAME]))), bool)
+
+    print("\nSportsLive's own early return")
+    live_disabled = sports.SportsLive.display(_Manager([GAME], enabled=False))
+    check("SportsLive disabled returns False", live_disabled, False)
+    check("SportsLive disabled -> bool", type(live_disabled), bool)
+
+    print("\n%s" % ("FAILED: %d" % len(failures) if failures else "All checks passed"))
+    sys.exit(1 if failures else 0)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/data_fetcher.py b/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/data_fetcher.py
index 4318d2e2..a71e0ab0 100644
--- a/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/data_fetcher.py
+++ b/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/data_fetcher.py
@@ -54,23 +54,29 @@ def __init__(self, cache_manager, logger: logging.Logger):
     
     def _get_season_date_range(self, league_key: str) -> str:
         """Get the date range for the current season."""
-        from datetime import datetime
-        
+        # datetime is imported at module scope; a function-local re-import here
+        # shadowed it and made the derivation untestable (a patched module
+        # attribute was ignored).
         now = datetime.now()
 
-        # For 2025, we want the 2025-26 season (October 2025 to end of season 2026)
+        # Derive the season from the current date rather than pinning it.
+        # A hockey season spans two calendar years, so anything from August
+        # onwards belongs to the season labelled with this year; before that
+        # we are still inside the season that started last year. Same rule
+        # nhl_managers.py uses, so both agree on which season is current.
+        season_year = now.year if now.month >= 8 else now.year - 1
+
         if league_key == 'nhl':
-            # NHL 2025-26 season: October 2025 to June 2026
-            season_start = datetime(2025, 10, 1)
-            season_end = datetime(2026, 6, 30)
+            # NHL: October through June (playoffs run into June)
+            season_start = datetime(season_year, 10, 1)
+            season_end = datetime(season_year + 1, 6, 30)
         elif league_key in ['ncaa_mens', 'ncaa_womens']:
-            # NCAA 2025-26 season: October 2025 to March 2026
-            season_start = datetime(2025, 10, 1)
-            season_end = datetime(2026, 3, 31)
+            # NCAA: October through March (tournament ends in March)
+            season_start = datetime(season_year, 10, 1)
+            season_end = datetime(season_year + 1, 3, 31)
         else:
-            # Default to 2025-26 season
-            season_start = datetime(2025, 10, 1)
-            season_end = datetime(2026, 6, 30)
+            season_start = datetime(season_year, 10, 1)
+            season_end = datetime(season_year + 1, 6, 30)
         
         # Format as YYYYMMDD-YYYYMMDD
         start_str = season_start.strftime('%Y%m%d')
diff --git a/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/manifest.json b/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/manifest.json
index 8c54edee..ede0734d 100644
--- a/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/manifest.json
+++ b/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/manifest.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "id": "hockey-scoreboard",
   "name": "Hockey Scoreboard",
-  "version": "1.13.4",
+  "version": "1.13.5",
   "author": "ChuckBuilds",
   "description": "Live, recent, and upcoming hockey games across NHL, NCAA Men's, and NCAA Women's hockey with real-time scores and schedules",
   "homepage": "https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins/tree/main/plugins/hockey-scoreboard",
@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@
     }
   ],
   "versions": [
+    {
+      "version": "1.13.5",
+      "released": "2026-08-22",
+      "ledmatrix_min_version": "2.0.0",
+      "notes": "Derive the ESPN season window from the current date instead of pinning it to 2025-26. _get_season_date_range built its range from literal datetimes and discarded the `now` it had just computed, so once the 2026-27 season opened it would have kept asking for last season. It now uses the same August rollover rule as nhl_managers.py, so the two agree on which season is current. Also drops a function-local datetime re-import that shadowed the module one and made the derivation untestable."
+    },
     {
       "version": "1.13.1",
       "released": "2026-08-19",
diff --git a/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/test_season_date_range.py b/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/test_season_date_range.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa3b61bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/hockey-scoreboard/test_season_date_range.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""The ESPN season window must follow the calendar, not a pinned year.
+
+_get_season_date_range built its range from literal dates:
+
+    season_start = datetime(2025, 10, 1)
+    season_end   = datetime(2026, 6, 30)
+
+`now` was computed on the line above and never used, so the request stayed
+pinned to 2025-26 forever. Once the 2026-27 season opened, the fetch would have
+asked ESPN for last season's window.
+
+The range now derives from the current date using the same rule
+nhl_managers.py applies -- from August onwards you are in the season labelled
+with this year -- so the two agree on which season is current instead of
+drifting apart.
+
+Run: <core-venv>/bin/python plugins/hockey-scoreboard/test_season_date_range.py
+"""
+
+import sys
+from datetime import datetime
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest import mock
+
+plugin_dir = Path(__file__).parent
+sys.path.insert(0, str(plugin_dir))
+
+import data_fetcher  # noqa: E402
+
+failures = []
+
+
+def check(name, actual, expected):
+    if actual == expected:
+        print("  PASS  %s" % name)
+    else:
+        print("  FAIL  %s: expected %r, got %r" % (name, expected, actual))
+        failures.append(name)
+
+
+def range_on(date_str, league):
+    """The window the fetcher would request on a given date."""
+    fetcher = data_fetcher.HockeyDataFetcher.__new__(data_fetcher.HockeyDataFetcher)
+    frozen = datetime.fromisoformat(date_str)
+
+    class _DT(datetime):
+        @classmethod
+        def now(cls, tz=None):
+            return frozen
+
+    with mock.patch.object(data_fetcher, "datetime", _DT):
+        return fetcher._get_season_date_range(league)
+
+
+def main():
+    print("the window follows the calendar year")
+    # July is still last season; August flips to the one about to start.
+    check("nhl in July 2026 asks for 2025-26",
+          range_on("2026-07-31", "nhl"), "20251001-20260630")
+    check("nhl in August 2026 asks for 2026-27",
+          range_on("2026-08-22", "nhl"), "20261001-20270630")
+    check("nhl at the October opener asks for 2026-27",
+          range_on("2026-10-07", "nhl"), "20261001-20270630")
+    check("nhl in June 2027 still asks for 2026-27",
+          range_on("2027-06-20", "nhl"), "20261001-20270630")
+    check("nhl rolls again in August 2027",
+          range_on("2027-08-01", "nhl"), "20271001-20280630")
+
+    print("\nNCAA ends in March, not June")
+    check("ncaa_mens 2026-27", range_on("2026-10-07", "ncaa_mens"), "20261001-20270331")
+    check("ncaa_womens 2026-27", range_on("2026-10-07", "ncaa_womens"), "20261001-20270331")
+
+    print("\nan unknown league still gets a current window, not a pinned one")
+    check("unknown league follows the year",
+          range_on("2026-10-07", "somethingelse"), "20261001-20270630")
+
+    print("\nno literal season year survives in the source")
+    src = (plugin_dir / "data_fetcher.py").read_text()
+    body = src[src.index("def _get_season_date_range"):]
+    body = body[:body.index("def ", 10)]
+    for pinned in ("2025", "2026"):
+        check("%s is not hardcoded in the range builder" % pinned,
+              pinned in body, False)
+
+    print("\n%s" % ("FAILED: %d" % len(failures) if failures else "All checks passed"))
+    sys.exit(1 if failures else 0)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()