Stanley Cup Finals television ratings

The following is an overview of the television ratings for the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Finals in both the United States and Canada.

American television

NBC's coverage (2006-present)

The following table shows the ratings for each game of the Stanley Cup finals. The numbers in parentheses represent number of viewers (measured in millions).

Year Network Results Avg. Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7
2014 NBC (Game 1,2,5)
NBCSN (Game 3,4)		 Los Angeles Kings 4,
New York Rangers 1 		2.8 3.0
(4.8M)[1]		 3.7
(6.4M)[2]		 1.7
(2.9M)[3]		 2.0
(3.4M)[4]		 3.7
(6.0M)[5]		 No Game
2013 NBC (Game 1,4,5,6)
NBCSN (Game 2,3)		 Chicago Blackhawks 4,
Boston Bruins 2 		3.3 3.9
(6.4M)		 2.0
(4.0M)		 2.3
(4.0M)		 3.8
(6.5M)		 3.2
(5.6M)		 4.7
(8.2M)		 No Game
2012 NBC (Game 1,2,5,6)
NBCSN (Game 3,4)		 Los Angeles Kings 4,
New Jersey Devils 2 		1.8 1.8
(2.9M)		 1.7
(2.9M)		 1.0
(1.7M)		 1.2
(2.1M)		 2.0
(3.3M)		 3.1
(4.9M)		 No Game
2011 NBC (Game 1,2,5,6,7)
Versus (Game 3,4)		 Boston Bruins 4,
Vancouver Canucks 3 		2.7 2.7
(4.6M)		 2.2
(3.6M)		 1.6
(2.8M)		 1.6
(2.7M)		 2.6
(4.3M)		 3.2
(5.5M)		 4.8
(8.5M)
2010 NBC (Game 1,2,5,6)
Versus (Game 3,4)		 Chicago Blackhawks 4,
Philadelphia Flyers 2 		3.4 2.8
(4.4M)[6]		 4.1
(5.9M)[7][8]		 2.0
(3.6M)		 N/A
(3.1M) [9]		 3.3
(5.8M)[10]		 4.7
(8.3M)[11]		 No Game
2009 NBC (Game 1,2,5,6,7)
Versus (Game 3,4)		 Pittsburgh Penguins 4,
Detroit Red Wings 3 		3.1 2.4
(4.3M)		 3.1
(5.4M)		 1.7
(3.0M)		 1.8
(3.4M)		 2.4
(4.4M)		 3.4
(5.8M)		 4.3
(8.0M)
2008 NBC (Game 3,4,5,6)
Versus (Game 1,2)		 Detroit Red Wings 4,
Pittsburgh Penguins 2		 2.6 1.2
(2.4M)		 1.3
(2.6M)		 2.4
(4.0M)		 2.3
(4.0M)		 3.8
(6.2M)		 4.0
(6.8M)		 No Game
2007 NBC (Game 3,4,5)
Versus (Game 1,2)		 Anaheim Ducks 4,
Ottawa Senators 1		 1.2 0.5 0.4 1.1
(1.7M)		 1.9 1.8
(3.1M)		 No Game
2006 NBC (Game 3,4,5,6,7)
OLN (Game 1,2)		 Carolina Hurricanes 4,
Edmonton Oilers 3		 1.8 0.6 0.5 1.6
(2.9M)		 2.0
(3.9M)		 2.5 1.9 3.3
(5.3M)

ABC's coverage (2000-2004)

Year Teams Games Carried Rating
2004 Tampa Bay-Calgary 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 2.6
2003 New Jersey-Anaheim 3,[12] 4, 5, 6, 7 2.9
2002 Detroit-Carolina 3, 4, 5 3.6
2001 Colorado-New Jersey 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 3.3
2000 New Jersey-Dallas 3, 4, 5,[13] 6 3.7

Fox's coverage (1995-1999)

Main article: NHL on Fox
Year Teams Games Carried Rating
1999 Dallas-Buffalo 1, 2, 5 3.4
1998 Detroit-Washington 1 3.3
1997 Detroit-Philadelphia 1 4.0
1996 Colorado-Florida 1, 3 3.6
1995 New Jersey-Detroit 1, 4 3.4

Most watched games

Most watched Stanley Cup finals games (1966-present)

Source

1. 5/18/71, Montreal-Chicago – Game 7, 12.41 million, CBS

2. 5/11/72, Boston-NY Rangers – Game 6, 10.93 million, CBS

3. 5/10/73, Montreal-Chicago – Game 6, 9.41 million, NBC

4. 6/15/11, Boston-Vancouver – Game 7, 8.54 million, 4.8 rating, 8 share NBC

5. 4/30/72, NY Rangers-Boston – Game 1, 8.51 million, CBS

6. 5/12/74, Boston-Philadelphia – Game 3, 8.30 million, NBC

7. 6/9/10, Chicago-Philadelphia – Game 6, 8.28 million, 4.7 rating, 6 share, NBC

8. 5/7/72, Boston-NY Rangers – Game 4, 8.26 million, CBS

9. 6/24/13, Chicago-Boston - Game 6, 8.16 million, 4.7 rating, NBC

10. 6/12/09, Pittsburgh-Detroit – Game 7, 7.99 million, 4.3 rating, 8 share, NBC

Stanley Cup game 7 viewership history (1966-present)

As per this site.

  1. 5/18/71, Montreal-Chicago, 12.41 million, CBS
  2. 6/15/11, Boston-Vancouver, 8.54 million, 4.8 rating, NBC
  3. 6/12/09, Pittsburgh-Detroit, 7.99 million, 4.3 rating, NBC
  4. 6/9/03, Anaheim-New Jersey, 7.17 million, 4.9 million households, 4.6 rating, ABC
  5. 6/9/01, New Jersey-Colorado, 6.95 million, 4.268 million households, 4.2 rating, ABC
  6. 6/7/04, Calgary-Tampa Bay, 6.29 million, 4.5 million households, 4.2 rating, ABC
  7. 6/14/94, NY Rangers-Vancouver, 5.44 million, 3.28 million households,[14] 5.2 rating (6.9 rating when including MSG network),[15] ESPN
  8. 6/19/06, Edmonton-Carolina, 5.29 million, 3.3 rating, NBC
  9. 5/31/87, Edmonton-Philadelphia, 2.14 million households, 5.0 rating, ESPN

Canadian television

References

  1. ↑ Paulsen (5 June 2014). "Stanley Cup TV Ratings: Pretty Good Start As 4.8M Watch Rangers/Kings Game 1". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. ↑ Paulsen (8 June 2014). "Stanley Cup TV Ratings: Belmont Boosts Rangers/Kings to Multi-Year High". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Bibel, Sarah (10 June 2014). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta' Wins Night, 'WWE Raw', 'Major Crimes', 'Hit The Floor', 'Longmire' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  4. ↑ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/06/12/2014-stanley-cup-playoffs-are-most-watched-on-cable-in-17-years/273115/
  5. ↑ Paulsen (14 June 2014). "Stanley Cup TV Ratings: Kings’ Coronation Best Game 5 in Six Years". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Lepore, Steve (30 May 2010). "NBC Scores Best Game 1 Rating in 11 Years". Puck The Media. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  7. ↑ Gorman, Bill (1 June 2010). "TV Ratings Monday: NHL Stanley Cup Finals Edges Bachelorette & True Beauty". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  8. ↑ Lepore, Steve (1 June 2010). "NBC Sports: Game 2 Ratings Best Since At Least 1975". Puck The Media. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Lepore, Steve (2010-06-08). "VERSUS Slumps to 3.1 Million For Game 4". Puck The Media.
  10. ↑ Lepore, Steve (2010-06-08). "Final Numbers For Game 5". Puck The Media.
  11. ↑ Worley, Brandon (June 10, 2010). "2010 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 highest rated NHL game since 1974". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  12. ↑ Farber, Michael (June 14, 2004). "Dark Days Ahead". Sports Illustrated. If recent NHL news has been grim—the rating for Game 3 of the final on ABC was 1.4, the second lowest for any prime-time show in the history of the major networks—the league's short-term prospects are even bleaker.
  13. ↑ Walters, John (June 19, 2000). "A Small Victory". Sports Illustrated. On June 7, NBC televised Game 1 of the NBA Finals and earned a 10.5 rating in the Nielsens. One night later ABC aired Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals, a triple-overtime duel for the ages in which the Stars defeated the Devils 1-0. That match earned a 4.2. That was the highest national rating a hockey game had received since 1980, when the Cup-deciding Flyers-Islanders Game 6 pulled a 4.4 on CBS.
  14. ↑ http://articles.courant.com/1994-06-17/sports/9406170413_1_nbc-and-hbo-hbo-executive-producer-hbo-s-wimbledon
  15. ↑ "Game 7 a Cable-Ratings High". The New York Times. 16 June 1994.
  16. ↑ "Game 7 smashes Hockey Night in Canada record". CBC Sports (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). June 16, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  17. ↑ Lepore, Steve (1 June 2010). "Game 1 Draws 3 Million to CBC". Puck The Media. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Canadian Press (June 10, 2010). "NHL draws highest TV ratings in 36 years". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  19. ↑ Canadian Press (2009-06-15). "Deciding Game of Stanley Cup Draws More than 3.5 Million Viewers to CBC". NHL.com. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  20. ↑ Canadian Press (June 15, 2011). "Babych haunted by Canucks' Game 7 loss in 1994". CBC Sports (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  21. ↑ Mckay, John (February 26, 2002). "Record number of viewers tune in hockey game". Canadian Press. A record-busting 8.7 million Canadians were...watching the Canadian men's hockey team snatch gold from the United States in Salt Lake City. The television audience actually peaked at 10.6 million, the CBC said Monday...CBC says that prior to Sunday, its highest-rated sports show was Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks, which attracted an average of 4.97 million viewers
  22. ↑ Houston, William (November 6, 1997). "Cole's Close Call". The Globe and Mail. p. S4. Cole's three most memorable TV games: 1. Game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals (Edmonton 3, Philadelphia 1). The Oilers at their peak. 2. Game 3 of 1996 World Cup of Hockey Final (United States 5, Canada 2). 'I was devastated.' 3. Game 7, 1994 Stanley Cup Finals (New York Rangers 3, Vancouver 2). 'A great series.'

External links