Ratings perked up for the second Winter Classic.
NBC drew a 2.9 overnight rating for the the Red Wings’ 6-4 win over the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field, up 12% from a 2.6 for last year’s Penguins/Sabres game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The 2.9 overnight is the highest for a regular season NHL game in over a decade.
The game drew an 11.8 rating in host-city Chicago, and a 10.5 in Detroit.
The 2.9 overnight is the fourth-highest for the NHL on NBC since the network began airing games in 2006, behind only three Stanley Cup Finals telecasts.
Highest overnight ratings for NHL on NBC.
4.4: Red Wings/Penguins (Wed., 6/4/08, 8 PM NBC)
4.3: Penguins/Red Wings (Mon., 6/2/08, 8 PM NBC)
4.1: Oilers/Hurricanes (Mon., 6/19/06, 8 PM NBC)
2.9: Red Wings/Blackhawks (Thu., 1/1/09, 1 PM NBC)
2.9: Hurricanes/Oilers (Wed., 6/14/06, 8 PM NBC)
2.8: Red Wings/Penguins (Wed., 5/28/08, 8 PM NBC)
2.6: Red Wings/Penguins (Sat., 5/31/08, 8 PM NBC)
2.6: Penguins/Sabres (Tue., 1/1/08, 1 PM NBC)
2.5: Senators/Ducks (Wed., 6/6/07, 8 PM NBC)
2.4: Oilers/Hurricanes (Mon., 6/12/06, 8 PM NBC)
