For the second year in a row, the clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final drew more viewers than any NHL game in over 30 years.
Game 6 of the Blackhawks/Flyers series drew a 4.7 final rating and 8.3 million viewers on NBC Wednesday night, up 38% in ratings and 43% in viewership from Red Wings/Penguins Game 6 last year (3.4, 5.8 mil), up 18% and 22%, respectively, from Red Wings/Penguins Game 6 in ’08 (4.0, 6.8 mil), and up 88% and 115%, respectively, from Hurricanes/Oilers Game 6 in ’06 (2.5, 3.8 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed NHL game since 1974, topping the previous marks of 4.6 (Mighty Ducks/Devils Game 7 in 2003) and 8.0 million viewers (Penguins/Red Wings Game 7 in 2009).
To put the numbers in perspective, only 7 of the previous 68 Stanley Cup Final games (dating back to 1999) drew ratings of 4.0 or higher — and only one of those games topped a 4.5.
Wednesday’s game drew a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, up 33% from last year’s Game 6 (2.4), and the highest rating of the night in the demographic — even topping So You Think You Can Dance on FOX (3.0).
Game 6 drew more viewers than all but three games of the 2010 NBA Playoffs (excluding the NBA Finals), all but four games of the 2009 MLB postseason (excluding the World Series) and all but one game of the 2009-10 college football bowl season (excluding the Bowl Championship Series).
That said, the 4.7 rating ranks behind the lowest rated NBA Finals game in history (5.2 for Nets/Spurs Game 2 in ’03), the lowest rated World Series game in history (6.1 for Rays/Phillies Game 3 in ’08) and the lowest rated BCS bowl in history (5.4 for 2008 Orange Bowl).
NBC averaged a 3.4 rating and 6.1 million viewers for its four-game coverage of the Stanley Cup Final, up 10% in ratings and 9% in viewership from Penguins/Red Wings last year (3.1 and 5.6 million for 5 games).
This marks the highest rated Stanley Cup Final on broadcast television since Hurricanes/Red Wings on ABC in ’02 (3.4, 3 games), and the most-viewed since Red Wings/Flyers on FOX in ’97 (6.4 mil, 1 game).
Average ratings/viewership for the full six-game series on NBC and Versus were not immediately available.
Ratings For Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Since ’99
(TV By The Numbers 1, 2)
