The Stanley Cup Final is on its hottest pace since the series returned to broadcast television in the mid-1990s.
Game 5 of the Bruins/Blackhawks NHL Stanley Cup Final drew a 3.2 final rating and 5.6 million viewers on NBC, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 60% in ratings and 69% in viewership from Kings/Devils Game 5 last year (2.0, 3.3M), and up 23% and 30%, respectively, from Bruins/Canucks Game 5 in 2011 (2.6, 4.3M).
Game 5 ranks as the highest rated Stanley Cup Final telecast on a Saturday night since Red Wings/Hurricanes Game 3 in 2002 (3.3), and the most-viewed since Devils/Avalanche Game 7 in 2001 (6.9M).
In addition, Saturday’s game ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final since Flyers/Blackhawks in 2010 (3.3, 5.8M).
With that said, Game 5 also earned the smallest audience of the Bruins/Blackhawks series on NBC. Games 1 and 4 each earned more than six million viewers. The two games on NBC Sports Network earned 4.0 million viewers.
Through five games, the Bruins/Blackhawks series has averaged 5.4 million viewers on NBC and NBC Sports Network — the highest five-game average for the Stanley Cup Final since at least 1994.
Ratings/Viewership For Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final
Since the 2004-05 NHL owners? lockout
|
Year
|
Date
|
Away | Home |
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2013
|
Sat., 6/22/13 |
Bruins
|
Blackhawks
|
NBC
|
3.2
|
5.6M
|
|
2012
|
Sat., 6/9/12 |
Kings
|
Devils
|
NBC
|
2.0
|
3.3M
|
|
2011
|
Fri., 6/10/11 |
Bruins
|
Canucks
|
NBC
|
2.6
|
4.3M
|
|
2010
|
Sun., 6/6/10 |
Flyers
|
Blackhawks
|
NBC
|
3.3
|
5.8M
|
|
2009
|
Sat., 6/6/09 |
Penguins
|
Red Wings
|
NBC
|
2.4
|
4.4M
|
|
2008
|
Mon., 6/2/08 |
Penguins
|
Red Wings
|
NBC |
3.8
|
6.2M
|
|
2007
|
Wed., 6/6/07 |
Senators
|
Ducks
|
NBC |
1.8
|
2.9M |
|
2006
|
Wed., 6/14/06 |
Oilers
|
Hurricanes
|
NBC |
2.5
|
3.9M |
* UPDATE 6/25: Added chart of previous Game 5 numbers.
(Sat. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
