Stanley Cup Caps Best Business Year in NHL History

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ATTRACT LARGEST AUDIENCE EVER;

CAPS BEST BIZ YEAR IN NHL HISTORY

NBC Sports Scores Most-Watched U.S. NHL Game in 36 Years; CBC Earns Highest

Audience for All-U.S. Final

Blackhawks Victory Fuels Sales Record for Shop.NHL.com; In-Arena Sales Up

129% For Final

Stanley Cup Snares Five Top 20 Searches on Google

“Right now the NHL can seemingly do no wrong…there’s reason for the league

to be optimistic…The league is on a rise. More people are watching, more

people care.” – Philadelphia Daily News

NEW YORK (June 14, 2010) – After a regular season that saw

record-breaking business success, propelled in large part by the NHL’s

strategy of engaging fans through big events and robust digital offerings,

the League built on that momentum with unprecedented success during a

Stanley Cup Playoffs that attracted the largest audience across all

platforms in the history of the sport.

The landmark playoff run was highlighted by the most-watched NHL game in

the U.S. in 36 years; the highest audience for an all-U.S. Final in

Canadian television history; the most-watched first two rounds on U.S.

cable in history; the most-watched NHL game in TSN’s history; record TV

ratings in local markets such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and

Boston; television and digital growth in non-traditional markets like

Memphis, Kansas City, New Orleans and San Diego; another record year for

NHL.com unique visitors; the hottest of all hot markets in Chicago fueling

a Shop.NHL.com one-day sales record; in-arena sales for the Final growing

by 129 percent; and measurable buzz on platforms like Google and Twitter.

“By whatever method of measurement you want to use — be it ratings,

revenues, page views, video starts, sponsor activations or simply the

quality of play – the game, the players, the fans, our clubs and our

partners teamed up to make 2009-10 a season to remember,” said NHL

Commissioner Gary Bettman.

NHL COO John Collins said, “Our fans once again demonstrated their

insatiable appetite for NHL hockey, which they consumed in unprecedented

numbers across all of our platforms. These milestones spotlight the power

of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and its importance to hockey fans around the

world. It’s a fitting cap to a season that saw record-breaking business

success for the League.”

Below are business highlights from the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

MEASURABLE BUZZ

· On Wednesday, June 9, (Game 6) and the day preceding, five of the

top 20 searches on Google were Stanley Cup related.

· For week one of the Stanley Cup Final search interest for the

Stanley Cup Final was up 23 percent over last year.

· The Stanley Cup ranked as the number one trending topic worldwide

on Twitter through the end of Game 6 (June 9).

· According to the Chicago Sun-Times, The City of Chicago estimated

that two million people attended the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley

Cup parade on Friday more than the estimated half-million that

watched the White Sox World Series parade in 2005 as well as any

victory parade for the Bulls in the 1980′s and 90′s.

· According to Forbes.com, tickets for the Stanley Cup Final were

driving a higher price on the secondary market than for the NBA

Finals.

MERCHANDISE SALES UP SIGNIFICANTLY

· Total in-venue sales for Stanley Cup Final were up 92 percent over

last year’s Final and gained 129 percent over the first six games

of the 2009 Final.

· Total sales for the entire 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs were up 22

percent.

· Shop.NHL.com recorded its best single day sales total on June 10,

surpassing the previous single day record (Holiday 2009 Cyber

Monday) by 25 percent and also eclipsed Penguins (Stanley Cup

2009) by over 50 percent.

“Sales in Chicago have been off the charts,” said Bryan Nosal of JC Penney.

“We sold out in many locations within hours. The fan support has been

tremendous.”

Jim Pasani of VF Licensed Sports Group, Majestic Athletic said, “Chicago’s

commitment to the Cup is like nothing we’ve ever seen and demand for

Blackhawks apparel has exceeded our own high expectations. The Blackhawks

victory caps off what has been a winning NHL campaign with fans and

retailers appetites for NHL merchandise clearly on a strong upswing heading

into 2011.”

NBC SPORTS EARNS HIGHEST GAME 6 AUDIENCE IN 36 YEARS

· Game 6 of the Final on NBC was the most-watched (8.28 million) and

highest-rated NHL game (4.7) on U.S. television in 36 years.

· NBC Sports broadcast four of the series’ six games (1-2, 5-6).

Those four games averaged 6.1 million viewers, the best on network

TV in 13 years.

· NBC Sports’ coverage of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final earned the

best overnight rating (4.1 rating and 7 share) for a Game 2 on

record (NHL overnight data prior to 1975 is unavailable).

CBC SETS MARK FOR ALL U.S. FINAL

· Game 6 between Chicago and Philadelphia averaged 4.077 million

viewers, the highest audience ever for an all-U.S. Stanley Cup

Final on CBC.

· Overall, the Stanley Cup Final on CBC averaged 3.107 million

viewers, the best in six years and a 44 percent increase over last

year.

· For the entire playoffs, CBC averaged 2.102 million viewers, up 62

percent from 2009.

VERSUS SCORES MOST-WATCHED PLAYOFFS ON CABLE IN EIGHT YEARS

· The 2010 Playoffs on VERSUS were the most-watched in network

history and the best on cable since 2002.

· The Conference Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds were the

most-watched first two rounds on cable since NHL Playoff

viewership became available by Nielsen in the 1993/94 season (54

games, 775,000 viewers).

· Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 2 was VERSUS’

highest-rated and most-watched telecast ever in network history

(3.1 HH rating and 3.6 million viewers) and made VERSUS the

most-watched cable network in the country that night.

· Games 3 & 4 of the Stanley Cup Final averaged 3.369 million

viewers, up five percent over the 2009 average (3.212 million

viewers), making it the most-watched Final round on cable since

2002.

TSN SHOWS 70 PERCENT INCREASE

· TSN averaged more than 1.11 million viewers for its playoff

coverage – 70 percent higher than its average playoff audience

last season.

· TSN’s audience of 2.8 million for the Washington-Montreal Game 7

was the highest audience ever recorded for an NHL game on TSN.

· Overall, the Montreal-Washington series ranks as the most-watched

playoff series ever on TSN (any round) with an average audience of

1.8 million viewers over seven games.

RDS UP 84 PERCENT

· The NHL Playoffs on RDS averaged 759,000 viewers for 65 telecasts,

up 84 percent from last season.

· The Canadiens-Penguins Game 7 was the most-viewed NHL telecast in

the network’s history with 2.69 million viewers.

DIGITAL PLATFORMS SHOW IMPRESSIVE GROWTH

· Video starts on NHL.com finished up 161 percent over last year for

the entire playoffs.

· The day after Game 6 of the Final recorded the highest number of

video starts in NHL.com history

· Unique visitors to NHL.com were up 17 percent over last year’s

record number.

· Page views were up 56 percent.

· Mobile page views were up 181 percent.

· For the Stanley Cup Final page views were up 88 percent and video

starts 225 percent.

· April was the most trafficked month in the history of NHL.com in

terms of unique visitors surpassing 17 million.

· NHL.com ranked as the number two site in terms of percentage

change in unique visitors from March to April according to

comScore.

· The League’s “History Will Be Made” campaign generated 3.2 million

video starts on NHL.com and Club sites, 1.4 million views on

YouTube and 5 million views on YouTube for fan-created versions.

REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS

· Game 1 of the Blackhawks-Sharks series on NBC earned an 11.2

rating in Chicago, beating the Cubs, White Sox and Boston-Orlando

broadcasts combined.

· On Thursday April 22, the Blackhawks, with 278,000 viewers in

Chicago, prevailed over some tough local competition: Bulls

(255,000 viewers, playoff game against Cleveland and LeBron

James), NFL Draft (138,000) and the Chicago Cubs vs. NY Mets

(137,000 viewers)

· The Flyers Game 7 victory over the Bruins was the most watched

Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet history with an 11.7 rating and

345,000 households, topping the previous record set two days

earlier.

· The Canadiens-Penguins Game 7 on FSN Pittsburgh averaged a 26.4 HH

rating, the highest-rated game ever on the network. At one point

43 percent of all households in the Pittsburgh DMA were tuned into

FSN.

· There were three major Boston-area sports events televised on May

7 and Game 4 of the Bruins-Flyers series scored the best numbers,

earning an 8.3 local Nielsen rating (328,000 viewers) on Versus in

the Boston metered market besting the Yankees-Red Sox matchup on

NESN, which earned a 6.3 local rating (223,000 viewers) to finish

in second, while Game Three of the Cavaliers-Celtics NBA Eastern

Conference Semifinals earned a 4.1 local rating (142,000 viewers)

on ESPN.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“NHL: National Hot League” — MediaWeek, 4/25/10

“Olympic hockey, playoffs making the NHL cool again…This year the NHL

hit the popularity jackpot… The NHL is the hottest it’s been since the

pre-lockout days.” — Associated Press, 6/2/10

“It seems hockey is having its day.” — Los Angeles Times, 6/8/10

“It’s been a magical season for the NHL, from the Olympics to the

Cup-clinching goal.” –

Toronto Star, 6/10/10

“The game has never been better. It has personality and star appeal.

And, for the first time in almost two decades, it has momentum.” –

Vancouver Province, 6/11/10

Source: Nielsen Media Research US and Nielsen Media Research Canada / BBM

You’re Free of Me For One Week

Unless something mega-newsworthy happens, the only thing we’ll be doing is throwing up any press releases that get sent here.

You can read me over at SB Nation New York, where I’m the new media columnist.  I’ll be doing both for the rest of forever, but for this week, that’s where you’ll find me.

While your at it, please visit our affiliates at RIPT Apparel by clicking the ad on the side of the page.  Visit all of our other advertisers too.

Thank you so much for reading Puck the Media.  Cheers.  See you next week when we have an early Christmas gift of a schedule.

NHL Net to Air Rest of Calder Cup, Blackhawks Victory Parade

NEW YORK (June 11, 2010) – The Stanley Cup was awarded to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. And with all the hard work over, it is time for the team to have some fun. On Saturday, June 12, at noon ET, NHL Network™ will broadcast WGN’s coverage in HD of Friday afternoon’s Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory parade and rally from Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.

It had been nearly fifty years since the Stanley Cup last graced the streets of Chicago. After a grueling, 82-game regular season and 22 playoff games, the rejuvenated and revitalized Blackhawks, led by captain Jonathan Toews, carry the Stanley Cup to meet their fans.

On traditional double-decker buses, Blackhawks players, coaches, team management and their families will salute over two million fans lined along Washington Blvd. and Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago.

NHL Network also will broadcast live, the remaining games in the AHL Championship series — the Calder Cup Finals — between the Hershey Bears and the Texas Stars.

The AHL’s 74th championship series is currently tied at two wins apiece, with Game 5 set for tonight in Cedar Park, Texas. The Bears are the top affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and the Stars are the top affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Bears play-by-play announcer John Walton will be handling the call of the games, with WHTM-TV sports director Gregg Mace providing color commentary and rinkside interviews.

NHL Network Schedule

Friday, June 11 Hershey at Texas, Game 5 8:30 pm ET (U.S. only)

Saturday, June 12 Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Parade noon ET

Monday, June 14 Texas at Hershey, Game 6 7:00 pm ET

Wednesday, June 16 Texas at Hershey, Game 7 (if necessary) 7:00 pm ET

About NHL NETWORK

As the definitive hockey destination, NHL Network offers viewers a 24-hour all-access pass to complete hockey coverage both on and off the ice, including live NHL games. The network’s daily signature show – NHL On The Fly – offers fans exclusive live look-ins to NHL games, including goals, shootouts, features, interviews, pre- and post-game reports and expert analysis from a variety of hockey insiders and former players, plus special coverage from NHL events. Additional programming includes simulcast of Sirius XM Radio’s “NHL Live” which broadcasts Mon-Fri from NHL Powered By Reebok, international and amateur hockey, player profiles, interview shows and youth-oriented programs. NHL Network is available in the U.S. and Canada by contacting digital cable or satellite providers. For more information on NHL Network, log on to nhlnetwork.com.

How the Hawks 32.0 Ranks With Other Chicago Sports Moments

From Phil Rosenthal:

63.1 household rating for the Bears’ 1986 Super Bowl XX victory over the New England Patriots on WMAQ- Ch. 5.

53.1 household rating for the Bulls’ 1997 NBA title clincher against the Utah Jazz on WMAQ-Ch. 5.

52.1 household rating for Bulls 1998 NBA title clincher — and Michael Jordan’s final game for Chicago — against the Utah Jazz on WMAQ-Ch. 5.

50.2 household rating for the Bears’ 2007 Super Bowl XLI loss to the Indianapolis Colts on WBBM-Ch. 2.

47.1 household rating for the Cubs’ loss to the Florida Marlins in the decisive Game 7 of the 2003 National League Championship Series on WFLD-Ch. 32.

42.0 household rating for the White Sox decisive Game 4 victory over the Houston Astros in 2005 World Series on WFLD-Ch. 32.

The Final Tally

NEW YORK (June 10, 2010) –The 2010 Stanley Cup Final Game 6 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers on NBC Sports was the most-watched and highest-rated NHL game in 36 years.

Last night’s game – which saw the Blackhawks defeat the Flyers, 4-3, on a goal by Patrick Kane 4:06 into overtime to give Chicago its first Stanley Cup since 1961 and end the NHL’s longest championship drought – was watched by 8.28 million viewers, the most since 1974 (8.29 million viewers, Boston-Philadelphia, Game 3 on NBC), 43 percent higher than last year’s Game 6 (5.8 million viewers) and four percent higher than last year’s Game 7 (8.0 million).

Game 6 posted a national household rating of 4.7 and an 8 share, making it the highest-rated NHL game in 36 years (7.6/27, Boston-Philadelphia, Game 6, 1974 on NBC), 38 percent higher than last year’s Game 6 (3.4/6) and nine percent higher than last year’s Game 7 (4.3/8).

Additional Ratings Notes:

Game 6 peaked at a 6.2/11 from 11-11:20 p.m. ET when Kane scored the game-winner and the Blackhawks celebrated their victory.

NBC Sports broadcast four of the series’ six games (1-2, 5-6). Those four games averaged 6.1 million viewers, the best network-TV series average in 13 years (6.4 million, Detroit-Philadelphia, one game on Fox in 1997) and up nine percent vs. last year (5.6 million viewers).

The average-series rating was a 3.4/6, the best on network TV in eight years (2002, 3.6/7, Carolina-Detroit on ABC) and up 10 percent vs. 2009 (3.1/6).

Chicago averaged a 25.2/41 rating for the four network-TV games. Philadelphia averaged a 19.6/30.

TOP 10 MARKETS – GAME 6

1. Chicago 32.8/50

2. Philadelphia 26.8/38

3. Buffalo 13.5/20

4. Pittsburgh 9.7/14

T5. Detroit 6.3/10

T5. Indianapolis 6.3/10

7. Fort Myers 6.1/10

8. Minneapolis 5.9/11

9. Las Vegas 5.7/9

10. Boston 5.1/9

TOP NON-NHL MARKETS – GAME 6

1. Indianapolis 6.3

2. Ft Myers 6.1

3. Las Vegas 5.7

4. Milwaukee 5.0

5. Baltimore 4.5

6. Memphis 4.3

7. Seattle 4.1

8. West Palm 4.0

9. Orlando 3.8

T10. San Diego 3.7

T10. Greensboro 3.7

DIGITAL PLATFORMS SHOW IMPRESSIVE GROWTH

The NHL is engaging and connecting with more fans than ever on its digital platforms and the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued that trend. Some highlights:

Video starts on NHL.com finished up 161 percent over last year for the entire playoffs

Unique visitors to NHL.com were up 17 percent

Page views were up 56 percent

Mobile page views were up 181 percent

For the Stanley Cup Final page views were up 88 percent and video starts 225 percent

April was the most trafficked month in the history of NHL.com in terms of unique visitors surpassing 17 million

NHL.com ranked as the number two site in terms of percentage change in unique visitors from March to April according to comScore.

TV MILESTONES IN THE 2010 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

NBC Sports’ coverage of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final earned the best overnight rating (4.1 rating and 7 share) for a Game 2 on record (NHL overnight data prior to 1975 is unavailable)

Canada also scored big for Game 1 of the Final with CBC equaling its best Game 1 audience since 1994 (3.16 million).

NBC’s two-game average overnight rating is a 3.5, the best for the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final in 11 years (3.8 on Fox in 1999, Buffalo vs. Dallas) and up 17 percent over last year (3.0).

Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on VERSUS averaged 3.369 million viewers making it the most-watched Final round on cable since 2002.

VERSUS’ coverage of the first two rounds of 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs was the most-watched first two rounds on cable on record with an average of 775,000 viewers for the 54 telecasts (Stanley Cup Playoff cable viewership became available by Nielsen for the 1994 playoffs)

NBC and VERSUS have combined for the most-watched first two rounds since 1997 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2)

Game 1 of the Blackhawks-Sharks series on NBC earned an 11.2 rating in Chicago, beating the Cubs, White Sox and Boston-Orlando broadcasts combined

On Thursday April 22, the Blackhawks, with 278,000 viewers in Chicago, prevailed over some tough local competition: Bulls (255,000 viewers, playoff game against Cleveland and LeBron James), NFL Draft (138,000) and the Chicago Cubs vs. NY Mets (137,000 viewers)

The Flyers Game 7 victory over the Bruins was the most watched Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet history with an 11.7 rating and 345,000 households, topping the previous record set two days earlier.

CBC’s coverage of Game 7 between the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins drew an average audience of 4.24 million viewers, ranking as the sixth largest Stanley Cup Playoff audience in CBC history.

On French language RDS, the Canadiens-Penguins Game 7 was the most-viewed NHL telecast in the network’s history with 2.69 million viewers.

The game also scored on FSN Pittsburgh averaging a 26.4 HH rating, the highest-rated game ever on the network. At one point 43 percent of all households in the Pittsburgh DMA were tuned into FSN.

There were three major Boston-area sports events televised on May 7 and Game 4 of the Bruins-Flyers series scored the best numbers, earning an 8.3 local Nielsen rating (328,000 viewers) on Versus in the Boston metered market besting the Yankees-Red Sox matchup on NESN, which earned a 6.3 local rating (223,000 viewers) to finish in second, while Game Three of the Cavaliers-Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals earned a 4.1 local rating (142,000 viewers) on ESPN.

TSN’s audience of 2.8 million for the Washington-Montreal Game 7 was the highest audience ever recorded for an NHL game on TSN and was the most-watched program on Canadian television Wednesday night in all key demographics.

The Montreal-Washington series ranks as the most-watched playoff series ever on TSN (any round) with an average audience of 1.8 million viewers over seven games.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NHL’S RECORD-BREAKING BUSINESS SUCCESS IN 2009-10

Corporate sponsorship was up 20 percent

New League partners this season include Geico, Starwood Hotels, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, LG Electronics and Hershey’s Canada

Ad spending on NHL® media increased by 37 percent over last season

NHL.com ad revenue is up 50 percent over last year

Revenue from big event platforms, led by the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, are up 22 percent over last season

Unique visitors to NHL.com surpassed last year’s record by 32 percent

NHL Game Center Live™ subscriptions were up 25 percent

NHL Network subscribers have increased by 104 percent

Sales at SHOP.NHL.com were up 12 percent from last year’s record

Viewership for NBC’s Game of the Week telecasts were up 13 percent

Ratings for exclusive telecasts on Versus were up 20 percent

NHL Mobile™ reached 1.6 million page views, an increase of 233 percent over last season

Source: Nielsen Media Research US and Nielsen Media Research Canada / BBM

NHL Ratings For the Top 10 US Markets

What you’re going to see is each of the Top 10 Markets in the US, what rating the game did in that market, and where it ranked for primetime in the market that night.  Then you’ll see the rating from 11-11:15 PM for OT and the winner, and where it ranked.  All numbers courtesy of PIFeedback.

#1 New York
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 4.7/7 (#5)
11:00-11:15 PM – 6.5/12 (#2)

#2 Los Angeles
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 2.3/5 (#8)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 3.7/7 (#4)

#3 Chicago
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 30.6/47 (#2)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 46.0/66 (#1)

#4 Philadelphia
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 25.9/36 (#2)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 29.5/46 (#1)

#5 Dallas
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 2.4/4 (#8)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 3.4/6 (#4)

#6 San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 2.0/5 (T#10)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 3.5/7 (#4)

#7 Boston
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 4.8/8 (#6)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 6.8/15 (#1)

#8 Atlanta
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 2.9/5 (#8)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 3.6/6 (#7)

#9 Washington DC
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 4.0/7 (#5)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 6.2/11 (#2)

#10 Houston
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 1.7/3 (#12)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 2.5/4 (#10)

Other Markets:

#11 Detroit
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 5.7/9 (#2)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 10.8/18 (#1)

#14 Tampa/St. Petersburg
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 2.7/5 (#5)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 4.1/8 (#4)

#15 Minneapolis/St. Paul
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 5.3/10 (#4)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 10.3/19 (#1)

#25 Indianapolis
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 5.9/9 (#6)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 8.2/15 (#2)

#64 Fort Myers/Naples
8:00 – 11:00 PM – 5.6/9 (#5)
11:00 – 11:15 PM – 8.4/19 (#1) 

Looking For a Different Gift For the Hawks Fan in Your Life?

Get these t-shirts.  They’re really cool, and only $10 from RIPT Apparel.  Check ‘em out.

Game Draws 7.5 Million, 2.9 in Adults 18-49 During Primetime

These numbers won’t be complete until we know how the 11-11:30 PM half-hour did (and was likely the half-hour to put the NHL in the record books) but this is what we know for now.  The game peaked in primetime with 9.6 million viewers and a 3.9 in the demo.

More coming.

The Press Release Confirms It: Highest Rated NHL Game Since 1974

NEW YORK – June 10, 2010 – Last night’s series-clinching Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers registered a 5.8/10 overnight rating (8:15-11:15 p.m. ET), the best overnight for any Stanley Cup Final game in 36 years (7.6/27, Boston-Philadelphia, Game 6, 1974 on NBC).

The rating peaked for the final 15 minutes of the game (11-11:15 p.m. ET) with an 8.0 rating and 14 share. The 5.8 overnight is up 41 percent vs. last year’s 4.1/7 overnight for Game 6 between the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, featuring Sidney Crosby.

In last night’s game, the Blackhawks defeated the Flyers, 4-3, on a goal by Patrick Kane 4:06 into overtime to give Chicago its first Stanley Cup since 1961, ending the NHL’s longest championship drought.

TOP 10 MARKETS

1. Chicago 32.8/50

2. Philadelphia 26.8/38

3. Buffalo 13.5/20

4. Pittsburgh 9.7/14

T5. Detroit 6.3/10

T5. Indianapolis 6.3/10

7. Fort Myers 6.1/10

8. Minneapolis 5.9/11

9. Las Vegas 5.7/9

10. Boston 5.1/9

Local Ratings Huge For Game 6, Likely Highest-Rated Nationally Since 1974

As if you expected anything different.  1 in 2 TV’s turned on in Chicago were watching the Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup, and 2 of 3 watched Patrick Kane’s OT winner.

Game 6 drew a 32.8/50 share, drawing 1.14 million Chicago-area households.  It scored a 26.8/38 in the Philadelphia market.  Both the #3 and #4 markets in the United States turned out to be big winners in a game that will go down as the NHL’s highest rated since NBC’s broadcast of Game 6 between the Flyers and Bruins in 1974, which drew a 7.6/27 rating.

Top 10 Markets for Game 6, Stanley Cup Final:

1. Chicago – 32.8/50
2. Philadelphia – 26.8/38
3. Buffalo – 13.5/20
4. Pittsburgh – 9.7/14
5. Detroit – 6.3/10
6. Indianapolis – 6.3/10
7. Fort Myers – 6.1/10
8. Minneapolis – 5.9/11
9. Las Vegas – 5.7/9
10. Boston – 5.1/9