Curiously, a Hockey Day in America that started out with 1.9 million people spread out watching three games across this country dropped to extremely low numbers towards the end of the celebration.
The Devils/Canadiens game on NBC Sports Network, which followed NBC’s doubleheader and was very well-promoted during the Bruins/Wild Game of the Week on NBC, drew just 203,000 viewers, fairly low numbers for NBCSN. To be fair – as I always am – New Jersey isn’t exactly a heavy hitter on TV (see below) and the Canadiens don’t have a US home market to draw upon to boost figures, but the lack of crossover between NBC and NBC Sports Network is a bit depressing. Maybe people were just all hockey’d out.
To improve next year, make both teams playing in the NBCSN late game American-based, and promote it more as part of the whole Hockey Day package. Devils-Habs was often promoted separately from Hockey Day.
The number is part of a larger slump that NBC Sports Network has seen in February. Aside from the Philadelphia/Detroit game, which hit the second highest figures of the year on the network, there have been some lower scores. Four of the 10-least watched games this season on NBCSN came from February, the most since October, which also has four.
The week following Hockey Day didn’t exactly pick things up. Monday’s Caps/Canes showdown, blacked out in Washington, drew just 171,000 viewers. The following nights Red Wings/Blackhawks rivalry game, which was blacked out in both home markets, drew 228,000 viewers. However, most embarrassingly perhaps was Wednesday night’s Kings/Avalanche game, an uncompetitive game that was seen by a mere 166,000 viewers, despite the fact that both local markets saw the games.
The numbers for Sunday’s Chicago/Anaheim game were unavailable, but Monday night’s Devils/Rangers barnburner, which featured just 28 total shots between the two teams, drawing 287,000 viewers, still not exactly big stuff. Hopefully the network can improve with the Penguins playing tonight, the Flyers/Caps showdown Sunday, and better match-ups coming through as they season rolls to a close.
October 6
7:00 Boston vs. Philadelphia – 874,000
10:00 Pittsburgh vs. Vancouver – 342,000
October 7
1:00 NY Rangers vs. Los Angeles – 101,000
October 8
1:00 NY Rangers vs. Anaheim – 124,000
October 10
7:00 Tampa Bay vs. Washington – 162,000
October 11
7:30 Florida vs. Pittsburgh – 216,000
October 12
7:30 Boston vs. Carolina – 312,000
October 17
7:30 Colorado vs. Toronto – 218,000
October 18
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota – 286,000
October 25
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo – 338,000
October 31
7:00 San Jose vs. NY Rangers – 169,000
November 1
7:30 Anaheim vs. Washington – 258,000
November 2
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Buffalo – 558,000
November 7
7:30 NY Islanders vs. Boston – 195,000
November 8
7:30 Carolina vs. New Jersey – 241,000
November 9
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay – 411,000
November 14
7:00 Buffalo vs. Montreal – 323,000
November 15
7:30 Colorado vs. Pittsburgh – 392,000
November 16
7:30 New Jersey vs. Buffalo – 285,000
November 21
7:30 NY Islanders vs. Pittsburgh – 198,000
November 22
7:30 Los Angeles vs. St. Louis – 245,000
November 28
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota – 232,000
November 29
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. NY Rangers – 394,000
November 30
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Detroit – 393,000
December 5
8:00 Phoenix vs. Chicago – 302,000 viewers
December 6
7:30 Detroit vs. St. Louis – 259,000
December 7
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Buffalo – 585,000
December 12
7:30 New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay – 201,000
December 13
9:00 San Jose vs. Colorado – 193,000
December 14
7:30 Chicago vs. Minnesota – 540,000
December 19
7:30 Anaheim vs. Dallas – 149,000
December 20
7:30 Chicago vs. Pittsburgh – 634,000
December 21
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Dallas – 462,000
December 26
7:30 Dallas vs. St. Louis – 270,000
December 27
7:30 St. Louis vs. Detroit – 195,000
December 28
7:30 NY Rangers vs. Washington – 327,000
January 2
8:00 San Jose vs. Vancouver – 267,000
January 3
8:00 Detroit vs. Dallas – 188,000
January 4
7:30 Boston vs. New Jersey – 435,000
January 8
7:30 Detroit vs. Chicago – 587,000
January 10
7:30 San Jose vs. Minnesota – 237,000
January 11
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. Washington – 526,000
January 15
7:30 NY Rangers vs. Montreal – 202,000
January 16
7:30 Dallas vs. St. Louis – 238,000
January 17
7:30 Nashville vs. NY Rangers – 224,000
January 18
7:30 Buffalo vs. Chicago – 466,000
January 23
7:30 St. Louis vs. Detroit – 429,000
January 24
9:00 Minnesota vs. Colorado – 190,000
January 25
7:30 Detroit vs. Montreal – 241,000
January 28
7:00 Super-Skills Competition – 1.1 million
January 29
4:00 All-Star Game – 1.3 million
January 31
7:30 Washington vs. Tampa Bay – 264,000
February 1
7:30 NY Rangers vs. Buffalo – 478,000
February 5
12:30 Boston vs. Washington – 455,000
February 6
8:00 Detroit vs. Phoenix – 263,000
February 7
7:30 Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay – 155,000
February 8
7:30 Boston vs. Buffalo – 455,000
February 12
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Detroit – 600,000
February 13
7:30 San Jose vs. Washington – 351,000
February 14
7:30 Anaheim vs. Minnesota – 173,000
February 15
7:30 Boston vs. Montreal – 417,000
February 19
6:00 New Jersey vs. Montreal – 203,000
February 20
7:30 Washington vs. Carolina – 171,000
February 21
8:00 Detroit vs. Chicago – 228,000
February 22
9:00 Los Angeles vs. Colorado – 166,000
February 27
7:30 New Jersey vs. NY Rangers – 287,000
10 Most-watched Games on NBCSN This Season
1. Boston vs. Philadelphia (10/6/11) – 874,000
2. Chicago vs. Pittsburgh (12/20/11) – 634,000
3. Philadelphia vs. Detroit (2/12/12) – 600,000
4. Detroit vs. Chicago (1/8/12) – 587,000
5. Philadelphia vs. Buffalo (12/7/11) – 585,000
6. Philadelphia vs. Buffalo (11/2/11) – 558,000
7. Chicago vs. Minnesota (12/14/11) – 540,000
8. Pittsburgh vs. Washington (1/11/12) – 526,000
9. NY Rangers vs. Buffalo (2/1/12) – 478,000
10. Buffalo vs. Chicago (1/18/12) – 466,000
10 Least-watched Games on NBCSN this Season
1. NY Rangers vs. Los Angeles (10/7/11)* – 101,000
2. NY Rangers vs. Anaheim (10/8/11)* – 124,000
3. Anaheim vs. Dallas (12/19/11) – 149,000
4. Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay (2/7/12) – 155,000
5. Tampa Bay vs. Washington* (10/10/11) – 162,000
6. Los Angeles vs. Colorado (2/22/12) – 166,000
7. San Jose vs. NY Rangers* (10/31/11) – 169,000
8. Washington vs. Carolina* (2/20/12) – 171,000
9. Anaheim vs. Minnesota (2/14/12) – 173,000
10. Detroit vs. Dallas* (1/2/12) – 188,000
*-was blacked out in one or both of the home markets.
Puck The Media 
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