No other way to describe the number NBC pulled for the gold-medal hockey game between the United States and Canada on Sunday. An average of 27.6 million people tuned in to see the Canadians win a 3-2 overtime classic. That’s the third most-watched hockey game in history behind the Miracle on Ice year of 1980 when the legendary semifinal win over Russia (34.2 million) and the final vs. Finland (32.8 million) aired on ABC. Amazing stuff. NBC gleefully pointed out in its press release that Sunday’s game outdrew the 2010 Grammy Awards (25.9 million), the Rose Bowl (24 million), Game 4 of the World Series between the Yankees and the Phillies (22.8 million – or the best-rated game of the series), the NCAA men’s basketball final (17.6 million), the 2009 NBA finals (16 million) for Game 4 between the Lakers and Orlando Magic and the 2010 Daytona 500 (16 million).
Now, let’s keep this in perspective. NBC drew 7.51 million viewers on a Friday night last June for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. That was a game between hockey-crazy markets Pittsburgh and Detroit with marquee names all over the ice, including Sidney Crosby. A great number for the NHL. But that’s still a step below an NBA finals, which even at its absolute worst has dipped to a 5.2 rating and about 10 million viewers. Let alone a World Series, which usually draws somewhere between 13 and 20 million depending on the teams involved. And if this year’s Stanley Cup final series is the Caps against, say, the San Jose Sharks, hitting even 7.51 million seems a stretch.
That’s me being a serious Debbie Downer, though. Obviously NBC and the NHL have to be thrilled with that 15.2 rating and a 30 share of the televisions in use. Now for the next move: How to build on that success. Obviously, a Canada-US gold-medal game played in North America is the perfect storm for creating a relevant hockey game that pulls in the casual viewer. But by exposing an American team stocked with marketable young stars – Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Suter, Jack and Eric Johnson, Bobby Ryan etc. – the hope is people will want to see them in their natural NHL habitat. It doesn’t hurt that curious fans only have to wait five weeks to see the NHL’s best product – it’s insanse playoff tournament with the coolest trophy in pro sports as the prize. Will there be a carryover from the Olympics? Or does a month of college hoops wipe out the momentum entirely, making February, 2010 as relevant as February, 1980 to the viewing habits of casual sports fans? We’ll find out soon enough.
