Sport
NHL says '26 playoffs most-watched on record
Key Points
The NHL said Tuesday the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring were the most-watched on record in the U.S. with an average of 1.8 million viewers. That surpassed the previous record of 1.56 million in 1996 and is up 68% over last year. ESPN reported this was the most-watched Stanley Cup Final since 2019.
NEW YORK -- The NHL said Tuesday the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring were the most-watched on record in the U.S. with an average of 1.8 million viewers.
That surpassed the previous record of 1.56 million in 1996 and is up 68% over last year.
ESPN reported this was the most-watched Stanley Cup Final since 2019. Carolina beat Vegas in six games in a Final without some of the biggest hockey markets in the country.
Some of the increase across sports ratings can be attributed to a change in how Nielsen is counting viewers, but hockey is also enjoying a popularity spike, especially among women, after the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Olympics and in light of shows like "Heated Rivalry" and "Off Campus" putting it in front of a different audience.