The NHL’s biggest problem when it comes to drawing big TV ratings, I’ve long maintained, is that fans in hockey markets don’t watch when their teams are eliminated. NBA Finals ratings in non-participating basketball markets are always way higher than Stanley Cup Final ratings in non-participating hockey markets. But things are starting to improve in some places, and Game 1 had some buzz. Plus, some markets were helped by recent glory.
Stanley Cup Final, Game 1 TV ratings: Big numbers in Buffalo, Detroit... and Milwaukee?
Take, for example, Los Angeles. In 2011, the year before the team won the Stanley Cup, Game 1 between Boston and Vancouver drew a 1.3 rating Well, in 2013, in the primetime hours (8-11 p.m. ET) Game 1 drew a 2.2. LA was actually one of the lower-rated NHL markets, which is good for the NHL.
What follows is, via a source, the local ratings for each of the NHL’s 20 American markets (obviously, the three New York and two LA teams share) and the Top 10 non-NHL markets for Game 1 in primetime. Just as a clarification, these numbers are only from 8-11 p.m. ET and do not include overtime.
NHL market ratings for Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final
1. Boston - 29.0
2. Chicago - 24.2
3. Buffalo - 7.7
4. Detroit - 5.4
t5. Pittsburgh - 5.0
t5. Minneapolis/St. Paul - 5.0
7. Columbus - 4.7
t8. Tampa/St. Petersburg - 4.0
t8. Phoenix - 4.0
10. Raleigh/Durham - 3.4
t11. New York - 3.3
t11. Denver - 3.3
13. Washington - 3.0
14. Philadelphia - 2.8
t15. Nashville - 2.4
t15. St. Louis - 2.4
17. Los Angeles - 2.2
18. Dallas/Ft. Worth - 1.7
19. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale - 1.6
20. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose - 1.0
Top non-NHL markets for Game 1
1. Providence/New Bedford - 18.8
2. Milwaukee - 6.9
3. Harford/New Haven - 5.8
4. Ft. Myers/Naples - 5.4
5. Oklahoma City - 4.5
6. West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce - 4.0
7. Indianapolis - 4.0
8. Las Vegas - 3.9
9. Richmond - 3.5
10. Knoxville - 3.3
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