NHL regional TV ratings down thanks to the U.S. presidential election and Chicago Cubs

Winning cures all ailments when it comes to NHL TV ratings, unless you play in the same city as the Chicago Cubs or a high-stakes national election is going on.

The Sports Business Daily collected television ratings for NHL teams based in U.S. markets on Monday, and the data they published is fairly interesting. NHL ratings for all regional markets are down 7 percent from opening night through the All-Star Game, which the SBD pins on the United States presidential election that dragged on until November.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who look as strong as any team in the Western Conference, saw a ratings decrease of 20 percent in the first half of the season. You can probably blame the Cubs’ World Series win on that one.

Other, smaller, television markets are tuning in in droves to watch their teams make surprising first-half runs. Buoyed by a 16-game win streak, the Columbus Blue Jackets are up a whopping 110 percent from last year. The Devils and Panthers both saw large increases in viewership, even though both clubs still rank in the bottom third of the league in TV ratings. Overall, nine NHL teams have enjoyed ratings increases.

But 12 of them have seen ratings decline harshly, including the Dallas Stars (33 percent change), Red Wings (28 percent), Islanders (31 percent), and Ducks (46 percent). In fact, Anaheim has the lowest average rating (2.1) in the NHL. The Ducks are headed to the playoffs, so that’s odd. But it’s no surprise that the league-worst Avalanche are drawing 57 percent less in the ratings this season.

You can see the rest of the ratings rankings here. Sports Business Daily didn’t obtain ratings for the Canadian teams, the Nashville Predators or Carolina Hurricanes.