The 4 Nations Face-Off has proven to be a smashing success for the NHL, with the intense and highly-physical matchup between Canada and the USA having drawn many eyes to the tournament.
The NHL announced its ratings for Saturday's game between the bordering nations, indicating that a total of 10.1 million viewers tuned in across all of North America. That's an increase of as much as 203% from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and makes it the most-watched hockey game, excluding Stanley Cup finals games, since 2014.
ESPN's broadcast of the game received an average of 4.4 million viewers and a peak of 5.2 million. That would indicate that Sportsnet, which was the main broadcaster of the game in Canada, produced similarly large numbers.
The two sides will meet again in a highly anticipated tournament final on Thursday from Boston's TD Garden. If the ratings numbers from Saturday's bout are any indication, the final figures to draw even larger viewership.
That's music to the ears of the NHL, who opted to forgo a classic All-Star Game in favor of the international tournament. Its success has been crucial for the league, which has struggled to draw viewers throughout much of the regular season.
Thursday's game will be broadcast on ESPN and Sportsnet, with puck drop set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
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Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
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