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Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:30 pm EDT

Nearly 7 million viewers watch Game 6 in the U.S.

By Greg Wyshynski

Steve Lepore of Eye on the Media points out something rather startling regarding the ratings for the 2008 Stanley Cup finals in the U.S.: That the series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings picked up over 5 million viewers between Game 1 on Versus and Game 6 on NBC. Overnight ratings from last night's game were a 4.4 and a 7 share for NBC from 8-11 p.m., good for a preliminary viewership figure of 7.02 million according to Sports Media Watch. The game drew a 3.0/9 among adults 18-49, ranking second for the night behind Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance?" (Clearly, we have to find a way to incorporate Ned Braden or Eric Nystrom into the finals to capture the dancing demo.)

Sports Media Watch writes that if the 7.02 million figure holds -- and keep in mind that number doesn't currently factor in either Cincinnati or D.C., which was hit with nasty weather last night -- Game 6 will be the most-watched NHL telecast in the U.S. since Game 7 of the Ducks/Devils series (7.2 million) in 2003. Which was the last all-U.S. Stanley Cup final. Which should tell you all you need to know about the alleged ratings "slump" for the Stanley Cup finals on American television since then.

See what happens when you have two legit teams, marketed well to the casual sports fan and presented professionally by a couple of networks that seem to give a damn? Live and learn, NHL.

UPDATE (7:00 p.m.) -- Sports Media Watch has the adjusted numbers down to 6.8 million. Still strong.

Related: Stanley Cup Playoffs, Gary Bettman, Commissioner for Life, When Hockey and Hollywood Collide

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48 Comments

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  1. DetroitCity
    1. Posted by DetroitCity Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:10 pm EDT

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    Nice job Wings great you brought the cup home where it belongs. And now that you won the cup we won't have to watch (NBC = Nothing But Crosby) any longer.
  2. Dutch
    2. Posted by Dutch Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:07 pm EDT

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    Great to see the Ratings climb, certainly when the other 2 markets (DC esp.) are factored in it will exceed that figure from 2003. Can't tell you how sick I was of hearing "how terrible" the SC Finals ratings were the past several years in which a Canadian team has been in the Finals, as if no one in Canada is watching! None of the Canadian viewers (who by the way see most of the same commercials as the States) are counted. I thought NBC did a pretty good job, Post #1 did you come up that NBC=Crosby line yourself or did your mommy give you that one while changing your jammies. God you Detroiters are paranoid. Crosby is the CAPTAIN of the Team he tied for most playoff points, he's only 20 in his 3rd season, he IS the face of the future of the NHL, sorry you can't get that thru your thick skulls. Well enough of that. Congrats to the Wings, exciting series once NBC took it on, hope the League can continue the momentum. Thought nobody cared Idiot Woods!
  3. Max_Powers
    3. Posted by Max_Powers Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:33 pm EDT

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    You'd be paranoid if you lived in Detroit too. (and possibly shot too). . .
    Haha Detroit!! Good series. Congrats!!
  4. Hockeytown Yeti
    4. Posted by Hockeytown Yeti Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:53 pm EDT

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    Yeah heaven forbid that we hear a few lines about Pavel Datsyuk and Hank Zetterberg, or maybe just maybe we could hear something about Nick Lidstrom defensive god of the NHL. But no, we hear the same canned stories about a player who is no better than half the players on the Detroit roster. The reason Cindy is the future face of the NHL, (ack gag) is his ability to clearly speak English. Not to take anything away from Hank and Pav but they are still working on their interviewing skills and Nick is just a quiet leader who lets his play speak for him. Also they aren't so full of themselves and the media hype that they still believe it is a team sport and that the team wins so they don't talk about themselves. Maybe they could put up something about Staal who I though had an amazing series, even Malkin maybe-though he got shut down completely. Its not just Detroit that feels this way about the excessive coverage of the kid, if you actually are a fan and not just a yahoo fanboy you would read/hear that everyone was tired of it.
  5. willie
    5. Posted by willie Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    i'm a diehard pens fan and i'm dissappointed in the outcome of the game, but i take my hat off to the wings and chris osgood who deserved to be the conn smythe winner. can't wait til next season, THE PENS WILL BE BACK HOISTING THE CUP.
  6. J.P.
    6. Posted by J.P. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    It's worth noting that the exclusion of D.C. is not insignificant, as it was the 9th-strongest market, ratings-wise, for Game 5.
    Also (as has been said many times before), the top two hockey-watching markets in the States for Game 5 (Detroit and Buffalo) both had the option to watch the game on CBC.
    Big night for L'il Gary and his game.
  7. Fred C
    7. Posted by Fred C Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:23 pm EDT

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    I only wish I could have watched in on CBC. . .
  8. GERALD
    8. Posted by GERALD Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    We try to just shoot out of towners in Detroit..lol, and yes NBC did focus on Crosby a bit too much, but that is just NHL/NBC ratings politics... all said and done it was an exciting series and as much as I wanted a sweep in the beginning, I'm glad it wasnt. I havent yelled at my TV this much all year..HAHA ..GO WINGS and thanks Pens..see you next year
  9. Mr. Buckeye
    9. Posted by Mr. Buckeye Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:48 pm EDT

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    I congratulate the Wings. You have a very good team. But, Pittsburgh will be back to the Stanley Cup next year. The Pens have to keep Malone and Orpik!
  10. Mike
    10. Posted by Mike Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Hey, Detroit and the state of Michigan need all the good news we can get. Look at the "dream series" everybody is mentioning about the Lakers and Celtics. It's almost as if the media and NBA got their wish even though the Pistons were a great team this year. I do give credit to the Celtics though, they went out and put together a heck of a team. Congratulations to the RED WINGS and Hockeytown!!!!
  11. ihatemcmahon
    11. Posted by ihatemcmahon Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    I don't know how goo dthe DC ratings will be. I tried to watch the game, but I had no power, and lots of people who did have power, had no cable.
    Whether you like it or not, Crosby is the face of the NHL. He might not always be the absolute best player, but that's not really the point. The league needs a superstar who can do more than play the game.
    Next year should be interesting. The leage is really hoping for that Ovechkin/Crosby conference final. The West might have better teams, but they need to come up with some better stories or they are going to continue to get the short end of the media stick for the forseeable future.
  12. Ron
    12. Posted by Ron Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:50 pm EDT

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    Quit rippin on Sid the Kid. He's the poster boy whether you like it or not, so roll with it. I am a lifelong RedWings diehard, but I have to admit, watching that kid was reminiscent of the Great One, circa 1982. Nothing against Hank or Pav, fabulous talents in their own right. But lay off Sid. We won the Cup. Now it's time to show the rest of the Internet just how gracious and classy the majority of true RedWings fans are and let's celebrate the rebirth, re-emergence, or whatever, of our beloved sport. To be replaced by NASCAR as one of the 4 major sports makes me wanna puke. Lastly, I wish the Canadian ratings could be included with NBC's. Then you would see how huge that game really was in terms of viewership. I live in Michigan, and trust me, NO ONE broadcasts a hockey game like CBC.
  13. Katman
    13. Posted by Katman Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:55 pm EDT

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    Hey folks. I'd bet that half the Detroit, Buffalo, northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Seattle fans were watching a much better, knowledgeable and entertaining presentation from Canadian CBC than on NBC. Factor those fans in and I'd bet you'd have around 10,000,000 U.S. fans in total watching the final. Go Wings!
  14. CUP #13
    14. Posted by CUP #13 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:03 pm EDT

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    better stories?? the game is hockey, not story time.. and how bout stories like mcarty comming back from adversity and hoisting the cup? what about blake finally getting one? and chelly, as old as he is still contributing beautifully throughout the season? there are plenty of good stories for the wings, i'm sure there is more than what i have mentioned, and does being 20 and playing in the nhl make you somehow a better "story" palllleeeez. i thought the pens played well, aside from the cheap shots and such on franzen. and a few other lame plays, but what i found to be absolutely lame, was the pens fans booing when the wings lifted the cup..no class at all for those that were booing or condone it wings have brought the cup back to "hockeystate"
  15. DC
    15. Posted by DC Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:57 pm EDT

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    DC fan without cable last night was lucky enough to have neighbors with dishes. I thought it was a good series and the Pens played their hearts out. It was evident in most periods that the RedWings were the better team with some great passing and they always seemed in control unlike the Pens. Congrats to the RedWings and I agree with some of the above posters to lay off Sid Crosby. He's great and the sport needs another 66 or 99.
  16. Tim
    16. Posted by Tim Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:51 pm EDT

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    You won't hear anyting from Zetterberg ot Datsyuk because they are not North American. Who cares who is covered more? That is why a mute button is on your remote. Would you bash Crosby if he was on your team? Don't say you wouldn't want him. I don't like Ovechkin but I would if he was on my team. NBC has to try and get the casual fan interested and they do it by spotlighting the guy whose name they know. I think Zetterberg and Datsyuk are great players but the casual fan thinks they are some kind of cheese and Japanese car.
    And Bill try Drake not Blake. I could not find anything on the ticket that says no booing and it wouldn't be an issue if they would have won Game 5. Take the Cup and enjoy. True fans don't bash, they just look for a repeat.
  17. A Yahoo! User
    17. Posted by A Yahoo! User Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:18 pm EDT

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    You know what anyone who posted something bad about Crosby or the Pens needs to go screw themselves into the ground. All of you have no idea what you are talking about. I wanted the Pens to win badly; however, I am glad that it is over cause if I had to hear Mike Emeric talk one more time I was going to put a shoe through my TV, stupid Detroit loving announcers. It's always about Detroit always, people always think they are the best team in the league when in reality they aren't, why you may ask b/c they only play to win not to show people something. The Penguins wanted it badly way more than the Detroit Red Wings, sure they came up short, but they gave it their best and ripped their hearts out and left them on the ice just like every other team who played Detroit in the playoffs, personally I think passion and heart are worth way more than skill and old age. If Detroit wanted it so bad they would have won in the triple overtime, but they didn't! It's just an empty cup with a bunch of people's names on it, and when it's all over all you will have is a title that so many others before you have.
  18. Gary C
    18. Posted by Gary C Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    CBC is the best place to watch a hockey game. We are lucky to have that option.
  19. Dutch
    19. Posted by Dutch Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:07 pm EDT

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    @12 Ron-PERFECTLY said! @16 Boowers-LMAO! Gretzky was the name and face of hockey for years, it helped that he was on a great team in Edmonton and then carried success to a big market in LA. Unfortunately Mr. Bet-Man confused the buzz and excitement the LA Kings generated from 89-95 with Gretz with LA being a metropolis that can support TWO NHL Teams. The league needs a "Poster Boy" Lindross was supposed to pick it up for Gretzky but he was injury prone, Crosby didn't ask for the attention, he's just getting it. Guys beefing about the announcers, hello they have to sell a close, EXCITING, series. Scoring is exciting, defense is not. Offensive flow is exciting, jamming up the neutral zone isnt. I don't expect or care if the NHL is as popular in the States as the NFL or stupid NBA, but all Hockey fans will suffer if the sport becomes "irrelevant" that some try to proclaim it is. Hockey blows NASCAR out of the Water!
  20. J-D
    20. Posted by J-D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    Hmmm, let's see how the U.S. Open does next weekend in comparison. Same network and everything. Et tu, Tiger?
  21. outoftowner
    21. Posted by outoftowner Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:52 pm EDT

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    Professional network? Ed Ol (can't spell his last name) was terrible. I am used to hearing one-sided announcers, I grew up watching cbc. But these guys were awful. We all realize that you want Pittsburgh to win but for the God's sake try and be a little less bias.
    I seriously felt like I was watching the Pittsburgh station last night.
    Good to hear are rating are up, Hockey could use the boost.
  22. JEFFREYD
    22. Posted by JEFFREYD Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    Put the Flyers in there against the Red Wings and the numbers would be just a s good or better. The bad boys of hockey vs. thegood guys of hockey
  23. DetroitCity
    23. Posted by DetroitCity Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:10 pm EDT

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    Elderberries..you a little bitter there bud. I dont know what channel you were watching but the announcers were hardly pro Detroit. Detroit outplayed the Penguins pure and simple. The Penguins will hopefully one day hoist the cup just give it a few years when there young guys mature a bit.
  24. DetroitCity
    24. Posted by DetroitCity Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:10 pm EDT

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    To bad that Elderberries is showing the bad side of serious Penguins fans on here and displaying his poor loser attitude. Maybe he should heed the advice of the last lkine of my last post and grow up as well.
  25. Neil A
    25. Posted by Neil A Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:35 pm EDT

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    If the league needs a poster-boy, then that's fine. But how about getting someone who is a better skater and better scorer than Crosby, like Ovechkin or Lecavalier? Oh, right, because chumps like ESPN don't want Tampa to have a team, despite the fact that they draw the eighth largetst crowd in the league.

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