NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 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 Cup final since 2019. in six games in 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 spike, especially among women, after the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Olympics and in light of shows like 鈥淗eated Rivalry鈥� and “Off Campus鈥� putting it in front of a different audience.
___
AP NHL:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
