NHL television ratings up

According to NBC and Nielsen Media Research, ratings for the first two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are the highest in seven years. Saturday's and Sunday's games, both won by Detroit, averaged 4.87 million viewers, the most since the 2002 Games 3 and 4 between Detroit and Carolina averaged 5.35 million viewers.

That's 21% of last year's first two NBC games, which were Games 3 and 4 on a Wednesday and Saturday. And, as they say, in the "coveted" demographic of adults between the ages of 18-49, Sunday night's Game 2 was tied for sixth among all primetime telecasts (thank you NBA teams for not having any Game 7s)

And here are the top 10 markets with a noticeable absence of, yes, Los Angeles. But way to go Oklahoma City and Fort Myers, Fla. Who would have guessed?

SATURDAY, GAME 1
1. Pittsburgh, 26.5/43
2. Detroit, 19.3/34
3. Buffalo, 5.2/9
4. Columbus, 3.5/6
5. Ft. Myers, 3.3/5
6. St. Louis, 3.0/6
T7. Indianapolis, 2.8/5
T7. Cincinnati, 2.8/5
9. Oklahoma City, 2.4/5
10. Chicago, 2.3/5

SUNDAY, GAME 2
1. Pittsburgh, 31.7/43
2. Detroit, 28.1/43
3. Buffalo, 7.2/11
4. Philadelphia, 4.5/7
5. St. Louis, 3.8/7
6. Baltimore, 3.7/6
T7. Washington D.C., 3.4/6
T7. Minneapolis, 3.4/6
T7. Columbus, 3.4/6
T7. Ft. Myers, 3.4/5

-- Diane Pucin

Comments

[Russell]

I'd much rather watch the Stanley Cup Finals then the overhyped Lakers.

[zambonirodeo]

Actually anyone who knows the history of hockey in OKC (one of the best-supported minor league teams of all time, current NBA arena was originally built in hopes of luring NHL team that ultimately went to Columbus) might have guessed! (And Fort Myers also has a very steadily supported minor league team come to think of it).

[Randy Travers]

The Stanley Cup playoffs are riveting entertainment so no surprise that ratings are up. The only surprise by this revelation is that The Times is surprised. And not a shock that L.A.'s ratings fall outside the top 10 cities. Look at the way you guys cover the sport as a whole, much less the Finals. If you can find the coverage amid your Lakers overkill, that is. There are far more hockey fans in L.A. than you care to admit.

[Crystal Wells]

I am already preparing myself for the negative NHL articles tomorrow when the ratings for game 4 tonight are down going head to head against the NBA. Basketball is a better game on TV, no question. But hockey players are the best athletes in all of pro sports, hands down, for doing what they do while balancing on thin, metal blades on frozen water. There is a reason that Sports Illustrated famously declared in the 1980s that the NHL was hot and the NBA was not. It was true then and will be true again in the future once the NHL owners join the 21st century and elect a visionary leader like the NBA's Stern who can lead the league out of darkness and into public acceptance. Until then, I don't mind being one of the select few (at least according to the media) who will gladly choose to watch the Stanley Cup Finals tonight instead of the NBA Finals. And yes, I do live here in Los Angeles and am not anti-Lakers.