NHL television ratings up

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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