The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals (thanks to large-market participants Chicago and Philadelphia) have posted higher combined ratings than the first two games of last year's championship series, and Game 2 helped NBC earn the highest ratings among 18- to 49-year-old viewers on Monday night.
Game 1 on Saturday grabbed the best overnight rating for the first game of the Finals in 11 years. It produced a 2.8 rating and a 6 share, drawing more than 7 million viewers nationally. It was up 12 percent from last year.
In the team markets Saturday, 35 percent of all TVs were tuned into the game in Chicago and 25 percent in Philadelphia.
On Monday, the national numbers were even with last year's Game 2 between Pittsburgh and Detroit last year. About 7 million people watched on Monday.
Midweek numbers for the next game might not be as high, but the numbers are a good start for the NHL.
For comparison, though, the gold medal game from the Oympics between the United States and Canada drew more than 27 million viewers in the United States. So, nationalism apparently sells better than playoff hockey -- even hockey at its highest level.