The NHL's decision to move tonight's NHL Winter Classic to an 8:00 P.M. prime-time start will continue to add fuel to the growing popularity of the National Hockey League in the United States.
A Mediaweek article dated April 25th of last year referred to the NHL as the "National Hot League" and tonight’s matchup between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins featuring the two best players on the planet, (Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby), can only help continue to build on last spring's surprising US.television ratings.
This ratings boost really began with NBC's dream matchup in last winter's Olympic Games. The U.S.A-Canada Gold Medal Game was the most-watched hockey game in the United States in 30 years. This overtime thriller drew 27.6 million viewers and the ratings boost from this final game carried over into the Stanley Cup Finals for NBC.
Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks was the highest-rated NHL game on U.S television in 36 years and the Game 6 clincher in which the Black Hawks won the Stanley Cup on a Wednesday night in June drew 8.28 million viewers, ...
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Article written by Alan Zlotorzynski
NHL Winter Classic 2011: Will Capitals-Penguins Beat Flyers-Blackhawks Game 6?
January 1st, 2011 by Alan Zlotorzynski Leave a reply »
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