The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between the United States and Canada was historic not only for being the first of its kind but also for the ratings it drew.
On Saturday, ESPN announced that the game, a 3-2 overtime victory for Canada, drew the largest audience for a hockey game in the network’s broadcast history. 9.3 million American fans watched and cheered on with a peak of 10.4 million viewers.
Adding to the impressive viewership record, it was also the largest audience for a non-NFL event on ESPN+ and the largest audience for a non-Olympic hockey game in U.S. history.
But wait, there’s more!
Adding in Canadian viewership, Outkick reports that the total reached 16.1 million, which fell just short of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals Games 7 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
Sportsnet reported 5.7 million average viewers across Canada on Thursday night with their peak numbers reaching 10.7 million.
In total, the four games aired on ESPN drew an average viewership of 4.3 million. The championship contest obviously garnered more attention due to the political attention, which began during a round-robin game between the United States and Canada when Canadian fans booed the U.S. National Anthem.
Those boos drew the attention of both the American players and President Donald Trump, who made a private phone call to the U.S. team before the championship game. That was met with a response by outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the overtime thriller had concluded.
The 4 Nations Face-Off was an exhibition tournament that replaced the traditional All-Star Game in an effort to generate interest for the NHL’s return to the Olympic Games in 2026 and the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.
Mission accomplished.
