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Team Canada's 3-2 victory over the USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship on Thursday night captivated an extraordinary number of viewers, attracting a record-breaking 9.3 million average viewers. This milestone marks the largest audience ever for an NHL broadcast, underscoring the growing appeal of international hockey events.
The dramatic overtime finish peaked at 10.4 million viewers on ESPN, delivering the network its biggest non-NFL or college football audience since the 2024 NBA Finals. Notably, the previous highest viewership for an NHL game was recorded at 8.9 million during NBC’s telecast of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues.
A strong showing for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship
Despite the strong viewership, the 2025 4 Nations championship final still falls short of the gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, which averaged a staggering 27.6 million viewers on NBC. However, the February championship, announced just a year ago during the NHL All-Star Game, has undoubtedly cemented its place as one of the most-watched non-Olympic ice hockey games. The event drew 16.1 million viewers across North America, with 6.8 million coming from Canada alone.
In Canada, the game reached an impressive milestone, with one out of every four Canadians tuning in via Sportsnet platforms. This remarkable feat highlights the immense popularity of the sport in the nation.
Impressive viewership numbers for the 4 Nations Face-Off
The seven-game best-on-best tournament as a whole averaged 6.5 million viewers across North America, reflecting a 256% increase from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The final also ranked as the second most-watched hockey game in North America in the past decade, second only to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, which drew 16.3 million viewers.
The U.S.-Canada final, which took place at TD Garden in Boston, is now the most-viewed non-NFL game ever broadcast on ESPN+. The broadcast also outperformed all other U.S. cable telecasts, except for NHL, college football, and election coverage.
NHL players shine despite no Rangers on Canada’s roster
While no New York Rangers were part of the Canadian championship roster, several members of the team were still represented in the tournament. Mika Zibanejad (Sweden), Urho Vaakanainen (Finland), Vincent Trocheck (USA), Chris Kreider (USA), Adam Fox (USA), and J.T. Miller (USA) all had players selected for the competition, showcasing the broad reach of NHL talent.
