Fansided

Stanley Cup playoff ratings take hit in U.S. despite 4 Nations Face-Off boost

The NHL was already experiencing low regular season ratings but the Stanley Cup playoffs are only augmenting that decline.
ByAusten Bundy|
Apr 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Linesman CJ Murray (68) separates Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard (49) and Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) in the first period in game three of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Apr 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Linesman CJ Murray (68) separates Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard (49) and Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) in the first period in game three of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Hockey fans seemed to reach a fever pitch during the NHL's 4 Nations Faceoff in lieu of the normal All-Star Game break this season. ESPN averaged 9.3 million viewers for the mini-international tournament final between Canada and the United States. That was the most watched NHL-sponsored game in U.S. history.

Despite that, the 2024-25 NHL regular season as a whole saw lower ratings than last year (12 percent lower to be exact). And the Stanley Cup playoffs haven't helped that trend, at least in the early matches.

Across ESPN and TNT, the early first round games were averaging 718,000 viewers as of Tuesday, which is down a whopping 27 percent from 2023-24. No game to date has reached one million people watching.

Stanley Cup playoff ratings tank NHL interest despite 4 Nations mid-season boost

It's possible that a stronger contingent of Canadian teams in this year's bracket may be eating into the American television market. There are five teams from north of the U.S. border participating: The Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.

The NHL also has to compete with the NBA playoffs tipping off around the same time. According to a survey conducted in 2023, the NBA garnered more viewing support from fans than the NHL. It's unclear why that may be but the data doesn't lie, basketball appears to be more popular than hockey.

It's hard enough for NHL stars like Alex Ovechkin and Connor McDavid to compete with the NBA's LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but you've also got the MLB regular season starting to hit its stride which also pulls a fraction of sports fans away.

The quality of play can't possibly be the reason for the decline. The Stanley Cup playoffs are some of the hardest hitting, highest scoring games all year. Perhaps it's a marketing problem and not enough people outside of the normal sports-viewing audience knows they are even on television.

Whatever it may be, the league needs to figure it out quickly or risk having some of the most dramatic hockey play out in front of a number of eyeballs far too small for what it deserves.

Home/NHL Playoffs