Canada’s win over USA in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off international tournament attracted a huge audience of more than 16 million in North America.
The championship game, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday (February 20), was watched by an average audience of 9.3 million on the ESPN sports network in the US and 6.3 million on Sportsnet in Canada.
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It was the second-most watched hockey game in the past decade behind game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, which the Florida Panthers won 2-1 against the Edmonton Oilers. That game drew 16.3 million viewers.
Viewership for the 4 Nations final peaked at 10.4 million on Disney-owned ESPN, delivering the largest hockey audience ever for the broadcaster.
The contest was the most-watched event on ESPN platforms since the 2024 NBA Finals (basketball) and was the most-watched non-NFL event ever on the ESPN+ streaming platform.
Overall, the four games on ESPN averaged 4.3 million viewers, an increase of 1079% from the World Cup of Hockey tournament in 2016.
The seven-game tournament, which also included Sweden and Finland, averaged 6.5 million viewers across North America, up 256% from the World Cup of Hockey.
The group-stage encounter between Canada and the US was watched by 4.4 million on ESPN’s ABC sister network in the US.
4 Nations Face-Off acted as the precursor to NHL players’ return to the Olympic stage in 2026 and 2030 for the Winter Games, an agreement negotiated and announced during the 2023-24 season.
The NHL also announced earlier this month that the World Cup of Hockey will return in 2028, as the sport looks to establish a regular cycle of international competitions for top players.
The NHL will alternate World Cups and Olympic participation every two years, ensuring top players can compete on the global stage. During those tournaments, the league will shut down to allow players to participate.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said a bidding process for host cities and venues will begin in the next few months and he anticipates at least eight teams participating in the tournament.
The competition has only been played three times since it succeeded the Canada Cup, with the US beating Canada in the final of the inaugural edition in 1996, and Canada triumphing over Finland in the second in 2004.
However, attempts to stage the tournament in 2020 and 2021 were thwarted by labor issues between the NHL and the NHLPA.
A mooted 2022 edition was then shelved due to a clash with the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. A decision was subsequently made by the NHL and International Olympic Committee not to release players for the flagship event due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Then in 2022, the NHL and NHLPA again shelved plans to stage the tournament in 2024.
Read: 4 Nations Face-Off the stage, as NHL returns to international scene
