Stanley Cup Final Game 7 draws largest U.S. NHL audience since 2019

The two sweetest words in sports — Game 7 — led to a huge viewership night for the NHL.

The Florida Panthers’ 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday averaged 7.66 million viewers in the United States, the largest U.S. NHL audience since the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final Game 7, which averaged 8.72 million viewers on NBC. The number more than doubled the viewership for the Vegas Golden Knights’ clinching win in Game 5 of last year’s final (2.72 million).

Additionally, Game 7 delivered an average audience of 16.3 million viewers across North America, the NHL said. The game — carried on ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SportsNet and TVA Sports in the U.S. and Canada — was the second most-watched NHL game across the continent since 2004, behind the Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between the Bruins and Vancouver Canucks in 2011. The North America metric is not one all major professional sports leagues publish, as most viewership numbers only include the U.S., making it difficult to compare between sports.

Comparing the U.S. number (7.66 million), the Boston Celtics’ clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals earlier this month drew 12.224 million viewers on ABC, and the 2023 World Series Game 5 between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks drew 11.48 million viewers on Fox.

Seventh Heaven: 16.3 Million Viewers Watched Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final Across North America pic.twitter.com/amaY9BNcRf

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 25, 2024

This year’s Stanley Cup Final averaged 8.8 million viewers across North America, up 85 percent year-over-year, and was the most-watched Stanley Cup Final across the continent since 2013, per the NHL.

The Panthers won in seven games over the Edmonton Oilers to clinch the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. They opened as the betting favorites to win next year’s title.

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(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)