It was the 2013 Presidents’ Trophy winners against a team with 22 consecutive playoff appearances.
And hockey fans across the U.S. took notice, as the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings did battle in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
According to a release from The NBC Sports Group, Wednesday’s game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings “posted a 2.07 rating and averaged 3.354 million viewers, making it the highest-rated NHL game ever on NBC Sports Network, and the most-watched Semifinal game ever on cable.”
Data goes back to 1994.
“The game... is the highest-rated non-Stanley Cup Final game on cable since 2002.”
Naturally, the game did well in the two competing cities - Chicago and Detroit.
“In Chicago, the Blackhawks-Red Wings telecast received a 17.21 HH rating, the highest local rating ever in the market for an NHL game on NBC Sports Network,” it was said in the statement.
“In Detroit, the Blackhawks-Red Wings telecast received a 14.96 HH rating.”
What lockout?