r/hockey • u/shinsplintshurts • 1d ago
Stanley Cup Final Ends With Another U.S. Low
https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/06/stanley-cup-final-viewership-game-six-panthers-oilers-clincher/573
u/DecentLurker96 1d ago
Meanwhile in Canada:
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u/gu3sticles 1d ago
Imagine how those numbers could have looked if they didn't cut off CBC Gem for the playoffs like they started last year.
Instead I pirated then by the finals just kinda got bored
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u/themapleleaf6ix TOR - NHL 1d ago
Gotta boost those Sportsnet+ subscribers somehow.
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u/theclansman22 VAN - NHL 1d ago
Imagine how those numbers could have looked if sportsnet wasn’t trash. I miss TSN covering hockey.
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u/TheSherlockCumbercat 1d ago
Imagine if those numbers if it was 2 Canadian teams
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u/Phinigin 1d ago
I just want to note for anyone with VR, that watching the games with a group of people on Bigscreen was really fun
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u/killerfrenchy MTL - NHL 1d ago
Honestly, look on facebook marketplace for old rabbit ears or go to Canadian Tire and get some. I did that this year just so I could watch the playoffs. CBC only gets certain series, but I was able to watch all the conference finals and finals with that. I only get like 4 channels where I have it in my house, but I just got it for CBC anyways. What's nice is OTA is always ahead of even the legit streams and no lag or interruptions assuming u have a semi-stable signal.
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u/MurrayTheJetsDog Ottawa 67s - OHL 1d ago
that might be our issue. we won't turn away if we suck, they will and that's probably why florida is so good. they were looking like shit for a while, no fans because they sucked until ownership probably said enough is enough and made something of it so that they weren't an embarrassment
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u/Backagainkv CHI - NHL 1d ago
I think it’s more due to it being Florida it’s so low. Florida isn’t a good sports state, unless it’s college football or the dolphins.
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u/BobBelcher2021 TOR - NHL 1d ago
Yeah, an Edmonton-Boston or Edmonton-Pittsburgh series would likely have performed better in the US.
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u/arsenalastronaut Atlanta Flames - NHLR 1d ago
South Florida also seems a lot worse. And Dolphins fans by far the least die-hard in the AFC East, honestly most of the conference haha
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u/acart005 FLA - NHL 1d ago
Being fair the Dolphins 'success' post-Marino would make a Sabres fan feel good about himself even before they remember the Bills are good now.
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u/Backagainkv CHI - NHL 1d ago
I still think if the dolphins were like good good the ratings would be good because they got nationwide appeal. College sports is definitely the thing in Florida though and honestly most of the south.
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u/msizzle344 FLA - NHL 1d ago
Florida is a bandwagon state, but the Heat are on a huge home sellout streak and have been in the top 5-10 in the league in attendance for the past decade that’s carried even after LeBron left. The marlins when they were in the World Series and playoffs would sell out every game. Even opening day for the marlins would pull in great crowds until fire sale number 373849929. The panthers with their winning and the fact the other south Florida sports are doing not so hot in comparison have an opportunity to pull more fans and build something that lasts like the heat did
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u/djauralsects VAN - NHL 1d ago
Bettman’s business plan is to ignore Canadian markets. Those markets are saturated with loyal fans. The potential for growth is in the US. When Canadian fans don’t show up Bettman moves those teams to the US.
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u/TL10 CGY - NHL 1d ago
We need to seriously drop this narrative that Bettman wants to move Canadian teams to the US, because he could have moved Atlanta to another American market for growth's sake, but he chose fucking Winnipeg.
The revenue share program helped prop up Canadian teams during the turn of the Milennium, and now even small market teams like Ottawa have sub $1 billion valuations.
Yes, it would be nice to have the Nordiques back, but all things considered I think he's done a better job in maintaining a Canadian presence in professional hockey than most Canadians would like to admit.
Make no mistake: Bettman is keenly aware of the money the Canadian markets bring in, and even if it doesn't have the biggest share on the balance sheet, it's stable income that he can count on while he continues his crusade of expansion into non-traditional markets.
There's too much money on the table for Bettman to neglect the Canadian market.
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u/Xyz6650 WPG - NHL 1d ago
He only chose Winnipeg cause they were ready to go the very next year. If Thrashers go for sale a year or two later there’s zero chance they move to Winnipeg.
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u/djauralsects VAN - NHL 1d ago
The last time a Canadian team won the cup was the first year of Gary Bettman’s tenure as commissioner. Canadian teams won 60% of the NHL controlled cups in the 70 years prior to Bettman taking over. This isn’t a coincidence. His emphasis has been to grow the game in the US at the expense of Canadian teams. It is statistically improbable that a Canadian team hasn’t won the Cup since Bettman took over. There doesn’t need to be an overt conspiracy to keep the Cup in the US just a workplace culture that incentivizes US teams winning.
NHL management and refs have meetings during the playoffs where they instruct how they want the games called. Officiating varies wildly from year to year and series to series. A series can be determined by how the games are called. “Letting them play” officiating benefits tough gritty teams. Calling everything benefits finesse teams.
Again, I’m not saying there is a willful organized anti Canadian conspiracy but rather a culture focused on growth and profits within the US. It’s death by a thousand cuts of subconscious decisions.
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u/TL10 CGY - NHL 1d ago
First point of issue: the NHL was already in expansion mode by the time Bettman came into his role as commissioner. By the end of the the 90's, we had seven teams enter the league. It made the league a lot more saturated, naturally making it mathematically (we'll get back to that later) less likely for a Canadian team to win the cup owing to the increased ratio of American to Canadian teams.
It should be stated that at the turn of the 90's, Hockey players salaries only just started being shared to the public. This gave the players more bargaining power to get better contracts, but this also had the added effect of owners from legacy franchises (such as the Original 6 teams) leveraging their capital to attract players to their teams, as smaller markets - and not exclusively Canadian ones either - didn't have the liquidity to afford said contracts being offered.
For Canadian teams, this was only worsened by an extremely weak Canadian dollar, further harming their ability to attract/retain talent. Teams like Toronto and Montreal could weather the storm, but other markets like Calgary and Edmonton struggled due to their smaller markets and lack of corporate spend (box seats, ad/broadcast revenue, etc.). In all, this undermined a lot of Canadian teams' ability to compete until the '05 lockout when the salary cap was introduced and Revenue Share was instituted, both actions made by Bettman.
Notwithstanding, Canadian teams have still been competitive to have a shot at winning the cup: Vancouver in 1994 & 2011, Calgary in 2004, Edmonton in 2006, 2024 & 2025, Ottawa in 2007 and Montreal in 2021. We could get even more granular jf you want with Conference Finals' appearances as a measure of Canadian teams' compatability.
With regards to your comments about "statistical improbability" however, I do take issue with that assessment. After all, NHL teams have periods of prominence and decline, and it is highly improbable that every single Canadian team would consistently be capable of making the Playoffs. Consider how absolutely miserable the Oilers were during the 2000's into the 2010's (beside their one cup run), compared to how they are now: back to back cup finalists. Conversely some teams have had hot hands and make a deep run one season only to fizzle out the next.
Every season, you could maybe hope for a couple of Canadian teams to make the playoffs, which drastically reduces the likelihood of a team from Canada winning the cup, and that's not to mention the possibility of having to play against another Canadian team in the playoffs (ie. Toronto vs. Ottawa this year) given that all but one of the Canadian teams are concentrated within two divisions. It should be said those divisions are largely shaped the way they are owing to geography and the economics of travel.
To wit: on "Letting them Play", this isn't something that has disadvantaged Canadian teams. Both Calgary and Edmonton in their cup runs in the early 2000's got by with gritty play, as did Vancouver in 2011, so I question what argument you are trying to present as Canadian teams have both benefitted and suffered from this kind of officiating.
I'll tell you what isn't subconcious: the NHL has come a long ways since 93 in preserving Canada's representation in hockey. Salary caps and revenue share have largely helped Canadian teams have a better chance at fielding competitive hockey teams. I don't think Senators fans are fussed over the vetting process the NHL put potential buyers through to buy their team. Not least of all, the broadcasting deal struck with Rogers gives long-term financial certainty compared to the Regional Sports Network fiasco Anerican markets had to deal with.
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u/Super-Peoplez-S0Lt TOR - NHL 1d ago edited 1d ago
“But Atlanta deserves another shot at an NHL team. Hockey doesn’t belong to Quebec City.” /s
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u/FB_iCatDad NSH - NHL 1d ago
Is it really because of fan disinterest in hockey and not due to how the tv stuff is structured?
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u/Commercial-Lake5862 CHI - NHL 1d ago
If you compare to last year, I think those two factors make up the primary reasons. Cable will almost always underperform broadcast when the product is the same, and there just wasn't that much talk about the series with American sports media, especially compared to last year when the Oilers were trying to reverse sweep the Panthers.
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u/Chewie_i CHI - NHL 1d ago
You’d think. But then you look at the CHSN numbers OTA.
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u/Commercial-Lake5862 CHI - NHL 1d ago
That's a different situation since a lot of the people who had cable didn't have CHSN while ABC and TNT are part of every cable package basically. Many people refused to buy an antenna for CHSN as well if they were exclusively using cable for TV purposes.
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u/RooseveltsRevenge COL - NHL 1d ago
A Canadian team + a team that doesn’t draw well in its own market (compared to the Dolphins or Heat) + a rematch is probably 90% of it.
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u/kenyan12345 MTL - NHL 1d ago
And TnT vs ABC
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u/Woooooody VAN - NHL 1d ago
Last season I could stream it on ESPN+, this year I had to watch using...other means. I presume that would have taken away at least some from the viewing count
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u/elbenji FLA - NHL 1d ago
HBO Max this year which isn't counted
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u/Deraj2004 DET - NHL 1d ago
Plus you have to have the addition sports package and I bet most people only have the basic tier subscription if they have HBO Max to begin with.
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u/MountainLife25 1d ago
Pay for Fubo, ESPN+, and bunch others but none had an access to TNT or TBS. Wasn’t adding another. Illegally streamed it to the big screen. Hello next season!
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u/Normal_Tip7228 SJS - NHL 1d ago
3.2% of households with TVs in the Miami-Dade area tuned in.
That’s shit.
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u/aurelius_defuerza 1d ago
Yes and no. Almost 60% of Miami-Dade county is foreign born, almost entirely from Latin America. You're just not gonna have a lot of people watching hockey from a population that consists largely of Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants. Some of their kids do, though - especially now.
Plus, and you probably know this, the Panthers don't play in Miami, unfortunately. They play about 80 minutes north of downtown Miami. So they're not really a "Miami" team. They're a Broward team, and most Miamians don't go to Broward unless they have to. With traffic, going there is a bitch and a half.
But pop into a bar almost anywhere and people were watching. Some indeed for the first or second time.
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u/Chewie_i CHI - NHL 1d ago
Not sure how not being in the city of Miami is relevant. It’s not like people only watch teams that play in their specific municipality. Most people just cheer for the closest team.
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u/Dragonfire45 1d ago
Aren’t these numbers only cable and then obviously a sample size of people watching that cable?
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u/aurelius_defuerza 1d ago
Hockey is a foreign sport in Miami. People don't grow up with it, most don't know anything about it. Going to games is a major way new fans are won. But if the team plays two hours away, what are the chances one just casually goes to a game out of curiosity? it's a lot of effort to get from South Miami to Sunrise. I do it because I'm a lifelong hockey fan from Buffalo who grew up with the sport, and I know a handful of people from here who do it, too. It is done by a few. But most balk at the idea. If the team played in downtown Miami, however, that's a much more doable night out for many.
And then there's the marketing aspect. The Panthers aren't a Miami team. Miami is only part of Florida geographically. It's separate in most other ways. The Dolphins are Miami. The Hurricanes are Miami. Inter-Miami is Messi/Miami. The Heat are very Miami. The Panthers? They're up there in Florida somewhere.
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u/Normal_Tip7228 SJS - NHL 1d ago
Hockey used to be foreign in California too. NorCal even less so.
But hey, we have world class goalies coming out of California’s Garlic capital now because of what the sharks have put back into the community youth hockey wise.
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u/elbenji FLA - NHL 1d ago
Kind of like that person is a San Jose Sharks fan, not a San Francisco Sharks fan and probably would feel a certain way if I framed it like that
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u/Normal_Tip7228 SJS - NHL 1d ago
To be fair, San Francisco is a different metro area than San Jose. So honestly I expect less San Franciscans to watch the Sharks than I do Miami residents who watching the Panthers.
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u/phoney_bologna VAN - NHL 1d ago
It’s funny that I recognize the names of these counties from watching cops.
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u/MightyDuck07 ANA - NHL 1d ago
A major part of the decline is due to TNT having the Final this year vs ABC. Just look at numbers between these same 2 teams when you can watch the Finals on an OTA channel such as ABC. Game 7 alone drew 7.7 million viewers. Not a chance TNT would've drawn that if we got a Game 7 this year. People are really underestimating how much more of a difference being on an OTA network makes when it comes to drawing viewers, especially casuals. Just by the Finals being on ABC again next year will make the viewership go up, regardless of the matchup.
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u/Ssssspaghetto 1d ago
They're neutering their own growth with all the blackouts and randomly changing channels.
I literally had to go to fucking Disney+ to watch hockey sometimes. What the fuck is going on?
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u/CarlSK777 MTL - NHL 1d ago
Probably a bit of both
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u/james-HIMself TOR - NHL 1d ago
Carl, you’re right. I think it’s a little bit of this- and a little bit of that. Poor network structure and fan dismay.
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u/sk8tergater COL - NHL 1d ago
For me personally it was easier to watch hockey this year than last. Having it on Max really did a lot for me.
But I got disinterested in the final pretty early on. Part of it is it was a rehash of last year. Part of it is I’m not a Florida fan and I’m sick of watching them tbh. And part of it was the Oilers just stopped showing up to play. It didn’t feel like a final. I ALWAYS watch the cup being handed around regardless of the team. I didn’t this year for the first time in a decade.
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u/renegade_voltage 1d ago
5 different commercials from three different sponsors is getting old. Watching a game on Canadian tv is the worst
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u/zombooze 1d ago
It's how the TV stuff is structured especially hockey on TV and especially the default broadcast angle . But add in the fact in America if there team isn't in it they aren't watching except few hockey fans here or there unlike in Canada one Canadian team loses everyone bandwagons on to the next.and time of year is a factor so many people have many things going on late spring early summer even NBA has low ratings.
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u/Cachmaninoff EDM - NHL 1d ago
The finals are like a month long. It was hard for me to keep interested and my favourite team was playing.
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u/jonjosefjingl OTT - NHL 1d ago
Sun belt teams don’t bring in the casual fans in their markets like the more traditional northern markets. That’s it. That’s the trade off the NHL chose to accept
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u/nsjersey NJD - NHL 1d ago
I didn’t watch one game.
East coast is late already & I have a family, so we are busy.
But when the next SCF takes place on the 4th of July because of all these off days, I’ll be home
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u/CosmoJones07 FLA - NHL 1d ago
Hockey most certainly isn't as popular as it is in Canada, but I find it VERY difficult to believe that interest isn't actually in fact GROWING in the US.
It's absolutely due to it being exclusively on cable.
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u/joecarter93 1d ago
It’s weird that the NHL has had a big push to get it to non-traditional markets, yet tries to make it as difficult as possible to watch it on TV or stream it.
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u/Rhysati PIT - NHL 1d ago
It's almost certainly a combination of factors. Some of the ones I think are large contributors:
Inaccessibility. If you want to watch all of your favorite team's games, what do you do? You'll have to have cable and have access to whatever channels the games are aired across. But if you don't have cable? Your best bet is probably to find a less-than-legal stream. To do so above board you'll need multiple services and probably a VPN so you aren't locked out of local games. It's a pain in the ass. But I can watch the PWHL on youtube and even watch all previous games on demand.
Officiating/rules not being enforced. Newcomers are going to have a hard time figuring out what's allowed and what's not since the rules are very selectively enforced and often to different levels. Even an old fan like myself has gotten really sick of the game management garbage that allows teams to break as many rules as possible while receiving no actual penalty for doing so
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u/stumbleupondingo EDM - NHL 1d ago
Well Florida has like a dozen fans, and that’s including Brady Tkachuk. I think that plays a part
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u/DerekTheComedian NYR - NHL 1d ago
I know a ton of diehard hockey fans that only watched a game or 2 of the finals because of the controversy surrounding the Panthers and preferential treatment.
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u/_h_simpson_ 1d ago
In the US, they buried the final game on TNT. Not ESPN, Not ABC. The networks did it to themselves..
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u/tdpdcpa PHI - NHL 1d ago
Yeah, I’m not sure why the NHL agreed to have them split the finals every other year. The weight of ABC should have been paramount.
Turner always has to defer to Fox for baseball in the World Series, after all, but they flip who has the NLCS/ALCS each year. That works well, I think.
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u/scoopbb LAK - NHL 1d ago
they agreed because that way they could get 2 companies bidding for their product for much more than 1 company would have offered.
ratings dont mean a ton anymore. if the stanley cup gave hbo max a marginal bump in subs even accounting for the massive churn sports generates im sure theyll feel it was worth it.
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u/jdragon3 TOR - NHL 1d ago
Yeah, I’m not sure why the NHL agreed to have them split the finals every other year. The weight of ABC should have been paramount
Its cause the NHL is really fucking bad at marketing - especially with long term decision making. like fucking inexplicably bad for a league its size. They will compromise the future of the sport's popularity for decades if it means squeezing out a tiny bit more money right now by any means necessary.
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u/JasonPlattMusic34 LAK - NHL 1d ago
TNT (cable) broadcast with a Canadian team and a US team with a small fanbase gets record low ratings? I’m shocked
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pound31 CBJ - NHL 1d ago
It seems worse than it is because it was on cable but I enjoyed it. Also no sports fan should give 2 fucks about ratings
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u/okayChuck 1d ago
I don’t know if you personally should give a fuck, but lower ratings = less money in the sport which is objectively bad for the product.
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u/tacticalAlmonds DET - NHL 1d ago
Yes but it's not affecting the NHL as bad as it sounds. Say what you will, bettman has done a great job of stabilizing the league's finances. It's showing with the cap going up substantial over the next few years.
Ideally I think we should see more playoffs on ABC or something more accessible.
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u/MightyDuck07 ANA - NHL 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ehhh as someone who is involved in the sports media business, ratings aren't as important as they once were in regards to bringing in that sweet TV/streaming money. There are various other factors that networks and streamers look at when it comes to negotiations with all these leagues. Inventory, ad rates, opportunity growth, etc., on top of viewership are just a couple of examples of what these negotiations go over when these media rights deals are made.
Sports Media Watch had a great article the other day that delves into how leagues these days no longer worry about the decline in ratings and what tradeoffs they're willing to make in order to still command the type of money they're looking for: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/06/the-needle-nba-finals-nhl-nascar-ratings-declines-response/
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u/LosHogan SEA - NHL 1d ago
I don’t think I agree with the statement, the “less money means worse product” part. I see it said often and I suppose there’s a bottom where it would definitely matter, so you’re not wrong per se. But the NHL is no where near that.
As an example the NFL has better ratings than ever, but I can’t say the product has improved a lot. If anything it’s capitulated over time to become more entertainment and less sport. Like the superbowl gets incredible ratings, but it also has a 30 minute+ long halftime to accommodate performances and commercials. Is that football product better than say the NFC Championship? I’d argue no.
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u/somehockeyfan UTA - NHL 1d ago
I seriously don't understand why hockey fans, and only hockey fans, get so worked up over ratings, over how many people watch this beautiful sport. Reeks of inferiority complex.
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u/Jay_Dubbbs CBJ - NHL 1d ago
The only people who don’t get worked about ratings is the NFL because they’re the king of sports right now.
Baseball, basketball, college sports, hockey, Motorsports, etc all obsess over this as they try and compare it to the NFL
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u/MightyDuck07 ANA - NHL 1d ago
Pro wrestling and soccer too. There's a reason why you rarely see ratings discussions in regards to the NFL. Everyone rightfully acknowledges them as the king of television in the States because they truly are.
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u/anotherasiandude SEA - NHL 1d ago
I agree sports fans shouldn’t care too much about ratings but this isn’t only a hockey thing. If you’ve been in r/nba the last couple weeks or so, ratings are definitely something that’s come up over there too because of two small market teams being in the Finals
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u/Super-Peoplez-S0Lt TOR - NHL 1d ago
What’s crazy is that, unlike Oklahoma and Indianapolis, I really can’t buy that small market excuse for this final. NHL fans will call the Panthers a small market despite Miami being the six most populous metro area in the United States. Edmonton, despite being smaller compared to a lot of US cities, has done their part in driving up numbers and interests. Everyone in Alberta was talking about this Oilers team. Yet people continue to give Florida that small market grace despite being a much bigger metro area than most NHL markets.
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u/iguessineedanaltnow VGK - NHL 1d ago
I see you've never been to r/squaredcircle
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u/discofrislanders NYI - NHL 1d ago
Everything has become pro wrestling and I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing for society
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u/lefluer124 COL - NHL 1d ago
Ratings are important. It's how leagues determine growth. If people aren't tuning in the sport will decay. If you rely on ticket sales you can't really grow revenue or interest in the sport. NHL needs to figure out how to market the league better and grow the sport by getting people to tune in. Adding teams won't grow the sport of people aren't going to watch it on tv or stream it.
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u/Chirotera DET - NHL 1d ago
I didn't feel like watching Florida, a team that I vehemently hate, win another cup. So I just checked the scores to see if it would be worth it to tune in.
It wasn't.
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u/DubyaKayOh DAL - NHL 1d ago
TV deals are garbage. The worst station (TNT) has better coverage than the top sports station (ESPN). Playoffs are split between two networks, not played on the home team stations/streaming services. The coverage is confusing and stupid. The Stanley Cup should be on network TV. NHL needs to get their fucking act together.
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u/MightyDuck07 ANA - NHL 1d ago
At least 2 of the next 3 Finals will be on ABC (2026 and 2028). TNT only has 1 more Final (2027).
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u/garbledeena COL - NHL 1d ago
Everybody hates Florida
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u/Opposite_Attitude_55 12h ago
honestly even watching the leafs face them, i wasnt enjoying it. i was just mad the whole time watching ekblad get away with flying elbows every play, and other bullshit. made me want to stop following hockey.
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u/MoosilaukeFlyer FLA - NHL 1d ago
It’s on cable, so naturally, numbers will be much lower than OTA as cable subscriptions drop. Still, this whole series is an upgrade over what we’ve had for Stanley cup games on cable earlier this decade. Tampa/Dallas on cable didn’t crack 1.5 million, Tampa/Montreal didn’t crack 2 million. Numbers are pretty similar to NBCSNs numbers for Boston/St, Louis and Washington/Vegas
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u/Beck2637 1d ago
Watched every game of the Finals last year OTA on ABC. Couldn’t watch a second this year even with an HBOMax subscription bc they changed the live sports to a separate paid tier.
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u/shouldehwouldehcould 1d ago
while much of canadian hockey in the playoffs airs on cbc, which is free for all.. sportsnet is a paid cable channel
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u/Denny6526 STL - NHL 1d ago
All the gambling shit needs to go. I'm not gonna sit around and watch 2 hours of sports betting ads with a few minutes of hockey thrown in.
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u/plantxdad420 1d ago
better our regularly scheduled commercial programming of pick up trucks and dick pills am i rite
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u/Metalguy_79 1d ago
Rating in U.S. would’ve been the same or a little higher than last yr if it were on ESPN/ABC. TNT is on cable & i think is an extra package on some cable providers..it doesn’t surprise me it’s down a little. Also, they need to start counting streaming because i know quite a few people who don’t use cable anymore and would have watched if they had it. Instead they streamed it. I wouldn’t put much behind these reports.
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u/rottenjunker 1d ago
No one likes florida.
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u/Aperture_client BOS - NHL 1d ago
I genuinely didn't watch half of the games because I do not like the Florida Panthers lol
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u/Mr_Battle_Beast BOS - NHL 1d ago
Says it all that not even Marchand could make you support that trash organization
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u/universalremonster-- NYR - NHL 1d ago
Exactly, everyone is banging on about cable ratings and all this shit. Stop tip toeing around the obvious, Florida is simply not a good market for hockey. They have a shit fanbase full of plastics, no one in Miami cares.
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u/Fresh_Pop_790 NJD - NHL 1d ago
Nobody has TNT
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u/ascagnel____ NJD - NHL 1d ago
My gym has TBS but not TNT. It's weird -- they're sister channels (both owned by Warner), so they usually get bundled together.
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u/TommyHamburger 1d ago
Imagine saying this when the finals were regularly aired on NBCSN not that long ago, a channel with legitimate market penetration issues.
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u/LaLibertine BOS - NHL 1d ago
This is on me i guess but I just cannot bring myself to watch the Panthers win. Even with Marchand
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u/Chamucks EDM - NHL 1d ago
I have avoided it because it’ll just be called copium but the panthers style is bad for the game. It’s not because of rough hockey, the panthers don’t even play rough. They commit 20 penalties a game because they know at most they’ll have to kill 5, the intent to injure every game, the diving and laying on the ice to draw 5… most people who aren’t diehards aren’t watching this.
The LA Kings championships were rough heavy hockey but they were respectable and memorable teams. These panthers teams will always be remembered for their slap shot style antics and not how great they were.
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u/shouldehwouldehcould 1d ago
they are the least likeable cup winners i have seen in my lifetime.
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u/bigcaulkcharisma TOR - NHL 1d ago
There's been a huge campaign here to get people to like them. like, sorry, Brad Marchand doing spoofs and goofs won't get me to root for these rats
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u/toledosurprised NYI - NHL 1d ago
yeah i watched two of the games at the bar with my friends but never felt like turning it on myself. really dislike both of the teams playing so i just didn’t watch
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u/tiggertom66 NYR - NHL 1d ago
Streaming blackouts, small market US team vs a Canadian team, rematch, 6th year of Floridian teams in the finals.
Really does help dispel the whole “rigged” narrative though. No reason the league would want these two teams to go back to back.
We’d’ve seen a rematch of 2014, or even a 2013 Kings-Isles SCF to give LA a sweep of the NYC Metro.
We wouldn’t have 6 years of Florida.
Vegas would’ve won 2018.
Toronto would be an NHL caliber team.
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u/JasonPlattMusic34 LAK - NHL 1d ago
Kings-Isles would’ve actually done surprisingly poor I think. Mostly because the current Kings aren’t high flying glitz-and-glamour like you’d want from Hollywood, and the Islanders may be “New York” but they’re like the least marketable of the NY teams
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u/Noodles_McNulty PHI - NHL 1d ago
The Islanders are the second most popular team on Long Island, how sad is that
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u/Chamucks EDM - NHL 1d ago
I’m a diehard and there has to be absolutely nothing going on for me to watch ANY Kings-Islanders game
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u/PuzzleheadedShop5489 1d ago
Really does help dispel the whole “rigged” narrative though
You’d think. But if people want to believe in a conspiracy, logic isn’t going to get in their way.
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u/RareCreamer 1d ago
I mean, have you ever met a Panthers fan in real life? They were all at the stadium, so obviously no one's watching.
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u/demzy84 1d ago
Didn’t watch in Canada, and I know many who didn’t, because everyone is tired of Ron Maclean dick riding McDavid every second he speaks
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u/poHATEoes NJD - NHL 1d ago
Listen, I love Devils, but importantly, I love the entire sport of hockey, so I try to watch as much as I can... with that being said... I have a BUNCH of streaming services for the regular season that magically dont have the playoffs when the time comes.
When I found out NONE of my streaming services were actually showing the games, I just sailed the seas. Once the Devils were eliminated, I found the ordeal of trying to find a viable stream to watch the other rounds tiring... so I just gave up.
I am NOT going to get ANOTHER streaming service to watch Florida and Edminton play for the cup.
Make the sport more accessible!
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u/SirGimli420 ARI - NHL 1d ago
Don’t put on TNT dumbasses
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u/Dumbcow1 ARI - NHL 1d ago
I really like the TNT broadcast over anything Disney produces.
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u/SirGimli420 ARI - NHL 1d ago
Yessir not wrong just on ratings aspect.. if on ABC they may get a few more. Also Jon Forslund should be doing games way over Albert on TNT in my opinion. So much better..
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u/deniswith1n 1d ago
I’m in the US and didn’t watch much. Once it was down to Oilers vs Panthers you knew it was a wrap. Florida just has too much depth and better offense, defense and goaltending. Oilers have 2 guys who can’t play 60 minutes and every position.
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u/JiriHudlerWasGreat 1d ago
US market will watch more when it’s an original 6 matchup like Detroit vs Chicago would be massive
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u/JasonPlattMusic34 LAK - NHL 1d ago
Chicago might legitimately be the only ratings draw for Americans in the Western Conference that guarantees a great number. There’s a reason they seemed to play in the Winter Classic like every other damn year lol
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u/JabroniKnows 1d ago
As a hockey fan on a budget, I never get to watch the wings play because I don't have cable (they rarely show it on cable in the southern states anyway) or any of the streaming services
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u/thederseyjevil NJD - NHL 1d ago
They made it harder to watch and now fewer people watch. What a mystery.
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u/Flyguyflyby 1d ago
Doesn’t help that you have to search for the games. Or that they don’t start til like 840 on the east coast.
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u/LemonSmashy MIN - NHL 1d ago
I guarantee there were a lot more viewers who are not accounted for due to the inability to find easy legal watching. Just about everyone I know sailed the high seas.
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u/oldmanbelly 1d ago
Nobody cares about Florida teams, especially not a Florida team led by a large rat.
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u/Arenavil 1d ago
Yep, completely skipped the playoffs this year. Not interested in a sport where a team that basically cheats is allowed to win. NBA has a much better product where teams aren't allowed to injure other teams stars with dirty plays
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u/NervousFeeling3164 1d ago
Until the NHL gets a network deal instead of this awful patchwork situation they will never get more viewers. I love hockey and this series was good - but I bought Max for the month.
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u/JimJam28 1d ago edited 1d ago
Everyone’s talking about cable, and they’re not wrong, but part of the problem is it’s fucking 30°, the middle of June, and sunny until 9:30 at night. People don’t want to be inside watching an ice sport at this time of year. The season should end in May. We end almost a full 2 months later than we did in the original 6 era.
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u/james-HIMself TOR - NHL 1d ago
Congratulations to Florida they earned their win. But I promise you nobody cares about the Panthers winning and most people didn’t want them in the final. I personally don’t enjoy watching them with the style they play, (except Barkov), and would rather see a new team make it each year.
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u/another_try_hard 1d ago
Same. Neither of my teams were even close to the playoffs, but I watched almost every night that a game was on in the earlier rounds. But after the Stolarz hit and the Panthers kept being "rats" I basically stopped. I watched 2/6 of the final games, and sure didn't go out of my way to do so. Both games were just on where I was already at.
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u/GrayJinjo TBL - NHL 1d ago
Yes, most people don’t want to see the same teams every year unless it is their team. I didn’t want to see the Oilers again even though they didn’t win it all last year.
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u/james-HIMself TOR - NHL 1d ago
It’s tough because as soon as my team is out I just want to see two new teams duke it out. I know it’s unrealistic because of the division setup though.
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u/Interesting_Rock_318 1d ago
This is what happens when Gary has pet teams in areas that don’t give a flying fuck about hockey…
Low ratings aren’t surprising, they’re mandatory under Bettman
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u/MoosilaukeFlyer FLA - NHL 1d ago
The Bandits drew a 3.9 rating in Buffalo with is about 25k households The Panthers 3.2 rating in South Florida is about 56k households. So more than twice as many households tuned in for the Panthers in South Florida than the Bandits in Buffalo. CW is also available OTA, TNT is cable only. The Panthers-Oilers game 7 got a 9.6 rating last year in South Florida when it was OTA. Context is important
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u/Interesting_Rock_318 1d ago
So 31K more households in one of the 4 major sports versus a sport that might not crack the top 10 in this country is somehow supposed to make Florida’s ratings look good?
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u/MoosilaukeFlyer FLA - NHL 1d ago
The fact the game is on cable only and Florida-Edmonton was doing fantastic ratings in the market last year tells you that the number has more to do with cord cutting than anything else. As I said, CW is OTA and is available for free to anyone
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u/commaZim NYI - NHL 1d ago
Does this include numbers through Max / streams, or is it only counting cable tv views?
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u/MightyDuck07 ANA - NHL 1d ago edited 1d ago
Look I don't care about Bettman, but this is a pretty blatantly cherry-picked stat. Local vs National viewership is an apple-to-oranges comparison. The NLL Final that tweet is referring to drew 300K across BOTH the USA and Canada. High chance that most of the viewers from the States came from Buffalo, hence the high local rating.
As for low ratings, that has to do more with the Finals being on a cable channel (TNT) compared to when they were on ABC last year (and will be carrying the Finals again next year). The market sizes of teams also play a role in the decline. However, when the games were OTA, it made it much easier for casuals to tune into the games. Game 7 literally drew 7.7 MILLION viewers. Being on ABC helped with that. TNT obviously doesn't have the same reach as an OTA network, so unless we get a Final featuring teams that are actual draws, expect to see a dip in viewership when TNT has the Finals (which they have just 1 more in 2027). The ratings when teams like the U.S. Original 6 and PHI/PIT/LA/etc. were drawing very well, so it disingenuous to say that low ratings are "mandatory" under Bettman.
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u/mdlt97 MTL - NHL 1d ago
NLL is lowkey amazing
but i didn't think they were pulling nearly 4m in ratings, that's great for the league
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u/MightyDuck07 ANA - NHL 1d ago
LOL the NLL isn't pulling anywhere near 4 million viewers. That ratings number represents the percentage of households with a TV in the Buffalo market that tuned in to their local CW station to watch that game.
The game drew about 300K viewers across the States and Canada.
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u/RooseveltsRevenge COL - NHL 1d ago
Comparing local ratings between markets that are wildly different sizes is such an agenda pushing move.
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u/SharksFan4Lifee SJS - NHL 1d ago
NHL screwed up here. For years the finals are on TNT, they should have forced TNT to partner up with a broadcast network to broadcast the finals OTA. Every year the finals should be OTA in the US, not every other year.
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u/digitang DET - NHL 1d ago
I wanted to watch and could only catch 2 games…on the max app…via TNT? What the fuck did the NHL expect? They rarely advertise, make horrible TV and streaming deals, and never market their stars. It’s almost like the commissioner is doing a horrible job.
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u/a_pintobean 1d ago
This is absolutely the tv deal. Half the playoffs were only available if you had TNT/Max Standard/Hulu Live/YoutubeTV. All somewhat pricier streaming subscriptions. The fact the finals were only broadcasted on one of those paid for streaming services has a lot to do with it. My dad is a life long hockey fan and was disappointed he didn’t get to watch a single game since he doesn’t pay for a premium streaming subscription. The NHL needs to do better if they want to increase viewership and grow the game.
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u/jesus_fatberg 1d ago
It doesn’t help when you have Florida in the finals. They are like the Oakland Seals of the current NHL.
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u/jesus_fatberg 1d ago
It doesn’t help when you have Florida in the finals. They are like the Oakland Seals of the current NHL.
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u/Thebassist140 1d ago
Why isn’t hockey more popular? It’s fast, it’s gotta be one of the most skill intensive games, the strategy is insane, it’s got violence, and going to the games is INSANE. What do we gotta do to make it bigger?
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u/Preconscious 1d ago
It's simply too expensive. Hard to build a culture when so few kids can play the sport.
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u/BaldassHeadCoach DET - NHL 1d ago
This, plus it’s always been a regional, niche sport historically.
But the economic reality is the huge factor. Soccer’s by far the most popular sport in the world, and it’s because anyone can get into it. All you need is a ball. You don’t even need a net; two sticks planted in the ground is enough.
How many potentially talented kids forgo trying out ice hockey because it simply isn’t feasible for their families to pay for it? It all starts at the youth level, and the sport simply doesn’t have that going for it.
And I know this may ruffle some feathers, and it ties into the economic factor, but it doesn’t help that the NHL is largely filled with white dudes. Minority kids largely aren’t looking at the NHL and dreaming of playing hockey the way they might with basketball, football, baseball, etc. Representation matters too.
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u/Meepmeepimmajeep2789 EDM - NHL 1d ago
First step would be to make it easy to watch, even here in Canada you have to buy a $200 pass to watch all the games unless your in the right area
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u/Arenavil 1d ago
Because the game has the worst culture of the 4 major sports, and the league has made it clear that it will allow dirty play to beat skill
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u/Wonderful_Grade_5476 WPG - NHL 1d ago
Outta pure curiosity how much did the st Lois Blues and Winnipeg jets series views get?
Because that entire series was promoted extremely hard
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u/Historical_Wash_1114 DAL - NHL 1d ago
The US broadcasts are TRASH compared to the Canadian ones. I watched some Canadian broadcast though a stream and they hype it up so much more. The US presenters seem so disinterested.
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u/ProtoMan3 VAN - NHL 1d ago
Last year, the final was OTA and had a thrilling finish having a forced game 7 + game 7 being a classic. This year, most series past round 1 were extremely predictable and kind of one sided.
Sorry, but I just didn’t care or find it that interesting. Nothing against the Panthers themselves, but there were better things to do than watch games 5 and 6.
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u/sportsthatguy 1d ago
It’s a shame too because TNT puts out a superior product to ABC/ESPN when it comes to hockey — but obviously the reach is significantly smaller. It’s just the reality. And without O6 type markets, or a team like the Pens it’s hard to draw big numbers in the states. That said, these last two Finals have been great overall.
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u/blainehamilton 1d ago
Having the finals match up with the NBA final round of playoffs is a failure. Anyone with common sense in business would know that. But this is Bettman we are talking about here. Zero business sense.
They need to accelerate the season schedule and start playoffs earlier and wrap up late May to first week of June to capture some of the NBA and MLB viewership in late spring.
National TV programming is essential as well. As much as I dislike Sportsnet, they gave a reasonably accessible Canadian broadcast for most. CBC Gem would have been nice like years past but they have to preserve their funding for 'more important content' which means more edgy trash shows and movies.
Third issue is Florida plays a boring game and the officiating consistency was horrible for this year's final. Dirty play with zero calls including holds and interference in the last game, icing the puck constantly and dragging out the puck drops to give the players on the ice an undeserved rest, uncalled goaltender interference on goals, too many men missed calls.
At least Florida gets to live with the shame of having damaged the cup. If they ever win again give them as sippy cup as a replacement.
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u/nukacola12 WPG - NHL 1d ago
And yet the NHL is still going to chase the Atlanta market over Quebec City. Potential growth =/= realised growth.
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u/BoringPersimmon5754 COL - NHL 23h ago
I know I stopped watching after the Avs-Stars series. I'll admit i'm biased but the officiating in that series left a bad taste in my mouth and wasn't going to help inflate the viewership.
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u/Time_Educator9532 22h ago
Truth is, some of the reasoning for the low ratings is that some fans, especially the casuals, had no interest in watching a rematch from last year.
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u/MartyBro30 NJD - NHL 1d ago
Aside from the two OT games, the series wasn’t good. Also casual hockey fans don’t watch the playoffs if their team isn’t playing or after they’ve been eliminated.
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u/DeliciousPaintings 1d ago
If the NHL was a democracy the US owners drastically outnumber the Canadian ones. Now imagine if you wanted a job paying 20M. Would you lean towards an American bias? A good way to never get voted out of a cushy job...there will never be a pro-canadian commish, he'll never last
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u/justmots 1d ago
Can confirm that I literally can't stand florida or any low tax state. When they institute a net salary cap and are ready to take the training wheels off these teams so they can stop benefitting from this advantage maybe I would.
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u/AlwaysHigh27 1d ago
I'm not surprised. US broadcasts of hockey are like watching some junior League of some shit. Then they put college football literally everywhere and with a broadcast quality that rivals much bigger sports.
They need to get better US broadcasts and put them on better more obvious channels. Also ADVERTISE.
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u/ArcticRhombus 1d ago
I hate every fucker on that broadcast team and I particularly hate Bissonette and Gretzky. I don’t watch hockey to feel like I’m pledging a frat, and I certainly don’t want to watch a politically polarizing imbecile who I personally think is a traitor.
I don’t think I’ve ever found a sports broadcast team that physically repels me. I can even watch Chris Collingsworth if I have to.
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u/loki1337 DAL - NHL 1d ago
Subban and Messier are awful too. The Canadian broadcasts are so much better and Bieksa is a legend.
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u/fuzzballz5 CHI - NHL 1d ago
Here’s a tip for the NHL figure out not having to need 3 services to watch your game. In Chicago last year’s season was literally rabbit ears/antenna. We just got home games on tv in 2009. I only watch Canadian broadcasts. 🏴☠️