On Friday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said 3.57-million viewers tuned in to the Toronto vs. Detroit game in Ann Arbor, Mich., which ended in a shootout win by the Maple Leafs. That is almost 90 per cent higher than the previous record of 1.91-million viewers, set during the Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game in 2011, which aired in prime time after poor weather forced the postponement of the afternoon-scheduled game.
This year?s Winter Classic was the first to include a Canadian team since the annual event was created in 2008. There was no game last year, due to the NHL lockout.
The Canadian ratings topped the 3.4-million viewers who tuned in to CBC for the final game of last year?s Chicago vs. Boston Stanley Cup Finals.
And the U.S. broadcast was a blockbuster too - at least in American terms - with 4.4-million viewers tuning in, making it the second most-watched regular season NHL game since 1975.