NHL viewership numbers emerge: shocking
The first round of the 2024 NHL playoffs came to an end last night as the Dallas Stars took down the Vegas Golden Knights. The series between the Leafs and Bruins highlighted the round, as millions of people tuned in.
The first round was huge in terms of ratings, at least on the Canadian side of the border. Sportsnet alone reached more than 6 million total viewers combined between the first round matchups involving the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Canucks, and Jets. Half of those viewers came from the Leafs-Bruins series alone.
Series Average Minute Audience (P2+)
Leafs/Bruins: 3.1M
Oilers/Kings: 1.33M
Canucks/Preds: 1.33M
Jets/Avs: 977k
Fans correctly pointed out how the Leafs are always the number one team for ratings. One fan joked that Sportsnet's executives could retire if the Leafs ever make it to the Stanley Cup final.
Other fans piggybacked on this idea, noting how influential the Leafs are on the league as a whole, at least in terms of viewership. The Leafs arguably have the largest impact on the league in terms of the salary cap due to high revenues.
Given how good ratings are when the Leafs are in the playoffs, it would probably be good for the league as a whole if the team went on a deep run sometime soon. We will have to wait at least one more year for that to happen though.
| POLL | ||
MAI 7 | 163 ANSWERS NHL viewership numbers emerge: shocking Are you surprised by how strong the ratings were for the Leafs-Bruins series? | ||
| Yes | 38 | 23.3 % |
| No | 125 | 76.7 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 22 | 18 | 4 | - | 36 | |
Devils | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 31 | |
Wild | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 30 | |
Golden Knights | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 30 | |
Capitals | 21 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 29 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 20 | 13 | 7 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||