Incredible News for Gary Bettman and the NHL Confirmed

PUBLICATION

Graham Montgomery
February 16, 2025  (8:31 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Photo credit: NHL

Today, the NHL revealed some shockingly good news regarding the Four Nations Faceoff, taking some of the heat off of Gary Bettman.

Last night, we saw one of the most entertaining international hockey games in the past decade as Team USA took down Team Canada in a thriller.

Team Canada was without Star defenseman Cale Makar, who was battling illness, but team captain Sidney Crosby was in the lineup despite a recent injury scare.

This made for an exciting contest as Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon squared off against Matthews, Eichel, and Hughes.

In the end it was the Americans who came out with a 3-1 victory, pushing the Canadians to the brink of elimination.

While fans across Canada will be disappointed in the result, Gary Bettman certainly won't lose any sleep over it.

This is because the game proved to be one of the biggest successes in NHL history under Bettman when it comes to television ratings.

According to ESPN, the game averaged nearly 4.5 million viewers and peaked over 5 million.

It was the most viewed non-Stanley Cup final game since 2019, and tripled the average rating for nationally televised NHL games over the past year.

Bettman and the NHL have been criticized for dropping ratings this season, so this will give him and the league office a bit of ammunition to fire back with on that front.

Regardless, this is good for the league and good for the spot of hockey. Hopefully Thursday's tournament finale will draw even bigger crowds, exceeding expectations exponentially!

Warning: include(/home//inout/pub_inline.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/marqueur/public_html/news/auto/blogs_id/475280.php on line 37

Warning: include(): Failed opening '/home//inout/pub_inline.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/opt/cpanel/ea-php74/root/usr/share/pear') in /home/marqueur/public_html/news/auto/blogs_id/475280.php on line 37

Previously

Critics Continue to Call Out Connor Bedard's Lack of High-End Skill On the Ice

Connor McDavid Sends a Clear Message to Team USA After Loss Last Night

Bad News for Team USA and Matthew Tkachuk Only Hours After Clinching Finals Bid

POLL
FÉVRIER 16   |   719 ANSWERS Incredible News for Gary Bettman and the NHL Confirmed Did you watch the Four Nations faceoff match between the USA and Canada?
Yes	652	90.7 %
No	67	9.3 %
LIST OF POLLS

MUST READ

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Vancouver Canucks' Contract Offer to Brock Boeser Leaks Publicly

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Montreal Canadiens Star Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Philadelphia Flyers Officially Looking to Trade Former 39-Goal Scorer

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Evander Kane May Be in His Final Days in Edmonton After Friedman Reveals New Information

Feb 28  |  By Jack Sutherland Maple Leafs Forward Pulls Back Trade Request

Feb 27  |  By Jack Sutherland Brad Marchand Goes Viral for Passionate Video Ahead of Four Nations Faceoff Final

Feb 27  |  By Jack Sutherland David Pastrnak's Latest Comments Suggest Bruins Will Be Big Sellers at the Deadline

Feb 27  |  By Julien Trekker 6-Foot-6 Winger Linked to the New York Rangers at the Trade Deadline

MORE STORIES