The NHL desperately needed a boost, and while some wrote the Four Nations Tournament off as a simple 'All-Star break' event, it has proven to be so much more, with the Team Canada vs. USA matchup in the round robin phase of the tournament drawing rave reviews.
While it was the three fights in nine seconds that drew plenty of attention, it appears as though the game itself held the fans as well, as shocking numbers have now been released on viewership for the game, and it's a major win for Gary Bettman and the league.
According to reports, 10.1 million people in North America, an incredible number that is the highest non-Stanley Cup viewed game on the continent since way back in 2014, with fans understandably thrilled about the return of best-on-best international hockey.
Sure, the tensions off the ice between Canada and the United States likely played a huge part in the excitement on social media around the game, with the US coming away winners 3-1 in a thrilling contest, but overall, there was enough happening in the game to keep the attention of the fans.
Now, all eyes will turn to Boston on Thursday when the two teams do battle again in what may be the most anticipated game in the history of the sport to determine the winner of the first ever Four Nations tournament, and whether or not it tops the 10.1 million viewers from the last one, it's safe to say that this has been a huge win for the NHL, especially if they can capitalize on the momentum.
G | A | PTS | ||
Tom Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Alexander Ovechkin | - | 3 | 3 | |
Brendan Gallagher | 2 | - | 2 | |
Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jack McBain | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Dylan Strome | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jake Guentzel | - | 2 | 2 | |
Brandon Hagel | - | 2 | 2 | |
Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
Christian Dvorak | 1 | - | 1 | |
Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | - | 1 | |
Nick Paul | 1 | - | 1 | |
Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
Cam Atkinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
Nick Desimone | - | 1 | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 56 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 81 | |
Capitals | 55 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 80 | |
Oilers | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 72 | |
Stars | 55 | 35 | 18 | 2 | 72 | |
Golden Knights | 56 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 72 | |
Panthers | 57 | 34 | 20 | 3 | 71 | |
Hurricanes | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Wild | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Maple Leafs | 55 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 68 | |
Avalanche | 57 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 68 | |
Conference | Cumulative |