Is the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off quietly dethroning the NBA Finals in American sports viewership?
NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off, featuring USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland, surprisingly rivaled the NBA Finals in viewership (Getty Images)
For the first time in nearly a decade,
NHL
fans were treated to an international showdown as the 4 Nations Face-Off brought together the USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. While hockey purists rejoiced at the return of global play, what caught the sports world by surprise was just how popular the tournament became—rivaling, and even threatening to eclipse, the NBA Finals in television viewership.
Hockey gains ground as
NBA Finals viewership
takes a hit
The 2025 NBA Finals were everything a basketball fan could ask for. A thrilling seven-game series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, culminating in a 103–91 Thunder win, delivered high-stakes drama and a stellar 29-point, 12-assist performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But even with all that action, Game 7 averaged 16.35 million viewers—strong, yet down 9.3% from last year's series average.
— _puckChirps (@_puckChirps)
In comparison, the NHL's 4 Nations Final pulled in 16.1 million viewers—just 0.25 million behind Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Even more telling was the NHL event's growth: up a staggering 25% from the last international hockey tournament, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
National pride and rivalry gave the NHL the edge
Much of the 4 Nations Face-Off's appeal stemmed from its novelty and underlying fan tension—particularly between American and Canadian supporters. Viewers were captivated by the return of top NHL talent to international ice, including Team Canada's Cale Makar, who said after the final, 'I mean, it's incredible.
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I just hope everybody enjoyed watching the game. It was a lot of fun for us to play in.'
Even legends like Sidney Crosby were caught in the crossfire of anthem-related tensions, but stayed neutral: 'I'm not going to get into that. We respect the anthems, and I'll leave it at that.'
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The NHL hasn't confirmed a second edition of the 4 Nations Face-Off, but the numbers suggest it would be a mistake not to. If the NBA's downward viewership trend continues, and the NHL builds on this patriotic momentum, hockey might just become the hottest ticket in American sports.
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