Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5M US viewers, a drop from last year's Cup and the 4 Nations final
U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago.
An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers' series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable is down from 4.17 million last year when the final was on over-the-air TV on ABC and the lowest since Tampa Bay versus Montreal in 2021.
The share of viewers increased 15% from TNT's first Cup final in 2023 when Vegas defeated Florida. Social media engagements on NHL content were up 32% over the course of the playoffs.
An average of 3.8 million viewers watched the final in Canada on Sportsnet, with Connor McDavid looking for his first championship. The 1.8 million on average for the playoffs, which included five out of the 16 teams involved being based in Canada, is a 6% increase from a year ago.
Ratings for the Cup final were significantly lower than the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the return of international competition featuring the NHL's best players. The final between the U.S. and Canada was watched by 9.3 million people in the U.S. and 10.7 million in Canada, after the six round-robin games averaged 4.6 million in North America.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
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Vancouver Sun
15 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Stuart Skinner's future with Oilers a key consideration for GM Bowman
So, will Stu Skinner be back in net next season as the No. 1? Or will he be sharing the crease in a 1 and 1a scenario, but not with the good soldier Calvin Pickard as a partner? Maybe they trade for somebody who is or was a starter. Enquiring minds want to know, and they're all wearing Edmonton Oilers jerseys. There's this feeling that fixing the goaltending here is as simple as looking up plumbers on Google and having somebody come by to fix the leaking toilet. It's not. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. For sure, Skinner was outplayed by Sergei Bobrovsky in the final against Florida, but Bob's arguably on a career path to the Hall of Fame with his two Cup rings and his two Vezina trophies, plus his 445 regular-season wins, top 10 all-time. Skinner has only played three NHL seasons (189 regular-season games, 50 in the playoffs), not Bob's 15 years (777 regular-season games and 117 in the playoffs). But he did get the Oilers to the last two Cup finals, with ample help from Pickard along the way this spring. He was definitely better than the ballyhooed Jake Oettinger in the Western Conference final against Dallas, not just this year, but last spring. So, how bad can Skinner be? He wasn't the reason the Oilers lost to Florida this June; they're just too deep, reminding people of the early 80s New York Islanders with their talent and their wear-you-down philosophy of play. Again, Skinner is a good goalie who is in the mix for one of the three Olympic spots next February. But, there still could be a different configuration in net, like maybe somebody to push Skinner for playing time. 'I don't want to single the goaltending out,' said Bowman, who balked at trading for goaltending help at the deadline, maybe because he won three Cups in Chicago with Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi in net, so good goalies but not great ones. But, he knows the narrative in this city, where Skinner, an accountable, nice guy with lots of ability, gave up two goals in the first period of all five starts in the final series after outplaying Oettinger and Hill, specifically, in heavyweight matchups earlier. 'It's something we'll investigate this summer — what's the best path moving forward for our team. It's hard to predict where that's going to go. We have to have lots of conversations about what other teams are looking to do,' said Bowman, who did concede that the forward group and the goalies would be evaluated most deeply. 'Goaltending is strange. In a way, it's the most important position, but oftentimes, the goalie you (other teams, scouts, coaches, management, fans) think is the best isn't,' said Bowman, starting a long answer to a short question. 'In three of the four rounds this playoff run we had the better goaltending (against Darcy Kuemper in the LA series after the first two games, against Adin Hill in the Vegas series, against Oettinger in the Dallas win, both in five games) than our opponent, but in the final it flipped,' said Bowman. 'I can't explain how, in the first rounds, our goaltending was better. They weren't elite (goalies), but they (LA, Vegas, Dallas) were supposed to be better,' said Bowman. 'In the final, Bobrovsky was excellent. I'm not disputing that. He made a lot of big saves when we had chances early in games when we couldn't get the lead. Credit to him,' he said. 'You just can't go to the corner store and get an elite goalie, though. We will devise a plan in the next couple of weeks. I won't handicap what that will look like, it's too early,' said Bowman. Skinner is young (26) and cheap ($2.6 million for one more year), so there's no pressing reason to move on from him, of course. And he's a solid goalie, probably at the top of the second tier at this time. But maybe there's a wildcat Oiler offer sheet for Blues Joel Hofer to share the net with Skinner. St. Louis, who scooped up Oilers' Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg last August when the Oilers wouldn't match on the offer sheets, only has $5.03 million in cap space right now. Hofer, who turns 25 on July 30, has played 61 the past two seasons as Jordan Binnington's backup and has a .909 save percentage and a 35-22-5 record. An Oiler offer sheet on Hofer, who played junior in Swift Current and Portland, for no more than $4,680,076 AAV, would mean the Oilers would only have to give up a second-round pick as compensation in 2026, a draft pick they have. We've heard all the other names that might be in play. The bigger names as acknowledged starters: Jeremy Swayman in Boston, Binnington in St. Louis, Juuse Saros in Nashville, with Skinner presumably going back the other way if there was a trade. The smaller names who might share duties with Skinner, 26, which would mean trading Pickard (7-1 in the playoffs) and his $1 million, an easy task to a contender. Here's a brief list: John Gibson in Anaheim, 31, who still has game but has lost the No. 1 job to Lukas Dostal there and seems to be hurt every day ending in a y; the UFA veteran Jake Allen in New Jersey, 35 in August, a former starter in St. Louis and the No. 2 behind Jacob Markstrom; and maybe former Oil Kings goalie Tristan Jarry, 30, in Pittsburgh, who found himself in the minors last season. The Ducks (Gibson) and Pittsburgh (Jarry) would have to eat significant money. Gibson has two more years at $6.4 million AAV, Jarry three more years at $5.38 million AAV. Allen has played 460 games, but only 31 last season withthe Devils. Is he really that much better than Pickard? Nobody's saying the Oilers are going out to get Vezina and Hart trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck or Igor Shesterkin or Andrei Vasilevsky, but Bowman may have to address the goaltending this summer to show the team, the players, the city, the fans that he knows the younger Skinner was second-best to Bobrovsky. 'The reality of the world is you just don't go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie. How many are there even in that group?' said Bowman. 'The guys who are considered elite (Hellebuyck, Oettinger) have had tough playoffs. 'In the goaltending world, it's simultaneously the most important (position) but in some instances it's not why teams win. If you have a strong enough team, you can win without that (elite, like with Corey Crawford),' said Bowman. 'It's a great discussion point. I understand that,' he said. This 'n that: When asked if Dallas had asked for permission to talk to Oiler assistant coach Glen Gulutzan about their vacant head-coaching position, he stickhandled. 'I don't want to get into that right now,' said Bowman. 'I understand you're asking but I'm not going to make that announcement.' By not offering up a flat no, that sounds like the Stars will be interviewing the Oilers PP guru Gulutzan, who was Dallas' coach before from 2011-2013 but less experienced when current GM Jim Nill fired him… With Dallas winger Mason Marchment ($4.5 million, one year left on his contract) now traded to Seattle for a third and fourth-round draft pick because of cap reasons, you have to wonder if that's the territory if the Oilers want to move fellow winger Evander Kane (one year left at $5.13 million) because of their serious cap restraints next season with Leon Draisaitl's $14 million AAV kicking in, along with a huge raise for Evan Bouchard… So far, no word on whether assistant coach Paul Coffey wants to come back for a third year to look after the defence… With Bowman expecting changes in his roster next season, Czech centre Peter Tomasek, 29, signed to a one-year $1.2 million free-agent deal, can probably be pencilled into a spot in the top 9, and if it doesn't work out, he might have a clause to return to Europe. He won the Swedish Hockey League scoring title.
Calgary Herald
18 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
Stuart Skinner's future with Oilers a key consideration for GM Bowman
So, will Stu Skinner be back in net next season as the No. 1? Article content Or will he be sharing the crease in a 1 and 1a scenario, but not with the good soldier Calvin Pickard as a partner? Maybe they trade for somebody who is or was a starter. Article content Article content Enquiring minds want to know, and they're all wearing Edmonton Oilers jerseys. Article content There's this feeling that fixing the goaltending here is as simple as looking up plumbers on Google and having somebody come by to fix the leaking toilet. Article content Article content It's not. Article content Article content For sure, Skinner was outplayed by Sergei Bobrovsky in the final against Florida, but Bob's arguably on a career path to the Hall of Fame with his two Cup rings and his two Vezina trophies, plus his 445 regular-season wins, top 10 all-time. Article content Skinner has only played three NHL seasons (189 regular-season games, 50 in the playoffs), not Bob's 15 years (777 regular-season games and 117 in the playoffs). But he did get the Oilers to the last two Cup finals, with ample help from Pickard along the way this spring. He was definitely better than the ballyhooed Jake Oettinger in the Western Conference final against Dallas, not just this year, but last spring. Article content So, how bad can Skinner be? He wasn't the reason the Oilers lost to Florida this June; they're just too deep, reminding people of the early 80s New York Islanders with their talent and their wear-you-down philosophy of play. Article content Article content Again, Skinner is a good goalie who is in the mix for one of the three Olympic spots next February. But, there still could be a different configuration in net, like maybe somebody to push Skinner for playing time. Article content Article content 'I don't want to single the goaltending out,' said Bowman, who balked at trading for goaltending help at the deadline, maybe because he won three Cups in Chicago with Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi in net, so good goalies but not great ones. Article content But, he knows the narrative in this city, where Skinner, an accountable, nice guy with lots of ability, gave up two goals in the first period of all five starts in the final series after outplaying Oettinger and Hill, specifically, in heavyweight matchups earlier. Article content 'It's something we'll investigate this summer — what's the best path moving forward for our team. It's hard to predict where that's going to go. We have to have lots of conversations about what other teams are looking to do,' said Bowman, who did concede that the forward group and the goalies would be evaluated most deeply.
Calgary Herald
18 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
No bigger winner in the business of sport this week than the Florida Panthers
Article content Bulls of the week Article content On this first day of summer and longest day of sunshine of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, there's plenty to be bullish about in the business of sport, beginning with the two words 'Game 7' in the NBA, where the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will play for all of the marbles on Sunday. Article content The NHL fell short at six games in its Stanley Cup Final this spring after watching the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers go the distance 12 months ago in their first of back-to-back showdowns. That was the 18th Cup Final Game 7 over the course of 83 years, with the previous final series maximum having been reached when the St. Louis Blues won their first Cup in franchise history, beating the Boston Bruins in 2019. Article content Article content The Association, on the other hand, is playing an NBA Finals Game 7 for the first time in nine years, when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Article content Article content Moreover, the NBA is in one of those scenarios where they'll have a compelling storyline and first-time champion, either way. That won't fully mitigate against the small-market matchup when it comes to TV ratings, but it will at least make the most of the showdown between the 25th biggest TV market in the U.S. (Indianapolis) and the 47th largest (OKC). Article content It was also a bullish week for emerging sport business tycoon Mark Walter, who announced that he will be adding the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA to his impressive list of sport properties, one that has featured the defending World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012. Article content The deal between Walter, who is building on a personal net worth that was estimated at US$6.1 billion in February, and the longtime Buss family ownership group values the Lakers at US$10 billion, a record franchise transaction in North American pro sport. Article content Article content Walter's reach and influence also extends to Chelsea of the Premier League of English soccer, a stake in Strasbourg of the French Ligue 1, Cadillac Formula One, and single-entity governance and ownership of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Article content Article content Yet there was no bigger winner in the business of sport this week than owner Vinnie Viola and his Panthers, who won their second consecutive Cup title in their third straight trip to the championship series. Article content The dominant performance by the Paul Maurice-coached Panthers inspired many to begin referring to them as a dynasty, suggesting that two wins in three finals in the salary cap era at least rivals three or four straight titles in the years before payroll restrictions and the resulting competitive parity were introduced in to the NHL more than 20 years ago.
