ABC announced Tuesday that this year’s Stanley Cup Final delivered the network’s best viewership numbers for the NHL championship round in seven years, fueled by a high-scoring, dramatic series.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, drawing an average audience of 5.2 million viewers. To find higher Stanley Cup Final ratings, you’d have to go back to 2019, when an average of 5.3 million viewers watched the St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins in a seven-game series.
The championship-clinching Game 6 brought in 5.9 million viewers — the largest audience for a finals Game 6 since 2019. That number was more than double the viewership from last year’s Game 6, when the Florida Panthers claimed the title against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Sunday clincher aired on ABC and drew a 40% increase in viewers compared to the last time ABC broadcast the finals in 2024, which also featured the Panthers and Oilers. At its peak late in the game, 7.2 million people were watching as Carolina secured the second championship in the franchise’s history.
The first five games of the series were marked by high-scoring action, with each contest featuring at least six total goals. Both teams mounted comebacks during the series, and two games went to overtime. Only the final game broke the pattern, with Carolina shutting out Vegas 3-0 to claim the Cup.
ABC and ESPN also announced that viewership across the entire 2026 NHL playoffs reached an all-time high for the company, averaging 2.2 million viewers over 43 games. That figure represents a 127% jump from 2025 and a 19% increase from 2024. ESPN has broadcast NHL playoff games from 1994 to 2002 and again every year since 2021.
