Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, which saw the Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0, to claim their first championship since 1972, generated a 5.7/10 overnight rating, tying 2003 for the best NHL Stanley Cup Game 7 overnight on record, according to overnight data released today by The Nielsen Company. The overnight was up 14 percent compared to the most recent Game 7 in 2009, which featured two U.S. teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
NBC Sports Group surrounded the Stanley Cup with pre- and postgame coverage on VERSUS, regional coverage on Comcast SportsNet New England and robust digital coverage on the integrated NBCSports.com.
Last night’s Game 7 registered a 5.7 overnight rating and a 10 share, tying 2003 (Anaheim-New Jersey) for the best Game 7 overnight on record.
Last night’s game was up 14 percent from the 2009 Stanley Cup Game 7 (Pittsburgh-Detroit, 5.0/10).
The 5.7 overnight for Game 7 ties for the second-best Stanley Cup overnight rating in 37 years, behind only last year’s Chicago-Philadelphia Game 6 which registered a 5.8/10 overnight (5/19/74 Boston-Philadelphia Gm 6, 7.6/27 on NBC).
Highest Stanley Cup overnight rating for a game featuring a Canadian team in 38 years.
STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 7 OVERNIGHT RATINGS (SINCE 1995):
T1. 6/15/11, Boston-Vancouver, 5.7/10 – Last Night’s Game
T1. 6/9/03, Anaheim-New Jersey, 5.7/9
3. 6/9/01, New Jersey-Colorado, 5.5/11
4. 6/7/04, Calgary-Tampa Bay, 5.3/8
5. 6/12/09, Pittsburgh-Detroit, 5.0/10
6. 6/19/06, Edmonton-Carolina, 4.1/7
BOSTON SETS RECORDS: The Boston market earned a 43.4 rating and a 64 share, the best overnight on record for a hockey game in Boston (dating back to 1991) and the best overnight in the Boston market featuring a Boston team in any major sports championship since Super Bowl XLII (Patriots-Giants, 55.6 on 2/3/08).
Boston’s seven-game average for the Stanley Cup Final (five games on NBC, two games on VERSUS) was a 28.1/44, 12 percent higher than ABC’s seven-game Boston average for last year’s NBA Finals (25.0/40 for Boston-LA Lakers).
TOP MARKETS FOR 2011 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 7:
1. Boston, 43.4/64
2. Providence, 25.9/38
3. Buffalo, 10.6/17
T4. Detroit, 8.7/14
T4. Hartford, 8.7/13
6. Pittsburgh, 7.6/12
7. Denver, 7.2/14
T8. Minneapolis, 6.7/12
T8. Las Vegas, 6.7/11
10. St. Louis, 6.2/10
(source: NBC)
