In this release from NBC, Game 7 ratings for the Pittsburgh victory against Detroit was a major hit for the network and the league, making it the most watched NHL game in 36 years:

NEW YORK - Friday night’s deciding Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on NBC Sports was the most-watched NHL game in 36 years with an average of 8 million viewers (5/10/73, Stanley Cup Final Game 6 on NBC, Montreal-Chicago, 9.4 million). Overall, the series averaged 5.6 million viewers for the five games on NBC, the best since 2002 on ABC (three telecasts, Detroit-Carolina, 5.8 million).
Friday’s Game 7 earned a 4.3 rating and an 8 share, the best for a series-ending game in six years (6/9/03, Game 7, Anaheim-New Jersey, 4.6/8).

NBC Sports’ Game 7 broadcast finished No. 1 for the night in every category including viewership and household ratings.

Competitive Notes:
·NBC won Friday night by a margin of 191 percent in Adults 18-49 (3.2 vs. 1.1 for second-place CBS) and by 41 percent in total viewers (7.7 million vs. CBS’s 5.5 million).

·The broadcast of Game 7 beat the ABC-CBS-Fox competition combined in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Men 18-34, Women 18-34, Men 18-49 and Men 25-54.
·The 3.2 rating in Adults 18-49 makes this NBC’s top-rated Friday night since the Beijing Olympics last August.