Recent polls published in the Globe and Mail showed a lower than expected interest for hockey in Canada overall. Although the series viewers were lower, nearly 40% of Canada was reached for Game 7 of the Cup Final, and it retained 7.5M average viewers.
The Globe and Mail recently reported that 58% of Canadian polled said they were not following the Stanley Cup Final. It was a slightly disappointing number for the television rankings, and is supposedly a sign that interest in hockey is decreasing - but it's still an incredibly huge audience.
Plenty of fans cited valid reasons for watching the playoffs less as the rounds wore on. Games in the final were spaced out by three days, and it extended late into June when people are more prone to being outside. In comparison, Game 7 of the Leafs and Bruins reached just 3 million less than Game 7 of the Cup Final - television networks were hoping for more of an increase.
In the future, the NHL is supposedly trying to adjust the season to award the Stanley Cup earlier. That would be a welcome decision from nearly everyone in the hockey, from the television networks, the teams, and the fans.
Source: Sportsnet
POLL | ||
7 JUILLET | 1208 ANSWERS TV ratings for Oilers Game 7 Cup Final released by Sportsnet Did you tune into watch Game 7 of the Cup Final? | ||
Yes, Of course | 1055 | 87.3 % |
No | 119 | 9.9 % |
See Results | 34 | 2.8 % |
List of polls |