TV ratings for Stanley Cup Final take a shocking turn in Canada
Everyone expected Canada to rally around to Edmonton Oilers to win the country's first Stanley Cup in 31 years, but so far the television ratings have told another story.
New polling data and television ratings show that the viewership for the Cup Final in Canada has been lower than expected, and a majority of Canadians actually said they would not follow the Cup Final.
The few ratings numbers that have been released haven't been great . . . According to the NHL, seven million people across North America watched Game 1.
Early in the week, Léger released a pollafter asking Canadians and Americans if they intended to follow the Edmonton-Florida series. The headline was that a majority in this country � 58 per cent � were not paying much or any attention.
Early in the week, Léger released a pollafter asking Canadians and Americans if they intended to follow the Edmonton-Florida series. The headline was that a majority in this country � 58 per cent � were not paying much or any attention.
To hear that total viewership in the United States and Canada was only 7 million will be an extremely disappointing number for the NHL. There was a narrative pushed onto fans that they should be cheering for a Canadian team in Edmonton, but Canadians still didn't take to it.
In comparison, the Leafs and Bruins first round game 7 matchup drew over 5 million viewers in Canada alone, and close to 9M including the United States.
Maybe some part of the disappointing rating has been the Oilers falling to a heavy disadvantage early on, or the fact that Eastern Canada doesn't have an attachment to the Oilers. Still, the poll results indicating that most Canadians don't care about the Cup Final is a shock to the identity of Canadian sports at the moment.
Source: The Globe and Mail
Lack of interest in Stanley Cup final suggests hockey isn't what it used to be for Canadians
| POLL | ||
Do you think Canadians care less about hockey now? | ||
| Yes, hockey's declining in Canada | 740 | 42.3 % |
| No, hockey is as big as ever | 853 | 48.7 % |
| See Results | 157 | 9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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