Fights and anthem boos led to even casual hockey fans getting pumped up about Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship.
Team USA and Team Canada duked it out in Boston on Thursday for the final of the tournament in its inaugural year, five days after the two longtime rivals got into three fights in the first nine seconds of their first game last week.
The fights, which came following a Montreal crowd loudly booing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” got non-hockey fans locked in, and it turned into, quite literally, the biggest hockey game ever.
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Team USA and Team Canada players shake hands after the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday. (Chase Agnello-Dean/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
ESPN reported that 9.3 million fans tuned into the final on Thursday night, the largest Nielsen rating viewership recorded in NHL history, which dates back to 1994. That figure is more than double the game last Saturday, which attracted 4.4 million people.
The previous record for Nielsen ratings was the 8.9 million who tapped into Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup final between the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins, which, like Thursday’s game, took place at Boston’s TD Garden.
Sports Business Journal reported that 12.41 million people watched Game 7 of the 1971 Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks.
Team Canada players celebrate after a goal by Nathan MacKinnon during the first period of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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The 4 Nations Face-Off championship was most-watched hockey game since the 2010 Olympic gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. (over 27 million), but unfortunately for the Americans, Thursday night was déjà vu.
That gold medal game ended with a Sidney Crosby overtime goal for Canada, while on Thursday, Connor McDavid found the back of the net in overtime to give Team Canada the title.
With the victory, Canada moved to 14-4-1 against the U.S. in best-on-best format, with wins including the aforementioned 2010 contest, the 2002 Olympic gold medal game and the 2014 Olympic semifinal.
The Americans won Saturday’s vicious contest, but they still have not won back-to-back games against the Canadians since 1996.
Canada goalie Jordan Binnington looks back at the puck on a goal by Team USA’s Jake Sanderson during the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Nonetheless, the tournament, which many were afraid would not have much buzz, has energized the sport and was a rousing success.
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