US-Canada hockey gold-medal game draws 3.54 million viewers on NBC

The gold medal hockey game between the United States and Canada at the Beijing Olympics drew an average of 3.54 million viewers on NBC. It’s the second most-watched hockey game in the U.S. since 2019, behind only the title-clinching Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final in which Tampa Bay beat Montreal.

The number also surpasses any NHL game televised in the United States this season.

For many, the game was late at night, with puck drop at 11:15 p.m. ET.

In Canada, the game drew just over 2 million viewers. Earlier in the Games, a preliminary round matchup between the two teams drew 1.3 million viewers.

Canada won the game 3-2 on Wednesday night to claim its fifth gold medal, reclaiming the Olympic title after Team USA won gold four years ago in PyeongChang. That game four years ago drew 2.89 million viewers on NBCSN, which was later increased to 3.7 million viewers when streaming and an overtime simulcast on NBC were included.