Ratings for The NHL on NBC 2005 - 06 season . 2005 – 06 regular season . NBC earned a 1 . 5 / 3 overnight Nielsen rating for its first week of NHL action in the 2005 – 2006 season . The regional coverage was down 11 . 8 % from a 1 . 7 / 4 for the first week of " NHL on ABC " in 2004 . NBC ' s regional coverage of New York Rangers - Detroit Red Wings to 35 % of the country earned a 1 . 4 / 3 overnight rating . The game earned a 1 . 3 / 3 in New York and a 7 . 8 / 17 in Detroit . " The NHL on NBC " got only an 0 . 7 rating on April 8 , 2006 , or 803 , 000 households . 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs . When NBC went head - to - head with " The NBA on ABC " on May 7 , 2006 , ABC got a 4 . 3 ( 3 . 3 million households ) rating whereas NBC got a 0 . 9 ( 693 , 000 households ) rating . The first round of ratings for the 2006 playoffs on NBC were down between 13 % and 19 % from two years earlier on ABC , and the regular season ratings were more dismal still . The May 13 , 2006 , Carolina - New Jersey game on a Saturday afternoon had fewer viewers than the surfing competition that was its lead - in . More people watched a poker event that particular weekend than watched that hockey game . NBC ' s 1 . 1 average rating for the 2006 NHL playoffs was 21 % lower than ABC ' s pre - lockout average of 1 . 4 in . Still , NBC claimed in May 2006 that the ratings were about what it expected , and that it would turn a profit on its NHL coverage for the 2005 – 06 season . Thus , the NHL also stood to gain money on the deal . 2006 Stanley Cup Finals . For Game 3 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals , NBC got a 1 . 7 overnight rating , with one point equaling 1 % of the United States ' 77 million overnight TV households . That was down from a 2 . 0 for Game 3 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals . Out of four television networks ( NBC , ABC , CBS , and FOX ) broadcasting programming on Saturday , June 10 , NBC came in dead last . Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals earned a mere 2 . 88 million viewers , and a 1 . 1 / 4 among adults 18 – 49 from 8 – 11 p . m . Game 4 ( June 12 ) earned NBC another fourth place ( technically , fifth place if you count TNT the season premiere of " The Closer " ) finish . Game 4 got a 2 . 6 rating ( with a 1 . 5 in the 18 – 49 demo ) with only 3 . 85 million viewers . Game 7 earned NBC a 3 . 3 rating and 6 share . That was down by 21 % from Game 7 in — the last season before the lockout . In 2004 , the Tampa Bay Lightning ' s Game 7 victory over the Calgary Flames had a 4 . 2 rating and a 7 share on ABC . It was at or near the top in all coveted TV viewer demographics . In all , the five Stanley Cup Finals games that NBC aired averaged a 2 . 3 rating and 4 share . That ' s down by 12 % from a 2 . 6 / 5 on ABC in 2004 . In addition , NBC averaged 3 . 6 million viewers , which was down by 8 % from ABC ' s 3 . 9 million in 2004 . 2007 – 2008 season . On New Years Day 2008 , the NHL hosted an outdoor game that featured the Buffalo Sabres vs . the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo , NY . The game received a 2 . 6 neilsen rating , the highest since the NHL debut on Fox over ten years prior . The second week of coverage featured the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers , the game got a 1 . 1 rating ( 12 p . m . start ) . The NHL signed an agreement in 2008 to extend the " NHL on NBC " to the 2008 – 2009 season . Ratings for the 2007 – 2008 season rose 11 percent from the previous year . The Detroit - Pittsburgh matchup returned the Stanley Cup finals ’ television ratings to close to pre - lockout levels . The four games on NBC averaged a 3 . 2 rating and a 6 share , the highest since Carolina - Detroit in averaged a 3 . 6 . The average rating doubled last year ’ s record low of 1 . 6 . Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals averaged a 4 . 0 national rating and a 7 share , a 111 percent increase over the last Game 6 in , when Edmonton - Carolina drew a 1 . 9 . 2008 - 09 season . The 2009 NHL Winter Classic drew a 2 . 9 overnight rating , setting a record for the most watched NHL regular season game since 1975 . 2009 - 10 season . Ratings for the 2010 NHL Winter Classic drew a 2 . 6 overnight rating , roughly even with the 2008 contest and down from 2009 . Game 2 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals drew a 4 . 1 overnight rating and a 7 share , the highest overnight rating since 1975 .