The 4 Nations Face-Off Final between Canada and USA, a thrilling contest won by the Canadians in overtime, was a massive boon for the sport of hockey and its viewership.
The NHL-sanctioned Canada-USA final drew 9.3 million viewers on ESPN, which surpassed the NHL record of 8.9 million viewers in the 2019 Stanley Cup, according to Front Office Sports.
Additionally, Sportsnet averaged 5.7 million viewers of the game in Canada, bringing the grand total to more than 15 million viewers across North America, a staggering number.
Thanks to tense political undertones between the countries—amplified by the booing of the United States national anthem before a round robin contest between the two teams—a fight-filled start to the aforementioned round robin contest, and trash talk between the two squads in the aftermath, the 4 Nations Final was one of the most anticipated hockey games in quite some time.
And it did not disappoint.
While there were no fights this time around, the two talent-laden teams traded proverbial blows on the ice in a physical, fast-paced game that was dead-even at 2-2 through three periods. In overtime, Team Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington, standing on his head, made several outstanding saves to stall multiple, furious shots on goal by the Americans. Team Canada's Connor McDavid later ended the thrilling contest with a game-winning goal.
The scoreboard says Team Canada won, but the real winner was the sport of hockey.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canada-USA 4 Nations Face-Off Final Made Staggering Hockey Ratings History .