What a fantastic week of hockey in Montreal and Boston. The inaugural edition of the 4 nations tournament pitted Canada, USA, Finland and Sweden in a simple round robin format with top NHL stars competing for their respective countries.
“Saturday night’s primetime matchup between the U.S. and Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off averaged 4.4 million viewers on ABC, according to fast national data from Nielsen, making it the most-watched hockey telecast in the U.S. outside of the Stanley Cup Final since 2019.” U.S.-Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off draws 4.4 million viewers, putting it on par with average Stanley Cup game
Thursday’s final between the USA and Canada in Boston, again on Primetime, is sure to have equaled or eclipsed those numbers as well, as the tournament gained momentum and audience appeal leading up to the final.
Why did it work so well?
The on ice product was top of the line without a doubt, and the marketing, graphics, and visual effects for each game were stunning. Each nations top players bought in and participated fully with the event, bringing national pride to the forefront. Furthering the appeal, social media and podcasts, out of mainstream media sources heavily weighed in on the endeavor.
My only hope is that the NHL appreciate the success of the event and doesn’t water it down and try to replicate it like they’ve done with the Winter Classic/ Stadium Series. You need top players and a once in a lifetime type feeling to achieve these results. Credit goes to the NHL and NHLPA for making it happen, but an over expansion of this event won’t make it better. Keep making it exclusive and keep getting creative. It was a huge home run event, so appreciate its value and the work that went into it.
By Andrew Trimble
To purchase Andrew’s new book, The Hockey Planner, follow link here- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743395: Amazon.com: Books
