The USA and Canada – two of the world's top ice hockey nations – are always an exciting ice hockey encounter. Add to that the heightened geopolitical tension, and the world's best ice hockey players representing their national teams for the first time this decade, and it sets the stage for high viewer ratings.
When the final of the Four Nations was decided in Boston, viewers in both the USA and Canada sat glued to their screens. ESPN had 9.3 million viewers according to Nielsen, which is more than any NHL final has achieved in at least 30 years, according to The Athletic. It is the highest viewer rating ever for an ice hockey match, excluding the Olympic Games, according to ESPN.
In Canada, nearly 7 million more viewers were added, in a population of around 40 million.
Nothing has done more for hockey in a decade than what this tournament has done, says Canada's coach Jon Cooper, according to ESPN.
The players also seem pleased – and perhaps slightly surprised – by the attention.
I think it was much more popular than we could have hoped. There was so much attention from the entire continent, says Nathan MacKinnon, who was named the tournament's most valuable player to ESPN.
Canada won the prestigious four-nation tournament with 3–2 after overtime drama in the final against the USA.
