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Game 7 Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers breaks broadcast records in Canada and USA

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3 months ago

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This in, news that Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers broke viewership records for Sportsnet and ESPN in Canada and the USA.

Broadcast Dialogue reports that in Canada the game was “Sportsnet’s most-watched broadcast ever with an average minute audience of 7.55 million across Sportsnet, Citytv and CBC, according to Numeris data released by Rogers Sports & Media.:

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The broadcast was also “the second most-watched NHL game ever in Canada (behind the Vancouver Canucks’ Game 7 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins in 2011), based on data collected since 2009. Last night’s broadcast reached 15 million Canadians or 39% of the population. It additionally set a record as the most-watched program ever on Sportsnet+, reaching 1.93 million streamers.”

In the USA, SportsMedia Watch reports that in the US market Game 7 “delivered one of the top NHL audiences of the past 30. Monday’s Panthers-Oilers NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 7 averaged 7.66 million viewers on ABC, marking the largest NHL audience since the previous Cup Final Game 7 five years ago, Blues-Bruins on NBC (8.72M) and the most-watched NHL game ever on the ESPN networks, which did not air NHL games between 2005-21.

“Including Canadian viewership on CBC, SportsNet and TVAS, Game 7 averaged 16.3 million viewers — the second-largest combined audience for an NHL game (dating back to 2004) behind Bruins-Canucks in ’11.”

The Hollywood Reporter adds in regards to Game 7 2024: “It’s also the biggest tune-in for ever for a Stanley Cup Finals not involving one of the league’s original six teams (Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, the New York Rangers and Toronto). Viewing peaked at 10.3 million viewers for the closing minutes of the game.”

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Said Bob Stauffer, host of Oilers Now, “It resonated. It was a big deal in the States.”

Former NHL GM Brian Lawton said on Stauffer’s show that Edmonton impressed the hockey world in the Stanley Cup Final. “When I look at the city of Edmonton, I can tell you for a fact that it blew people away around the National Hockey League, the amount of support that the fans gave this club. This team was breaking records in so many different ways. Edmonton is traditionally considered a small market team, but man they behaved like a big market team in this run. It was impressive to watch.”

My take

1. These numbers are excellent news for the NHL’s broadcast partners Sportsnet and ESPN. They’re also good news for the Oilers, demonstrating the pull of a team that has hockey superstars, and also indicating to those players that the marketing opportunities that flow out of such massive attention can come their way even if they play in a smaller, remote city like Edmonton. If the Oilers flourish, they’ll get plenty of opportunity. That doesn’t mean more money couldn’t be made if they played in larger cities, so long as they were on Stanley Cup contenders. But it does mean being a successful Edmonton Oiler will bring plenty of attention.

2. Some Canada-based fans believe there’s a conspiracy for the NHL to favour USA-based teams in order to sell the game there. But these numbers  show that an inspiring and exciting team like the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl Era Oilers can also stir up massive interest in the USA, which runs counter to the narrative of that particular conspiracy theory.

 

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

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September 19, 2024

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DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

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September 19, 2024

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PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain

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September 19, 2024

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.

It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.

Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.

Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.

The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.

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