The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between the United States and Canada drew nearly 9.3million viewers on Thursday night, the most-watched non-Olympic hockey game of all-time.
In both countries combined, the game drew 16.1million viewers, just shy of last year’s Stanley Cup Final winner-take-all Game 7 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
With 6.9million Canadians watching the game, more than 17 percent of the country’s residents were glued to their television screens to watch the North American rivalry.
Political controversy surrounded the game as US President Donald Trump has called Canada the ’51st state’, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not responding kindly to the leader to his southern border.
‘You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game,’ Trudeau said on X in a message that has over 16million impressions.
It was the second matchup between Canada and the US in the tournament, as the Americans defeated Canada in Montreal before Thursday’s final in Boston.
The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game drew nearly 9.3million viewers on Thursday night
The USA-Canada showdown was the most-watched non-Olympic hockey game of all-time
Political controversy surrounded the game as Donald Trump called Canada the ’51st state’
It was during the first two US games of the tournament not on home soil where the Star-Spangled Banner was booed by Canadian fans.
Last Saturday’s US-Canada matchup also featured three fights in the game’s first nine seconds, which no doubt helped the ratings for the championship game.
A Connor McDavid overtime goal clinched the win for the Canadians by a score of 3-2 after trailing during the second period.
The 4 Nations format was seen as a massive success for the NHL on the backs of the NBA All-Star game, which was criticized for players barely breaking a sweat.
‘It was much more popular than even we would have imagined — it was getting so much attention from our whole continent,’ 4 Nations MVP Nathan MacKinnon said.
‘The 4 Nations caught on fire. I’m sure everyone didn’t really know what to expect. Obviously questions about it being an All-Star Game, things like that. Obviously people didn’t really know the player’s mindsets coming in, and rightfully so. You never really know. But guys took this very seriously when you represent your country.’
‘I’ll always remember this feeling when it’s next year,’ U.S. winger Brady Tkachuk said after losing in the final.
He then made reference to the 2026 Olympics in Italy, where NHL players will once again represent their respective countries: ‘Everything happens for a reason and I think this year, this moment can really motivate us going into next year.’
