Hockey in the U.S. just received its biggest boost in a while. And in the midst of it is ESPN. The USA-Canada final at the 4 Nations Face-Off wasn’t only an unforgettable game on the ice—it was a ratings phenomenon, record-breaking, and gave the NHL something it has been craving for years: massive country-wide attention.

The championship game in which Connor McDavid sealed Canada’s 3-2 victory in overtime captured a record-breaking 9.3 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most watched hockey game in America ever.

At its peak, the game had over 10.4 million viewers, surpassing even the viewership in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, where the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers (7.7 million viewers). The viewership wasn’t enormous not only in the U.S.—it reached 5.7 million on average in Canada, with a peak of 7.3 million.

However, Canada is a hockey country, and the sport is expected to do numbers there. It’s the American viewership records that are truly cause for celebration, as the NHL has often taken a backseat to the likes of the NFL, NBA, and MLB. For instance, these numbers eclipsed the kind of viewership numbers recorded at MLB and NBA All-Star games. It may not seem like much but it’s definitely a start.

These are remarkable numbers that show how popular best-on-best hockey can be. And with the way this tournament has gone, it’s only certain that the viewership records will once again be blown out of the water in future tourneys. The presence on the horizon of a 2026 Winter Olympics and a 2028 World Cup of Hockey could portend the fact that the NHL has found the template with which to rejuvenate hockey fever in the U.S.

Could the NHL finally break through in the American market?

The 4 Nations Face-Off success didn’t only position NHL players in the spotlight—it brought on board genuine dialogue about the future of the game and how it would play out in North America. The NHL and the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) already met and discussed the potential expansion of junior hockey on the entire continent, according to journalist Darren Dreger. The league is considering how it is going to nurture talent on a bigger scale, so the success in the 4 Nations would spill over and advance the game in the longer term.

At the core of this drive is the return of the NHL players in the Olympics in 2026, the first such participation in a decade since the top players in the league took the global platform in 2014. The Olympic platform could raise the profile even higher if the record-breaking 4 Nations tournament was a teaser.

The numbers in the 4 Nations Face-Off confirm demand is there—viewership on the four ESPN/ABC broadcasts averaged 4.3 million viewers, a massive 1079% increase over the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The NHL and the Players Association have already greenlit the next World Cup in 2028, so the global platform for the game is increasing, and the U.S. market is taking notice.

As discussions on junior hockey expansion, TV contracts with a national presence, and global tournament play continue, the NHL finds itself at a turning point. Can this be the time hockey has been waiting for in the United States? If ratings on the 4 Nations Face-Off on ESPN are anything to judge by, the game is on the rise.

The NHL has been striving to become a force in the U.S. sports marketplace for years. But with record TV ratings, Olympic exposure looming, and expansion talk growing, the timing is unique. If the 4 Nations Face-Off did anything, it’s made Americans hungry for more best-on-best hockey. The real test now? Can the NHL turn this new appetite into prosperity in the long run? The 2026 Olympics and the 2028 World Cup are crucial, but in the meantime, the record-breaking success of ESPN could be the signal the NHL has been waiting for.