It’s time the hockey community flexed its muscles. After dwindling viewership raised concerns in recent times, it seems like the NHL’s new tournament is finally helping to turn the tides. The 4 Nations Face-Off has been an incredible show so far on the ice, and off the ice, it looks to be as emphatic.

The “Landmark International Tournament” has pitted the USA, Sweden, Finland, and Canada against each other in what could be the ultimate replacement for the All-Stars game. But it seems like the 4 Nations Face-Off is also helping the NHL regain its footing among its fans.

In a post on X by Braylon Breeze from February 14, the viewership statistics from the recent Team USA vs Finland match were shared. “Thursday’s USA-Finland contest averaged 1.548 million viewers on ESPN,” the post notes how the second game of the 4 Nations Face-Off crossed the 1 million average viewership mark after the match between Canada and Sweden from a day prior did the same. 

Thursday night’s game topped the charts in the 18 to 49 age group, the social media update shared further. This would go on to underscore how the 4 Nations Face-Off has piqued the interest of fans coming from a wide demographic array.

The post also revealed that the USA vs Finland match was “the most-watched hockey broadcast since last year’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.” The 2024 Stanley Cup Final Games 7 averaged 7.7 million viewers. An incredibly high number, indeed. However, despite the stunning numbers from the Stanley Cup Final last year, this year’s NHL viewership hasn’t been on the same level. The match between San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken from earlier this week was the least-watched NHL game on ESPN. Viewed by only 175,000 fans, the match was a disaster in terms of popularity.

Some pundits opined that having to subscribe to several networks or streaming services was a reason that put the fans off from wanting to follow the matches this NHL season. “Best sport in the world and nobody can watch,” fumed Winged Wheel Pod’s Ryan Hana on social media. However, it looks like the 4 Nations Face-Off could help to finally change the scenario for the better. While the first two matches of the tournament already have been ranking high in the viewership numbers, Saturday could see a further surge in the trend.

The 4 Nations Face-Off to benefit further with high-stakes match coming up?

On February 15, the USA will take on its neighbors for its second match of the 4 Nations Face-Off. For many reasons, the upcoming game is touted as the most anticipated one of the tournament. With both teams flexing their incredibly deep rosters, the showdown between the hockey heavyweights will undoubtedly be one to remember in Montreal tomorrow. But can the match help to give the NHL the viewership boost it’s been searching for all season?

As per some sources, the statistics from the USA-Finland game showed numbers 276% higher than ESPN’s prime-time NHL game average this season. Moreover, the 4 Nation Face-Off viewership was greater than any All-Star games that aired on ABC since the network re-acquired the rights to broadcast the matches in 2022.

If this data wasn’t enough to prove that the 4 Nations is breaking boundaries, NHL News also shared on X that the second match of the tournament was the “most-viewed non-playoff hockey game on ESPN,” while also boasting numbers that were 323% greater than the 2016 Hockey World Cup viewership. And with heavyweights USA and Canada set to take the ice against each other on Saturday, an even bigger viewership would perhaps not be the worst thing to bet on. What do you think? Tell us your predictions on how fans would keep their eyes fixed on the TV screen as the USA takes on Canada next at the Bell Centre at 8 pm ET this weekend!