The opening matchup of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament between Canada and Sweden averaged 1.05 million viewers and a 0.51 rating on TNT and truTV on Wednesday night. The game emanated from Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec and was the most-watched hockey telecast on TNT Sports platforms this season. This matchup also surpassed the New Year’s Eve edition of the Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks as the largest audience for an NHL game on cable television this season.
The game is fourth among all networks including the NHL season slate, falling behind three games that aired on ABC all either containing the Boston Bruins or New York Rangers. In the week prior, TNT Sports had averaged 537,000 viewers for its broadcast of the Bruins-Rangers game from Madison Square Garden, which was up 30% year-over-year. The matchup also represented the most-viewed non-playoff hockey telecast ever to air on Max. Broadcasters for the game included play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke, analyst Darren Pang and reporter Jackie Redmond. Pregame coverage took place from the Atlanta-based studios with host Liam McHugh and analysts Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonette and Anson Carter.
The first game of the night had several ups and downs, starting with forward Nathan MacKinnon scoring a goal 56 seconds into play. Canada had established a two-goal lead after the first period, but the team was able to recover after giving up a tally midway in the second period to defenseman Jonas Brodin. After reestablishing the advantage, Sweden tied the game and forced overtime thanks to a goal by center Joel Eriksson Ek. Canada forward Mitch Marner won the contest with a game-winning goal in overtime, granting the team its first victory of the three-game slate.
The NHL season is currently in a break to allow for this tournament to take place, which comes in advance of the league officially returning to the Olympic Games in 2026. As a result, the league’s All-Star Game and Skills Contests are not taking place this season. TNT Sports is currently in the fourth season of a seven-year media rights deal with the NHL reportedly worth $225 million annually and will broadcast the Stanley Cup Final at the end of the season. League commissioner Gary Bettman also announced on Wednesday that the World Cup of Hockey tournament would be returning in 2028 and held every four years.
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