Can the NHL cash in on the Olympics buzz and renewed interest in the sport of ice hockey? For the first time in over a decade, NHL players have participated in the Winter Olympic Games this year in Milan Cortina. The opportunity is massive in several ways. It drives more hockey fans to watch the competition, as it has been dubbed a two-week All-Star Game. Plus, it gives NHL stars the opportunity to market themselves to a whole new audience.
Logic suggests that the viewership success of men’s Olympic hockey should translate into momentum for the NHL and its playoff push beginning this week. But that only happens if the league treats it like an opportunity — not an afterthought.
The central question is simple: Is the NHL putting real effort behind marketing the Olympic stars in a way that can generate sustained results post-Olympics? If history offers any guidance, the league should move aggressively and immediately.
To its credit, NBC has done its part. In its return to presenting hockey on a national stage, the network leaned into familiarity and nostalgia. The recognizable voices of Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk returned. Music associated with NBC’s 16 years of coverage resurfaced. The presentation felt intentional. Fans noticed. League executives noticed.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly even acknowledged NBC Sports’ efforts.
“NBC was our rightsholder last time, and we didn’t get the level of cooperation we’re getting now,” said Daly to Sports Business Journal. “They see a common objective in trying to make this tournament as big as it can be and make it interest as many people as it can.”
It is encouraging to hear that. Now the league must match it. Because just last year, the NHL had a similar opening — and largely let it slip.
Following the 4-Nations Face-Off final between the United States and Canada, the league saw a short-term bump in viewership. The final became the most-watched NHL game in the United States last season and the most-watched hockey event ever on ESPN. An average of 9.3 million viewers tuned in, with the audience peaking at 10.4 million.
According to SBJ, that made the 4-Nations final the most-watched NHL game ever in the United States, surpassing Game 6 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.
Immediately following the 4-Nations, ABC’s doubleheader saw double-digit increases in viewership year over year. But the games barely achieved an average audience above one million viewers.
There’s no question that NHL viewership depends heavily on teams and markets with strong hockey history. Unfortunately, that is a problem the league has worked around for decades. However, with viewership for the U.S.-Canada matchup likely to rise above what the 4-Nations Face-Off Tournament final delivered, the league must use this second chance to better market itself to a captive audience.
Even with an 8 a.m. Eastern faceoff on a Sunday, the U.S.-Canada matchup features star power, familiarity and emotional stakes. It should exceed last year’s 4-Nations final audience. Whatever the final number becomes, it will represent something the NHL rarely commands. A massive, national audience emotionally invested in its best players competing in meaningful games.
With no games immediately following the event, the league should flood its media ecosystem. Promotional inventory across ESPN, ABC and TNT Sports should reinforce player narratives born in Milan Cortina. Local radio and television partners should amplify playoff races through the lens of Olympic performances. Digital teams should aggressively distribute highlights, behind-the-scenes content and personality-driven storytelling to audiences still searching for Olympic coverage online.
The tools are there. The access is there. The cooperation, according to Daly, is there. If the NHL truly is receiving the level of cooperation it has mentioned from NBC, then it cannot drop the ball when it comes to maximizing that access. What cannot be missing is urgency.
Skeptics will argue the league may not need to invest heavily in capitalizing on the opportunity. This is the league’s first season under the new Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement system, and it will likely see improved results as part of the new methodology. The NFL, NBA and nearly every ESPN daily program have seen better year-over-year results in part because of this new measurement system.
In fact, ESPN reported a few weeks ago that NHL games on the network have seen a 39% increase in average viewership year over year through the first four months of the regular season. Do we really believe there are 39% more people watching NHL hockey this year compared to last year, or is this more about adding additional audience to the measurement itself?
It’s fair to point out that not only ESPN has seen this rise, but the Olympics have as well. The enhanced methodology also delivered the U.S. women’s gold medal game over Canada the all-time viewership record for a women’s hockey game in the United States. An average of 5.3 million viewers watched the U.S. women defeat Canada in an overtime thriller, which peaked at 7.7 million viewers in overtime.
There was debate all weekend about what the men’s final viewership will be. More star power, NHL familiarity and the same two nations involved — despite the 8 a.m. Eastern time faceoff on a Sunday — should produce a number higher than the 4-Nations final delivered last year.
Whatever the final number ends up being, it will represent something the NHL rarely has — a massive, national, emotionally invested audience watching its best players compete in meaningful games.
That audience won’t automatically convert. It won’t simply migrate to ESPN, ABC or TNT on its own. Casual fans don’t follow leagues — they follow moments. They follow stars. They follow storylines that feel big.
The U.S.-Canada Olympic final is a moment.
If the NHL treats it like just another event on the calendar, history suggests the buzz will fade as quickly as it arrived. However, if the league aggressively markets the rivalries born in Milan Cortina, the personalities that emerged on the Olympic stage and the playoff races about to heat up back home, this can become more than a two-week spike. It can become a bridge.
A bridge from international spectacle to nightly relevance. From patriotic pride to team loyalty. From Olympic curiosity to NHL habit.
The opportunity is sitting there — millions of viewers, heightened emotion, fresh storylines and direct access to the players who just carried the sport onto a global stage.
The NHL cannot afford to let this become another “what if.”
If the league truly wants to grow the game, this is the moment to prove it.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
