NBC drew a 2.9 overnight rating for the Maple Leafs-Red Wings NHL Winter Classic yesterday afternoon, a figure which is tied with the ’09 Winter Classic as NBC’s best overnight yet for an NHL regular-season game. The Maple Leafs-Red Wings game also is up from 21% from a Winter Classic-low 2.4 overnight in ’12 for the Rangers-Flyers matchup. There was no game last year due to the extended NHL lockout. This year’s telecast drew an 18.0 overnight in Detroit. Toronto is not a rated market for U.S. telecasts (NBC). ESPN’s Colin Cowherd said of the 2.9 rating, “For hockey, that’s unbelievable. They're doing back flips on Park Avenue.” However, he noted the Rose Parade earned a 4.5 overnight and said, “The parade beat hockey. People would rather watch floats than hockey” (“The Herd,” ESPN Radio, 1/2).
PRAISE FOR DOC: ESPN Radio 1000 Chicago's Marc Silverman wrote on his Twitter account, "No announcer captures the drama of a final minute flurry like Doc Emrick." SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote, "It will never be said enough: Mike Emrick is what every play by play person should strive to be." Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick wrote, "Mike Emrick is the second best play-by-play guy alive -- after Vin Scully -- and there's no close third." Meanwhile, NESN's Jack Edwards wrote, "Full marks to NBC's @Mike_Doc_Emrick & Ed Olczyk -- tough sightlines & really hard to articulate when your face, toes, and hands are frozen!"
