The Bruins-Canucks Stanley Cup Final begins tonight, with NBC televising Games 1-2 and, if necessary, 5-7. Versus will televise Games 3-4 from TD Garden. It will be an “accomplishment for NBC to match the ratings of last year,” when the Blackhawks’ clinching Game 6 victory over the Flyers drew 8.3 million viewers, “the most for an NHL game in 36 years.” NBC Sports Exec Producer Sam Flood said, “We as producers and talent don’t worry about ratings. We worry about telling stories and showcasing hockey” (Worcester TELEGRAM, 6/1). Versus’ two telecasts last year also marked the most-viewed NHL Stanley Cup Final games on cable since ESPN in '02 (THE DAILY).
The CBC will televise the Final in Canada, and “having Vancouver deliver nightly viewership in the four-million plus range in Canada couldn’t come at a better time with the Canadian TV rights auction just a few short years ahead.” NHL officials already are “hoping for a doubling” of the CBC’s C$100M per-year contract, which ends with the '13-14 season (GLOBESPORTS.com, 5/29).
