Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) shakes hands with Team Canada forward Sidney Crosby (87) after overtime win by Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between the United States and Canada marked the largest audience for a hockey game ever on ESPN, the network announced Friday.
The game, in which Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in an overtime thriller, garnered 9.3 million viewers, with 10.4 million viewers at its peak.
It was also the largest audience for a non-NFL event ever on ESPN+.
Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid scored 8:18 into overtime to lift Canada over the United States to the win the championship game of the inaugural best-on-best tournament at Boston’s TD Garden on Thursday. Jordan Binnington held the Americans to two goals on 33 shots.
Excluding both pro and college football coverage, the 4 Nations championship game was ESPN’s largest audience since the 2024 NBA Finals, where the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks four games to one.
The four games of the tournament that ESPN showed saw an average viewership of 4.3 million.
–Field Level Media
