With two U.S.-based teams in this year’s NHL Winter Classic, the overnight ratings gave NBC an uptick from last year’s game which involved just one. The game from Busch Stadium featuring Chicago and St. Louis registered a 1.88 overnight rating for the Peacock, up 4% from last year’s game at Gillette Stadium which pitted Montreal and Boston.
And the numbers locally also gave NBC some good news as the Winter Classic in both St. Louis and Chicago was the top-rated program for its time period.
The @StLouisBlues 4-1 Winter Classic win produced a 15.5 rating in STL; NBC’s highest-rated reg-season Blues game ever in the market
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) January 3, 2017
The 2017 Winter Classic delivered a 7.4 rating in Chicago, up 23% vs. the Blackhawks last outdoor game, in Minnesota on 2/21/16 (6.0)
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) January 3, 2017
Even though there was the threat of showers and the potential for delays plus a shootout on another date if the rain became too heavy, the NHL Winter Classic managed to finish without a hitch. After some brief showers at the beginning of the game, the quality of play was pretty decent and
The only real issue was Bob Costas channeling his inner Nelly, but otherwise, the game gave the NHL its usual New Year’s showcase just before college football took over with the Rose and Sugar Bowls.
