Let's go, Canes!': Carolina Hurricanes' run to Stanley Cup was a hit on TV

The Stanley Cup Final was a big hit with television viewers.

The Carolina Hurricanes beating the Vegas Golden Knights for hockey's biggest prize was the most watched since the 2019 final, according to ABC and ESPN.

According to the network, the final averaged 5.2 million viewers, and Game 6, the clincher for the Hurricanes in a 3-0 win in Vegas, averaged 5.9 million viewers.

The final also averaged 2.2 million ESPN viewers.

The Stanley Cup Final capped a historic postseason across ESPN platforms, as ESPN delivered its most-watched Stanley Cup Playoffs ever. Across 43 games, the NHL Playoffs on ESPN networks averaged 2.2 million viewers, up 127% vs. 2025 and up 19% vs. 2024.

ESPN social and digital platforms posted double-digit growth during the 2026 Cup Final. Social platforms generated 8.6 million engagements, up 32% from last year. It also includes a 49% increase in shares.

The 2026 Stanley Cup Final followed multiyear highs and record-setting previous rounds of the playoffs, including the most-viewed Western Conference Final since 2015 (2.2 million viewers), and the most-viewed First and Second Round of the current rights deal.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs followed ESPN's most watched regular season of the current rights era, topping every season since the rights returned to ESPN in 2021-22, across ESPN and ABC.

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