The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are averaging 1.4 million viewers in the U.S., a 63% increase from last season and 24% above 2024, with female viewership surging—an uptick tied by ESPN leadership to recent U.S. hockey milestones and growing entertainment crossov
For years, the NHL’s television audience has been steady—sometimes loyal, sometimes elusive for casual viewers. This spring, the numbers tell a different story: the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are pulling in unprecedented attention, and the biggest shift appears to be who’s watching.
Across the U.S., the playoffs are averaging 1.4 million viewers, up 63% from last season and 24% from 2024, making them the most-watched Stanley Cup Playoffs in U.S. NHL history.
Female viewership is rising sharply, too. ESPN says female viewership is up 106%, with the largest portion of that growth coming from adults ages 18-to-34. TNT Sports reports female viewership has increased 66%.
ESPN VP of production Linda Schulz pointed to a run of recent moments that seem to have widened the sport’s pull. She linked the jump to the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year, to the U.S. men’s and women’s teams winning gold in the Milano Cortina Olympics. and—somewhat surprisingly—to the growing popularity of Amazon Prime’s hockey romance show “Off Campus.”.
“We see the numbers up everywhere,” Schulz told the AP. “(Hockey) is a particular challenge because sports fans tend to follow something that they themselves have participated in and hockey is one that is not as commonplace for people to have actually strapped on skates. I approach it with, if I get a new fan coming to hockey, what is going to keep them.”.
The league’s efforts to meet fans where they already are are also showing up on screens. The NHL has posted several playoff-game videos on social media this year that have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram.
The on-ice product has helped, with series that refused to fade into the background. In the first round. the Montreal Canadiens–Tampa Bay Lightning series and the Canadiens–Buffalo Sabres second-round series both went to seven games. Buffalo beat the Boston Bruins. the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars in six-game series.
Now the playoffs are moving toward their finish line. The Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes will face off in the Stanley Cup Final, which begins on Tuesday, June 2 at 6 p.m.
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs NHL ratings women’s viewership ESPN TNT Sports Linda Schulz TikTok Instagram Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay Lightning Buffalo Sabres Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Wild Dallas Stars Vegas Golden Knights Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final