Third time’s the charm for the Chicago Blackhawks

Third Cup this decade; sixth Cup overall

Blackhawks dominate on the ice and in the ratings

How sweet it is!

The Chicago Blackhawks on Monday clinched another Stanley Cup championship as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in front of more than 22,000 happy humans at the United Center – the first time the Cup was won on home ice since 1938, making it a hat, T-Shirt and commemorative DVD night for everyone.

And after breaking a 49-year Cup drought in 2010, the Blackhawks won their third Cup in six years – in which you can call a dynasty.

As you can imagine, Monday night’s game drew a boatload of viewers and then some. Game six of the Stanley Cup Final drew a 5.6 overnight live-plus-same day Nielsen rating – tied for the fourth-highest for an NHL game since the league returned to broadcast TV in 1993.

In Chicago, viewership was off the charts – drawing a record 41.0 household rating and 57 share for WMAQ-TV – peaking at 52.5 when the Hawks clinched the Cup. That’s up from the 30.2 rating game six of the Blackhawks-Bruins game did two years ago, when the Hawks also clinched the Cup.

In TampaBay, the game earned a 15.2 household rating for WFLA-TV, the Lightning’s second highest rating ever in Tampa-St.Pete. Finally in Buffalo, where Patrick Kane is from, the game earned a strong 10.5 for WGRZ – and this despite a strong CBC presence in the market. The Canadian public broadcaster carried the entire Stanley Cup Final, though it was produced by Rogers SportsNet, under a twelve-year deal started this season.

In nearby Milwaukee, WTMJ earned a 7.9 rating, believed to be the highest rating for a non-Olympic hockey game in the market.

Among adults 18-49 nationally, the game earned a 2.8/10 and a 3.2/9 among adults 25-54, according to TV Media Insights.

And WMAQ, which benefited from the Blackhawks playoff run this season, scored a whopping 24.5 household rating for its late newscast after the game, according to Robert Feder.

The recent NHL playoff season has been declared a success, with five of the Stanley Cup Final games decided by at least one goal. Ratings for NBC and NBC SN were up from last year, with games three and four of the SCF beating head-to-head programming ESPN and Fox Sports 1 handily.

The Cup clincher is especially good news for Comcast SportsNet, which will continue to reap fortunes for what is now one of the most successful franchises in sports – a far cry from just ten years ago.

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks on their sixth Stanley Cup Championship!