The Stanley Cup Final is here with the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Carolina Hurricanes, and the NHL playoff ratings heading into this matchup have been hitting one historical milestone after another. Second-round viewership was up 55% from a year ago, which itself set a league record. Front Office Sports reporter Eric Fisher is on the ground in Raleigh for Game 1 with everything you need to know about the business side of this moment.
ABC has both the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals running on alternating nights, which means championship sports every other day for the foreseeable future. John Tortorella is coaching the Golden Knights in his first run with Vegas and has already been fined $100,000 for not complying with league media regulations. And Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, who just bought the Portland Trail Blazers, is justifying his lack of spending in Portland by pointing out that the Hurricanes are in the Stanley Cup Final.
The NHL is clearly on a growth run that goes beyond any measurement enhancements, and the question of what comes next once this run ends is something Gary Bettman is expected to address before Game 1. Eric Fisher has been covering all of it and breaks down every angle worth watching.The NHL is clearly on a growth run that goes beyond any measurement enhancements, and the question of what comes next once this run ends is something Gary Bettman is expected to address before Game 1. Eric Fisher has been covering all of it and breaks down every angle worth watching.
