The Men's Gold Medal Hockey Game Was a Ratings Smash for NBC, Peacock

An 8:15 a.m. ET face-off was no match for Team USA fans.

The men's hockey team defeated the Canadians in a 2-1 OT thriller. | Erick Rasco / Sports Illustrate

An 8:15 a.m. ET puck drop didn't stop Team USA fans from tuning into the men's hockey final on Sunday morning. Rather, the gold medal game vs. Team Canada was NBC Sports' second-most-watched hockey game ever, behind the men's gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the network said in a press release shared Tuesday.

An average of nearly 21 million combined viewers tuned in for coverage across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, with viewership on NBC and Peacock peaking at 26 million live at the time of Jack Hughes's game-winning goal in overtime.

The match also delivered an average live audience of 18.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, which makes it the most-watched pre-9 a.m. ET sporting event on record in the U.S., per NBC Sports.

“As the final medal event, the gold-medal hockey game was a fitting crescendo to a spectacular 17 days of Milan Cortina Winter Olympic competition that we were so honored to present,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in the release.

“We applaud all the athletes, organizers, and our gracious hosts, and thank our passionate Team NBC colleagues who worked tirelessly to bring these Winter Games, Super Bowl LX, and the NBA All-Star Game to more than 215 million Americans in our ‘Legendary February.’”

Team USA's men's hockey team took home the gold off a stunning golden goal from the aforementioned Hughes, who ended the game with the U.S. up 2–1 in overtime. With the win, the team notched the first Olympic gold for U.S. men's hockey since 1980.

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