35 million in North America saw Olympic men’s hockey final

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At its peak, approximately 35 million people across the United States and Canada tuned in to watch the Olympic gold-medal men’s hockey clash between the two countries that saw the American men defeat the Canadians 2-1 in Milan on Sunday in a 3-on-3 overtime thriller. It was the most-watched of any of the events at the 2026 Games.

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About 26 million viewers in the U.S. tuned in for Jack Hughes’ overtime winner on NBC and Peacock — the most-watched sporting event in U.S. history with a start time before 9 a.m. EST, and NBC Sports’ second-most watched hockey game ever. In Canada, 8.7 million people were tuned in for the overtime period.

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Even in neutral markets, the game was a hit, drawing 2.5 million viewers in Czechia, nearly a quarter of that country’s population.

Vancouver 2010 numbers still better

Milan’s staggering viewership stats still don’t beat those of Vancouver 2010, which saw Canada’s Sidney Crosby vanquish the Yanks in OT with his golden goal. Peak American viewership for that game reached 27.6 million, and 16.6 million in Canada.

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But broadcasters still consider the numbers for 2026 to be a massive hit because it drew such a huge viewership given the time of day in North America, forcing some in parts of the U.S. and Canada to wake up at 5 a.m. to watch. Vancouver’s gold-medal game, on the other hand, began at 3:15 p.m. ET, a prime-time afternoon slot.

Women’s game did well too

The women’s gold-medal final was also a massive success, setting a new bar for the event’s reach. The game that (once again) saw the Americans top the Canadians in overtime averaged 5.3 million in U.S. viewership, with 7.7 million tuning in to see Megan Keller score the golden goal. CBC reported a peak of 4.2 million in Canadian viewership during the game.

The game shattered the previous viewership record for the event with an nearly 50% increase in U.S. viewership over the 3.54 million who watched the women’s final in Beijing.

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