America Gives Harsh Reality Check to TNT As Stanley Cup Game 1 Turns Disaster

As the great Guy Lafleur said, “You do not play hockey for good seasons. You play to win the Stanley Cup.” And in 2025, the fight for the NHL‘s biggest trophy is as close as it gets. The Panthers and the Oilers, two juggernauts of their respective conferences, and both have every right to claim the cup for themselves. In fact, the Panthers are trying to make it 2 Stanley Cups in 2 years, while the Oilers are trying to deny the Panthers this time, after failing in 2024.

That’s right. What we have in 2025 is a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals (SCF). It went to the wire last year, and the fact that this year’s first game took an overtime goal to separate the 2 teams says everything, doesn’t it? With the kind of stakes on the line, one would think the hockey world would not miss the 2025 SCF for anything. But somehow, the Game 1 viewership is not reflecting it at all, and it’s puzzling.

So, here’s what we know. As per Frozen Four co-host Braylon Breeze, the viewership figures for the 2025 SCF Game 1 on June 4 are almost comparable to the ongoing Women’s College World Series. His tweet on June 6 read, “Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Panthers–Oilers Stanley Cup Final — 2.42 million viewers — was nearly outdrawn by the competing Women’s College World Series, which drew 2.11 million viewers on ESPN.”

It’s not at all something the NHL will want to see, is it? The NCAA Women’s softball is seeing a thrilling contest. The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns are vying for a program-first NCAA title. And with quality on both sides, it has become a must-watch affair. But so is the Stanley Cup Final, and a major league getting a run for its viewership money from a college tournament says a lot. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have started as usual—McDavid with 2 assists and Draisaitl with 2 goals—but it looks like even their star power isn’t enough to draw in viewers.

Braylon Breeze even shared the tweet of Sports Media Watch, which went like this: “Quiet start for Stanley Cup Final as Oilers’ OT win is least-watched Game 1 since COVID-delayed ’21 edition”. Breeze’s post on June 6 gave the exact TV ratings for TNT and truTV for Game 1 and the percentage drop: “RATINGS: Game 1 of Panthers–Oilers averaged 2.418M viewers across TNT and truTV — down 22% from last year on ABC (3.115M) and 12% from TNT’s 2023 SCF (FLA–VGK, 2.753M).”

Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Panthers–Oilers Stanley Cup Final — 2.42 million viewers — was nearly outdrawn by the competing Women’s College World Series, which drew 2.11 million viewers on ESPN.

— Braylon Breeze (@Braylon_Breeze) June 5, 2025

And the most shocking thing is the near regression to 2008 numbers. “Wednesday’s contest is the least-watched non-COVID Game 1 since 2008’s DET–PIT SCF, which aired on Versus.” That’s anticlimactic without a doubt. Why did it happen, especially after the resounding success of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February?

The main answer is Canada. Although no Canadian team has won the elusive cup since 1993, these past few years have seen Canadian clubs really start to knock on the door. The Montreal Canadiens had a crack in 2021, and of course the Oilers came closer than ever last year and are now back for more. Taking only this decade into account, that’s 3 Stanley Cup Finals appearances for Canada within 5 years. To put that into perspective, only one Canadian team made it to the final in the 2010s, and that was the Vancouver Canucks all the way back in 2011.

After nearly a decade of all-American clashes in the final, 3 Canadian representatives in 4 years is a big deal. So while American dominance has continued for now, the Canadian resurgence has led to a steady decline in viewership over the last few years. Then there are also broadcasting problems that the NHL seemingly constantly faces. This year’s final has been shunted to TNT and truTV instead of the ABC broadcast channel. With the difference in reach, it isn’t surprising that the move from a broadcast channel to cable has impacted the viewership numbers. But to counterbalance this phenomenon, NHL viewership has surged in Canada.

And if the Oilers achieve the seemingly impossible this year, what will it mean for the numbers going forward? Well, we can’t say conclusively, but the trends suggest that it wouldn’t bode well for the NHL stateside. As for a credible challenge, one thing is for sure. This series will be an iconic tussle.

Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals is off to a flyer

We talked about the stakes. But what did we see on the ice? An amazing battle of tactics and physicality ensued that saw the scoreboard swing from side to side. The Oilers took the lead early in the game, but the Panthers came back strong. The presence and forms of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl haven’t seemed to unnerve the Panthers contingent at all. First, the Panthers equalized through Sam Bennett. Then, they took the lead through Brad Marchand.

Then the USA team would go ahead 3-1 on the road ice. That is, until the Oilers started their pushback through Viktor Arvidsson. Mattias Ekholm equalized in the 3rd period and helped the Western Conference team take the game to overtime. There, we saw the real offensive magic that the Oilers are known for. A clever pass from Corey Perry allowed Connor McDavid to set up Draisaitl. And the Oilers’ #29 buried a first-time shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to win it for the Oilers at Rogers Place.

It was so entertaining, and you will get it from this. The Panthers had 32 shots on goal, while the Oilers had 46. Both goaltenders had to be in inspired form to keep the scores down. Some of the saves made were breathtaking, both from Stuart Skinner and Bobrovsky.

Well, we don’t know what the exact reason was for the low viewership in Game 1. What we know is that if each and every game of the series is as close as this one, the fans will want to switch on their TVs.

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