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| Montreal Gazzette great Terry “Aislin” Mosher |
Monday’s overnight, estimated audience for CBC’s coverage of the Leafs’ Game Seven heart breaker drew a staggering 5,155,000 viewers. That tops the 4.5M+ who tuned in for Sunday’s Leafs victory over Boston in Game Six and is likely the highest total ever for an opening round playoff tilt.
CBC drew just over three million viewers per game deep into the final round of last years Stanley Cup playoffs. The L.A. Kings/Jersey Devils final pairing was good for NBC but a ratings bust in Canada.
The bad news for CBC is that no other game will come close to the final Leafs mark in total viewers throughout the rest of the playoffs. Had Leafs advanced to the second round and beyond, CBC could have cracked the six- and perhaps even seven-million level. By the time Leafs Nation gets over this hangover, the playoffs will be over.
Ottawa is the last remaining Canadian team, and they meet the Penguins Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Two Original Six matchups remain: Chicago vs. Detroit (starting Wednesday) and Boston vs. New York Rangers.
