NHL Stadium Series Draws Bigger TV Crowd Than Winter Classic in 2026
The 2026 NHL Stadium Series (Bruins vs. Lightning) drew 2.1 million viewers on ESPN, the most-watched regular-season NHL game on cable and the best since the Bruins-Blackhawks Winter Classic in 2019. By contrast, the 2026 Winter Classic on TNT/TruTV drew about 978,000 (rising above 1 million with HBO Max streaming). The Winter Classic faces competition from college football and remains on TNT, while the Stadium Series benefited from a primetime ESPN slot and a Nielsen Big Data boost, and even outdrew several NBA games that weekend. The NHL/ESPN also noted a season-wide rise in viewership (ESPN/ABC averaging 795,000; TNT averaging 340,000), and next year’s Stadium Series (Golden Knights vs. Stars at AT&T Stadium) will air in primetime on ABC.
