USA's gold-medal hockey game averages 26M viewers
Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Quinn Hughes (43) of the United States and Jack Hughes (86) of the United States celebrate after defeating Canada in the men's ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The United States' gold-medal victory against Canada on Sunday at the Milano Cortina Olympics averaged 26 million viewers in the U.S. on NBC and Peacock.
The 2-1 overtime win gave the Americans their first gold medal in men's ice hockey since the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The North American audience when Jack Hughes scored the winning goal was nearly 35 million, including 8.7 million in Canada, per the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The contest, which began at 8:15 a.m. ET, was the most-watched sporting event on record in the U.S. with a start time before 9 a.m. ET, according to the Nielsen data.
It also was the second most-watched hockey game in NBC history, trailing Canada's overtime win against the U.S. in the gold-medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Games (3:15 p.m. ET start time).
Overall, the Olympic Games in Italy averaged 23.5 million viewers in the U.S., a 96% increase over Beijing in 2022 and the most-watched Winter Olympics since 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
--Field Level Media
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