The 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal game for men’s hockey smashed records in the United States as millions tuned in to watch Team USA beat rivals Canada.
According to NBC, the early morning broadcast averaged around 20.7million viewers and had a peak audience of 26million.
This makes it the most watched sports broadcast before 9:00am Eastern Time in American television history.
It also marks the second-most watched hockey broadcast on NBC Sports in the company’s history, sitting just behind the 2010 men’s hockey gold medal game from the Vancouver games. NBC previously held the rights for the NHL from 2006 to 2021.
The 20.7million viewers tuned in to NBC, the USA Network and streaming service Peacock.
Meanwhile, up north, the CBC reports that 8.7million Canadians were watching at the time of the final goal. Total viewers and average viewership were not reported.
A peak audience of 26million viewers tuned in to watch the United States’ men’s hockey team beat Canada for the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Sunday
Jack Hughes scored the goal to clinch the first American men’s hockey gold since 1980
The United States managed to defeat Canada 2-1 in overtime thanks to a goal from New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes.
It’s the first time in history that Team USA beat their rivals to the north in the knockout stages of the Winter Olympics.
Prior to this, the Canadians beat the Americans for a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the aforementioned 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
This victory is the first time Team USA won the men’s hockey gold medal since 1980 – when the Americans beat Finland to win the honor after previously beating the Soviet Union in the ‘Miracle on Ice.’
NBC has broadcast the Olympics in the United States each year since 1988 and has extended the rights to continue showing the games through 2036.
Future broadcasts include the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the yet-to-be-awarded 2036 Summer Olympics.
