Men’s Gold Medal Hockey Game Averaged 18.9 Million Viewers Across NBC, Peacock
February 24, 2026
Team USA’s overtime 2-1 gold medal win over Canada in the early morning of Feb. 22 averaged 18.9 million viewers across NBC Sports and the Peacock streaming service, according to NBC. It was the men’s first gold medal in hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” win at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics.
Viewership peaked at 26 million for the winning shot by Jack Hughes — reportedly the biggest live-TV sports viewership for a pre-9 a.m. ET start time in U.S. history.
Team USA’s win over Canada in the women’s hockey final drew a record 5.3 million viewers across USA Network and Peacock, peaking at 7.7 million.
The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics gold medal men’s hockey match between the U.S. and Canada remains the most-watched hockey game on NBC with 27.6 million viewers. Canada defeated the U.S., 3–2, in overtime on Feb. 28, 2010.
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