NHL gets exposure from playing in cold and snow

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2008

NEW YORK (AFP) — Exposing their players to cold, wind and snow on New Year's Day gave the National Hockey League its greatest US television exposure in more than a decade, ratings reports on Wednesday revealed.

Tuesday's telecast of Pittsburgh's 2-1 shootout triumph over Buffalo before more than 71,000 people at the home stadium of American football's Buffalo Bills attracted a 2.6 overnight rating and 5 share among US television viewers.

Each rating point represents about 1.12 million people while the share figure means five percent of US televisions being watched at the time of the game were tuned into the first NHL outdoor game on US ice.

No NHL telecast has drawn such US viewership figures since February 3, 1996 and that includes the telecast of Wayne...