Boston-Chicago thriller is most-watched Stanley Cup game in 16 years

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in a triple-overtime showdown on Wednesday night. But the real take-away from the thrilling Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals was that it was the most-watched Finals Game 1 in 16 years.

The audience for the game aired on NBC averaged 6.4 million viewers, which was up 119% from Game 1 last year. It was also just 9,000 audience members off from becoming the most-watched Game 1 ever, which was between Detroit and Philadelphia in 1987.

Not surprisingly, it was the top-rated program of the day across all of cable and broadcast TV in key demographics.

The Blackhawks defeated the Bruins, 4-3.

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