Cup ratings down in Canada, lower then Montreal/Toronto

Game 1 of
the Stanley Cup final averaged 2,608,000 viewers on CBC, down from last year
and less than the Toronto-Montreal regular-season finale.

In 2006,
the first game of the final between
Edmonton and

Carolina
averaged 3.033 million viewers. In 2004, Game 1 of Calgary-Tampa Bay averaged
3.063 million viewers.

Anaheim
opened this year’s final by defeating visiting

Ottawa 3-2.

Monday
night’s audience fell short of the regular-season record 2.81 million the Leafs
and Canadiens drew on a Saturday night in their season finale last month.

In
contrast, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final between
Ottawa
and

Buffalo
averaged 1.376 million.

The
highest CBC audience for a Stanley Cup final was 4.957 million for Game 7 of
the Canucks-Rangers series on June 14, 1994.