Stanley Cup final most-watched NHL game in 36 years

Friday night's deciding Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on NBC was the most-watched pro hockey game in 36 years.

The game drew 8 million viewers. That's modest for a football or basketball playoff. For hockey in the United States, however, it's a huge number and not matched since a 1973 game between Montreal and Chicago (which drew 9.4 million). 

Overall, the series averaged 5.6 million viewers for five games on NBC, the best showing since 2002 (which aired for three games on ABC). NBC won Friday in the adult demo as well, averaging a 3.2 rating.