Last years Pittsburgh Penguins v. Detroit Redwings marquis "Original 6" match up produced the best NHL Stanley Cup Finals ratings in 6 years, breaking the recent sharp downward trend. That matchup would happen again this season, and a six or seven game series could provide another uptick.
Full Data for NHL Stanley Cup Finals Ratings, 1995-2008
| Year | Net | Games | HH rating | HH Share | Avg. HHs (million) | Avg. Viewers (million) | Teams |
| 2008 | NBC/VS | 6 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.929 | 4.479 | Pittsburgh vs. Detroit |
| 2007 | NBC/VS | 5 | 1.2 | 2 | 1.307 | 1.764 | Ottawa vs. Anaheim |
| 2006 | NBC/OLN** | 7 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.994 | 2.834 | Carolina vs, Edmonton |
| 2005 | NHL Season Cancelled | ||||||
| 2004 | *ABC/ESPN | 7 | 2.2 | 4 | 2.366 | 3.286 | Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Calgary Flames |
| 2003 | *ABC/ESPN | 7 | 2.4 | 4 | 2.557 | 3.627 | New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks |
| 2002 | ABC | 3 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.815 | 5.768 | Detroit Red Wings vs. Carolina Hurricanes |
| 2001 | ABC | 5 | 3.3 | 6 | 3.371 | 5.058 | Colorado Avalanche vs. New Jersey Devils |
| 2000 | ABC | 4 | 3.7 | 8 | 3.734 | 5.511 | New Jersey Devils vs. Dallas Stars |
| 1999 | FOX | 3 | 3.4 | 6 | 3.379 | 4.873 | Dallas Stars vs. Buffalo Sabres |
| 1998 | FOX | 1 | 3.3 | 6 | 3.230 | 4.830 | Detroit Red Wings vs. Washington Capitals |
| 1997 | FOX | 1 | 4.0 | 8 | 3.930 | 6.370 | Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1996 | FOX | 2 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.430 | 5.090 | Colorado Avalanche vs. Florida Panthers |
| 1995 | FOX | 2 | 3.4 | 8 | 3.254 | 5.210 | New Jersey Devils vs. Detroit Red Wings |
*ABC had 5 telecasts & ESPN had 2 telecasts so this is the combined average of both networks.
**NBC had 5 telecasts & OLN had 2 telecasts so this is the combined average of both networks.
Data for 2006-8 is Live+SD, all previous years is Live viewing.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2009 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
