Washington Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Washington Capitals, NHL or NHLPA
TNT broadcast viewship breaks record during Alex Ovechkin's 895th career goal
Photo credit: NHL
Millions tuned in on Sunday to watch hockey history unfold during the Washington Capitals divisional tilt on the road against the New York Islanders.
Alex Ovechkin entered the game one goal away from passing Wayne Gretzky for all-time goals scored in the NHL.
Multiple records were broken on Sunday, as TNT's broadcast viewership hit an all-time high while 1.3 million fans tuned in to see Alex Ovechkin score his 895th career goal to pass the legendary Wayne Gretzky.
Ian Oland from RMNB writes that the game averaged 905k viewers nationally, marking the most watched non-Winter Classic regular-seaon game on TNT Sports networks.
Sunday's Capitals-Islanders game featured a 22-minute pause during the second period for the NHL to hold an on-ice ceremony for Ovechkin featuring the former goals king, Wayne Gretzky, and league commissioner Gary Bettman. While Ovi's tally was exciting, the game was mostly dreary. The defensive-minded Islanders held a clinic, defeating the Capitals 4-1 and holding them to little offense. -Oland
Before Sunday, TNT's most recent viewership was during the 2025 Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, which averaged 920k viewers and peaked at 1.2 million.
Drew Lerner from Awful Announcing writes that Sunday's broadcast caps a great run of successful television events for hockey in 2025.
The 4 Nations Face-Off drew massive television audiences for the sport in February, and now, Alex Ovechkin's record sets the league up nicely for the postseason. -Lerner
Whether the NHL can capitalize on the added attention will be the question of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that are set to start on April 19.
Previously on Washington Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 8 | 62 ANSWERS TNT broadcast viewship breaks record during Alex Ovechkin's 895th career goal Do you think Alexander Ovechkin can reach 900 goals? | ||
| Yes | 62 | 100 % |
| No | 0 | 0 % |
| List of polls | ||
