Thursday night's USA-Canada championship game at the 4 Nations Face-Off showed viewers' appetite for best-on-best international hockey. ESPN said the game, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, averaged 9.3 million viewers, its biggest hockey audience ever. It peaked at 10.4 million.
Mike Eruzione, who scored the game-winning goal in the U.S. men's 1980 Olympic win over the Soviet Union, received a hero's welcome on the ice. He egged on the crowd and pumped his arms as more U-S-A chants rang out.
There was outstanding goaltending on both sides, Connor Hellebuyck robbed Cale Makar with seconds left in regulation and Jordan Binnington thwarted Auston Matthews three times in overtime. And to top it off the best player world, Connor McDavid, beat the best goalie in the world, Hellebuyck, to seal the win.