Leafs, Red Wings NHL Opener Draws Record Ratings for Versus

The Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs season opening National Hockey League game on Versus network on Oct. 9 was the most-watched regular season game ever on the network, drawing 572,897 viewers.

The game was part of a doubleheader telecast that night. The other game, the Boston Bruins vs. the Colorado Avalanche, which drew more than 300,000 viewers. The combined games averaged 413,892 viewers, a 33 percent increase over the opening night doubleheader on Versus last season.

The two games cumulatively showed big gains in male audience, with men 18-34 up 82 percent, men 18-49 up 57 percent, and men 25-54 up 45 percent.