It's by far the most successful ratings generator that TSN has, the ten days of hockey that make up the World Junior Hockey Tournament, spaced out between Boxing Day and just after the New Year brings in audience numbers that television executives can only dream about.
And this years tournament in Ottawa which was a monster at the gate proved to be just as strong for the folks at home.
Monday night's Gold medal game between Canada and Sweden brought in over 3.6 million viewers, the largest audience in TSN history and a definitive exclamation point as to the love for hockey that Canadians have, especially when there is national pride on the line. When you add in the record of 602,000 viewers on RDS the french version of TSN then you have a monumental audience of over 4.2 million fans,
The journey of the Canadian youngsters caught the fancy of hockey fans from coast to coast to coast, with two outstanding and nerve wracking games with the USA and Russia to keep the fans coming back for more.
Among the success for TSN was a head to head victory over the CBC on Saturday night, when the Junior game bested the offerings of Hockey Night in Canada, a testimony to the fanaticism that Canadians have for their junior team.
The Monday night final proved to be the most watched event on Canadian television this broadcast season, and the most watched event on a specialty channel in Canadian history.
With Canada again hosting the World Juniors next winter in Regina and Saskatoon, TSN must surely be looking at the holiday season with great anticipation and as the tournament as their signature sporting event on the Canadian sporting scene.
Globe and Mail-- Record audience for TSN
Toronto Star-- Junior semi gives TSN ratings win
Montreal Gazette-- TSN wins hockey war with CBC
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