"HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA" TRIPLEHEADER VIEWERSHIP IS UP 21% VS. 2015

Tripleheader Across NBC and NBCSN Averages More Than 1.2 Million Viewers

Blackhawks-Wild NHL Stadium Series Game on NBC Averages 1.86 Million Viewers; Second-Most Watched Hockey Day In America Game Ever

Red Wings-Rangers Sunday Night Hockey Matchup Is NBCSN's Most-Watched Hockey Day In America Game Ever

NBCSN On Pace For Most-Watched NHL Regular Season Ever With Strong Viewership for Wednesday Night Rivalry and Sunday Night Hockey

STAMFORD, Conn. - Feb. 24, 2016 - NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America tripleheader this past Sunday, Feb. 21 - highlighted by the NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. - averaged more than 1.2 million viewers across NBC and NBCSN, up 21% vs. NBC Sports Group's 2015 Hockey Day In America coverage (992,000), according to data provided by The Nielsen Company.

Hockey Day In America capped a week of NHL coverage that featured the two most-watched NHL games on NBCSN since opening night, putting NBCSN on pace to have its most-watched NHL regular season ever.

NBC SPORTS GROUP'S HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA TRIPLEHEADER VIEWERSHIP IS UP 21% VS. 2015

NBC's presentation of the Blackhawks-Wild NHL Stadium Series game (3:32-6:20 p.m. ET), in which Minnesota defeated Chicago 6-1, delivered a 1.13 HH rating and averaged 1.86 million viewers to become the second-most watched Hockey Day In America game ever (PIT-CHI, 2/20/11; 1.89 million), excluding regionalized coverage.

NBCSN's Sunday Night Hockey matchup featuring the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers (7:01-9:51 p.m. ET), in which New York earned a 1-0 overtime win, produced a 0.42 HH rating and averaged 694,000 viewers to become the network's most-watched Hockey Day In America telecast.

NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America tripleheader began with a matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres (12:38-3:17 p.m. ET), as more than 1 million viewers watched Pittsburgh defeat Buffalo 4-3. The game delivered a 0.71 HH rating, and overall, the tripleheader on NBC and NBCSN produced a 0.75 HH rating.

Buffalo led all local markets during NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America coverage with a 10.1 HH rating for Penguins-Sabres. Minneapolis delivered a 9.4 HH rating for Blackhawks-Wild to rank as the highest-rated regular-season game ever on NBC in the market.

NBCSN ON PACE FOR MOST-WATCHED NHL REGULAR SEASON EVER WITH STRONG VIEWERSHIP FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY AND SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY

Through 61 games, NBCSN is on pace to have its most-watched NHL regular season ever, averaging 361,000 viewers, up 8% vs. 2015 viewership (335,000; 61 games), along with a 0.22 HH rating. NBCSN's increased NHL viewership has been driven by its Wednesday Night Rivalry and Sunday Night Hockey telecasts.

· Through 16 games, Wednesday Night Rivalry has averaged 573,000 viewers, up 10% vs. the 2014-15 Wednesday Night Rivalry average through the same date last year (523,000; 19 games);

· Last week's Blackhawks-Rangers Wednesday Night Rivalry game on Feb. 17 was the most-watched game on NBCSN (769,000 viewers) since the two teams met on opening night this season;

· Through four games this year, Sunday Night Hockey has averaged 557,000 viewers, up 72% vs. Sunday Night Hockey through the same date last year (324,000; seven games);

· Flyers-Rangers on Sunday Night Hockey on Feb. 14 averaged 738,000 viewers to rank as NBCSN's second-most watched Sunday Night Hockey game ever and its most-watched Sunday night game in three years (MTL-BOS, 3/3/13; 813,000).

Hockey Day In America celebrates the roots of hockey in the United States. Throughout Sunday's tripleheader, NBC Sports Group showcased the sport's influence and impact in America through a series of features, including segments on Auston Matthews, who is projected to be a contender for the first selection in the 2016 NHL Draft; U.S. Army veteran and Minneapolis native Andrew Qualy, who founded the Minnesota Wounded Warriors Adult Hockey League; and Bob Chase, who is in his 63rd season as the play-by-play voice of the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets, and served as the inspiration for Doc Emrick to become a play-by-play announcer. Click here to view all of NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America features.