Ratings Up for 2009 Winter Classic

The good news for the NHL keeps rolling in after Thursday's display at Wrigley Field, as the early television numbers for NBC are looking good.

According to Bloomberg, the overnight ratings registered a 2.9 number nationally, up 12 percent from last year's rating of a 2.6 of the Penguins-Sabres clash from Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, making this year's event the highest-rated regular-season game in 13 years.

Translated, it means roughly 3.2 million U.S. households tuned in to watch Detroit's 6-4 win over their Original Six rival under chilly conditions in Wrigleyvile.

In addition, the game really resonated in the two markets of the teams competing, with the game earning NBC a 11.8 in the Chicago market and a 10.5 in Detroit (although those numbers are usually low because CBC's feed, which is broadcast into Detroit via Windsor usually isn't taken into consideration).

With the nearly universal praise of the event coming through the mainstream media, it seems like the NHL will make this an annual event, with perhaps Yankee Stadium being the next host when the puck drops outside next New Year's Day. It'd be hard for the league to give up this kind of national exposure, even with the 2010 Olympics set to take place in February in Vancouver.

For more on this year's Winter Classic, check out Eric McErlain's excellent work here.