All season long we received positive word about Flyers ratings, and that trend is continuing in the playoffs. 

The NBC Sports PR department announces that Game 1 was up 19% over their similarly slotted Game 1 telecast (Sharks-Red Wings) from last year. But the real kicker comes from the Philly rating: The game received a 14.6% rating in Philadelphia, up 121% over last year’s Game 1 against the Bruins (which was played on a Saturday afternoon).

That’s impressive because the Flyers were legitimate Stanley Cup contenders last year, too (though you can argue with the semantics on that since fucking Kris Versteeg poisoned the team), and they were coming off a Finals run the year before (which could have been a Cup if Jeff Carter would have fucking hit an open net). 

For those of you that are awful at math, 121% increase means the rating more than doubled YoY. Think the Winter Classic, 24/7, and new media devoting coverage to hockey while many mainstream outlets still blow hard on the NFL Draft doesn’t all play a factor in the increased interest? Think again.

Knock knocks help, too.