Ratings rise for Stanley Cup finals opener

5/25/2008 9:09 PM

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -The Detroit Red Wings' victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals opener was the highest-rated and most-watched cable telecast of the championship round in six years.

The Red Wings' 4-0 win on Saturday night had a 1.8 national rating - drawing over 2.3 million viewers. The rating was the highest for an NHL game on Versus, topping the audience that watched the Penguins' Game 2 victory over Philadelphia in this year's Eastern Conference finals.

Only Lance Armstrong's final ride in the 2005 Tour de France had a higher rating in Versus history (2.1).

Versus will show Game 2 of the finals on Monday night before the series shifts to NBC for the remaining games.

The Game 1 rating is a 157 percent increase over last year's opener and a 100 percent rise from two years ago.