Chicago Blackhawks double Cubs vs. White Sox ratings in Game 6 blockbuster

The Chicago Blackhawks’ resurgence in popularity in the Windy City is well documented, but if you needed further evidence, how about this: Game 6 vs. the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Semifinals didn’t just beat the Chicago Cubs vs. the Chicago White Sox interleague game – it destroyed it.

From Ed Sherman of the Sherman Report:

Game 6 of the Hawks-Detroit series did a 13.45 local rating on NBC Sports Network; 1 local rating point is the equivalent of approximately 35,000 homes. Meanwhile, the Sox-Cubs did a combined 6.53 rating on WGN-Ch.9 and Comcast Sports Net.

The Hawks rating was the highest ever in Chicago for a conference semifinal game and behind only their two Stanley Cup finals games on NBC Sports Network in 2010.

More ratings news from Steve Lepore of SB Nation:

Game 6 drew a 13.4 in Chicago. Game 6 was the highest-rated semifinal ever on NBCSN in the market.

Game 6 drew a 15.9 in Detroit. That's the highest-rated game ever on NBCSN in the market. That includes the 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Final.

Detroit rating for Game 6 was up 37% from Games 1, 3-4 on NBCSN. Chicago was up 52%. You can likely expect something special on Wednesday.

According to Bleed Cubbie Blue, the baseball game at U.S. Cellular Field was “the second-smallest announced crowd in the 91-game history of the Cubs/White Sox interleague series." So the Blackhawks affected both viewership on the tube and in the seats.