The Great Canadian Ratings Report: Canadian content a winner for CBC

There's a long way to go yet, but the Montreal Canadiens have the CBC dreaming big.

The lone Canadian team to make the NHL post-season tournament, the Habs are producing huge ratings for the people's network. This is no big surprise, since Canadians tend to prefer watching Canadian teams. What is a surprise is the Canadiens themselves, who could make CBC's final season at the helm of Hockey Night In Canada a memorable one.

Thursday's series opener against Boston hit almost 3 million viewers, with Saturday's topping 2 million even though it was played at lunchtime in the east and at breakfast time on the west coast. The fact the Saturday game was also on NBC likely siphoned off a few viewers.

On Tuesday, an average of 3,049,000 took in Game 3 -- the kind of audience usually reserved for a Stanley Cup final.

To put that all in perspective, CBC averaged 2.06 million viewers per playoff game last season -- including the final series. A long run by the Canadiens would easily top those numbers.

That Canadian phenomenon is similar to what happens around NBA broadcasts -- though somewhat exaggerated. The Toronto Raptors set a record for TSN by averaging 723,000 viewers per game during their playoff series with Brooklyn. But take away the Canadian content and there's little interest.

The most-watched NBA game not involving the Raptors last weekend drew 60,000 viewers to Sportsnet One on Saturday night for the Memphis-Oklahoma City game. Sportsnet One doesn't draw huge audiences and the game was up against the NHL, but that still indicates little interest in an all-American NBA matchup.

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-language television for the past week, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. NHL, Canadiens at Bruins, Tuesday, CBC: 3,049,000

2. NHL, Canadiens at Bruins, Thursday, CBC: 2,957,000

3. NHL, Canadiens at Bruins, Saturday, CBC: 2,065,000 (NBC audience not measured.)

4. NHL, Rangers at Penguins, Sunday, CBC: 1,687,000

5. NHL, Penguins at Rangers, Monday, CBC: 1,576,000

6. NHL, Rangers at Penguins, Friday, CBC: 1,288,000

7. NHL, Kings at Ducks, Saturday, TSN: 1,114,000

8. NBA, Nets at Raptors, Sunday, TSN: 902,000

9. NHL, Wild at Blackhawks, Sunday, TSN: 773,000

10. NHL, Wild at Blackhawks, Friday, TSN: 767,000

11. NBA, Raptors at Nets, Friday, TSN: 703,000

12. MLB, Jays at Pirates, Saturday, Sportsnet: 543,000

13. MLB, Jays at Pirates, Sunday, Sportsnet: 418,000

14. Horse racing, Kentucky Derby, Saturday, TSN: 330,000 (NBC audience not measured.)

15. MLB, Jays at Pirates, Friday, Sportsnet One: 309,000

16. Soccer, Sunderland at Man U, Saturday, Sportsnet: 148,000

17. CHL, North Bay at Guelph, Friday, Sportsnet: 117,000

THREE TO WATCH

Just for kicks: The Canadian version of the Euro Cup, the Voyageur Cup, opens this week with five teams in the competition. The battle opens Wednesday with a doubleheader. Toronto FC meets Vancouver first (7:30 p.m., ET) followed by Edmonton and Montreal (9:30 p.m., ET.) Both games on Sportsnet One.

More kicks: There's a big treat for soccer fans as TSN airs two ESPN 30 For 30 documentaries on the beautiful game. Stories include the Myth of Garrincha and Barbosa: The Man Who Made Brazil Cry. Friday, 7 p.m., ET, TSN.

Wheelie good time: The European cycling season gets rolling big time with the Giro d'Italia as 198 riders start the month-long journey from Belfast to Trieste. Friday, 12:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One.