Hockey victory a ratings winner By QMI Agency

Viewership for the Olympic women's hockey final on Thursday peaked at 10.3 million — far short of the ratings earned by the Canada-Russia men's showdown one day earlier.

The Thursday women's final, in which the Canadians beat the United States 2-0 for their third-straight Olympic gold, averaged 5.8 million viewers, but hit the 10.3-million mark in the third period.

On Wednesday, the men's hockey game between Canada and Russia — won 7-3 by the Canadians — averaged 10.5 million viewers and peaked at 13.3 million.

The most-watched sports program in Canadian television history was last weekend's Canada-U.S. men's hockey game, which drew an average of 10.6 million.