The 2016 Stanley Cup Final was not watched by many.

The six-game series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks averaged four million viewers, making it the third lowest-rated final since 2006, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data.

As a point of comparison, the NBA Finals on ABC are averaging a 18.1 million viewers per game, reports Anthony Crupi of Ad Age.

Part of the issue was that Games 2 and 3 were aired on NBCSN instead of NBC, with the former reaching only about 70 percent of all TV homes in the U.S.

On top of that, the series-deciding Game 6 went head-to-head with "Game Of Thrones"; hockey drew 5.41 million viewers in the most-watched match of the series, but those numbers were dwarfed by Thrones, as the fantasy drama was watched by 7.6 million.

Perhaps if the Sharks could have pulled a Jon Snow and came back from the dead to force a Game 7, there would have been an uptick.

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Family, friends, and fans flocked to Detroit's Joe Louis Arena for Tuesday's public visitation for Gordie Howe, who passed away on June 10 at age 88.

The entry line began forming in the wee hours of the morning, and the folks who came to pay their respects to Mr. Hockey flowed in and out of the rink for almost 13 hours.

Here's a look at some of the last images from a truly remarkable event, beginning with the group of noteworthy pallbearers.

Howe's retired No. 9 and the Stanley Cup banners from his time with the Detroit Red Wings were lowered over the casket.

The line extended outside and around the building.

Once inside, the multi-generational crowd filed up to the stage, offering their condolences to the Howe family and their own personal tributes to the hockey legend.

Fans were also given the opportunity to write a note, with multiple large posters needed to meet the demand.

All those in attendance were given this commemorative pamphlet.

The funeral service will take place Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena.

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Hockey is well represented on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, albeit under entirely difference circumstances.

Regionally, a tribute to the late and legendary Gordie Howe will be featured following his passing on June 10 at age 88.

Nationally, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be celebrated for winning the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

According to SI, the Howe cover will be delivered to subscribers in Detroit and Canada, and will be available in newsstands in Michigan and Canada, while the Penguins cover will be delivered to subscribers and newsstands across the rest of the United States.

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A photo seven years in the making.

As the celebrations around the Pittsburgh Penguins' second Stanley Cup win in the Evgeni Malkin / Sidney Crosby era continue, the pair joined for a most memorable photo, with a caption meant to read "Best friends."

The Penguins will parade Stanley through the streets of Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

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Keith Yandle looks destined to hit the open market.

The New York Rangers defenseman is coming off his first full season with the club - after being acquired last season from the Arizona Coyotes - and while both sides might like to come to an agreement, cap restrictions appear to have the team's hands tied.

Both sides have not had any contract talks and are unlikely to unless the Rangers are able to free up cap space, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

The Rangers have roughly $15 million in cap space, according to GeneralFanager.com, but also have restricted free agents Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller, and Dylan McIlrath to contend with.

Yandle is coming off the final year of a five-year, $26.25-million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent. He led all Rangers defensemen with 47 points in 2015-16.

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Just days after capturing the Stanley Cup as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jacques Martin is welcoming the idea of being a head coach once again.

The Penguins assistant coach joined TSN 1200 on Tuesday noting his desire to return as a bench boss, a job he has 17 years of experience in.

"I'd love to get another opportunity," Martin said, according to TSN 1200's Ian Mendes. "I've grown from my last stint in Montreal."

Martin last held a head coaching gig in 2011-12 after he was fired 32 games into his third season with Montreal Canadiens. Martin has a career coaching record of 613-481-119-81 in 1,294 games spent with the Canadiens, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, and St. Louis Blues.

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Winnipeg Jets general manager is putting rumors to bed.

With Jacob Trouba's entry-level contract set to expire July 1, speculation that the Jets might be looking to deal the 22-year-old have arisen, but Kevin Cheveldayoff says they are not true.

"Trying to trade Jacob Trouba?" Cheveldayoff said, according to Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press. "This is an interesting time of year. I've seen lots of different scenarios out there of teams that are pushing hard that I haven't even heard from and I've talked to different teams that have asked different questions that I've certainly asked myself. I'm not trying to trade anybody. I think in this game there's a distinct possibility that anybody can get traded.

"And again we've got some good young players here. We've got two of them that are up for contracts in Trouba and (Mark) Scheifele and we're going to do our best to get those contracts done and in the books. So trying to trade him? No."

Before Cheveldayoff deals with free agents, his focus will be on the draft where his team holds the second overall pick. However, the Jets already have their minds set barring any unforeseen changes.

"We've gone through a lot of the processes already and the list is getting pretty much in ink," he said. "I think you're still doing some due diligence. You can't watch any more hockey so the evaluation on the hockey side is essentially left to video.

"Unless something really dramatically makes a shift that you just don't see, and you saw some crazy things in the NFL draft this year, our minds are very set."

- with h/t to NBC Sports

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