The numbers bear it out: Hockey is alive and well in Colorado.

The final ratings are in on the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Finals and Denver ranked in the top five cities for viewership.

While small in comparison to the huge 31.7 share the Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh market pulled in, Denver was quite respectable even when compared to San Fran/Oakland/San Jose, whose Sharks were the runners up (in the cup and with a 7.0).

Denver (4.1) was neck-and-neck with hockey-crazed Minneapolis-St. Paul (4.2), but just a shade above the curious outlier of the bunch, West Palm Beach, Fla (3.9).

So how does a market that ranked 19th in the league in average attendance during the 2015-16 season finish in the top five for cup viewing? West Palm Beach might provide some indication. As does Pittsburgh.

Colorado has long been known as a relocation state for transplants from California and Texas, where real-estate prices have driven folks into the mountains. Meanwhile, Florida has been a retirement and relocation destination for easterners from major metro cities for even longer.

Having been in attendance at the Pirates’ series in Denver last month, I can tell you that there was a huge contingent of black and yellow in the audience. And no one needs reminding what Mile High Stadium has looked like when the Steelers are in town. (Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 radio host Sports Guy Mike was sporting a Steelers polo on Monday in support of the Pens for crying out loud!)

Colorado’s population is booming – more than 100,000 people moved to the Centennial state over the past year – and that means more fans from Pittsburgh (not to mention Boston, New York, Chicago and elsewhere).

Add in the fact that the Pens have been building a national fan base since 1967 and it’s no coincidence that this year’s Stanley Cup did well in an east coast retirement destination like West Palm Beach and one of the fastest growing cities in America, Denver.

Forbes recently ranked the Penguins as the No. 1 fanbase in hockey, so it’s no real surprise that their fans drove the ratings in this year’s Cup Finals.

The massive 31.7 rating in Pittsburgh really codifies the numbers in my mind. It says that Penguins fans were going to find the series, no matter what they were doing, or where they were – even Denver.

Hockey may be alive and well in Colorado, but these numbers suggest that Avalanche hockey is just a part of the equation.