As we all know, hockey is more like a religion than a sport in Canada with virtually the entire population holding at least a casual interest in it. The game is played across the nation, while games at all levels are followed fervently and with a hint of national pride. At the professional level, Canada is producing numerous elite players and many of them are playing for teams based in the country, notably in one of the 7 Canadian teams competing in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The popularity of NHL north of the border is no secret, and it remains sky high even as other sports are growing. The connection that Canadians feel with ice hockey seems to be resistant to passage of time and societal changes, which is a very interesting topic for discussion.
Is NHL the Only Pro Hockey League in Canada?
Despite hockey being a national sport in Canada, strictly speaking there is no national league. The NHL may have the word in the title, but in fact it is more accurately described as a North American league. Teams regularly cross the border to play scheduled games, while the players are distributed across teams regardless of their geographic location. For all practical purposes, the US and Canada are sharing the same league and both have the right to call it its own.
There is another league worth mentioning, even if it’s far less famous and doesn’t exactly meet the definition of a pro sports league. The Canadian Hockey League is actually a grouping of 3 different junior leagues with players aged 16 to 21. It serves as a developmental league and feeder program for the NHL, and the players earn only modest stipends rather than salaries.
How Successful Are Canadian NHL Teams?
With 7 out of 32 NHL teams based in cities within its borders, Canada accounts for nearly a quarter of the league. These teams are based in major Canadian cities and some of them have legacies that go back for more than a century. Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadians have been among the founding teams of the NHL at the time of its inception in 1917, while Vancouver Canucks joined the league in 1970, followed by the Edmonton Oilers in 1979 and Calgary Flames in 1980. Ottawa Senators (1992) and Winnipeg Jets (2011) were late additions to the league.
Collectively, Canadian teams account for a lot of NHL championships. The Montreal Canadians have eye-opening 23 Stanley Cup wins, and Toronto has 13, making them the most successful members of the NHL. While the other teams can’t really compare to this duo of storied franchises, Edmonton has also won the Cup five times and Calgary won it once. However, in recent decades success has been elusive for Canadian hockey teams, as the last championship was won by Montreal in 1993.
What Does Hockey Mean to an Average Canadian Fan?
Most people in Canada grow up playing hockey, and they spend the rest of their lives following the sport very actively. The country is dotted with outdoor and indoor skating rinks, which explains why Canada is producing so many great hockey players. Of course, not all of them end up playing professionally but the sport is literally everywhere and it’s impossible to ignore it. Much like soccer in Brazil or basketball in the United States, hockey is simply a part of the Canadian DNA.
Hockey fandom in Canada isn’t limited to any particular demographic – men and women are equally likely to be fervent supporters of their local NHL team while the economic status is secondary when it comes to getting tickets for NHL games. Canadians tend to be a bit territorial in this regard, so each team enjoys undivided support in its area. This is reflected through their betting habits as well – for major sports books Canada is primarily attractive because of hockey.
How Much Do Modern Canadians Watch the NHL?
In recent decades, Canadian sports landscape has opened up a bit and embraced globally popular sports like basketball, baseball, mixed martial arts, etc. That didn’t make a significant dent in the popularity of winter sports such as hockey, and the love for the national pastime has been passed to the next generation. In a nationwide survey, more than 15 million Canadians said they are watching NHL games – that’s nearly 40% of the entire population. That number is even higher in certain provinces.
Young generation tends to follow hockey in new ways, primarily through cable television and the internet. These channels have greatly contributed to maintaining a high level of interest for the game, and helped Canadian NHL teams to expand their fan bases beyond their home cities. Greater availability of sports content is a double-edged sword, as the choice of events is much greater than ever before and that could distract some fans from ice hockey. It appears that old habits die hard, so Canada looks poised to continue its love affair with hockey and to keep cheering its NHL teams on their quest to finally lift the Stanley Cup trophy after so much time.
