Ice hockey is a widely popular sport that has been around for 150 years. It’s a one-of-a-kind sport that provides fun and exciting matches, especially at top competitions like the NHL, KHL, and SHL. Ice hockey had a somewhat slow growth in its first couple of decades.
But, today it features over 2 billion fans worldwide, which is a staggering number. We should note that ice hockey is massive only in a small number of countries. But, it still manages to generate viewers from many different regions. Here, we’ll talk about ice hockey’s popularity all around the globe.
Where Is Ice Hockey Most Popular? – Spectators, Fans, and Punters Who Use Betting Bonuses
One of the countries where ice hockey is extremely popular is Canada. This seems reasonable as the first hockey match took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1875.
Around 38% (15.5 million) of all Canadians follow ice hockey matches. The percentage of Canadian adults who watch this sport is 43%. In terms of players, this country has around 603,000 registered ice hockey players.
Ice hockey is also highly popular in the US. Around 136.2 million Americans watch ice hockey matches, which is roughly 40% of the entire population. The US also has more than 577,000 registered players.
Next up, is Russia, where around 50.9% (74 million) of those aged 12-64 follow ice hockey events. There are more than 100,000 registered players in Russia.
The cold and icy winters in these countries go in favour of the massive popularity of ice hockey among their locals. But, this sport doesn’t only attract spectators and players, it also generates thousands of punters each year.
They mostly wager on the biggest ice hockey competitions, which they follow week after week. Some new punters may also start placing bets while using certain betting offers like the Ladbrokes welcome bonus.
Ice Hockey’s Popularity in Other Countries
On the list of top countries that follow and dominate in ice hockey, you can also find Sweden. Around 40% (4.2 million) of its population are interested in this sport. In the 2024/25 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) season, a total of 2.42 million fans appeared in attendance.
The average per game reached 6,643 spectators. This was the 3rd biggest average attendance in Europe. Now, we should also mention that Sweden has around 61,900 registered players.
Finland is another country with a strong ice hockey tradition. Between 2 and 3 million Finns follow ice hockey matches, making them the most watched sports events in the country. Liiga, the national competition, accumulates 4,850 spectators per game on average.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) of Finland currently has around 66,000 registered players. This includes male, female, and junior players.
We must not forget about the Czech Republic. 59% (6.4 million) of the population see ice hockey as the most popular sport in the country. 43% (4.7 million) of them follow the matches regularly. Additionally, there are over 24,000 registered ice hockey players in Czech.
A couple of other countries where ice hockey is pretty big are Latvia, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, France, Japan, the UK, Norway, and a couple more. The popularity of this sport is also growing in China, following the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The Most Watched Ice Hockey Competitions in the World
There are numerous ice hockey competitions that generate thousands of spectators match after match. But, there are some that stand out from the rest. One of them is the National Hockey League (NHL), which features 25 teams from the US and 7 from Canada.
This competition generates a total attendance of around 23 million spectators in a regular season. The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are the single most-watched event, averaging 2.5 million fans.
Next, we have the Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Tournament. It takes place every 4 years and it includes the best ice hockey national teams in the world. In 2010, around 114 million fans watched the Men’s Gold Final between Canada and the USA.
The IIHF World Championship is also pretty big as it accumulates between 1 and 1.6 billion viewers from over 155 countries. It’s another international competition that takes place each year.
Other popular ice hockey competitions that deserve a mention are the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), IIHF World Juniors U20, Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Finnish Liiga, and the Swiss National League (NL).
