Why Is Hockey Popular In Canada
The pace of the game is incredibly fast. The pace of a hockey game is far different than any other. Hockey is very much popular in Canada, and when it comes to Vancouver specifically, yes as well. The Vancouver Canucks represent Vancouver in the National Hockey League, and why Vancouver in the NHL? Most likely because of the populous’ love of hockey. So based on this, yes, hockey is definitely popular in the city of Vancouver. The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs are still the country’s most popular hockey teams, neck and neck for first place and miles ahead of the other five Canadian-based NHL franchises.
Canada's ambitious goal is to top the medals table at the Vancouver Winter Olympics but it will be a hollow achievement to much of the Great White North unless the men's hockey gold is among the. Unyielding politeness. In some parts of the world it’s not very easy to get an apology, but in Canada.
Hockey is one of the things that people most closely associate with Canada. It’s right up there with maple syrup and the maple leaf under ‘things you think about when you think of Canada’.
A CBC News report from 2013 confirmed that hockey is one the most popular sports in Canada, with 1,239,000 people over the age of 15 (of all genders) saying that they play ice hockey. The only sport that is played by more adults in Canada is golf, which is played by 5.2% of Canadian adults compared to ice hockey’s 4.4%.
But what is it that makes ice hockey so well-loved by Canucks?
The History of Hockey
Canada’s love of hockey partly stems from the fact that the great sport was (partly) created in this very country. British soldiers and other immigrants to Canada brought with them their stick and ball games; while these games may have been designed to be played on grass in warmer climes, the immigrants adapted the games to play them on ice and frozen lakes.
As the sport took off, in 1893, Canada introduced the Stanley Cup as an amateur championship before opening it up to professionals in 1906 and then to players in the United States in 1914.
Canada is incredibly proud of its hockey-playing history, with the Candian Museum of History hosting a hockey exhibition in 2017 to celebrate various historical aspects of the sport.
Competitive Spirit
Canucks are also incredibly competitive when it comes to ice hockey, helped by the proliferation of local teams. The NHL (National Hockey League) includes seven Canadian teams overall: the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Winnipeg Jets, the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are +600 in the latest NHL betting odds for the Eastern Conference. Just over 80% of Canadians watch ice hockey every week, according to a survey conducted in 2010.
Fans will regularly discuss their team’s best strategy as well as who the most effective players are. While spirits can run high, that’s just part of the joy of being an ice hockey fan.
Great for Tourists
Photo by Pexels
It’s not just the locals who love ice hockey, however. Ice hockey is also kept popular by the many tourists who visit the country each year. Visiting an ice hockey game in person is one of the most highly recommended activities to do when taking a trip to Canada. Even with minimal hockey knowledge, tourists soon get sucked into the competitive fun too!
Why Is Hockey Popular In Canada
Combined with the local history of the sport (e.g. that exhibition at the Canadian Museum of History) and there are plenty of opportunities for people from out-of-town to learn more about and to enjoy the sport.
Canada has such a long and rich history with ice hockey and it is embedded in the country’s culture. Canada may be synonymous with the sport (it is also the national winter sport) but this country has every reason to be proud of that.
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Hockey by the numbers
CBC News
Last Updated: Sept. 30, 2013
Is hockey really Canada's game? A look at the numbers shows that more Canadian adults play golf than ice hockey, while for kids under 14 almost twice as many kids play soccer than hockey.
There are also more ice hockey participants in the U.S. today than there are in Canada. And the game is growing much faster south of the border than it is here.
To top it off, a poll last November found less than half of Canadians saying hockey is a source of personal or collective pride in Canada.
With the NHL season getting underway Tuesday, we're marking the event by compiling this page of numbers about non-professional hockey in Canada, from how many play the game to how much it costs.
We have some comparisons to other sports, too. See how much it costs to outfit a kid for hockey compared to other popular sports, and check out the participation rates in the ten most popular sports that adults play.
| the number of Canadians 15 years and older who play hockey | the number of hockey participants in the U.S. | number of Canadian men 15 years and older who play hockey | number of Canadian women 15 years and older who play hockey | hockey's place on the list of most-practised sports by Canadians, in 2010 (15 years and older). Golf was number one with 1,465,000 participants |
| share of adult Canadians participating in hockey, in 2010 (See graph for the top ten sports.) | share of the number of men who participate in any sport who play hockey, in 2010 | share of the number of women who participate in any sport who play hockey, in 2010 | share of the number of children, 5-14 years old, who participate in any sport who play hockey, in 2010 | hockey's place on the list of most-practised sports by Canadians 5-14 years old, in 2010. Soccer (42.3 per cent) was number one and swimming (24.1 per cent) was number two. |
| number of Canadian hockey players under 18 years old registered with Hockey Canada. (See graph for registrations since 2001-2002.) | increase in the number of Hockey Canada registrations by males from the 2001-2002 season to 2012-2013 | increase in the number of Hockey Canada registrations by males from the 2001-2002 season to 2012-2013 | increase in the number of Hockey Canada registrations by females from the 2001-2002 season to 2012-2013 | increase in the number of Hockey Canada registrations by females from the 1990-1991 season to 2012-2013 -- 10.7 times more |
| annual growth rate for overall hockey participation in Canada | average annual growth rate for hockey participation in the U.S. for the past five years | estimate of the number of hockey teams in an organized league in Canada | total number of players (15 years old and over) who participated in a hockey tournament in 2010 -- that's 49 per cent of all players | share of Canadians who say hockey is an important source of personal or collective pride in Canada, in a November 2012 poll |
Why Is Hockey So Popular In Canada
The numbers above refer to ice hockey only. Sources: Hockey Canada, Statistics Canada, Heritage Canada, Sports and Fitness Industry Association, Canadian Recreation Facilities Council, Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, Association of Canadian Studies, Bauer Hockey, Canlan Ice Sports, Town of Rouleau, Mississauga Terriers Hockey Club, Mattamy Athletic Centre, St. Michael's College School Arena
Is hockey Canada's game? The issue is being debated on CBC Sports' Facebook page and CBC News' Facebook page.