Why Is Hockey Popular In Canada
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. Why is hockey so popular in Canada? First and foremost, climate. As a country with blistering cold winters, it's easy to play outdoors, which makes it more affordable than in many other parts of the world, especially most of the US (not including many northern states). It's also what contributes to Sweden & Russia being top hockey nations. Increase in the number of Hockey Canada registrations by females from the 1990-1991 season to 2012-2013 - 10.7 times more 1.5% annual growth rate for overall hockey participation in Canada. Ice hockey, usually referred to in the U.S. Simply as 'hockey', is a popular sport in the United States. Hockey in the U.S. Began in 1894 when the first artificial ice rink was built in Baltimore, Maryland. Now hockey is most popular in regions of the U.S. With cold winter climates, such as the northeast and the upper Midwest. However, since the 1990s, ice hockey has become increasingly.
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 |
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.
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