Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows

Winnipeg Jets fans arrive for a street party outside the arena prior to Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche in Winnipeg, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press)

The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.

"Toronto Maple Leafs are going all the way," said Halifax resident and hockey fan Roger Reid.

Even visitors to Canada are feeling a heavy dose of hockey fever.

"I have been here only a week and in the last week I have watched hockey every night," said Jill Tucker who is a tourist from England.

A recent survey did a deep dive into hockey passion, asking Canadians the sport they like most.

"The results show, hockey rules," said Margaret Brigley from Halifax-based Narrative Research.

Out of 32 sports listed, respondents made their top picks: Twenty-two per cent of Canadians said hockey is their favourite sport, ten per cent prefer soccer, eight per cent chose basketball, and twelve per cent said they do not watch sports at all.

Former fan Giacomo Bruno said he lost interest in hockey years ago.

"I watched the Leafs at home, whether they were winning or losing," said Bruno. "Now, I don’t watch hockey at all."

For those who still watch a lot of hockey, it is not just the NHL.

"The women’s hockey has taken off incredibly, which has been a long time coming," said Roger Reid.

The Narrative Research survey also showed people who live in parts of the country that do not have NHL teams, actually care about hockey more than some other areas of Canada.

Twenty Eight per cent of those living in the prairies said hockey is their favourite sport. The number was even higher in Atlantic Canada, at 30 per cent.

"That doesn’t surprise me," said former NHL Scout Paul Gallagher, who is from Nova Scotia. "I think here the fans are certainly passionate, and they are very knowledgeable."

According to Brigley, hockey may be the most popular sport in Canada, but not with younger fans.

"Those who are 18 to 24, their preferred sport is soccer," said Brigley, who added, as those fans grow older, soccer could one day take over top spot in this country.