Public opinion on ice hockey
Recent studies show that Canadians have a generally positive outlook on ice hockey. For instance, a May 2021 survey identified that 92 percent of respondents were of the opinion that ice hockey provided Canadians with a sense of community. According to this survey, only five percent of respondents disagreed with the statement that ice hockey provided a sense of community for Canadians. However, studies also showed that 88 percent of surveyed Canadian adults believed that hockey was too expensive for everyone to play in Canada.National Hockey League history
The National Hockey League (NHL), arguably the most prestigious professional ice hockey league worldwide, was organized in Canada in 1917. The league, which initially began with just four teams from Canada, evolved into a major competition comprising 32 teams from the United States and Canada. Every year, teams in the NHL compete for the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the playoff round culminating in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 2021, Stanley Cup viewership in Canada amounted to 15.6 million individuals.National Hockey League franchises
Every year, 25 teams from the U.S. and seven from Canada compete in the National Hockey League. The most valuable NHL franchise in 2020 was the New York Rangers, valued at 1.65 billion U.S. dollars that year. Despite their high valuation, the New York Rangers have won the Stanley Cup just four times. By contrast, the Montreal Canadiens have emerged as champions of the Stanley Cup Finals 24 times throughout the history of the league, making them the team with the most number of Stanley Cup wins as of 2021. Looking at individual players in the league, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the highest paid player in the NHL in the 2020/21 season, earning roughly 16 million U.S. dollars from his salary and endorsements combined.
