Leafs and Habs dominate, but Canadian NHL fandom tells different stories coast to coast

With 16.5 million followers, hockey outpaces every other league

TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the NHL regular season set to begin on October 7, Vividata’s latest SCC | Sports 2025 study shows hockey remains Canada’s most passionate sport, with 16.5 million Canadian fans, more than any other professional league in the country. But the makeup of those fan bases reveals very different stories across teams and regions.

Hockey Tops All Leagues for Super Fans
Two-thirds of NHL followers (66 per cent) identify as either super fans or avid fans, the highest intensity of any league in Canada. The NFL follows at 60 per cent and the CFL at 52 per cent. This concentration of passion sets hockey apart, with fewer casual fans and more who live and breathe the game.

“Our data confirms what most Canadians already feel — hockey is tradition,” said Pat Pellegrini, President & CEO of Vividata. “The Leafs and Habs remain pillars of Canadian sports culture, but what really jumps out is the different stories in each market — from the passion of Jets fans, to McDavid’s impact in Edmonton, to Calgary’s city-wide loyalty.”

Canadian Teams Show Different Strengths
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens dominate nationally, with fan bases of 4.6 million and 4.3 million respectively. Leafs fans are the most engaged in the league, with 87 per cent following more than half of games. Canadiens fans skew slightly older, with an average age of 51.

Beyond Toronto and Montreal, other teams shine in distinct ways. The Edmonton Oilers’ 1.5 million fans are the youngest on average (48 years old), driven by Connor McDavid’s superstar appeal. The Vancouver Canucks claim nearly 2 million fans, with deep loyalty across British Columbia. The Calgary Flames command their city, with 53 per cent of Calgarians identifying as fans. Winnipeg, while smaller in size, is the most intense market: 37 per cent of Jets fans are NHL super fans, the highest proportion among Canadian clubs. Ottawa rounds out the list with just over half a million fans, 42 per cent of whom live outside Ontario — giving the Senators the broadest national footprint among smaller markets.

Sidney Crosby also remains a dominant figure with six million Canadian fans, underscoring the long-lasting power of legacy players alongside the present-day pull of McDavid and the commercial impact of Auston Matthews.

Who Hockey Fans Are
The average NHL fan in Canada is 49 years old, and 44 per cent are women, making hockey one of the most gender-balanced sports in the country. Yet the study also finds immigrants are 76 per cent less likely to be NHL fans, underscoring the challenge of broadening the sport’s reach in a more diverse Canada.

Hockey Fans Still Tune In on TV
Unlike fans of basketball or soccer, NHL followers are far more likely to stick with live, linear TV broadcasts. This loyalty keeps traditional broadcasters like Sportsnet and TSN at the centre of the hockey experience, even as other leagues lean more heavily into streaming.

The Power of Social Media and Merchandise
Hockey fandom is increasingly shaped by digital engagement. More than 72 per cent of Canadian sports fans follow sports content on social media, highlighting how players and teams connect with younger audiences online. Merchandise spending is equally powerful: 73 per cent of Canadians purchased sports merchandise in the past year, spending more than $3.2 billion. Players like Auston Matthews are helping drive this surge, with his fans 40 per cent more likely than average to purchase player-branded gear.

“Hockey is still the country’s most powerful sports brand, but our numbers show it needs to evolve,” added Pellegrini. “The next chapter will be written by how well the NHL engages younger and more diverse Canadians — and increasingly, that story will play out on social media and in merchandise sales.”

Vividata’s SCC | Sports 2025 is Canada’s most comprehensive sports fan study, surveying over 50,000 Canadians annually across 65-plus leagues, hundreds of teams and players, and thousands of fan behaviours.

ABOUT VIVIDATA
Vividata is Canada’s authoritative source for insights on cross-media and consumer behaviour, delivering Real Life Measured. As the country’s leading provider of cross-platform audience measurement, Vividata surveys over 55,000 Canadians each year on 60,000+ variables, offering the most complete view of how people live, shop, and consume media. A not-for-profit governed by industry leaders, Vividata reinvests in innovation to provide unmatched, privacy-first insights. Its flagship SCC | Study of the Canadian Consumer is the largest syndicated study in Canada, complemented by solutions like Spatial, Relevance, and Metrica, along with specialized multicultural, sports, and brand affinity reports. Learn more at www.vividata.ca.

Andrew Findlater
SELECT Public Relations
afindlater@selectpr.ca
(647) 444-1197

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