#1 Hockey Country

[Icesurfer 75]

Living in Hawaii the only peeps on the streets I can talk hockey with are the Canadians who moved/retired here.... but then again ice doesn't exactly grow in Hawaii.... Seems no one else knows what a power play is..... I always wondered how many non-Canadians living on the islands actually subscribe to NHL Center Ice....

[thedisappearer 291]

Hockey is the thread that holds Canada's culture together. Go into any Canadian town and ask "did you see the last game?" They will immediately discuss the last game that happened closest to them. NHL, IHL, pee wee, whatever. Hockey is what they do. Go to an American town and ask that question. You're lucky if a hockey game gets mentioned.

Do Americans, Russians, Finns, Swedes, (insert your country here) love the sport? HELL YES. But we aren't the sport. Canada is. They just are. To debate that is, sadly, being an ugly American. "Well, we have more money and impact the NHL more." So? The NHL isn't HOCKEY, and we don't care about money. We care about hockey. And per capita, Canada cares more.

[BeeRYCE 2]

USA? Ohh wow.

Hockey is THE sport in Canada. I guarantee 75% of Americans still think Gretzky is playing. Hey... I'm not dissing the country, I applaud the other 25% who have a well rounded knowledge of the game.

[rage 24]

USA? Ohh wow.

Hockey is THE sport in Canada. I guarantee 75% of Americans still think Gretzky is playing. Hey... I'm not dissing the country, I applaud the other 25% who have a well rounded knowledge of the game.

More like 12%.

[clutchngrab 12]

Easy answer. Canada

Per Capita Easy Answer is Sweden

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

More like 12%.

note... 12% would still put more well rounded hockey fans residing in the US than people in Canada.

[clutchngrab 12]

And all this is great. I am not saying hockey isn't a great thing to do in Canada. I'm just saying that it would take a serious nose dive EVERYWHERE if the USA didn't promote it.

Bettman's lap ***** speaks

[Tane 17]

While I agree that Canada loves hockey, started the game, and still has the highest majority of players, I don't think hockey would be anywhere without the USA. Even though hockey is still behind football and baseball, it's still better to be in 3rd or 4th place in the USA instead of 1st place somewhere else.

This is what people around the world think of americans.

1.Canada

2. Russia

3. Sweden

4. Czech REpublic

5. SLovakia

6. Finland

7. USA

As a Country, Americans don't care about hockey. I don't even think it's number 4. Football, College Football, Baseball, Basketball, NASCAR, Golf, College Basketball, High School football, High School Track and Field

Go Down to Texas. Ask someone the Local high School Football standings.

Then ask them the NHL Standings

I was Down there, recently. The Good High School teams Have waiting lists for season tickets. you can walk up to any Stars game, and get in just fine. But you've gotta work/get lucky to get tickets to a high school game.

[Finnish Wing 110]

#1 hockeu country would of course be Netherlands....

oh wait... we mean the normal hockey not this cheesy thing played on grass field*

it's Canadia, Russia, Sweden, USA, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia, Latvia, Switzerland... in about this order...

* - though, field hockey features much better viewing experience with women teams. I mean... just see this:

Why is USA and Czech Republic ahead of Finland. Czech Rep can also be considered as a soccer country, while USA has all these other big sports. Finland's number one sport is easily hockey.

Also, if you look at the success in international tournaments Finland should be ahead of those two. If you look at the players, Finland and Czech have both had very good players, while USA as a big country of course has had the better players. I pity the fool who think USA is a hockey country.

[Finnish Wing 110]

Per Capita Easy Answer is Sweden

Sweden has Zlatan. So the answer is Finland.

[seeinred 1,488]

The answer is Finland. And the reasons are so obvious, I'm not even going to bother backing it up with facts or evidence.

[hak 21]

yep people here underrate hockey in finland

soccer is still the biggest sport in sweden, followed closed by hockey

i would rate finland higher up than sweden, cze and slovakia in terms of "hockey countries"

[Jake Ryan 1]

note... 12% would still put more well rounded hockey fans residing in the US than people in Canada.

Exactly. The USA is more important to hockey because of the NHL than Canada is to hockey. Do not confuse this with hockey being more important to the USA than it is to Canada by percentage. I will concede the latter argument.

[akustyk 84]

Why is USA and Czech Republic ahead of Finland. Czech Rep can also be considered as a soccer country, while USA has all these other big sports. Finland's number one sport is easily hockey.

Also, if you look at the success in international tournaments Finland should be ahead of those two. If you look at the players, Finland and Czech have both had very good players, while USA as a big country of course has had the better players. I pity the fool who think USA is a hockey country.

that's a good point. I might be biased because I lived very close to Czech Republic for majority of my

live (am born and raised in Poland), and always cheered for the neighbours in international tournament.

though, looking at recent success, it sure is Finland. point taken

[TheBigRedMachine 2]

If Team Canada wins Gold in Vancouver the whole world will see a hockey country.

[Guest ZetterbergFourty]

Women's hockey is not hockey, dont base your judgement of the topic on this.

[newfy 695]

Per Capita Easy Answer is Sweden

Per culture and love of the game the easy answer is Canada. Sweden has soccer, Canadians however have one game that dominates the country...Canada. No other sport is comparable to hockey in Canada whatsoever.

[Jake Ryan 1]

Canadians however have one game that dominates the country...Canada.

Curling.

[Dano33 41]

If the US didn't get involved in Hockey, then people in the US wouldn't know anything about hockey. People around the world (Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, etc.) would still care about the sport. The involvement of the US in hockey makes it the most profitable it can be, but it doesn't effect the popularity of hockey in other countries.

Edited December 3, 2009 by Dano33

[Carman 387]

If the US didn't get involved in Hockey, then people in the US wouldn't know anything about hockey. People around the world (Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, etc.) would still care about the sport. The involvement of the US in hockey makes it the most profitable it can be, but it doesn't effect the popularity of hockey in other countries.

To say people in the US wouldn't care about hockey is a little extreme. I take it your Canadian?

Btw for the OP it's Canada by far.

[Jake Ryan 1]

To say people in the US wouldn't care about hockey is a little extreme. I take it your Canadian?

Btw for the OP it's Canada by far.

Nah. Hockey is America's game right now. We've got the NHL.

[Carman 387]

Nah. Hockey is America's game right now. We've got the NHL.

You are trying way to hard to troll young one. Have to be way way more subtle.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

Nah. Hockey is America's game right now. We've got the NHL.

No, the NHL is America's league right now.

The sport of hockey is Canada's game.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

No, the NHL is America's league right now.

The sport of hockey is Canada's game.

This

[Finnish Wing 110]

Per culture and love of the game the easy answer is Canada. Sweden has soccer, Canadians however have one game that dominates the country...Canada. No other sport is comparable to hockey in Canada whatsoever.

Lacrosse.