NHL playoffs without Canadian teams mean fewer Canucks watching: poll

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This article was published 07/04/2016 (3450 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It matters to Canadians that there are no Canadian teams in the National Hockey League playoffs this spring, says an Angus Reid poll.

Over half of Canadian hockey fans said the will either watch less playoff hockey or not watch at all this year because no Canadian team made it, the survey found.

A majority of 54 per cent of those who normally watch the NHL playoffs say the plan to watch less this year, if any.

This spring marks the first time since 1969-70 that no Canadian-based team is in the NHL playoffs. Almost 90 per cent of Canadians say hockey is an important part of Canadian culture.

However, the study found one-in-10 fans (12 per cent) said they would watch the playoffs more closely this year.

The non-Canadian team with the most support among Canadians is the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks by a wide margin, 46 per cent. Next favourite is the Boston Bruins with 26 per cent support.

The study said the St. Louis Blues and Florida Panthers boast the most Canadian players among the 16 teams in the playoffs, with 16 players each. The Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders each have 15.

One in four of those who follow hockey believe the Montreal Canadiens have the best chance among Canadian teams to with the Stanley Cup in the future. The Winnipeg Jets ranked last with only three per cent picking them, about the percentage of Manitoba’s population within Canada.

The poll found Canadians fell into three categories: hardcore hockey fans (33 per cent), those with other interests that come before hockey (31 per cent), and those who don’t care about sports at all (36 per cent).