Hockey Has Reached Its Limits in Canada
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WhiskeyEE
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- Mar 20, 2025
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erikhamren
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Canada needs to boost their birth rate, otherwise their declining hockey numbers will just go continue go down. Its the same in all of western world. I bet Nigeria will have a better hockey team than for example Canada in 20-30 years
Bank Shot
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- Jan 18, 2006
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That and becoming a pro player is completely out of reach economically for middle class families nowadays.
Used to be able to build NHLers on the outdoor rinks in Saskatchewan. Now you need to be enrolled in a year round hockey program with off ice skills training by the age of 9/10 in order to make the show.
Opus
Boondoggle
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spintheblackcircle
My cat would be a Tkachuk
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Derailed75
All time jerk
Despite the cost to play casually this is actually becoming true in all sports at least in the US and Canada. The advent of travel leagues and sports camps mean basically parents have to pay in order to get their kids in the right place, right time for the training and exposure needed.
Whats even crazier is 3rd world central American countries and full of pro scouts watching kids play without shoes and then jumping to take advantage of them from a young age on.
As much as I like sports the business of it is nothing but slime.
Interesting vid. All three reasons make sense. Hopefully hockey can spice up its coverage a bit more to entice more young and new Canadians.
As for cost. That’s not changing. It’s always been the most expensive of the major sports in Canada.
I’m ok with hockey and the NHL not being as popular the NBA, NFL and MLB (and more) in North America. I don’t want it to disappear but if it means it needs to be more like the American loved sports by attracting people with, imo, more overboard ego explosions and stuff like that I’ll pass.
I see what’s happened with movies and music as a hint of what’s to come with sports.
I’ll take less popularity in hockey if it means I still get to watch things like Field of Dreams and listen to artists like Biggie Smalls
As for cost. That’s not changing. It’s always been the most expensive of the major sports in Canada.
I’m ok with hockey and the NHL not being as popular the NBA, NFL and MLB (and more) in North America. I don’t want it to disappear but if it means it needs to be more like the American loved sports by attracting people with, imo, more overboard ego explosions and stuff like that I’ll pass.
I see what’s happened with movies and music as a hint of what’s to come with sports.
I’ll take less popularity in hockey if it means I still get to watch things like Field of Dreams and listen to artists like Biggie Smalls
CokenoPepsi
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- Oct 28, 2016
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Nothing is touching the NHL in popularity anytime soon in Canada not while the other leagues just have teams in Toronto and they are run poorly
You know it's gonna be a good day when the stupidest thing you hear all day is before your coffee. Can only get better from here!
MOGlLNY
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Dueling Banjos
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Don't come back to hf until tomorrow
Did I say people can’t have fun? Lol
I actually said I would like coverage spiced up a bit.
erikhamren
Registered User
I think my comment came out wrongly, it was not a Canada bashing comment. I can take my own country too as an example. If Nigeria starts a serious hockey program in the near future, they will pass Sweden thanks to their massive youth population and Sweden low youth population.
If no kids, no hockey talents. Demographics is everything.
The Gr8 Dane
L'harceleur
Its virtually unplayable unless you are wealthy and have two parents and believe it or not most people are simply poor or don't have both parents present.
That said it won't die anytime soon at the TV/Entertainment level because there's simply nothing else for now. NBA and MLB might expand here but it won't be soon
That said it won't die anytime soon at the TV/Entertainment level because there's simply nothing else for now. NBA and MLB might expand here but it won't be soon
The Gr8 Dane
L'harceleur
There's already been more participation in soccer and basketball than hockey for years in Canada at the youth level , it won't stop us from pumping out McDavids
erikhamren
Registered User
Sure, But imagine 2 mcdavids every year thanks to your 5.5 Fertility rate
MardyBum
Registered User
OTOH, Canada is ranked above Nigeria in soccer now.
Canada has kids, the sport of choice has just shifted.
A per capita real GDP growth of 0.5% over the last decade paints a scary picture for Canada and sums this up well. Canadians cannot afford to put their kids in hockey like they used to.
Our development systems need a refresh as well but I think economic factors are the biggest.
Our development systems need a refresh as well but I think economic factors are the biggest.
This did not go where I expected it to. I was sure you'd say Kid Rock
Economic pressures aside, it's very clear that changing demographics has had a significant impact on the proportion of young people who engage in hockey across North America.
Whether you like it or not, hockey is culturally a very "white" sport. And both the US and Canada have become significantly less white in the last 25 years.
While league has made attempts to increase engagement with minority populations, it's likely going to take a few generations for that to stick.
I'd be curious to see how much engagement has dropped across white Canadians and white Americans. That would probably give you an indication of how much the decline is due to economic pressures.
Whether you like it or not, hockey is culturally a very "white" sport. And both the US and Canada have become significantly less white in the last 25 years.
While league has made attempts to increase engagement with minority populations, it's likely going to take a few generations for that to stick.
I'd be curious to see how much engagement has dropped across white Canadians and white Americans. That would probably give you an indication of how much the decline is due to economic pressures.
Feel this thread is heading into a direction that is not hockey related.
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