Is hockey in Canada dying?

[Adam da bomb]

He didn't say hockey is dead in Canada. Just that hockey is dying and I absolutely believe the reasons pointed out are real.

For instance, I drove to my friend's place in a brand new community in the far north of Calgary. Overwhelmingly black, Indian and Asian. In a one block stretch I counted nine basketball hoops on the driveways. No hockey nets anywhere on driveways like when I was a kid in the 1980s.

This is not to say you can't like more than one sport (I played hockey, baseball and flag football when young) but the markers I pointed out do not point in a hockey direction.

This will affect not only playing the game, but watching it on TV or phone (unlikely) or paying for a game (extremely unlikely).

I have another 30 years to go before I am dead and gone (based on stats) so I will enjoy hockey games until the end, but who knows how many franchises will remain in Canada if there are only 4 or 5,000 paying customers and the teams might have maybe 25% Canadian players in the 2054-55 season.

how do you think so far ahead? Who knows if professional sports will be a thing in 30 years or whether it will be robots or whether the nhl will even still be a thing.

 

[Lawzy]

Also low key a racist remark

Wait, do you mean my comment or the OP?

 

[fahad203]

When a single hockey stick costs $400, it will become difficult in every country

I paid $800 for a pair of skates and it doesn't even skate for me

 

[Foppberg]

It's surpassed by basketball but it doesn't mean it's dying, but who cares anyway. Hockey isn't the biggest sport in any country.

Compared to hockey, nobody gives a f*** about basketball.

 

[JungleBeat]

Compared to hockey, nobody gives a f*** about basketball.

You live in PEI buddy. Do you guys have enough people to play road hockey?

Bedard, McKenna, Fantilli, DuPont, McDavid, Makar, Johnson, Celebrini, etc.

“Dying”

Best on best US will slap these guys.

 

[CashMash]

It's surpassed by basketball but it doesn't mean it's dying, but who cares anyway. Hockey isn't the biggest sport in any country.

Finland

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

You live in PEI buddy. Do you guys have enough people to play road hockey?


Best on best US will slap these guys.

Yes I am sure Canada will be shaking in their boots from Jack “done zip” Hughes, Austin “no show” Matthews and Brady “he was almost a ppg once” Tkachuk

 

[Foppberg]

You live in PEI buddy. Do you guys have enough people to play road hockey?

Ad hominems won’t help you bub

 

[ORRFForever]

The United States is taking over as the hockey superpower with them churning out players. Canada seems to be falling behind.

What a stupid post / thread. Reeks of desperation - seeing attention. Hopefully the mods will shut it down soon.

 

[Mrb1p]

Pickle ball is taking over. Damnit.

 

[eviohh26]

100% dying. It's for the rich .

 

[britdevil]

It's too f***ing expensive.

 

[eviohh26]

Compared to hockey, nobody gives a f*** about basketball.

I'm 36. Growing up like 80% of my freinds were Basketball fans. 40 % Football and like 10% hockey. Basketball is for sure bigger than Hockey here.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I don't think its dying , i do think its almost impossible to play for most people

 

[hamzarocks]

You live in PEI buddy. Do you guys have enough people to play road hockey?


Best on best US will slap these guys.

US cant even beat finland and Sweden

They perform bad at best on best tourneys

 

[WarriorofTime]

Of the top 32 prospects (from ESPN), 17 are Canadian, 4 are American.

You won't see a real shift until 2013-2015-borns, if it happens at all. There's just way more Junior and "elite feeder" Minor Hockey up in Canada. Years like 06, 07, 08 aren't even scratching the surface of anything yet.

They perform bad at best on best tourneys

There hasn't been best on best in 10 years...

 

[DJN21]

no...because Easton Cowan exists...or so I'm told....

 

[hamzarocks]

You won't see a real shift until 2013-2015-borns, if it happens at all. There's just way more Junior and "elite feeder" Minor Hockey up in Canada. Years like 06, 07, 08 aren't even scratching the surface of anything yet.


There hasn't been best on best in 10 years...

8 years, World Cup of hockey happened in 2016 being the last best on best or as close to as possible

Next Olympics with no russia also wont be best om best but next best thing

 

[WarriorofTime]

8 years, World Cup of hockey happened in 2016 being the last best on best or as close to as possible

Next Olympics with no russia also wont be best om best but next best thing

WCOH had some gimmick teams. USA was also not at its best because they had a really strong 23 and Under generation that was not allowed to play due to Bettman's gimmick team. So I wouldn't necessarily count it, even if you did, 8 years is basically an eternity. The youngest players on the USA 24 and Over team that year were John Carlson, Derek Stepan and Kyle Palmieri who will be 35+ by the next Olympics, one of whom is literally retired lol.

 

[njdevils1982]

Our population has grown by what? 3.5M people in the past few years. All or most are migrants from India. We are a fast changing demographic.

Hockey is NOT a popular sport in India.

Canada's future national sport is soon to be cricket.

Future anthem will be

the anthem will be the theme from the 80s TV show Knight Rider?

i love this mash up

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Dying...no. Losing it's stranglehold on the popularity of sport in the country...absolutely. Progressively quick.

 

[Foppberg]

I'm 36. Growing up like 80% of my freinds were Basketball fans. 40 % Football and like 10% hockey. Basketball is for sure bigger than Hockey here.

you’re a major outlier then. Or just an odd friend circle.

 

[JianYang]

Our population has grown by what? 3.5M people in the past few years. All or most are migrants from India. We are a fast changing demographic.

Hockey is NOT a popular sport in India.

Canada's future national sport is soon to be cricket.

Future anthem will be

My dad came here from Punjab in the 70s. He played field hockey there, and gravitated towards the Habs here.

The newer migrants are more inclined to cricket though.

 

[Three On Zero]

Wait, do you mean my comment or the OP?

Not yours

 

[BIeucheeseWithWings]

Also low key a racist remark

"Low key." Either something is racist or it's not. Just tossing words for the sake of it? "Racist" has lost its meaning thanks to it being used to combat any message the listener disagrees with. Eyes do not lie. When the video of that kid Canucks fan surfaced, showing him cursing out Hyman and Campbell, how many non-Indians could you count? To say the Canucks have a large amount of Indian fans is as about as racist as saying the Oilers have a majority of white fans. It'a just facts.