That's another thing that is confusing:
HFBoards: Hockey is part of the cultural fabric of Canada.
Also HFBoards: Youth hockey in Canada is dying.
A reasonable conclusion would be that hockey is part of the cultural fabric
of older Canadians, but younger Canadians not so much. By contrast, youth hockey in the U.S. is growing, albeit slowly (which should not be surprising considering the high capital cost of building new rinks as opposing to mowing down a pasture and calling it a soccer field).
USA Hockey player membership analysis for 2023-24 - Sound Of Hockey