NHL Audience in Canada
NHL has an estimated audience of 13,873,666 people in Canada. 41.6% are female, 58.4% are male, average age 38.2. Top regions: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia. Top brand affinities: Tim Horton, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Sportsnet.
The average NHL fan in Canada is 38.2 years old, more male, and lives primarily in Ontario. The audience is concentrated in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia. Top brand affinities include Tim Horton, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, with strongest over-indexing on Tim Horton (1.98× the country average). Demographically, the NHL audience skews more male with an average age of 38.2, and over-indexes on personality traits such as Family Orientation, Need for Security. Compared to the country baseline, this audience shows distinctive patterns across 20 brand affinities and 10 regions tracked by Rascasse.
Category: Sports · Type: Event · Subtype: Ice hockey
Demographics of NHL fans
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Female | 41.6% |
| Male | 58.4% |
| Average age | 38.2 |
| Estimated audience size | 13,873,666 |
Audience persona
The typical NHL fan in Canada is more male, around 38.2 years old, with strong Family Orientation tendencies and a notable affinity for Tim Horton.
Top regions in Canada
| Region | Reach | Affinity |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 5,469,730 | 0.94× |
| Quebec | 2,916,340 | 0.88× |
| British Columbia | 2,899,944 | 1.4× |
| Alberta | 2,494,750 | 1.46× |
| Manitoba | 617,604 | 1.19× |
| Saskatchewan | 436,536 | 0.99× |
| Nova Scotia | 358,738 | 0.87× |
| New Brunswick | 268,921 | 0.84× |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 168,100 | 0.8× |
| Prince Edward Island | 43,860 | 0.64× |
Top brand affinities
Brands and entities this audience over-indexes on, vs. the country average.
| Brand | Affinity | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Horton | 1.98× | Sports |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1.56× | Sports |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1.79× | Sports |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1.79× | Sports |
| Sportsnet | 1.65× | Sports |
| Winnipeg Jets | 1.79× | Sports |
| Sidney Crosby | 2.16× | Sports |
| Connor McDavid | 2.24× | Sports |
| Auston Matthews | 2.26× | Sports |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2.66× | Sports |
| Stanley Cup | 2.19× | Sports |
| Florida Panthers | 2.45× | Sports |
| Vancouver Canucks | 1.54× | Sports |
| San Jose Sharks | 2.77× | Sports |
| Colorado Avalanche | 2.65× | Sports |
| Buffalo Sabres | 2.81× | Sports |
| Rory McIlroy | 2.16× | Sports |
| Ottawa Senators | 1.75× | Sports |
| Stanley Cup playoffs | 2.1× | Sports |
| Dallas Stars | 2.56× | Sports |
Psychographic profile
Top six personality traits over-indexed by this audience (1.0 = country average).
| Trait | Cluster | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Family Orientation | CONSERVATISM | 1.09 |
| Need for Security | CONSERVATISM | 1.05 |
| Sports Activity | POWER | 0.97 |
| Healthy Lifestyle | BALANCE | 0.96 |
| Convenience Orientation | PREMIUM | 0.92 |
| Career Orientation | POWER | 0.91 |
Worldwide distribution
| Country | Share |
|---|---|
| United States | 41.6% |
| Canada | 19.7% |
| Japan | 2.8% |
See NHL audiences in other countries
More Ice hockey audiences in Canada
- Tim Horton (116,860,783)
- Ice Hockey World Championships (44,393,400)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (14,874,919)
- Edmonton Oilers (11,739,383)
- Montreal Canadiens (10,365,340)
Frequently asked questions
How many fans does NHL have in Canada?
NHL has an estimated audience of 13,873,666 people in Canada, concentrated in Ontario and Quebec.
What is the gender split and age of NHL fans?
41.6% of NHL fans are female, 58.4% are male, with an average age of 38.2 years.
Which brands do NHL fans like most?
NHL fans show strongest brand affinity for Tim Horton (1.98×), Toronto Blue Jays (1.56×), and Toronto Maple Leafs (1.79×) over the country average.
Where do NHL fans live in Canada?
NHL fans in Canada are most concentrated in Ontario (reach 5,469,730), Quebec (reach 2,916,340), and British Columbia (reach 2,899,944). These three regions account for the largest share of the active audience.
What other brands do NHL fans also like?
Beyond NHL itself, the audience over-indexes on Toronto Blue Jays (1.56×), Toronto Maple Leafs (1.79×), Edmonton Oilers (1.79×), and Sportsnet (1.65×) compared to the Canada average.
How to read this data
Audience size is the estimated number of people in Canada who actively search for NHL. Affinity is an over-index ratio: 2.0× means the audience is twice as likely to engage with that brand or trait as the country average. Reach is the estimated number of audience members in a region. Regional and brand-affinity tables are sorted from strongest signal to weakest.
About this audience profile
This audience profile is generated by Rascasse from anonymized search-behavior signals across Canada. For methodology see methodology. Affinity values are over-index ratios vs. the country average (1.0 = baseline). Audience sizes are estimated, not measured.