Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in North America and Europe. It is considered the number one sport in Canada, where the roots of modern hockey are. The game has evolved from simple stick-and-ball games played in the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain to the modern form of ice hockey developed in Canada.
The first recorded public indoor ice hockey game, with rules largely borrowed from field hockey, took place in Montreal’s Victoria Skating Rink in 1875 between two teams of McGill University students.
The United States has the most registered ice hockey players, over 550,000, which is more than 0.1% of the country’s population. Canada is second with around 515,000, which is 1.3% of their population. The following three countries are Russia with just over 100,000, Finland with around 65,000, and Sweden with just over 60,000.
The largest attendance ever recorded for an ice hockey game was set on December 11, 2010, when the University of Michigan’s ice hockey team faced cross-state rival Michigan State in an event billed as “The Big Chill at the Big House.” The game was played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, with 113,411 fans in attendance.
The NHL is the most popular hockey league in the world, with the best players competing for the ultimate trophy, the Stanley Cup. There are respectable leagues around Europe, like the KHL in Russia, the SHL in Sweden, and the Liiga in Finland.
The NHL is the most popular in Canada, where 53% of internet users aged 18 to 64 who identify as sports fans are following the league. In the United States, it is in fourth place, bringing in $625 million for the 2023–24 season, which equals a third of the MLB annual domestic media rights revenue, 23% of what the NBA receives, and only 5% of the value of the NFL domestic broadcast contracts.
The NHL was founded in 1917 after the Canada’s National Hockey Association decided to disband. The league started with four teams from Canada, and in 1924, it expanded to the United States, adding two more teams that are today known as the Original Six.
The crucial point in league history was the merger of the NHL with the WHL in 1979, creating a league of 21 teams. Today, the NHL has a total of 32 teams, with the Seattle Kraken being the last expansion team in 2021. The Montreal Canadiens are by far the most successful team in the NHL’s history with 24 championships, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 and the Detroit Red Wings with 11.
The international hockey tournaments are also very popular, and hockey is one of the main sports at the Winter Olympics. Ice hockey was introduced at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. The Canadian national team is the most successful one, with a total of 16 medals, nine of which are gold, four silver, and three bronze. When it comes to the World Championships, the Canadians are again on top with a total of 53 medals: 28 golds, 16 silvers, and 9 bronzes.
