The National Hockey League started its regular season and the race to crown a new Stanley Cup champion on Oct. 6.
With the closest NHL team being Minnesota Wild, it can be difficult to find people who are hockey fans in the Midwest. Along with this, hockey’s popularity is starting to wane with soccer passing it in popularity ranking.
There are still people who like watching hockey and want to see its popularity grow, however.
Blaine Meyer, a sport management instructor, wasn’t always a fan of hockey. Growing up in the Midwest, he said he wasn’t exposed to the sport until he was in college.
“I never knew much about hockey until my sophomore or junior year in college,” Meyer said. “One of my roommates was a big (Minnesota) Wild fan, and so we would sometimes watch games if they were on TV. I didn’t really become a fan though until we went to a game.
“After going to that game, I started to fall in love with the game and know I watch as many games as I can. I’ve gotten the NHL TV pass before to watch as many games as I can.”
The Daily Mail reported in 2021 that an analysis by Sportsmail showed soccer had surpassed hockey in popularity in the U.S. Another survey by Ampere Analysis showed 49% of Americans surveyed said they enjoy watching soccer compared to 32% who enjoy watching hockey. Meyer said he wishes more people would watch and get into hockey.
“I think hockey is such a fun and unique sport,” Meyer said. “The skills that these players show is amazing to me. Being able to skate and keep control of the puck, while being on the lookout for teammates to pass to and opponents to watch out for is insane. I think it’s one of the hardest sports to play.”
The NHL has tried to increase its popularity and reach over the last couple seasons, and some statistics show that it is working. There have been talks of the NHL expanding to 36 teams with Houston and Atlanta being two cities that have submitted bids to the NHL for teams.
Also, for the 2023-2024 season, the NHL saw record viewership for both the regular season and the playoffs according to Sport Business Journal.
Jeremiah Nichols, a senior nursing student, said he’s been a hockey fan for as long as he could remember and that he’s been to at least one game every year.
“My dad was a huge fan and so growing up, I became one as well,” Nichols said. “He made it a goal to go to at least one game every year, and it’s been really fun to see the popularity of the sport grow. Obviously, it still isn’t close to passing basketball and football, but even I’ve seen more people wearing hockey gear and talking about it.”
The NHL will be looking to continue its increase in viewership between its main channel games and its games that will be streamed on ESPN+.