NHL’s North Division fun for hardcore fans, so-so for others says new poll

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The National Hockey League’s North Division has made for new storylines and renewed Canadian rivalries amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new Angus Reid Institute poll suggests most fans would like things to go back to normal next fall.

The NHL has stated the all-Canadian competition will be only a one-year configuration, assuming teams can fly back and forth across the border during the 2021-22 season.

The poll found that almost two-thirds of hockey fans polled want the seven Canadian NHL teams to go back to normal next year, which for Flames and Oilers fans means a lot more of the Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, and the expansion Seattle Kraken. It also means a lot less of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens while half believe it makes no difference to them.

The division is a hit, though mainly for hardcore fans. Fifty-two per cent feel the all-Canadian division makes the season more exciting, and younger viewers are tuning in this winter too.

Thirty-two per cent of men aged 18 to 34 say they’re watching more hockey this winter, although 30 per cent of men, and 32 per cent of women overall figure they’re spending less time in front of the screen.

Regionally, however, the prospect of watching the Battle of Alberta multiple times in 2021 has not made Albertans any more likely to tune in thus far.

The survey found that fans in the province said they were actually watching less than more hockey this year while Quebec had more fans say they are following along with more frequency.

The top four teams in the North Division will make the playoffs meaning there will be a Canadian club in the NHL’s final four for the first time since the Winnipeg Jets reached the Western Conference Finals in 2018. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens 28 years ago.

The survey asked fans who they felt would be the team to break the Stanley Cup drought with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming out on top at 26 per cent with the Montreal Canadiens at 21 per cent.

About seven-per-cent believe the Edmonton Oilers have a chance to win the cup this year with the Calgary Flames coming in at four-per-cent.

-With files from NEWS 1130

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