A new survey conducted by Research Co. has found that more than half (53 per cent) of Canadians are supporting the Toronto Maple Leafs in this year’s Staley Cup playoffs while the Edmonton Oilers enjoy the support of one in four (26 per cent) Canadians.
Furthermore, the poll reveals that the support for the remaining six National Hockey League (NHL) teams, namely the Seattle Kraken, the Florida Panthers, the New Jersey Devils, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the Dallas Stars, and the Carolina Hurricanes, remains in the single digits.
“Residents of Ontario (79 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (70 per cent) are clearly with the Maple Leafs right now,” Research Co. President Mario Canseco said in a news release published on Friday. “Two-thirds of Albertans (67 per cent) are behind the Oilers.”
According to the survey, 47 per cent of Quebec residents and 40 per cent of British Columbians are backing the Maple Leafs while 47 per cent of people in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have chosen to rally behind the Oilers.
However, 33 per cent of Canadians who are not supporting either of the two domestic franchises in the Stanley Cups playoffs, said they don’t like the Maple Leafs and 23 per cent stated they don’t have a favourite NHL team.
Furthermore, 22 per cent of Canadians indicated they don’t like the Oilers while 20 per cent said they don’t know much about hockey.
When it comes to which NHL team has more supporters among Canadians, the survey found that 24 per cent of Canadians selected the Maple Leafs while 22 per cent chose the Montreal Canadiens.
The proportion is lower with Vancouver Canucks (10 per cent) the Edmonton Oilers (eight per cent), the Winnipeg Jets (five per cent) and both the Calgary Flames the Ottawa Senators (four per cent).
The survey also found that one-in-four Canadians (24 per cent) do not have a favourite NHL team and 47 per cent do not have a team they hate. The most loathed franchises are the Maple Leafs (17 per cent, and 25% in Quebec) and the Canadiens (10 per cent, and 27 per cent in British Columbia).
When it comes to NHL stars, Wayne Gretzky is on the top with 76 per cent of support, Sidney Crosby is the second with 71 per cent of support and Mario Lemieux is third with 67 per cent support.
The rating is lower for Ken Dryden (53 per cent), Connor McDavid (51 per cent) and John Tavares (47 per cent).
Former broadcaster Don Cherry, who was fired from Sportsnet in 2019 after making widely derided comments about immigrants and poppies, is still seen favourably by 45 per cent of Canadians—a proportion that rises to 49 per cent among both men and Canadians aged 55 and over.
The Leafs are down 3-1 in their second-round series against the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Oilers are tied in their series against the Golden Knights. Both the Leafs and the Oilers are set to face off against their respective opponents on Friday evening.
Methodology:
The results are based on an online study conducted from May 4 to May 6, 2023, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
