Survey: 58% of Canadians not following Stanley Cup final

Albertans may be watching every second of the Stanley Cup final but most Canadians are not, according to a recent survey.

The poll released by market research company Leger on Tuesday found that 58 per cent of Canadians are not paying close attention to the NHL final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.

The poll surveyed 1,528 Canadians and 1,003 Americans between Friday and Sunday.

The study found that 35 per cent of Canadians won't be following the final at all, even though the Oilers could end a 30-year Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams. The Montreal Canadiens are the last Canadian team to win the championship, winning their 24th Cup in 1993.

Twenty-four per cent of Canadians surveyed say they won't follow the best-of-seven series "very closely."

Twenty-two per cent say they would follow the best-of-seven "somewhat closely" and 19 per cent say they would follow "very closely."

Unsurprisingly, Albertans (58 per cent) are the most likely to be following the Oilers in the Stanley Cup final. Fifty-three per cent of respondents in the Atlantic provinces say they're following, while 42 per cent of those surveyed in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are interested.

Quebec is the most disinterested, with 70 per cent saying they are not following the final round of the NHL's playoffs.

Men (50 per cent) are also more likely to follow the final than women (34 per cent).

The vast majority of Canadians who said they are following the series are supporting the Oilers, with 83 per cent saying they are cheering for Edmonton. Ten per cent of Canadians surveyed are cheering for the Panthers and seven per cent said neither or they don't care.

Only a quarter of Americans (27 per cent) will be following the series, with 49 per cent of them cheering for Florida.

The Panthers took a 2-0 series lead Monday with a 4-1 win over the Oilers. Game 3 is Thursday in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had Canada's Stanley Cup drought at 31 years instead of 30.