Define Every NHL Team's Market

[Gnova]

No one is saying that the states and provinces are all one fanbase. Just what is the by far largest fanbase in each one? I think it is safe to say Manitoba is Jets territory.

this is like making the arguement that Illinois is St. Louis territory since southern Illinois tend to be more St. Louis fans.

If you want to broad stroke by lines on a map why bother using provinces.
Canada is Leafs territory. Sure there may be areas that other teams might have more fans but it is safe to say that generally Canada is Leafs territory.

 

[Cotton]

I don't think anyone in the States gives two figs about the Leafs.

We have Americans on our board who are Leafs fans so I’m pretty sure you’re wrong about that.

Bruins are probably the most popular American team right across Canada. Chicago is probably second and then Detroit, Philly and Pittsburgh - but in my experience The Bruins are the most hated/loved U.S. team north of the border - and it's usually one or the other as very few hockey fans in Canada are indifferent to The Bruins and are the U.S. team that people talk about the most.
This is anecdotal and my opinion. I've been all over Canada but of course not everywhere nor always talking hockey.

Not in the Niagara/GHA area (besides Leafs) has a lot of Habs, Penguins and Red Wings fans. I see very little a Bruins gear.

 

[Flukeshot]

I used to work with NHL licensed merch, we always had to figure out what to send to each market/store. Toronto is a safe option as #2 anywhere in Canada other than Quebec. But is it no longer the #1 team/brand outside of Ontario.

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

Toronto: Universe

Habs: Multiverse

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

Poor Iowa not included.

Minnesota is Dakotas and western Wisconsin.

Minnesota is making a play for Iowa because their AHL is in Des Moines and I believe Minnesota is making a play for an ECHL team in Iowa City. Right now the Blues have TV rights for Iowa, but the state is definitely blackhawks territory.

Would love to get hockey as a whole big in Iowa, use to live in the state. They definitely have a hardcore hockey fanbase, but small.

I would have loved to include Iowa. I have family there(Des Moines), and I've been many times. Just never see anyone wearing hockey stuff there. Even in football it seems to be a free-for-all because it's just in the middle of many different markets. I guess I've seen more Chiefs than anything.

 

[tarheelhockey]

and soon, Savannah joins the ECHL, SO what will be the split between them and Greenville.

Probably zero with Greenville due to distance, and maybe very slightly with Charleston. Hilton Head, being a resort town, has a very transient population and is a couple of hours from Charleston. Hard to imagine a lot of people make the trip for hockey games, and if they're not going to games it's unlikely they follow the Stingrays very closely through the media. Savannah's a much shorter drive and really the center of gravity for HH as far as city life.

That being said, I don't think of that area as being very pro sports centric at all. It's not just a hockey thing... Charleston is a low-A baseball town and Savannah doesn't have a baseball team at all. For decent-sized southern cities that's a pretty unusual, as there are some serious one-stoplight towns with pro teams in the Carolinas.

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

So now, using what I've learned in this thread, and thanks again everyone for the insight, here's my updated list.

ANA: Orange County CA, San Diego(since their AHL team is there)
AZ: Arizona
BOS: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Eastern Connecticut
BUF: Upstate NY, parts of extreme southern Ontario
CGY: Southern Alberta
CAR: North Carolina, South Carolina
CHI: Illinois, Indiana, Southern Wisconsin
COL: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana
CBJ: Ohio
DAL: Texas, Oklahoma
DET: Michigan, southwestern Ontario, northeastern Wisconsin
EDM: Northern Alberta
FLA: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, South Florida in general
LA: Most of Southern California
MIN: Minnesota, Northern and Western Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota
MTL: Quebec, Maritimes(Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island)
NSH: Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi
NJD: Northern and Central New Jersey
NYI: Long Island(Nassau County, Suffolk County New York)
NYR: New York City, Southwestern Connecticut, Westchester County, Rockland County, Orange County New York, also dips into NJD and NYI markets
OTT: Far Eastern Ontario, Far Western Quebec
PHI: Most of Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey(Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Salem County, Cumberland County, Cape May County, Atlantic County), Delaware
PIT: Western, Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania, West Virginia
STL: Missouri, Southern Illinois
SJ: Bay Area, Northern California
TB: Western and Central Florida
TOR: Ontario
VAN: British Columbia, Yukon
VGK: Nevada
WSH: DC, Maryland, Virginia
WPG: Manitoba

Saskatchewan remains unsettled as opinions seem to greatly differ.

 

[stranger]

Poor Iowa not included.

Minnesota is Dakotas and western Wisconsin.

Minnesota is making a play for Iowa because their AHL is in Des Moines and I believe Minnesota is making a play for an ECHL team in Iowa City. Right now the Blues have TV rights for Iowa, but the state is definitely blackhawks territory.

Would love to get hockey as a whole big in Iowa, use to live in the state. They definitely have a hardcore hockey fanbase, but small.

North Dakota has a lot of Jets fans. Grand Forks and Fargo are only 2 and 3 hours from Winnipeg. And there is a long running and strong UND pipeline of Manitoba players.

 

[Zenos]

How about in Canada Sasquatchewa province? Is that for Winnipeg Calgary or Edmonton?

All of the above. All three teams are "local" according to regional TV broadcast rights.
But the Leafs and Habs are probably just as popular to be honest. And other "popular" US teams like Boston, Detroit, Philly, Pitts, (and at least for a while) Colorado too. It's a real battleground province without a clear-cut "home" team.
At least that was my experience years ago (have family in/near Regina and would visit regularly).

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

51 years without a Cup, 51 years without a first overall, one of the poorest records in the league for the past 5 years yet one of the most successful CDN franchises in the last 20 years.

The Market was hoping that the "Retooling on the fly" would be over in less that the 7 years of the Benning era. Ownership has recently given an endorsement of Benning while referring to 'Plan" to build a contender, the 'Plan" is more akin to the curing of cement in salt water. So the horizon for positive change in Van City is remote.

The market in Van City is generally more enamoured with hockey and the cult of mediocre, players, management and coaches than with winning a cup, so the playoffs are always a goal that satisfies the Market from era to era. These low expectations has helped to move a lot of Merch and kept the arena full (Pre-pandemic).

Overall the bar is set very low in Van City and a GM with 500 games of experience and less than a 0.500 winning average is given a 3 year extension.

Same is it ever was.

 

[HotDish]

North Dakota has a lot of Jets fans. Grand Forks and Fargo are only 2 and 3 hours from Winnipeg. And there is a long running and strong UND pipeline of Manitoba players.

No doubt in my mind that ND has Jets fans.

just in my experience that Americans tend to follow markets and since majority of Nodaks tend to follow the twins and vikings. They tend to follow the Wild too. Also I have family that went to UND. Since UND is extremely more affordable than the Minnesota system. The school is flooded by Minnesotans. Those that stay in the state tend to to stay following the Wild.

also FS North is carried in those cities which means people in those markets get the a wild games.

Jets definitely have a following. I just think Wild have an edge over them.

 

[Bank Shot]

We have Americans on our board who are Leafs fans so I’m pretty sure you’re wrong about that.

So does every other NHL team. They just wouldn't have any more sizable numbers than any other team. Its different in Canada where Habs/Leafs fans are in great numbers across the country due to being passed from generation to generation.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Thanks to The White Horse it may end up becoming Sabres Country.

We take our horses dead in AK

 

[Ringmaster]

San Diego isn't Ducks territory no chance in hell!!!

 

[Bouboumaster]

Montreal:
Quebec (I mean, obviously), Maritimes, and basically the rest of the World since it's most likely the most well known team overall

 

[Crow]

Who lays claim to the wonderful state of Iowa? Anyone from there? I’d guess hawks, but it’s just a guess.

 

[gstommylee]

Seattle at least for now is Alaska, Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.

vegas is Nevada, southern idaho i believe

 

[HisIceness]

Who lays claim to the wonderful state of Iowa? Anyone from there? I’d guess hawks, but it’s just a guess.

Minnesota Wild? Just guessing since their farm team is in Des Moines.

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

Minnesota Wild? Just guessing since their farm team is in Des Moines.

I think that's more of an ambition than how it is. Maybe it'll work, but again, I have family in Iowa, in Des Moines in fact, and I never see anyone wearing hockey stuff there. Iowa is kind of a no man's land in pro sports. From Des Moines, the closest big city is KC, the Twin Cities are closer than Chicago or STL.

 

[TopChedder]

In some cases this is easy, but some areas are less clear. I also wonder about places like Wisconsin or Saskatchewan, or some of the northern provinces like the Yukon Territories or Nunavut. I'm sure this'll generate some controversy since there are battleground areas.


ANA: Orange County CA, San Diego(? since their AHL team is there)
AZ: Arizona
BOS: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, most of Connecticut
BUF: Upstate NY, parts of extreme southern Ontario(?)
CGY: Southern Alberta
CAR: North Carolina, South Carolina
CHI: Illinois, Indiana, Southern Wisconsin(?)
COL: Colorado, Utah(?), Wyoming(?), Montana(?)
CBJ: Ohio
DAL: Texas
DET: Michigan, Ontario in Windsor area
EDM: Northern Alberta
FLA: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, South Florida in general
LA: Most of Southern California
MIN: Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, North Dakota(?), South Dakota(?)
MTL: Quebec, Maritimes(Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island)
NSH: Tennessee
NJD: Northern and Central New Jersey
NYI: Long Island(Nassau County, Suffolk County New York)
NYR: New York City, Southwestern Connecticut, Westchester County, Rockland County, Orange County New York, also dips into NJD and NYI markets
OTT: Far-east Ontario, far-west Quebec
PHI: Most of Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey(Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Cumberland County, Cape May County, Atlantic County), Delaware
PIT: Western, Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania, West Virginia
STL: Missouri, Southern Illinois
SJ: Bay Area, Northern California
TB: Gulf Coast Florida
TOR: Ontario
VAN: British Columbia, Washington(? Though if so, not for long)
VGK: Nevada
WSH: DC, Maryland, Virginia
WPG: Manitoba

Not a bad list but I would switch Montreal and Toronto. I grew up and played hockey in the Maritimes and Newfie and it's a lot more Leaf fans than Hab fans.

In fact it's mostly Leafs, Bruins, Pitts.

Not Habs.

 

[TopChedder]

Maritimes still have a decent Bruins fanbase.

Leafs
Bruins
Pitts (Sid)



Habs

My Father and all his 6 brothers and childen are Bruins fans. The team has a huge following in the Maritimes lol

His one sister is a Habs fan but she was raised in Quebec city........ we don't talk to her much lol

As far as Canada as a whole goes it is Leafs and Habs as that is deeply rooted. Not saying every fan of course because that is ridiculous but both teams have over 100 years of market dominance and media.

 

[LMFAO]

Montreal:
Quebec (I mean, obviously), Maritimes, and basically the rest of the World since it's most likely the most well known team overall

New Brunswick might be rooting for Montreal Nova Scotia PEI and NFLD are much more Leafs fans than Habs fans.

 

[Cotton]

So does every other NHL team. They just wouldn't have any more sizable numbers than any other team. Its different in Canada where Habs/Leafs fans are in great numbers across the country due to being passed from generation to generation.

The argument wasn’t that no team did, it was that the Leafs have zero.

 

[Jetcetera]

The Heritage Classic in Regina had a lot more Jets fans than Calgary. Probably mostly people making the trip from Winnipeg but I'd wager the Jets have some following in Sask

 

[CanadasTeam]

East of Toronto, Oshawa is Bruins town pretty much because of the Generals (Orr).

I don't wear my Leafs jersey there when I watch games with my in-laws and eat at Teddy's after because I don't want to get beat up.