Why does the NHL have so many more siblings than the other major sports leagues?

Gnashville

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There are a lot of siblings in American football. Most players are not well known outside of QB’s and Skill players. Most people don’t know Cam Newton’s older brother played in the NFL.
 
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Hockey4Lyfe

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Feb 26, 2018
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I also don’t take any credence in the “hockey is a family sport” and the others aren’t.

I played every single sport that my brothers played growing up. May be it was because I was young and wanted to do what they did, but we all played soccer, basketball, football and baseball growing up.

And that goes for all of the families I knew around me. If the older sibling was playing a sport, typically all of their younger siblings played that sport also.
 

Spirit of 67

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Just off the top of my head, here is a list of families with at least two active brothers on NHL rosters:

-the Tkachuks
-the Staals
-the Reinharts
-the Subbans
-the Stromes
-the Benns
-the Stones
-the Folignos
-the Ritchies
-the Schenns
-the Hughes (as of 2019)


That's not including the list of historical NHL bros (Niedermayers, Sutters, Bures, Sedins, Richards, Koivus, and on and on).

As far as I can think of no other major sport has or has had nearly as many siblings playing professionally at the same time. So what is about hockey that makes it such a family affair?
Any data for other sports?
 

Hockey4Lyfe

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There are a lot of siblings in American football. Most players are well known outside of QB’s and Skill players. Most people don’t know Cam Newton’s older brother played in the NFL.

I’d even go as far as saying that the siblings in the NFL are more impressive than those in the NHL.

Watt brothers are near the top in sacks.

Kendrick brothers are two of the best linebackers in the league.

Both McCourtys start in the Patriots secondary.

Travis Kelce is one of the best TE’s in the league. Jason Kelce an amazing OLmen.

Pouncey/Martin Brothers, 4 of the best offensive lineman in the league.

The list goes on.
 

ThatGuy22

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Oct 11, 2011
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Does football have a similar phenomenon? My educated guess would be that not all families can afford hockey so that's why.

There are a lot in football as well, but hockey is kind of on another level.

Wikipedia has family relationship lists for most sports.

In the NFL, there have been 200 "family relationships" in NFL history. Thats with more teams, and rosters twice as big, and includes things like Paul Perkins Great Uncle played in the NFL.

There have been 300 pairs of Siblings alone in the NHL. Another 180 Father/sons relationships and 70 sets of cousins.
 

Hockey4Lyfe

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The OP jumped the gun on this topic.

Thinking about it, I could name a bunch of brothers in the NBA. As well as a couple of sets of brothers that play in the MLB.

Like I said earlier, it all starts with the genes one is gifted when born. Not cost of the sport.
 

Anglesmith

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Wealthy to upper middle class Caucasian families are able to have multiple children in a sport that is cost restrictive to other families.
More at 11.

Almost a perfect summary, but this phenomenon is not discriminatory based on race. Case in point, the Subbans. Wealthy families in general are able to have multiple children in a sport that is cost restrictive to other families.
 
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SwaggySpungo

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There are a lot in football as well, but hockey is kind of on another level.

Wikipedia has family relationship lists for most sports.

In the NFL, there have been 200 "family relationships" in NFL history. Thats with more teams, and rosters twice as big, and includes things like Paul Perkins Great Uncle played in the NFL.

There have been 300 pairs of Siblings alone in the NHL. Another 180 Father/sons relationships and 70 sets of cousins.

Yeah, but way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaay more people play football in North America. We're not talking a factor of 2-1 here, more like 50-1, at least. So it is statistically more significant that so many family members have played in the NFL.
 

SwaggySpungo

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Almost a perfect summary, but this phenomenon is not discriminatory based on race. Case in point, the Subbans. Wealthy families in general are able to have multiple children in a sport that is cost restrictive to other families.

It's very misleading to say you need to be "wealthy". That is so far from the truth it's not funny. "Working class and willing to forgo luxuries like exotic family vacations" is a lot more accurate. We were lower working class and I played from around 6 to 14.
 

TheBluePenguin

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Hockey is also a sport where it's not really a sport and more of a life style, if one of your kids play the rest are being drug around the country to different tournaments, one kid paying changes the entire families lives and if a younger sibling grows up in that atmosphere then it's all they know and follows suit.
 

Hockey4Lyfe

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Yeah, but way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaay more people play football in North America. We're not talking a factor of 2-1 here, more like 50-1, at least. So it is statistically more significant that so many family members have played in the NFL.

562,000 played hockey here in the US, in 2018.

5,220,000 played football.
 
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Anglesmith

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It's very misleading to say you need to be "wealthy". That is so far from the truth it's not funny. "Working class and willing to forgo luxuries like exotic family vacations" is a lot more accurate. We were lower working class and I played from around 6 to 14.

I suppose this depends on your reference point. If you compare the demographic to sports like basketball, the contrast is extreme, wouldn't you say? If you compare to soccer on the world scale, even more so.
 

SwaggySpungo

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562,000 played hockey here in the US, in 2018.

5,220,000 played football.

OK, so 9 to 1. Historically, it would have probably been a far greater disparity (way more football and way less hockey).

And I even find those numbers very hard to believe. They take into account all of the kids playing football on school teams?
 

SwaggySpungo

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I suppose this depends on your reference point. If you compare the demographic to sports like basketball, the contrast is extreme, wouldn't you say? If you compare to soccer on the world scale, even more so.

I'm not sure, but you certainly don't have to be "wealthy" by North American standards to play hockey.

Most American college students pay more for their monthly phone and internet plans than you'd need to spend to have a kid in house league.
 

JackSlater

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Apr 27, 2010
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I think it's mostly about money, as some have said. There may be 100 kids who want to play hockey, but some won't have the money for registration or equipment and won't be able to pay. Additionally, some won't have the money to pay for extra perks like camps or certain travel teams and thus won't be able to maximize their potential, which for some kids limits their ability to continue to a high level. You don't have to be wealthy to play hockey, but it helps. We can also assume that if one brother has access to enough money to play, then the other brother will as well.

This is doubly true because hockey is a high skill sport. If you don't have equipment/ice access or proper coaching, you can't develop the skill to a high level. In some sports, being extremely athletic is enough to make it to a high level, at least i some positions. That is not so in hockey at any position.

I will add that I think that there is more to it that just money however. Hockey has a history of strong brother combinations - Conachers, Richards, Espositos, Hulls. I don't recall ever hearing that any of those combinations were particularly well off as kids. Just a theory, but perhaps having access to another kid, of similar age and likely above average athleticism, in the same household allows brothers to improve their skills relative to other kids. This would be even more likely today as families are smaller and there are fewer kids that just randomly play outside in the neighbourhood.
 

Kranix

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I may be a simple moonshiner from the back woods, but wouldn't sports that cost less to play have greater probability of multiple siblings making the big leagues? Am I missing something?
 

rojac

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I may be a simple moonshiner from the back woods, but wouldn't sports that cost less to play have greater probability of multiple siblings making the big leagues? Am I missing something?

More people playing a sport reduces the chance of an individual making that sport's major league. Thus, a lower chance of, say, two siblings in a family both making that major league.
 

Thorton02

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Feb 6, 2009
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I don’t agree with any of that.

It starts at the fundamental aspect that these kids are born with great genes. Also having someone to grow up with who is amazing at sports helps that person get better and produces a work ethic to get to said spot.

Cost has nothing to do with it. Many pee wee football leagues provide equipment for the kids. There typically is not a cost involved.
Hockey is absolutely cost prohibitive. With football, all you need is a ball and a field and you're pretty much there. Street hockey isn't even close to the real thing. In the US, most high schools have the football equipment paid for by the school. Hockey equipment is almost always paid for by the parent, unless your at a top tier school.

I also don't buy the great genes argument because that should apply to all sports, and all professions for that matter.

You can make an argument that there is easier access to become a pro athlete if a parent was one. They can provide all the lessons needed to work your way through the process as opposed to someone that doesn't know about specific summer league camps, gym regimens, specific coaches to play for, etc. These are all barriers to entry. This also applies to any other highly skilled profession. Kids who's parents are doctors have an advantage of having someone that can tell you exactly what you need to do to get into med school. A kid who's parents work in a production factory doesn't have that advantage.

Hockey is the least inclusive sport in my opinion, which is one reason why we're seeing the same last names pop up year after year.
 
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Hockey4Lyfe

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Hockey is absolutely cost prohibitive. With football, all you need is a ball and a field and you're pretty much there. Street hockey isn't even close to the real thing. In the US, most high schools have the football equipment paid for by the school. Hockey equipment is almost always paid for by the parent, unless your at a top tier school.

I also don't buy the great genes argument because that should apply to all sports, and all professions for that matter.

You can make an argument that there is easier access to become a pro athlete if a parent was one. They can provide all the lessons needed to work your way through the process as opposed to someone that doesn't know about specific summer league camps, gym regimens, specific coaches to play for, etc. These are all barriers to entry. This also applies to any other highly skilled profession. Kids who's parents are doctors have an advantage of having someone that can tell you exactly what you need to do to get into med school. A kid who's parents work in a production factory doesn't have that advantage.

Hockey is the least inclusive sport in my opinion, which is one reason why we're seeing the same last names pop up year after year.

Your argument would work if there wasn’t already a bunch of brothers and families in all other sports.

I already stated in an earlier post, there are a bunch of brothers currently in the NFL. A sport that a ton of more people play and should theoretically be harder to get to the pro level than hockey.

And the brothers that are in football are among the best in the league. Cost has nothing to do with brothers making it to the NHL.

Edit: I wanted to edit this to say that I’m not arguing that it’s not cost prohibitive. I agree with that.

I am arguing against that somehow the cost of the sport is a direct correlation into why there are so many siblings in the NHL. There’s absoltely no correlation there. Especially since all the other sports have siblings in the same spots.
 
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ThatGuy22

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Oct 11, 2011
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OK, so 9 to 1. Historically, it would have probably been a far greater disparity (way more football and way less hockey).

And I even find those numbers very hard to believe. They take into account all of the kids playing football on school teams?

If were to believe those numbers, which you might not. Thats only Americans. And the 300 siblings hockey siblings was world wide.

The American football number isn't likely to get higher if you add other countries. The hockey number is likely to triple at least once you add in Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada, etc.

So maybe closer to 1-5? not sure. It gets tough especially when you add in "what constitutes registered" USA Hockey and Hockey Canada register everyone from a 1st year mite in a house league to this guy, while I believe the European countries largely only register "competitive" hockey players.

And who knows what that football number means.
 

Kranix

Deranged Homer
Jun 27, 2012
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More people playing a sport reduces the chance of an individual making that sport's major league. Thus, a lower chance of, say, two siblings in a family both making that major league.

Good point.
 

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