{"id":798080,"date":"2026-07-13T00:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T00:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/798080\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T00:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T00:38:09","slug":"why-is-hockeys-popularity-growing-so-quickly-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/798080\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is hockey\u2019s popularity growing so quickly? \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a whole, the National Hockey League is experiencing success like never before.<\/p>\n

The salary cap, which is calculated based on the hockey-related revenue the league generates, is rising at unprecedented rates; Expansion teams are popping up every few years; For the first time in recent memory, the smaller-market teams don\u2019t seem to be facing imminent threats of relocation.<\/p>\n

That sentiment is reflected in ESPN\u2019s NHL viewership numbers.<\/p>\n

Between March 10 and June 16, the company published 21 press releases detailing various viewership records it broke. That\u2019s one record broken every 4.7 days, on average.<\/p>\n

Among them were:<\/p>\n

Most-viewed NHL game in five yearsMost-viewed game in the new rights dealMost-viewed regular season in the new rights dealMost-viewed first and second rounds of the playoffs in the new rights dealAll three of the most-viewed first-round playoff games ever, excluding Game 7sMost-viewed Stanley Cup Final since 2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a historic year for not only us at ESPN, but also for TNT in the U.S.,\u201d said Eric Loh, director of programming for ESPN\u2019s NHL operations, in a conversation with the Deseret News. \u201cThe drama on the ice throughout the year was incredibly compelling, and we\u2019re just glad that we were able to showcase the Stanley Cup Final in all its glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loh pointed to a variety of factors when considering why the NHL is experiencing such rapid growth in popularity. Here\u2019s what he said.<\/p>\n

Getting best-on-best international hockey back<\/p>\n

Hockey fans suffered through two Olympic cycles \u2014 2018 and 2022 \u2014 of college players and retired NHLers representing the United States and Canada internationally, as the NHL and NHLPA couldn\u2019t reach an agreement to send the world\u2019s best players to the tournament.<\/p>\n

Existing hockey fans still watched, but it wasn\u2019t compelling enough to draw many new viewers.<\/p>\n

When the NHL introduced the 4 Nations Face-Off<\/a> in 2025, it quenched a nine-year thirst for best-on-best international hockey (the 2016 World Cup of Hockey had been the most recent tournament of the sort).<\/p>\n

It happened to coincide with intense political tension<\/a> between the tournament\u2019s two best teams, which momentarily drew the attention of many outside hockey\u2019s existing realm. They kept that momentum going in 2026 with another dramatic tournament at the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n

As far as growing the game in the United States goes, the hockey world got the best possible result: Team USA winning gold<\/a> for the first time in 46 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing Team USA win gold, it puts hockey on a different trajectory that we haven\u2019t seen here in this country before,\u201d Loh said. \u201cJust the pure excitement and euphoria that came from Jack Hughes\u2019 goal and all the social media videos around the country of people celebrating, there is no doubt that that halo effect carried over into the second half of the NHL regular season.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NHL is trying to keep that momentum going with an international all-star game in 2027.<\/p>\n

Fans have expressed disinterest in the divisional format the league has used in the last handful of all-star games. Next season, the players will compete as national teams instead.<\/p>\n

Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland and a \u201cWorld\u201d team will play a round-robin tournament of five-minute games at three-on-three. The top two teams will then compete in a 10-minute final, claiming a mini international victory and a cash prize of $2 million.<\/p>\n

\"\"Team USA poses for a group photo after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Luca Bruno) | AP Quality of games<\/p>\n

Shortly before the conclusion of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, the NHL posted a briefing<\/a> with an interesting stat: To that point in the postseason, 48% of the playing time had been spent with a tied score.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the highest percentage since the league expanded from six teams to 12 in the 1967-68 season. Additionally, the 13 overtime games in the first round of the playoffs were the fifth-most ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quality of hockey that\u2019s being played now is as fast and exciting as it\u2019s ever been,\u201d Loh said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a tremendous amount of one-goal games heading into the third period where it\u2019s either the game is tied or it\u2019s a one-goal difference. … And that only keeps the fan watching the game longer to see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also pointed out the momentum swings \u2014 most notably in Game 3 of this year\u2019s Stanley Cup Final, when the Carolina Hurricanes came back from a 4-0 deficit to force overtime \u2014 as a factor that keeps fans interested in games.<\/p>\n

All that, combined with the skill in today\u2019s game being higher than ever before, makes for a product that people want to watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cAuthenticity \u2014 how good the game is \u2014 that\u2019s more important than anything else, and I think that\u2019s what\u2019s driving us right now,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the Pat McAfee Show<\/a> in May. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve got a lot of great players doing amazing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pop culture embracing hockey<\/p>\n

Hockey saw a sudden influx of new fans this season from a community that hadn\u2019t previously had any interest in the sport.<\/p>\n

Two new romantic drama shows, \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d and \u201cOff Campus,\u201d follow the lives of fictional hockey players. \u201cShoresy,\u201d which has been around for a few years now, does the same in the comedy genre.<\/p>\n

Many fans of those shows have started following the NHL because of them.<\/p>\n

Bettman, 74, probably isn\u2019t among the target demographic of a romantic drama, but he told reporters in January<\/a> that he\u2019d binged Heated Rivalry in one night.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful story,\u201d he said. \u201c… \u201cI thought the storyline was very compelling and a lot of fun, because I could see where they were picking at things we (as a league) had done in the past. … It was very well done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loh commented on how hockey\u2019s sudden presence in pop culture has affected fandom.<\/p>\n

\u201c(It) maybe gives folks a little bit different taste of what the sport is all about,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then when you do get the product being as good as it is, especially during the Stanley Cup Playoffs or the Winter Olympics, it\u2019s hard for fans not to tune in and at least sample it for a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks with media before game 3 of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff series between the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 24, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News