Canadians Would Welcome New NHL Team, But Not With Federal Money

About three-in-five Canadians would like to see a team in Winnipeg and Quebec City, but only one third would consent to Ottawa footing the bill.

While a sizeable proportion of Canadians would be happy to host another National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, a majority of respondents believe the federal government should not provide funds to facilitate the relocation of an existing team, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,009 Canadian adults, 62 per cent of respondents believe it would be a good idea to have an additional NHL team in Winnipeg. A smaller proportion (57%) would like to see an NHL team playing in Quebec City.

Canadians who describe themselves as “hockey fans” are clearly more supportive of having a team in Winnipeg (82%) and Quebec City (75%).

When asked whether the federal government should provide funds in order to facilitate the relocation of an existing NHL franchise to a Canadian city, the mood of respondents changes. One third (35%) would welcome this possibility, while almost three-in-five (57%) disagree.

British Columbians (71%) and Albertans (64%) are particularly critical of the possibility of Ottawa footing the bill to help an NHL franchise find a home in Canada, while two-in-five Quebecers (44%) see no problem with this approach.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

Methodology: From September 17 to September 19, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,009 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.


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HockeyNational Hockey League (NHL)Sports

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