By Jane Stevenson
Copyright torontosun
Sidney Crosby also remains a dominant figure with six million Canadian fans, showing the long-lasting power of legacy players.
More than 72% of Canadian sports fans follow sports content on social media while 73% of Canadians purchased sports merchandise in the past year, spending more than $3.2 billion.
Players like Auston Matthews are helping to drive spending with his fans 40% more likely than average to purchase player-branded gear.
“Hockey is still the country’s most powerful sports brand, but our numbers show it needs to evolve,” added Pellegrini.
“The next chapter will be written by how well the NHL engages younger and more diverse Canadians — and increasingly, that story will play out on social media and in merchandise sales.”
Vividata’s Study of the Canadian Consumer Sports 2025 is Canada’s most comprehensive sports fan study, surveying more than 50,000 Canadians annually across 65-plus leagues, hundreds of teams and players, and thousands of fan behaviours.
