Storymap: Hockey’s 10 Most Popular Countries

26 May 2016 | Christyne Kavanagh, Tucker Hockey

Did you know that hockey is played competitively in every continent in the world, with more than 70 countries and two million players registered with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)? While some might think of the sport as exclusively a European and North American code, the IIHF’s 2015 Survey of Players proves that this is certainly not the case.

One debate that surfaces time and again is which countries can claim the greatest popularity for the sport. Using the IIHF Survey of Players to justify the answer, Tucker Hockey has taken on this question and responded to it in the form of this interactive Storymap. At the risk of giving away spoilers, we can say that three continents are featured, while Europe has a sizeable presence in the top 10.

Click through the Storymap to see which 10 nations boast the most prominent hockey playing populations, and indeed in which order.

Tucker Hockey

Current events

External links

Hockey Results

Tweets by @eurohockey

Leagues

Czech Rep.: Tipsport extraliga | 1.liga | 2.liga

Finland: Liiga | Mestis

Germany: DEL | DEL2

Russia: KHL | VHL

Slovakia: Tipsport Extraliga | 1.liga

Sweden: SHL | HockeyAllsvenskan

Switzerland: NLA | NLB

More league pages»

League standings

Game fixtures

League leaders

EIHL defenceman reaches milestone

Mark Richardson (Cardiff Devils, EIHL) surpassed Jonathan Phillips' all-time record for games played in the Elite League on Sunday night, playing in his 1,178th EIHL game. ... Read more»

Cortina wins thriller over Angers but falls short of Superfinals

Cortina battles back from behind in a nail-biting contest, yet the victory cannot change their fate in the Continental Cup Read more»