History Main / CanadianEqualsHockeyFan

* Legendary Canadian rock band Music/TheTragicallyHip are hockey fans. Their song "Fifty Mission Cap" is about a hockey player who disappeared after a plane crash. One of their more popular shirts is designed to look like a hockey jersey.

* ''Liveactiontv/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' once described Canada as "five ice hockey rinks surrounded by bears".
* Multiple times ''Liveactiontv/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' used "hockey player" as a character. They're almost always played by Colin Mochrie.

* Even in US arenas, you can often see Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling next to the American flag. NHL rules mandate that both countries' national anthems be played if an American team is playing a Canadian team. The Buffalo Sabres play both national anthems before every game regardless of opponent as a tribute to the team's sizable Canadian fanbase (Buffalo itself is only 17 miles[[note]]27 kilometers[[/note]] from the border).

** Also, most of the NHL players are Canadians, even if since the 1980s more and more Europeans have come to the league. 2015-16 marked the first time [[http://www.tsn.ca/canadians-do-not-make-up-the-majority-of-nhl-players-this-season-1.380861 "Canadians do not make up the majority"]]... meaning only that the number wasn't above 50%, as 49,7% of the 680 players came from Great White North and all teams had at least 4 of them.

* Even in US arenas, you can often see Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling next to the American flag. NHL rules mandate that both countries' national anthems be played if an American team is playing a Canadian team. The Buffalo Sabres play both national anthems before every game regardless of opponent as a tribute to the team's sizable Canadian fanbase (Buffalo itself is only 17 miles from the border).

* Even in US arenas, you can often see Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling next to the American flag. NHL rules mandate that both countries' national anthems be played if an American team is playing a Canadian team, and the Buffalo Sabres play both national anthems before every game, regardless of opponent, as a tribute to the team's sizable Canadian fanbase, as despite being an American team, it is one of the closest US teams to the Canadian border.

* Even in US arenas, you can often see Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling next to the American flag.

* In an episode of ''BostonPublic'' which aired around the time of the American invasion of Iraq, a character says "Canada would only go to war if somebody kidnapped the Stanley Cup."

* TruthInTelevision, as it's not really that much of an exaggeration. (Ironically, though, the national sport is actually lacrosse!) Hockey is ''really'' popular in Canada. The 2010 Olympic Gold Medal Game against the US (which Canada won in a 3-2 overtime thriller) set--and still holds--the record for the single most-watched television broadcast in Canada ever[[note]]Prior to this, the previous record was during the 2002 Olympic Gold Medal hockey game, ''also'' between Canada and the US[[/note]]. 26.5 million people (or about 80% of the population, four of every five people) tuned in to watch at least part of the game. Hockey is kind of a big deal to Canadians. For comparison, for that same game, the American broadcaster NBC reported 27.6 million viewers--so just slightly more than the Canadian numbers, in a country ''nearly ten times the population of Canada'' (about 308 million to Canada's 34 million as of 2010). In other words, in a country ten times the size of Canada, there are barely any more hockey fans. This is borne out by statistical estimates, leading to a [[http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-cant-canada-win-the-stanley-cup/ very popular argument for more Canadian hockey teams]] (made by an American, no less!)

* ''Series/MadamSecretary'': When the Canadian government seizes all the American fishing boats in the "Blame Canada" episode in order to strong-arm the Americans into releasing an environmental report, Elizabeth threatens to cancel the visas of every Canadian national in the UsefulNotes/{{NHL}}.

* ''Series/MadamSecretary'': When the Canadian government seizes all the American fishing boats in the "Blame Canada" episode in order to strong-arm the Americans into releasing an environmental report, Elizabeth threatens to cancel visas of every Canadian national in the UsefulNotes/{{NHL}}.

'''Ambassador''': I'm sure you wouldn't stoop to that.

* In ''Wolverine: First Class'' ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} eagerly watches hockey, and he says something along the lines of "this is my obligation as a Canadian!" when he has to deal with [[AIIsACrapshoot rampaging Danger Room robots]] that barge into the room, interrupting him. This is an in-joke about how he's made Canadian because the writers at the time only expected him to be a bit character in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk''.

* In Season 1 of ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'', when helping another character get a date with Sybil (who is suddenly [[ItMakesSenseInContext queen of Canada]]), one of the lines needed to convince her is to suggest they go see a hockey game. Naturally, she's impressed by her suitor "showing such interest and appreciation for her culture" (despite not even being Canadian and being queen of Canada only being one of her [[WhyDoYouKeepChangingJobs many, many, many, many jobs]]).

* In the first issue of ''Comics/WeStandOnGuard'', the Two-Fours ask Amber who won the last [[UsefulNotes/TheStanleyCup Stanley Cup]] in 2111, to determine if she's truly Canadian or an American spy. Averted when she protests that a) she was five at the time, and b) she never really watched hockey anyway.[[note]] No one points out that many Americans, particularly those closest to the border, also watch hockey.[[/note]]

* In ''Wolverine: First Class'' {{Wolverine}} eagerly watches hockey, and he says something along the lines of "this is my obligation as a Canadian!" when he has to deal with [[AIIsACrapshoot rampaging Danger Room robots]] that barge into the room, interrupting him. This is an in-joke about how he's made Canadian because the writers at the time only expected him to be a bit character in a TheIncredibleHulk comic.
* In the first issue of ''Comics/WeStandOnGuard'', the Two-Fours ask Amber who won the last StanleyCup in 2111, to determine if she's truly Canadian or an American spy. Averted when she protests that a) she was five at the time, and b) she never really watched hockey anyway.[[note]] No one points out that many Americans, particularly those closest to the border, also watch hockey.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In the song Canada On Strike, there are a few shots of Canadian hockey players singing the song.

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* Robin from ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' is Canadian, so of course she's a hockey fan. When she gets drunk and turns "Super-Canadian", she puts on a Canucks uniform.

** Really, Canadian musicians and hockey are connected so much that during the Juno Awards every year, a team of musicians play an old-timers squad for charity. Along with Gordon Downie, others that have participated include [[Music/GreatBigSea Alan Doyle]], [[Music/BarenakedLadies Tyler Stewart]] [[Music/BillyTalent Jon Gallant]], [[WalkOffTheEarth Mike "Beard Guy" Taylor]], Sam Roberts and organizer Jim Cuddy. As well, a couple hockey players have their own rock bands, notably [[http://www.grinderfan.com Darren McCarty]] and [[http://www.hlundqvist30.com/category/news/music Henrik Lundqvist]].