Wrong, wrong, wrong a thousand times wrong. Hockey isn't popular in America for one simple reason...accessibility. The cost, lack of rinks and weather make hockey inaccessible for a vast majority of Americans. Stop fooling yourselves by saying that Americans don't understand the game. It's not complicated.

Terrible TV deals, blackouts, and the NHL being absolutely atrocious at marketing.

As an american, hockey is and always will be my favorite sport.

It's insanely expensive, plus for most of the country it's not part of the cultural climate. In Canada, when it starts to get cold and the leaves start to turn, people say 'hockey's in the air'. The farther south you go, the less of that you see. In America, when it starts to get warm, football's in the air. It's cool to acknowledge what's happened in terms of development in Phoenix and Nashville and California but it takes a very long time.

because it's insanely expensive. kids like to watch the sports they play and basketball, baseball, and football are wayyyyy cheaper.

I love hockey! - American

climate is a huge part of it. hockey is actually incredibly popular in the northern parts of the US where its cold and near canada

I think most kids that play hockey had parents and siblings that played it. It's hard for a kid to get a first experience with the sport if they have no gear. Parents probably need to have an own interest in the sport if they'll take their child's interest seriously and buy the gear they need. And if you haven't played the sport as a child, you won't understand it enough to grow an interest to watch it. Here, in Europe, the most common sport is soccer. What do you need to get a first experience with soccer? A ball and some friends. Piece of cake.

Actually he is wrong about San Jose. San Jose has the biggest beer league hockey league in the United States close to 500 teams. But I think the reason it hasn't taken off in the us is because there isn't a lot of ice available, and also it's a big commitment of funds to get kids into the sport. Probably close $500 worth of gear to get started to play and the kid may not even like it. It's very expensive for league fees for adults and kids. Around $34 per game for beer league here in Northern California. Usa hockey needs to provide more free/loaner gear to kids who want try before they buy.

NHL possibly not letting players go to the Olympics next time won't help either.

It's popular in the cities where it's played, but even so, there are a couple of exceptions. The markets it excels best in are Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, New York, Buffalo, etc. The NHL doesn't understand how to get joe blow from Arkansas to want to tune in to watch a hockey game as opposed to him watching LeBron vs Curry again.

cause espn never covers hockey. its all basketball

The next time someone wants to talk about how they aren't happy the Final is in Nashville and how hockey is loved more in Canada, I just wish they would open their eyes first. You have a sold out stadium all year long in Nashville. You have sold out crazy games with them getting noticed nationally during the playoffs. You have thousands of people at watch parties outside the stadium and in parks in Nashville cheering the Preds on. To say that Nashville isn't now a good hockey market is total bullshit and this guy needs to be called out on it.

because there are no ice rinks to play on, there needs to be more.

Tim and Sid never fail to disappoint. Nashville has made profit over $100m since 2013,and the Sharks since 2008.

Marketing. Investment. Marketing. Investment. MARKETING. Take away the NHL from NBC and find a network who is willing to push it and market it as hard as TSN does. NBCSN NEGLECTS hockey so hard even though they have national distribution rights.

I'm from Minnesota which means I pretty much am Canadian and I love hockey.

He's right about the state of Texas. The Stars have done a really great job of investing into the community & growing the game. Just this year, a high school team & a 16-under team (both from Dallas) won national championships.

In New England its very popular

Because ESPN is owned by Disney... Disney owns ABC. Not much hockey on ABC. It has sponsorships with the MLB. and partnerships with TNT and Turner Broadcast Co. Disney and Ted Turner showcase their products (MLB & NBA), and do their best to block out its competition. It's business.

I'm sorry but Chicago is not the main hockey market in the US. Minnesota is the state of hockey

It's pretty popular here tbh. I live in Dallas texas and there is tons of hockey even down here

Because it's not "MURICA". Honestly I thought more of us Americans would like hockey because of the nitty gritty hitting and fights

hockey fastest game on the planet, most exciting

Because most Americans prefer the boring and uneventful NBA!

1. It takes so much time and money to learn how to play - you don't grow up playing it→you are less into it. 2. Hockey is naturally confined to colder places(all of Canada and the northern US states), so in most of America, kids don't grow up playing it. 3. Ticket prices are high. While it's true that, in general, the really high prices are in the avid fanbases and the less popular teams do charge less, they still charge more than baseball or basketball. 4. The other sports in USA mean it's harder for one sport to stick out as most popular, unlike in Canada.

As a hockey fan in Houston, it is hard to watch it consistently with no team, but I watch nearly every national broadcast game, and a majority of the playoffs

Its funny because Ottawa is the capital of Canada and they couldn't sell out game 6 of the ECF.

They missed the main reason. It helps massively to have played the game at an early age. That's when I and many who played all the major sports realize hockey is the best of them.

Enough with trying to make hockey "popular". Popular is a euphemism for making the owners more money and has no relation to making the game better. I am sure you could add a few more zeros to a financial spreadsheet if Lady Ga-Ga bungee jumped out of the rafters of Joe Louis Arena, but I'd rather let that sort of audience watch something else while we hockey fans get to keep our game unadulterated. And if that means the owners only get to be muti-millionaires instead of billionaires so be it.

It's expensive to play I would love to play it but my parents can't afford all the equipment

The Canadian elitism in this comment section is real.

Hockey is the most beautiful sport. So much things that are cool about it. Amazing saves, Cool goals (accurate shots or dangles, passes), Huge hits and so much more little details that you could pay attention to.

I may be a bit late but I think I can speak for many Americans when I say this, The Reason that Hockey is not as popular as Basketball, Football, or Baseball is because there is no High School or Middle School Hockey...And Unlike the NBA and NHL, You cant expect to flip your gym from basketball to hockey at your local High School so easily, Bottom Line the reason Americans have no interest in hockey is because its hard for them to get interested, and if its going down to Basketball or Hockey in a High School, its gonna be Basketball because that's what the kid were raised to know...Either get High School Hockey in America or it will never be as popular as basketball, football, or baseball. EDIT: Ok now maybe schools don't have to build a Hockey Rink if a local Rink will let them play games there, The only problem is that even then there isnt even enough local rinks either like your trying to tell me if Cletus decides he wants to get off the farm and play hockey in the small town of 400 kids he is gonna find a local hockey rink? Hell No.

Pittsburgh is a great hockey town everybody watches it and plays it. High school and college is so popular around here.

Most Americans have never played the sport which is probably the biggest reason they don't understand it hence don't care much for it. Hopefully the movement to introduce kids to it helps to increase its popularity but like many have said here, its expensive - equipment, ice time, coaching and lessons, learning how to skate, etc.

This old dude doesn’t know what he is talking about. ACCESABILITY AND MONEY is the reason why it’s not popular.

While football is my favorite sport, hockey is a close 2nd. I especially love watching the playoffs. I think marketing is the biggest factor. If you saw guys like Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being marketed the way Lebron James, Peyton Manning and others are, that would certainly help.

As a American yes the NFL is my favorite sport but the NHL is my number two well over Basketball and Baseball. I think the biggest reason is Basketball they just see Basketball as a fast free flowing game with more consistent scoring. It does not help that Hockey is not played as much as other sports but most kids in the US only play one or two sports anymore but watch more then that. Not enough people see the game like I do in that there is no other game on earth like it because it is played on ice at full speed. Americans do understand the game but unfortunately for those of us who love Hockey they prefer Basketball but at the same time who cares the NHL is still one of the top five grossing sports leagues on earth.

Americans like PK because he has a personality and is likable. Its not that hard to understand.

Because Gary Bettman

In my living room watching with my dad in Arizona... family is from Pennsylvania... I had to explain what a penalty kill is... people don't understand the rules and things... personally taught myself how to watch hockey by listening to podcast playing NHL watching hockey...

As a first generation American born and raised in South Florida of latino parents, baseball was my first love, then basketball. Never caught the football fever, though I do understand why Americans love it so much. I only became a hockey fan this year, but I already love the sport so much, and sounds of the skates and the puck being passed around for a great offensive play, the potential heroic save or the surprising breakaway, and yes the fights. It’s a damn shame that this sport (outside of Canada and the northern US) doesn’t get much media love.

Regular season hockey is unwatcahable. Hockey is good when it's intense and the teams are going all out. The 82 game season is far too long for the players to go all-out and maintain their health. Therefore, players take the vast majority of the season off, going through the motions. The playoffs are a different story: the players go full-force, and it's a pleasure to watch.

Its popular here in Michigan and other parts of the Midwest

Here in DC we all love hockey, been especially fun watching Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, etc.

Hockey ratings go way up when big market teams are winning. See Rangers in 94, and like mentioned in the video, the Blackhawks. The league somewhat needs the original 6 teams to be good, with exceptions of course. Anyone know why Wisconsin doesn't have a team? They love hockey, but only have the college team to support.

I have been a casual hockey fan for years. Every year the Stanley cup playoffs are far better than the NBA of NFL. I have become a big hockey fan. It took me awhile to understand and get it. But here in America there are hurdles. Understanding it is huge. But today the political climate is going to go against it. Because the hip cool political and social trend is anti-white racism. The culture sees hockey as not being diverse, "white man's sport". Racist. Boring. Lame because it's not promoted with hip hop music. Ps. Go Ducks

Because everyone likes nba for whatever reason and freakout whenever lebron dunks

Ok, it's annoying honestly when people say America doesnt care. Its apart of our big 4. it's considered a major sport. Its just that the other leagues get 10x more attention. The right question is, WHY ISNT HOCKEY *MORE* POPULAR IN AMERICA

If you come to Canada, you will see rinks everywhere, people playing street hockey and ice hockey during the winter. I went to Florida for the draft. I was shocked at the amount of baseball fields that I saw. Like every park in Florida had like 3 baseball fields.

texan here. texans love hockey. dallas got it right. admittedly it took me a while but now im hooked. amazing sport that borrows aspects of other sports, the action of football, speed of basketball, and the precision of baseball.

“Because they don’t understand it” that’s a pretty vague and terrible answer.

Florida checking in. We have some hockey here. However, its difficult to find gear for my 7 year old son. We're lucky to have two rinks within an hour of us. Butttttttt one is lucky to have gear in stock. The other is very proud of their prices. Play it again sports is the only other alternative and that's if you can find the right size. Online is always an option, but sizing the gear is best done in person, at least for the first fitting. Believe it or not I consider us lucky. Most of the country there just are no chances for kids to enter the sport. So I would say is assessment of Hockey in the U.S. Is fair.

I live in Detroit and hockey is insanely popular. The problem is simple. There’s very few games on tv. How can you grow a sport when you can’t easily watch it? NHL’s website is terrible as well. But here’s the thing, these guys trying to break down why hockey isn’t popular in America are ignoring the obvious. There’s 4 times as many teams in America as there is in Canada. Canadian teams have attendance issues too. Winnipeg built the smallest arena (seats 15,000) in the league for a reason. Ottawa is your capital and attendance is so bad they tarred over seats during the Stanley cup conference final. Your capital city couldn’t fill an arena during a Cup conference final but a team in Tennessee was sold out at the same time. Maybe look in the mirror Canada.

There are Americans that love hockey. That is the only sport for me, I understand the game very well and look forward to it. I am a lightning fan who's team has missed the playoff this year and can't stand not having hockey for as long as we have not had it.

Ive been getting into hockey these past 6 months of my life and speaking objectivley, I’ve noticed a particular culture of territoriality, there is also a very dry sense of humor in hockey until you are officially let in, part of the club so to speak, this may play into it also. It may not be like that everywhere but is like that in the US.

I'm from the States. I've been a hockey fan for fifty years. It's a great, fast and periodically brutal game. It takes patience and close attention to appreciate. The NHL rulemakers have done well with rule and rink changes to eliminate some of the more blatant hits. However, garbage like eliminating offsides from behind a team's defending blueline, just to facilitate offense, is indicative of desperation, incompetence and pandering governance.

The Stanley Cup Finals might get more TV viewers in the U.S. if NBC were to put the entire Stanley Cup Finals on it's broadcast network. Having the entire Finals on one network would increase viewership since people would no longer ask "What channel is the game on?".

I grew up playing hockey in the 80's, which was expensive then, it's even more expensive now. Just playing the game is a prohibitive factor. If kids are not playing the game as much, they ain't watching it as much either. That doesn't just apply to the US but Canada as well

Naturally, it's not a sport you can easily emulate. It's played on ice, which much of America can *get but not much of America can *use. We're a snowboarding country; we play with snow, not ice. Marketing is a problem, yes. ESPN not having a hand in the sport, considering the hype it created for NFL/NBA/College, is also an issue - but NBC does well centering hockey coverage. The players hardly speak up nowadays, far less than they did when I was a kid (personality matters). Diversity, and the costs of drawing a diverse interest in hockey and the ability for those groups to afford the sport, matters too. But when it comes down to it, outside of specific Eastern and Midwestern markets, it's far too easy to emulate an NFL, MLB, NBA or even soccer player and play that sport readily.

Excuse me. Lightning fans has help the game too. Don't ignore Tampa Bay. Thank you very much

Hockey's a great sport....and I don't even play. Any game where they don't even pause to substitute has got my vote.

To illustrate the knowledge of the featured guest, John Shannon, I give you the following quote from him which was published on KZfaq on May 26, 2017. "I'll tell you what, Tim. It's worked in Nashville for the hardcore hockey fan but I'll bet you that club has never made money." So, this was spoken by Shannon in 2017 during the Preds playoff run, presumably. Now you can Google this article published by the Nashville Business Journal which is citing statistics gathered by Forbes. The article is titled; "Forbes: Predators Now A Profitable NHL Team" published Dec.1, 2014 with revenue statistics taken from the 2013 season.

Like others have said, it’s not because we don’t understand it but the other major sports are marketed wayyyy more. Also, hockey isn’t nearly as accessible in the states. It’s a shame because hockey is such an awesome sport.

What's big deal. Nobody complain about New Zealand, Australia, Japan or India not watching hockey. Do ever heard New Zealanders or South African complain that Rugby not popular not in Canada or U.S. No.

Fighting makes the average American think of hockey as roller derby on ice skates.

That said, in Boston. Chicago and Detroit, also NYC the game is huge

You don't have to "see the puck" you watch the puck carrier... what the hell...

Mr. Shannon is absolutely correct at 3:02 of this video. USA Hockey has done a terrible job of promoting the game in the States. I have been a "non-traditional" hockey fan my entire life and USA Hockey has been a complete non factor in that journey. I understand that player development is their primary task. However, wouldn't that task be easier if they also worked to create a bigger pool of people who had interest in and access to hockey in the first place? It seems that their only focus is on the parts of the US that already have lots of hockey players/fans already. How does that grow the game?.....It doesn't! It appears that USA Hockey is content to let the NHL and American minor league hockey do all the promotion and fan development.

Hockey is booming in St. Louis, and I'm sure a lot of other towns. It's growing, it just takes time.

Ice Hockey did not take a long time to become wicked popular in Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York; the game was taken there by Canadian immigrants 120 years ago.

I grew up in Minnesota and hockey is super popular. It is easy to find a place to play the sport. Plus you can find used skates just to play pond hockey. Hockey is very part of the culture in Minnesota. I went to college in Iowa and lot of Iowans and Illinois thought I was weird for liking Iowa. The Blackhawks started winning several people jumped on the bandwagon. Now I live in Southern California where everyone things I am biggest Minnesota stereotype for liking hockey. It is hard to find hockey finds out here. One of the biggest fans I met moved here from Michigan so he really doesn't count. I met two people one is from the Bay who got into hockey by watching the sharks. The other likes AHL Gulls in San Diego. I met some people in some bars watching hockey games and they loved that I am from Minnesota and always ask me questions about what was it like to play hockey up there. I live in San Diego and I know of a couple of handful of rinks in the San Diego metro. NHL should be using money to build rinks and youth teams up in nontraditional hockey markets

To expensive, me and my brother both wanted to play but my mother wouldn't float the bill for all the equipment needed. I had to settle for deck hockey. It's pretty big in pittsburgh, there's a few players in the NHL from Pittsburgh.

They don't understand it. What an arrogant "Hockey Guy" thing you say. No one in the states cares about it is because it's accessibility and expenses. Not everyone can afford ice time. Especially when the game is considered the worst sport out of the major 4. And I say that because non of the players in hockey are polarising enough. People in the states can look up to and relate to a Jordan, Brady, Kobe, Jeter, Lebron etc no one cares about McDavid and Crosby two upper middle class kids no young kid can relate to and they are boring. This old guy is out of touch.

If the NHL wanted to expand the game,first off,put teams like Hartford or Seattle in,not Arizona or Las Vegas

I completely agree with the lack of youth hockey in the US as a reason for lack of fans. Secondly, hockey is a complete team sport and American kids are raised to embrace individual accomplishments instead of the team concept that Canadian kids seem to embrace, . I personally love the game and have been watching the Oilers, and playing (ball, roller, and ice) since 1981 and I hail from the states. Love your show, although i have to watch on youtube, but always worth the wait. Thank you gentlemen

Its definitely because it’s expensive to play with ice time, equipment and everything. Along with it being a cold weather sport, it’s hard to sell in urban warm weather cities. Not being on ESPN is a big hit as well.

It's one of the Big 4 sports in America (for now). MMA will replace either baseball or hockey soon. Don't get me wrong, hockey is great. It's just that a lot of Americans would rather watch MMA, NFL, WWE, MLB and the NBA. I really love and respect the passion Canadians have for hockey.

In America you love Baseball, Football, Basketball. In Canada you breathe Hockey. Hockey is to fast for many people.

It would be more popular if it was cheaper/easier for kids to get into and play in youth leagues

I absolutely love hockey and all sports! - American

I am a American I understand hockey huge hockey fan

Because hockey also cost way to much for most kids to play or even try. The equipment and rink time is way to expensive for most. Then you add on that other sports like basketball, football or even soccer. 2 kids if not even just 1 can grab just a ball and go out in the yard and play or toss the ball around. Just to skate around or play hockey you also need an expensive surface of some sort. All that added together. Most people just dont have experience or have been around hockey in their lives. So they just dont follow it as they get older. Not even mentioning the in game, on ice confusion. Of people simply not being able to follow the puck or able to know what's going on in a game, as well as the rules. If more people had access and experience to hockey. I beleive it would be the most popular sport in the world. It has absolutely everything a fan could desire..... Amazing individual skill and game changing.... Toughness..... Hitting.... Team play.... 1 player can win it for you, 1 player can lose it for you.... The grace of basketball.... Strategy... Amazing group of people and hard working culture... 1 shot can win it all, like a walk off homerun in baseball.... It's an amazing sport.

i was in st louis lasgt year and at there sporting goods stores they dont even sell any hockey equipment or jerseys

I can see the puck don't worry😂

What about some NHL players who were developed in Pittsburgh area such as John Gibson and Brandon Saad.

Because America isn't the best at it. They're maybe 4th

People in montreal loved Pk and still do... the only reason people in the RoC didn't like him is because he was a Hab.

joe sakic even has his own street in burnaby near by the soccer field & rec centers on the way to lougheed highway

Not all people in the United States plays ice hockey, ice hockey is less popular in the United States because the United States was a roller hockey nation.

Hockey favors the people who can afford buying ice skates. Football (soccer), basketball, and baseball are relatively cheap and don't take a toll on our wallets.

Also it's due to weather climent. Even though they are hockey teams located there.

80% of our population don't even know who the best hockey star is except Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Patrick Maholmes 🤣🤣

Honestly though I think it's just the fact that the climate is too warm and technology wasn't good enough to keep the ice cold. But from what I see around me (I'm a high schooler from suburban buffalo) about half the people I know like hockey, but most of them don't know how to skate. The other half just wanna be like the kids from the hood that rise up to the NFL/NBA and go with the trends. Part of it also is that everyone down here seems to want to be part of black culture (no matter their race) because it's "lit" or whatever and their go to sports are football and basketball so idk maybe I'm wrong but that's just what it seems like to me

But is there anything we can do as American hockey fans? Or do we have to watch these things unfold over time and just hope they turn out to be good?

Two big reasons: the speed of the game makes it hard to learn the rules. A person who's watched and played since childhood will notice the offsides or slash that happens and understand why play stopped. Someone just starting to watch as a teen or 20 something is going to get frustrated not understanding why play has stopped. Second is the lockout that made espn drop hockey was hugely detrimental to its popularity here in the states.

They are wrong we love ice hockey in the U.S.

I think they're are 2 main reasons. 1. There really isn't a #1 all power American Hockey player that everyone recognizes. Ok there's Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel and Jonathan Quick, BUT the "average" American probably couldn't recognize those names. I say Steph Curry or LeBron James, everyone in America knows those names. There isn't enough "sports media" coverage in America of hockey, ESPN talks about it for 30 seconds and that's about it. 2. 4 teams and 1 state have hogged hockey this entire decade and some of the last. Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Los Angeles along with California have been spoiled with success and it's hurting the growth of other markets. Why should I support the Panthers or Coyotes or Hurricanes when they have no chance against those marquee teams? And I'm not joking when I tell you that the only success hockey is really gaining in America is from those franchises. I went to a Bolts-Hawks game this year, at Amalie, I was outnumbered 3-1 as a Bolts fan... and I mean our franchise has gone to 2 straight ECFs and a Cup Final appearance, yet we still get outnumbered 3 people to 1 in our own arena... ridiculous.

Hockey is so underrated, I don't understand how people hate it, it must be the ice part or something. Hard to believe people rather watch basketball, but I suppose the best things should be underrated. Thats what makes them so special.