I watched most of the Canucks Stanley Cup playoff games although I am not an ardent hockey fan. Apparently, neither are a great number of Canadians.
Sitting in my MDs office I thumbed through a Reader’s Digest magazine and found this interesting information compiled University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby.
According to Statistics Canada, a mere 11 per cent of kids ages five to 15 in our country play hockey regularly. More swim and 20 per cent play soccer, making it the largest sport by far.
And, amongst the adult population the most popular sport is golf, hands down, lost balls and all.
We may think we are a hockey crazy nation, but only three in 10 adults follow professional hockey closely. Another startling statistic to me is the fact that when the CBC broadcasts Hockey Night in Canada, 94 per cent of television viewers ignore the game and find something else to occupy them.
According to Professor Bibby, we are not the ardent hockey nation we are told we are. The game has relatively few followers.
Bring on the B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps!
Mike Harvey, Langley
