58% of Canadians not following Stanley Cup final between Oilers and Panthers: Survey

Albertans may be watching every second of the Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers but most Canadians are not, according to a Leger survey.

Albertans may be watching every second of the Stanley Cup final but most Canadians are not, according to a recent survey.

The poll released by market research company Leger on Tuesday found that 58 per cent of Canadians are not paying close attention to the NHL final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.

The poll surveyed 1,528 Canadians and 1,003 Americans between Friday and Sunday.

The study found that 35 per cent of Canadians won’t be following the final at all, even though the Oilers could end a 30-year Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams. The Montreal Canadiens are the last Canadian team to win the championship, winning their 24th Cup in 1993.

Twenty-four per cent of Canadians surveyed say they won’t follow the best-of-seven series “very closely.”

Twenty-two per cent say they would follow the best-of-seven “somewhat closely” and 19 per cent say they would follow “very closely.”

Unsurprisingly, Albertans (58 per cent) are the most likely to be following the Oilers in the Stanley Cup final. Fifty-three per cent of respondents in the Atlantic provinces say they’re following, while 42 per cent of those surveyed in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are interested.

Quebec is the most disinterested, with 70 per cent saying they are not following the final round of the NHL’s playoffs.