What is the racial breakdown of NHL players?
The share of Canadians in the league dropped to 75% by the 1980s and is now slightly less than 50%. In 2011, the NHL was composed of 93% of players who identified as white, with the remaining 7% identifying as varying ethnicities.
According to an article by USA Today, 97% of the NHL is white, while the other 3% is made of different ethnicities. Of the 3% of the remaining ethnicities, twenty-six are black. Twenty of the twenty-six black hockey players are from Canada while six are African American.
As you might expect, the NHL has diversified immensely in the last 100 years since its formation. Canada still leads with the most players by country, but the U.S. isn't far behind, and there are now 17 active countries with players in the NHL. For the 2018-19 season, 419 (43.8%) of all NHL players are Canadian.
The NHL audience is the richest of all professional sports. One-third of its viewers make more than $100k, compared to about 19 percent of the general population. Nascar's audience has the highest share of women (37 percent) and highest share of white people (94 percent).
In the 21st century, the percentage of non-Hispanic white players has decreased slightly, falling from 29.0% in 2003 to 26.8% in 2019.
As of 2020, 57.5% of NFL players were Black, 0.4% Hispanic or Latinx, 0.1% Asian, 1.6% Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian.
According to Infogram | MLB Players % by Race:
White - 57.5% Hispanic - 31.9% Black - 7.7%
The most common ethnicity among hockey players is White, which makes up 78.0% of all hockey players. Comparatively, there are 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.8% of the Black or African American ethnicity.
The state most widely associated with hockey. Minnesota has produced the most players in NHL history (7432) and has the most active players (51).
- 8 8. Switzerland.
- 7 7. Czech Republic.
- 6 6. Slovakia.
- 5 5. United States of America.
- 4 4. Finland.
- 3 3. Sweden.
- 2 2. Russia.
- 1 1. Canada.
What percent of the NBA is white?
According to racial equality activist Richard Lapchick, the NBA in 2021 was composed of 73.2 percent black players, 16.8 percent white players, 3.1 percent Latino players of any race, and 0.4 percent Asian players. There were 6.6 percent of the players classified as "other" races.
In the history of the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers have led the way by dressing 11 black players (12 if you count Darnell Nurse who has played in the preseason but has yet to make his Oilers regular season debut) which is the league record for a single franchise.

Today, no NHLers come from Ukraine, but four NHLers that skate under the Ukrainian flag have played in at least 200 games – Dmitri Khristich, Ruslan Fedotenko, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Alexander Godynyuk.
The most common ethnicity among professional athletes is White, which makes up 78.0% of all professional athletes. Comparatively, there are 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.8% of the Black or African American ethnicity.
Of the major team sports, professional ice hockey has the smallest fan base in the United States, with 31 percent of Americans saying they are fans of the sport.
The top U.S. major leagues and European soccer leagues are quite popular among female sports fans, approaching the popularity levels among men. In the U.S., 56% and 50% of female fans selected the NFL and MLB as a favorite league, compared with 68% and 57% of male fans.
For North American players, the Oilers and Canadiens lead the league with 20 Canadians and the Bruins lead with 13 Americans.
Some left-right stats: Roughly 60 to 70 percent of NHL players are left-handed shooters, depending on the season. Six of the NHL's top 10 current scorers are lefty shots, but three of the top five goals leaders shoot right-handed.
Safety concerns and injury prevention were the primary reasons for banning left-handed sticks from IHF-sanctioned competitions. According to officials, left-handed sticks create too much danger on the field when used in competition against right-handed sticks.
Despite a nearly 50-50 split along the offensive line, at center more than 81 percent of the players are white. Conversely, cornerback is the blackest position on the field: 99.4 percent of players are African-American.
What percent of NFL fans are black?
Characteristic | Avid fan | Casual fan |
---|---|---|
White | 32% | 34% |
Hispanic | 34% | 30% |
Black | 43% | 27% |
Other | 29% | 29% |
In 2020, the Black or African American alone population (41.1 million) accounted for 12.4% of all people living in the United States, compared with 38.9 million and 12.6% in 2010.
Doug Williams changed the NFL forever and will always be remembered as the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. In 1978, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up the young QB in the first round of the NFL draft.
The most common job before being a head coach is an NFL offensive coordinator — a group that is currently 80 percent White — or an NFL defensive coordinator, currently 60 percent White. But who is responsible for the complexion of the pool?
During the 2013 season, 67 percent of NFL players were African American (black people make up 13 percent of the US population), yet only 17 percent of quarterbacks were; 82 percent of quarterbacks were white.
SEATTLE — Of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, the Mariners currently have the most African Americans on their spring training roster.
The White Sox, though, will have more. “There's always more Americans than Latinos, but this is a team with a lot of Latinos, principally in the lineup, who play every day,” said Jimenez, who was born and raised in the Dominican Republic.
The dramatic increase in Latin players in the major leagues is due to several factors. First, the major league expansion that began in 1961 eventually increased the number of teams from 16 to 30 and forced owners to look farther afield to fill player rosters.
What percentage of the NHL players are American? Players born in America makeup 24.8% of the players in the NHL during the 2019-2020. That accounts for 157 players from American origin playing in the NHL, putting them as the second highest group behind Canada (42.7%) and ahead of Sweden (12%).
According to a survey conducted in December 2021, around 18 percent of male respondents in the United States were avid fans of the NHL.
Where is hockey least popular?
Geography. The least popular teams in the NHL are mainly the expansion teams situated in the sun-belt of the southern US states; the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Coyotes are prime examples. Interestingly the New York Islanders a team with x4 Stanley Cups and based in the Northern states rank remarkably low at 27th ...
Fanbase. Ice hockey is traditionally popular in Massachusetts (and New England in general), Michigan, New York (especially Upstate New York) and Minnesota within the United States. Minnesota is known as the hockey capital of the US.
1 Minnesota. Minnesota is the “state of hockey” and there's little doubt about that. The state has produced some of the best American hockey players in the history of the game, and has had the best college and high school programs for as long as they have existed.
The modern game of hockey emerged in England in the mid-18th century and is largely attributed to the growth of public schools, such as Eton. The first Hockey Association was formed in the UK in 1876 and drew up the first formal set of rules.
rank | team | pointspts |
---|---|---|
1 | CanadaCAN | 4120 |
2 | United StatesUSA | 4120 |
3 | FinlandFIN | 3940 |
4 | SwitzerlandSUI | 3790 |
Where is ice hockey most popular? Ice hockey is immensely popular in Canada, where it is the national winter sport and arguably the country's most popular game. Hockey is also popular in the United States and in European countries such as Russia, Sweden, and Finland.
The most common ethnicity among hockey players is White, which makes up 78.0% of all hockey players. Comparatively, there are 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.8% of the Black or African American ethnicity.
In the history of the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers have led the way by dressing 11 black players (12 if you count Darnell Nurse who has played in the preseason but has yet to make his Oilers regular season debut) which is the league record for a single franchise.
Hockey has come a long way since Bill Guerin became the NHL's first player of Hispanic descent when he made his debut with the New Jersey Devils on Feb.
For North American players, the Oilers and Canadiens lead the league with 20 Canadians and the Bruins lead with 13 Americans.
What percent of NHL players are American?
What percentage of the NHL players are American? Players born in America makeup 24.8% of the players in the NHL during the 2019-2020. That accounts for 157 players from American origin playing in the NHL, putting them as the second highest group behind Canada (42.7%) and ahead of Sweden (12%).
The state most widely associated with hockey. Minnesota has produced the most players in NHL history (7432) and has the most active players (51).
Grant Fuhr
Grant Fuhr has been described as the best black hockey player. He has always been described by Wayne Gretzky as the greatest goaltender ever. He was the first black player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He serves as a role model to young hockey players of any color.
As of 2020, 57.5% of NFL players were Black, 0.4% Hispanic or Latinx, 0.1% Asian, 1.6% Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian.
Five of them belong to black players: goaltenders Grant Fuhr and Eldon “Pokey” Reddick from the Edmonton Oilers' five championships in the 1980s and 90s; goalie Ray Emery and defensemen Johnny Oduya and Dustin Byfuglien from the Chicago Blackhawks' Cup-winning teams in 2013 and 2015.
According to a survey conducted in December 2021, around 18 percent of male respondents in the United States were avid fans of the NHL.
Khaira is the third player of East Indian descent to play in the NHL, following journeyman Robin Bawa, who played 61 games in the 1990s (Washington, Vancouver, San Jose, Anaheim), and Manny Malhotra, the 1998 pick of the New York Rangers who went on to play 991 games.
Canada – 310 (43.0%)
As one might expect, Canada still reigns supreme in terms of which country's players are the most well-represented in the NHL.