Who’s the most popular hockey player? This highly contentious question has been debated by fans over great games and cold drinks for years. But what does the collected opinion of internet users have to say on the subject?
A recent study by Epiar, an Edmonton based internet market research company, explored the online demands of hockey fans as expressed through the hockey-related phrases entered into search engines.
Following an analysis of the names of past and current hockey stars entered into search engines in the heart of the 2005 – 2006 NHL season (over a three month period from December through February), some truly surprising results came to the surface.
Along with a handful of rookie phenoms such as Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Dion Phaneuf (all 2005-2006 Calder Cup finalists), an unexpected collection of retired and aging hockey stars appeared the most prominently within internet fan activity.
As clearly as they once dominated the hockey rink, retired players Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, and Scott Stevens were all near the top of the charts, continuing to grab the spotlight over contemporary stars at the height of their careers. Estimated daily searches for “Wayne Gretzky” across all search engines were well over 5000, not including additional searches on related phrases such as “#99″, “Oiler dynasty”, or “the Great One”.
The dominance of hockey players of Canadian origin (of any age) was also clear. Well over half of the top-30 most popular players were Canadian-born, despite the use of internet search information from around the English speaking world. Aside from reinforcing Canada’s reputation as an international hockey hot-spot for producing hockey talent, these figures also likely show the enthusiasm of Canadian fans for their home-grown heroes.
An interesting trend relating to the “large markets” vs. “small markets” debate was also revealed in this study. Five of the most popular 30 players were current or past members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite these players’ lack of on-ice statistical dominance over other players on this list. Perhaps playing in Canada’s largest market is a quick way to gain personal visibility?
The high search engine popularity of retired player Steve Moore, the recipient of a controversial hit by Todd Bertuzzi in 2004, was also noteworthy. Could continued public interest in this story highlight the continued association of hockey with violence for many people?
Along with tracking general player popularity in this study, Epiar also identified a series of more specific popular trends by examining the extra words entered into search engines along with specific players’ names.
For instance, internet searches for shirts and jerseys centered most heavily around players Peter Forsberg, Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux. Sporting merchandise retailers, take note!
Player names most closely associated with search phrases such as “does ______ have a girlfriend?”, “is ______ single?”, or “______ phone number” (likely entered by adoring fans) were Sidney Crosby, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza, Dion Phaneuf, and Dany Heatley.
Similarly, the highest demand for player posters, pictures, and online galleries centered around Jason Spezza, Sidney Crosby, Peter Forsberg, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Modano. Further evidence for Crosby and Spezza as “hockey’s biggest hunks?”
Buzz surrounding hockey cards and demand for signed jerseys was the highest for Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, and Mario Lemieux. Not bad company for the young Canadian skater.
Now that we have reached the offseason, with the draft completed, the Cup in Carolina, free agents finding new homes, and players enjoying their golf clubs, who knows which names will rise to the top in coming months?
