As the 4 Nations Face-Off has demonstrated again, the passion for hockey is global and it’s getting bigger.
Already an international league, the NHL is known for having a global audience; it plays many games across the globe and draws fans and players worldwide. Using Google Trends, OntarioBets.com conducted a worldwide search spanning on Feb. 18, 2025, spanning 20 years. We used this to see which team has had the most international interest during that timeframe. Turn to OntarioBets.com for more hockey stories and Ontario sports betting insights.
Rank | Team | Search Interest Score |
1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 25 |
2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 14 |
T3 | Montreal Canadiens | 13 |
T3 | New York Rangers | 13 |
T3 | Vancouver Canucks | 13 |
6 | Ottawa Senators | 12 |
T7 | Chicago Blackhawks | 11 |
T7 | Edmonton Oilers | 11 |
9 | Boston Bruins | 10 |
10 | Washington Capitals | 9 |
We offer an NHL betting guide for use all season, including the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Shhh, don’t tell the folks in Québec. The most popular NHL team worldwide, according to our research on internet search terms, came up blue and white – with no rouge involved.
The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled a search interest score of 25 during the span we studied, easily outpacing any other NHL team. We have up-to-date Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup odds with the final third of the season soon to get underway.
The Leafs have a long history of showcasing stars from around the world, reaching our farther than the traditional Ontario base. According to hockey-reference.com, the player with the second-most point shares in team history is Mats Sundin, a Swedish center who starred for the Leafs from 1994 to 2008. He had 114 points shares, trailing only Hall of Fame goaltender Turk Broda (120) in Toronto lore.
But that’s not all. Swedish defenceman Borje Salming and Czech blueliner Tomas Kaberle were among the many international stars to cement their place in team history in the modern era.
As of Feb. 20, this season’s Leafs have 11.91 decimal odds (or +1091 American odds) to win the Stanley Cup at Pinnacle Ontario Sportsbook.
Of course, hockey fans in far-flung places are also interested in Canadian and American star players. If you like good hockey, you have to be. But if somebody representing their homeland does well in the NHL, it gives global fans that much more reason to root for that player and, by extension, his team.
Second on our list of teams with big international fanbases is the Pittsburgh Penguins at 14 search interest points. Jaromir Jagr is a big hero in his Czech homeland and his longtime role as a Penguins scoring machine no doubt had an impact on the global following that Pittsburgh can boast.
The Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks are tied for third on our list with a search interest score of 13 each. When the NHL regular season resumes after the 4 Nations, the Habs and Rangers have work to do to make a dent in Stanley Cup betting odds contention. The Canucks are in a playoff spot now, clinging onto the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference.
Author
Jim Tomlin is an editor and writer specializing in sports, gambling and the intersection of those industries. He has 30+ years of journalism experience and his work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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