CALGARY – For die-hard Canadian hockey fans, their schedule is about to open up and perhaps their hearts too. At this point in the season, it might be time to hang up your singles jersey.
According to the online dating site Match.com, losses on the ice could lead to luck in love. The matchmakers said 21 per cent of Canadian singles admit to dating less during the playoffs.That might mean more money in your pocket, more sleep with no late night games and maybe…just maybe…meeting someone special.When it comes to individual team’s fans’ so called “game”, the survey said Calgary fans start off hot and then fizzle out… just like their Flames. Second date Unlikely.Oilers fans, like the team they love, are experiencing a drought.The absence of the playoff beard might be a good thing for single ladies. Match.com said 80 per cent of Canadian women prefer their men clean shaven.The last time the NHL playoffs was an all-American affair was in 1970, 46 years ago. The NHL had just expanded to 14 teams, three of them Canadian.That same year in Alberta, the oil boom was creating more multi-millionaires than any time before in Canadian history.A Trudeau was also prime minister then. Some things never change.There’s no recipe for a Stanley Cup team but a Canadian one hasn’t raised a cup since the Habs in 1993. How many more building blocks does it take in this relationship? Well two-time Stanley Cup champion and Albertan Darryl Sutter, who is the head coach of the LA Kings, knows a thing or two about the timeline for a rebuild.“If you pick really high..especially the way the salary cap is and the way the lottery is – you pick really high for a number of years..that rebuild should be winning championships within three or four years,” said Sutter.“I’m from Alberta. I wish all seven teams were in the playoffs. But if they were, it might be like last year, we might not make it,” said Sutter.NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is far from cupid, because he’s banking on hockey fans still tuning in to Canadian players competing on the American teams in the post season.“As long as the hockey is entertaining and exciting and competitive we’re hoping and expecting that fans will tune in and watch great hockey,” he stated.Match.com states the following stats from their survey about hockey fans who are charging ahead in the dating game.Flames forward Joe Colborne said it’s too bad for Canadian fans who are the most passionate in the world but the playoffs are still worth watching.“Most of the top players on the American teams are Canadian anyways, so it’s not like there’s a lack of Canadian talent or anything like that. I think it’s just more of a freak incident,” said Colborne.WATCH BELOW: Canadian NHL teams are making history for a second time, but not for good reason. All seven hockey clubs are missing the playoffs. The last time this happened was in 1970. Is this a rare event or a sign of what’s to come? Lisa MacGregor reports.
![Click to play video: 'Is the Canadian playoff drought just a rare event, or sign of things to come?']()
THE MOST POPULAR TEAMS ON MATCHIt comes as no surprise that hockey is popular among Canadian singles. These are the most popular Canadian hockey teams, according to Match profile data:
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Ottawa Senators
- Vancouver Canucks
- Winnipeg Jets
- Montreal Canadiens
- Edmonton Oilers
- Calgary Flames
Montreal Canadiens  | When it comes to relationships, the number one thing Habs fans are looking for is someone who respects them. With the most Stanley Cup wins, who can blame them? |
Ottawa Senators  | Sens fans are in the game, but they aren’t having much success. On average, they’ve had sex the least number of times compared to other hockey fans. |
Toronto Maple Leafs  | Leafs fans have gone on the least number of first dates over the past year. Like their favourite team, Leafs fans might put themselves out there by looking online, but haven’t been able to close the deal. |
Winnipeg Jets  | After more than a decade without a team, Jets fans have developed the tendency to hold on. With their average date lasting two hours and 10 minutes, Jets fans go on the longest first dates. |
Edmonton Oilers  | Oilers fans, like the team they love, are experiencing a scoring drought. Sixty-one per cent of Oilers fans have not had sex in the past year. |
Calgary Flames  | Like the team, Flames fans start off hot and then fizzle out. Flames fans are the least likely to get a second date. |
Vancouver Canucks  | The Stanley Cup riot and continued failed attempts at the playoffs may have given Canucks fans some trust issues, as they most want a relationship with someone who they can trust and confide in. |
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