The following are key findings from a nation-wide COMPAS survey for CanWest News on public interest in professional hockey in the wake of the NHL strike. Key findings:

• Interest in hockey has fallen across the country because of the strike with fans spending more time with friends and family or watching other sports in place of following NHL hockey;
• Patriotism and camaraderie are the key drivers of enthusiasm for the game but there are some sharp regional differences—Torontonians and Ontarians are driven most by patriotism with Montrealers and
  Quebecers driven least;
• Albertans are team-obsessed—Albertan enthusiasm for hockey is driven so much by team loyalty that if team loyalty were an export crop, Albertans would be even more prosperous than they are;
• As part of our national character, interest in hockey cuts across all social and cultural groups—English and French; first generation, second generation, and Nth generation Canadians; Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims;
• With respect to the business and politics of hockey, Canadians tend to blame the players slightly more than the owners for the impasse and favour a small-league strategy over a big-league strategy by a margin of more than 3:1.

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