Maybe you never thought about Santa being a sports fan at all, or, perhaps, you assumed he was a football fan because football is the most popular sport in the USA. You may have even believed that Santa loves soccer since he is a global figure and soccer is the most poplular sport world wide. Well, you are wrong. Santa Claus is a hockey fan.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-2Florida Football: Billy Napier would make Santa Clause transfer from Gators /
I would like to point out before we continue that these reasons, individually, do not make my case, but with their powers combined are CAPTAIN PLANET…I mean make my point.
Oct 5, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Canadian flag and a prop of the Toronto Maple Leafs logo during the playing of the anthem before the Maple Leafs
(NOTE: This is a legitimate address and if you (or your kid) send a letter you’ll get a response. There is also a USA address that will get a response, but this is NOT Santa’s real address, North Pole, Alaska is simply his US headquarters. The North Pole of Earth is technically in Canada)
After a 160+ years of living in Canada, I think it’s safe (and fair) to call Santa Claus a Canadian. And, really, who is going to argue that fact with a jolly, fat guy who brings gifts to you and asks for nothing in return (by which I mean me, who brings you the gift of hockey articles and asks nothing in return…)
Dec 6, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Manny Malhotra (20) and defenseman Andrei Markov (79) and defenseman Alexei Emelin (74) and at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
#4. Hockey Is the Most Popular Sport In Canada
Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, being Canadian does NOT automatically make one a hockey fan. Just like being an American does not mean you are a football fan. However, hockey is as big (and probably bigger) in Canada than football is in the US, so the fact that he is Canadian certainly increases the chance that he loves hockey.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-3Blue Jacket Prospects Win Traverse City Tournament: Who Stood Out? /
The 2014 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Gold Metal game, a game the Canadian team won, had more than 15 million people watching it. Granted, that doesn’t seem like much when the Super Bowl often flirts with (and surpasses) 100 million viewers.
The difference is, however, population. Canada has slightly more than 35 million people total. Simple math shows that nearly 43% of Canada’s entire population (42.8 % to be specific) watched what was quite possibly the biggest event in all of hockey. The 2014 Super Bowl (XLVIII) had 111.5 million American viewers, but the US has 316 million people. That’s 35.2% of the population. These numbers seem to indicated that hockey is more popular in Canada than football is in America.
Nov 27, 2014; Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada; A general view as the men
#3. The North Pole is Cold and Icy
But not too cold. In the “summer” time, the North Pole can reach temperatures as high as 32 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 0 degrees Celsius for our Canadian readers) and can get as cold as -45 degrees Fahrenheit (-43 degrees Celsius) in the winter. The ice is usually between just over 6 and a half feet to almost 10 feet thick.
Raise your hand if you can guess what surface hockey is played on that isn’t used as a surface in any other major sport. You’re right, it’s ice! Great job, I knew you could get it. Having a climate such as the North Pole has makes hockey the perfect sport to played indoors or outdoors year round at the North Pole.
This type of climate rules out the following sports: baseball, basketball, and soccer. Football, conspicuously missing from that list, occasionally plays on ice, but it makes for a very difficult game. However, as I suggested earlier, hockey is always (well, ice hockey anyways) played on ice, which makes it the easiest sport to be practiced and played in the North Pole.
NOTE: Individual sports such as skiing and snowboarding as well as team-ish sports such as curling and bobsledding are likely played there and Santa Claus may even enjoy watching them from time to time, but this article is focused on the major team sports.
Mar 2, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler (17) lays on the ice after taking a high stick by the Ottawa Senators during the third period of the Heritage Classic hockey game at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
#2. Hockey Sticks Are Made of Wood
You likely have one (or both) of two comments for this argument: 1) WELL DUH! 2) That’s not really accurate, Mr. Writer Man, most hockey sticks today are composite and contain little to no wood. Firstly, thank you for pointing that out. You are, of course, correct. Lastly, ALL hockey sticks USED to be made of wood are still fully legal in today’s NHL.
Well, then, what does a hockey stick being made of wood (or not) have to do with anything? Back around the time that Santa was first settling in the North Pole, all (or most) toys were basically made of wood, therefore Santa and his elves must have had a warehouse full of wood. The elves need exercise and to go outdoors once in a while and also have all that wood laying around. Hockey was first taking hold in Canada around the time Santa moved in which means that the elves likely used some of that wood to make hockey sticks.
As you can clearly tell from that clip from the documentary on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, elves make toys from wood.
Yes, I know, baseball bats are also made of wood, but as I argued a page ago baseball is nearly impossible to play correctly on ice and a white ball in all that snow would get lost easily. Hockey pucks are black and easier to see in snow and ice.
Wood is readily available in the North Pole (due to Santa Claus importing it year round) and is, outside of snow and ice, one of the easiest things to keep on hand. The elves never have to worry about running out of material to make hockey sticks.
Dec 6, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Santa Claus waves to the crowd during a break in the second half between the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons and North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena. North Carolina State won 78-65. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA Today.
#1. Santa Claus May Have Helped Create Hockey
This history of hockey has its origins in Europe in the 1830’s and ’40’s. As I pointed out earlier in this article, Santa Claus has Dutch origins and the Netherlands is in Europe. The Netherlands is (on a world scale) right next door to England, which is where some of the earliest instance of hockey can be found.
What this indicates is that Santa Claus became known to the world right about the same time hockey was being developed in his general neck of the woods. On top of that, Santa Claus’s first went to the North Pole in the 1850’s…just as hockey was taking hold in Canada! Santa Claus was both in Europe and Canada when hockey was becoming popular.
There you have it: Santa Claus is a hockey fan.
What team does Santa Claus root for?
The answer, I think, is twofold. First, I feel confident in proclaiming Santa Claus to be a Detroit Red Wings fan. His red and white Santa suit certainly sports the Redwings colors. The other team is the Edmonton Oilers, but that is mainly because the Oilers would be his market team since they are the NHL team furthest north. Santa Claus likely has NHL Game Center, but it is reasonable to assume he rooted for Edmonton in the 1980’s when the Oilers had Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.
