An interesting study has revealed which cities have produced the highest number of NHL players, with Toronto and Montreal leading the way.
A report published on NumberBarn shed light on the cities that have yielded the largest number of pro hockey players, as sorted by telephone area codes. Interestingly, the 416 area code belonging to the city of Toronto has landed a total of 502 NHL members.
The 519 area code, which belongs to Southwestern Ontario, an area linked to Toronto, has also yielded 359 players. In total, 861 players from the Toronto Metro region have made it to the NHL.
Some notable names from that region include Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, and Connor McDavid. Historically, the region includes former NHLers like Brendan Shanahan, Paul Coffey, and Dale Hawerchuk.
The 306 code belonging to Saskatchewan tops the 514 area code of Montreal by a slight margin. But when looking at the number of players winning awards, Montrealers top the list. 30 players hailing from Montreal have won at least one award in their careers.
It’s worth pointing out that Montreal has produced the greatest number of top 100 NHL players with 13, according to the study. The 306 Saskatchewan area is second with eight. The biggest name from Saskatchewan is none other than Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.
It’s also worth noting that no American area codes cracked the all-time top 10 in NHL player production. The only American area code to crack the list was the 952 code belonging to the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. That region is seventh on the list of active players, yielding 17 current NHLers. Players from region include New York Islanders captain Anders Lee and Vancouver Canucks star Brock Boeser. Additionally, former Colorado Avalanche great Erik Johnson hails from the 952 area.
Toronto dominates in scoring, Montreal in the crease
It may seem unsurprising to see that Toronto-area players dominate in scoring, according to the study. The 416 area code has produced a total of 24,470 goals, with Saskatchewan coming second. While Montreal-area players come in third place all-time, Montreal dominates in the crease.
As for points, the 416 region gets the nod with 63,568 total all-time points. The Southwestern Ontario region is second with 53,721, and Montreal is third with 42,721. Saskatchewan has produced the greatest number of points for non-Quebec or Ontario-based regions with 42,407.
Montreal has produced the most goalie wins of all-time with 4,575. The 416 Toronto area code comes in second, but the margin is just under 1,000 wins. That margin shrinks somewhat when the aggregate numbers from Ontario and Quebec provinces are added up.
When summing up the Montreal-Quebec regions, goalies hailing from that area tally 8,126 wins. Meanwhile, netminders from the Toronto-Ontario region clock in at 7,629.
Overall, despite hockey’s growing NHL appeal, the game is still very much historically dominated by two regions. That trend is likely to shift in the coming years as more regions worldwide produce increasing numbers of players. Countries like China have formed pro hockey leagues, which promise to yield future NHLers in the coming generations.