Which team is each state rooting for in the Stanley Cup?

New data shows which NHL team fans across North America want to see win the Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cup Final is here, and hockey fans across North America are tuning in with excitement.

Whether you’re a lifelong supporter or a new fan riding the playoff wave, this year’s final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers promises fast-paced action, fierce competition, and a chance at glory.

Social media buzz has been steadily growing as fans from coast to coast weigh in on who they’re backing, and some interesting patterns are emerging state by state.

From Florida to Alaska, hockey fever is alive – even in places you wouldn’t necessarily consider traditional hockey markets.

With this in mind, NHL betting site Betway collected sentiment data across social media’s biggest platforms to discover which team will be supported by each state.

Here is a look at which team the U.S is rooting for:

California is completely split, with 15% support for both the Panthers and the Oilers – no clear favourite in the Golden State. Texas tips toward Florida, with 19% of sentiment favouring the Panthers compared to just 12% for the Oilers. In Florida, unsurprisingly, hometown pride is strong, with 26% backing the Panthers, while Edmonton lags behind at 15%.

New York also leans toward Florida at 21%, with Edmonton only drawing 12%. Pennsylvania is a true battleground, showing equal support for both teams at 16%. Illinois and Michigan are nearly as close – Illinois gives a slight edge to Florida at 15% vs. 14%, and Michigan’s fans are similarly split, at 17% for the Panthers and 16% for Edmonton.

Ohio leans toward Florida with 23% of sentiment versus 13% for Edmonton. Georgia is also in the Panthers’ camp, 21% to 14%, and North Carolina rounds out the group with 14% for Florida and 12% for Edmonton.

So across the ten largest states, the Florida Panthers hold a modest but consistent edge in online support. Edmonton has pockets of fans, but Florida’s making the bigger noise where the population is thickest

North of the border, the sentiment around the Stanley Cup Final is also making waves, particularly in five major Canadian cities.

Unsurprisingly, Edmonton itself shows the strongest support for the Oilers with 21% positive sentiment, as the hometown crowd rallies behind their team’s shot at glory. Calgary, traditionally a rival city, still shows some national unity, with 19% of the population backing the Oilers despite local competition.

Montreal and Toronto, two of Canada’s biggest hockey markets, are a bit more restrained. Montreal leans toward Edmonton at 18%, while Toronto gives them 16% – solid, but not overwhelming. Vancouver is the only Canadian city in this group showing any real split, with 20% support for the Panthers and 15% for the Oilers, hinting at a possible undercurrent of Western Conference rivalry.

All in all, while Edmonton has the home-field advantage in Canada, fans across the country are chiming in – some out of support, others possibly out of rivalry – but all with a shared passion for playoff hockey.

Methodology

This analysis was conducted using social listening technology to track and measure fan sentiment across major social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.

The “fan score” for each location represents the percentage of posts expressing positive sentiment toward either the Florida Panthers or the Edmonton Oilers in the lead-up to the Stanley Cup Final.

Most social media posts are neutral in tone, which explains the relatively low percentage values in the fan scores.

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