Canadians enjoy a variety of professional sports, but there’s no doubt that the NHL is the most popular professional sports league in the country. This popularity is unsurprising considering the importance of hockey in Canadian culture as support for the sport has grown since it was first played in the 19th century.
However, while Canadians and sports fans may all love the excitement that hockey and the NHL deliver, they don’t all love the same NHL teams.
In a comprehensive study, BetMGM Sportsbook Canada revealed the most-followed and fastest-growing pro NHL teams of 2024. These results were found after analyzing follower counts for each team per division and their growth year to date on social media platforms X and Instagram. Find out how your favourite (and least favourite) teams performed.
Overall Sport Findings for 2024
- The NHL has an overall combined team following of 57,561,857 on X and Instagram
- The NHL teams have overall grown by +1,526,756 new followers
Overall Team Findings for 2024
- Pittsburgh Penguins is the most-followed team of 2024 (4,774,462)
- Edmonton Oilers have gained the most followers this year (+167,778)
- No teams are declining in followers this year
Overall Division Findings for 2024
- The most-followed division is The Atlantic Division (16,906,342)
- The least-followed division is The Pacific Division (10,648,102)
NHL Team Follower Growth and Total Following Per Division
Here are the studies findings on the team follower growth and the total following per division:
NHL Divisions
Atlantic Division
| Team | 2024 Follower Growth (+) | Overall Total Following |
| Boston Bruins | 100,292 | 3,418,516 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 30,557 | 1,429,225 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 67,551 | 2,249,533 |
| Florida Panthers | 143,575 | 998,313 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 41,938 | 2,605,426 |
| Ottawa Senators | 12,262 | 1,005,268 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 32,372 | 1,632,547 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 91,887 | 3,567,514 |
Metropolitan Division
| Team | 2024 Follower Growth (+) | Overall Total Following |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 46,641 | 1,114,062 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 25,448 | 978,247 |
| New Jersey Devils | 40,270 | 1,341,363 |
| New York Islanders | 25,879 | 1,069,099 |
| New York Rangers | 84,678 | 2,906,449 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 33,913 | 2,338,958 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 17,003 | 4,774,462 |
| Washington Capitals | 12,437 | 1,784,045 |
Central Division
| Team | 2024 Follower Growth (+) | Overall Total Following |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 8,422 | 4,204,402 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 50,143 | 1,443,649 |
| Dallas Stars | 69,153 | 1,780,602 |
| Minnesota Wild | 31,509 | 1,376,356 |
| Nashville Predators | 20,062 | 1,138,719 |
| St. Louis Blues | 23,472 | 1,534,033 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 27,228 | 1,085,888 |
Pacific Division
| Team | 2024 Follower Growth (+) | Overall Total Following |
| Anaheim Ducks | 39,526 | 1,137,079 |
| Calgary Flames | 33,732 | 1,175,461 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 167,778 | 1,952,209 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 8,397 | 1,871,285 |
| San Jose Sharks | 44,689 | 1,431,525 |
| Seattle Kraken | 31,693 | 960,977 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 137,647 | 1,866,301 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 26,602 | 1,390,344 |
Methodology
BetMGM Sportsbook Canada collected the social following data for each pro-NHL team on Instagram, X and Social Blade between January 1st and December 1st, 2024 to provide an overview of teams with the most and least follower growth, and the most and least followers overall.
The follower counts on Instagram and X were added together to conclude each NHL team’s combined social following and growth.
Disclaimer: Utah Hockey Club was excluded from the analysis due to its establishment in April 2024.
