The most engaged NHL fanbases have two very different scoreboards. During the 2024–25 regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs generated 25.6 million social media interactions, more than any other NHL team. Yet Carolina topped a separate study of 2025 Instagram activity with a 2.56% engagement rate. One franchise attracts enormous attention, while the other gets an unusually high proportion of its followers to react.
Think back to April 6, 2025. Alex Ovechkin fired his 895th career goal past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin at UBS Arena, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record. The Capitals captain celebrated with a belly flop onto the ice, while cameras captured a moment that instantly became part of hockey history. Across social media, the record gave supporters another reason to watch, react and revisit the highlights.
But a historic goal raises a difficult question about digital loyalty. How much of that attention comes from committed Washington fans, and how much comes from everyone else watching history? The answer matters when comparing the most engaged NHL fanbases. A viral highlight can attract millions of casual viewers, but getting supporters to return after another frustrating Tuesday-night defeat requires something deeper.
Toronto leads the NHL in total social media engagement
The Maple Leafs have spent generations at the center of hockey conversation. Their victories generate excitement, their defeats inspire lengthy arguments, and almost every significant roster decision becomes a debate. Social media gives those conversations another home, where supporters can react instantly to everything from an Auston Matthews goal to a controversial coaching decision.
According to Blinkfire’s 2024–25 NHL Report, Toronto led the league with 25.6 million engagements during the regular season. Washington followed with 24.3 million, while Boston recorded 21.8 million. The company tracked official team activity from October 4, 2024, through April 17, 2025, covering major platforms including Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube. Toronto also led the NHL in average interactions per post, reaching approximately 6,200, compared with Pittsburgh’s 3,700 and the New York Rangers’ 3,600.
That second statistic deserves attention because a team can increase its total interactions simply by posting more often. Toronto’s strong per-post average suggests its content also generated substantial responses whenever it appeared. Still, the Leafs’ lead doesn’t settle the argument about hockey’s most passionate online supporters. An enormous existing audience provides a head start that smaller franchises cannot easily match.
Washington offers a useful contrast. Blinkfire found that the Capitals led NHL teams with 291 million video views during the same regular season. Toronto followed at 176.9 million, while Boston reached 171.3 million. Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky offered Washington a storyline that extended far beyond its usual supporters, turning individual goals into widely shared moments.
Every goal brought Ovechkin closer to a record that had stood since 1994. Hockey fans who rarely watched the Capitals suddenly had a reason to check the highlights, follow the countdown and share another clip. That kind of attention carries enormous value, but someone watching Ovechkin make history isn’t necessarily becoming a Capitals fan. For the most engaged NHL fanbases, video reach and genuine loyalty remain two different measurements.
Carolina proves that engagement rates can change everything
Carolina’s social media identity grew from something most teams would have treated as an embarrassment. During the 2018–19 season, the Hurricanes began celebrating home victories with elaborate postgame routines called Storm Surges. Players performed synchronized claps, staged skits and occasionally turned the ice into a miniature comedy show. Then television commentator Don Cherry criticized the celebrations, calling Carolina’s players a bunch of jerks.
The Hurricanes embraced the insult instead of retreating from the controversy. They sold merchandise, incorporated the phrase into their celebrations and turned outside criticism into a rallying cry. During one February 2019 celebration, the arena lights dimmed while the team handed out shirts bearing its adopted identity. That moment established something more durable than a funny hockey clip: Carolina had developed a public personality that supporters could recognize instantly.
The approach continued long after the original Storm Surge controversy. After eliminating Washington from the 2025 playoffs, Carolina’s social account posted an image of a keyboard missing its Shift and Caps Lock keys. The caption read simply, “no caps,” a joke that needed almost no explanation. Capitals supporters understood the insult, Hurricanes fans had a reason to share it, and rival supporters joined the argument. ESPN’s May 2025 coverage also documented Carolina joking about an extra flight to Cancun for the eliminated Capitals.
That is hockey chirping adapted for a phone screen. Carolina doesn’t need a spectacular goal every time it wants supporters talking. Its social team understands that a well-timed joke after a playoff win can travel well beyond Raleigh. The approach gives fans something to participate in, even when the conversation moves away from goals, standings and individual performances.
The numbers support Carolina’s ability to generate responses. In a study published May 21, 2026, Covers found that the Hurricanes led NHL teams with a 2.56% average Instagram engagement rate per post during the 2025 calendar year. The study measured reactions relative to account follower totals. That doesn’t establish Carolina as the NHL’s most loyal fanbase across every platform, but it does show that its Instagram followers responded at a particularly high rate. A smaller audience can create an impressive amount of noise when everyone has something to say.
Utah Mammoth shows how quickly a fanbase can form online
The Utah Mammoth offer a different example of digital enthusiasm. When the franchise began play in 2024–25, it operated under the temporary name Utah Hockey Club. Ownership wanted supporters involved in selecting a permanent identity rather than introducing one without public input. On May 7, 2025, the organization officially adopted Utah Mammoth after a naming process that attracted more than 850,000 fan votes.
The franchise entered the 2025–26 season with its new name, logo and identity, as detailed in the NHL’s official announcement. Those votes were not social media engagements, but they revealed something meaningful about the market. Supporters had an opportunity to influence the franchise’s identity before its traditions had fully formed. That involvement helped create conversations extending beyond the team’s performances on the ice.
The enthusiasm also appeared in Utah’s social media performance. The May 2026 Covers study found that the Mammoth led the NHL in its 2025 engagement-rate analysis on two platforms, recording 0.57% on X and 0.21% on Reddit. The distinction between those platforms matters because the X figure examined team-account activity, while the Reddit analysis considered posts within team-related fan communities. Both measured interaction, but they did not describe identical behavior.
For a young franchise, those online conversations carry particular significance. Supporters can debate new jerseys, follow emerging players and argue about the team’s direction without decades of inherited expectations. Their conversations help establish traditions that older organizations already possess. An Original Six franchise brings generations of supporters into every season, while Utah has been building that sense of belonging in real time. Neither situation guarantees stronger loyalty, but both provide different reasons for fans to participate.
Florida’s repeat championship run shows the power of playoff engagement
Few moments generate digital excitement like the final seconds of a Stanley Cup Final. Gloves hit the ice, players rush toward their goaltender, and the winning bench empties before the celebration spreads across the rink. Florida experienced that feeling twice in consecutive seasons, first winning the Stanley Cup in 2024 by defeating Edmonton in seven games.
The Panthers followed with a repeat championship on June 17, 2025, beating the Oilers 5–1 in Game 6. Sam Reinhart scored four goals in the deciding game, while Florida secured its second title in franchise history. The victory delivered another enormous celebration for a team that had spent years building toward sustained championship success. Those moments also generated extraordinary social media numbers.
Blinkfire’s 2025 Insights Report recorded 12.0 million engagements for Florida during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Edmonton followed with 9.8 million, while Toronto generated 7.8 million. Those figures covered postseason activity from April 19 through June 17, 2025. Perhaps the most revealing detail concerned Florida’s audience size: the Panthers ranked only 14th among playoff teams in followers, yet led the postseason in total engagements, video views and estimated media value.
Blinkfire also found that Florida’s engagement and viewing rates per follower substantially exceeded the playoff median. The Panthers had turned another championship chase into an enormous digital event, drawing attention beyond their established supporters. Their postseason numbers demonstrated how a successful playoff run could push a franchise into conversations that rarely centered on it during an ordinary regular-season week.
Still, playoff success introduces an obvious complication. Teams that reach the Final play more games, provide more highlights and enjoy more opportunities to celebrate than clubs eliminated in April. A deeper run also brings in neutral viewers who might appreciate the competition without developing any lasting attachment to the franchise. Someone sharing Reinhart’s four-goal performance might admire the achievement without owning a Panthers jersey or watching Florida regularly.
A viral Stanley Cup clip proves a team has captured the wider hockey world’s attention. It doesn’t guarantee those viewers will return for an ordinary regular-season matchup. To judge the most engaged NHL fanbases fairly, researchers need to account for playoff participation rather than treating every team’s schedule as equal. Otherwise, postseason success can overwhelm the underlying differences between established supporters and temporary attention.
Short-form video has changed how hockey fans interact
Hockey highlights translate naturally to short video. A defenseman loses an edge, a winger steals the puck, cuts toward the crease and beats the goaltender before anyone can recover. Within seconds, the play becomes something viewers can watch repeatedly. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts give those moments a life beyond the television broadcast, allowing hockey clips to reach people who might never watch a complete NHL game.
According to Blinkfire’s 2024–25 NHL Report, the league’s official TikTok content generated 480.4 million views during the regular season. That represented a 259.5% increase from the previous campaign. Team accounts collectively produced another 467.3 million TikTok views during the same season, up 28.4%. The figures showed how quickly hockey content had expanded on a platform built around short, easily shared videos.
The scale grew larger when analysts counted more platforms. Blinkfire’s 2025–26 NHL Season Report highlighted approximately 4.6 billion team video views across all 32 clubs during the full season. That figure covers a broader set of channels and a different reporting period, so it should not be compared directly with the earlier TikTok totals. Even with those differences, the reports reveal how much of hockey’s digital attention now revolves around video.
Philadelphia shows why the best content isn’t always a goal
One of the most memorable examples from 2025–26 didn’t involve a player scoring. During a Philadelphia Flyers game themed around The Office, the team’s in-arena Look-A-Like Cam featured fans resembling characters from the television series. The resulting Instagram video became a major hit, showing that a hockey team’s most successful social post doesn’t always need an extraordinary play.
Figures highlighted in the STN Digital and Zoomph NHL social report showed that the clip attracted 5.5 million views, approximately 677,300 engagements and more than 100,000 shares. It also generated an estimated $122,289 in social media value. The video worked because the joke made sense outside hockey, allowing people unfamiliar with the Flyers to recognize the characters and share the clip.
That makes it an excellent example of reach, but also a warning about interpreting reach as loyalty. A funny arena video might introduce someone to a team without turning that person into a committed supporter. Whether the same viewer follows the next Flyers game remains a separate question. Teams can benefit enormously from those viral moments, but researchers need more than view counts to understand the connection behind them.
Why social media value doesn’t equal sponsorship revenue
The money attached to NHL social media can sound almost as impressive as the viewing totals. In May 2026, Sports Business Journal reported that the Colorado Avalanche led NHL clubs with $27.7 million in estimated social media value during the 2025–26 regular season. Boston, Pittsburgh and Montreal also exceeded $20 million. Across all 32 franchises, the study by Zoomph and STN Digital calculated $364.5 million in combined value.
Those figures require a clear explanation. Colorado didn’t necessarily collect $27.7 million from sponsors for its social media posts. The researchers estimated how much it would cost to purchase comparable exposure through advertising. They based that estimate on impressions, video views and interactions, using advertising rates to assign a dollar figure. In other words, the number measures estimated advertising-equivalent value, not actual sponsorship revenue.
That doesn’t make the calculation meaningless. A business partnering with Colorado wants evidence that its logo or sponsored content will reach people. Strong viewing and engagement totals can help the Avalanche demonstrate the potential exposure they offer. The club’s real sponsorship income, however, depends on negotiated agreements and what businesses are willing to pay.
For the most engaged NHL fanbases, this distinction matters because commercial exposure can reveal how widely a team travels online without establishing how deeply its supporters care. A viral post might deliver enormous advertising value while attracting people with little interest in future games. Meanwhile, a smaller but devoted following could generate fewer total impressions while maintaining a stronger connection to its team.
The metrics that separate loyal fans from viral attention
Suppose two NHL teams publish similar highlight clips. Team A generates 15,000 interactions from 1.5 million followers, while Team B receives 8,000 interactions from 400,000 followers. The larger account wins in total interactions, but its engagement rate reaches only 1%, compared with 2% for the smaller account. These hypothetical figures explain why raw engagement and engagement rates tell different stories, and why neither measurement works perfectly on its own.
Average engagement per post rewards consistency
A team posting 100 times each week has more chances to accumulate interactions than a franchise posting 30 times. Average engagement per post helps narrow that difference. Toronto’s 6,200 interactions per post during the 2024–25 regular season offered stronger evidence of recurring interest than its season-long total alone. However, even a per-post average can hide enormous fluctuations.
Imagine a club produces one viral clip that attracts a million interactions while dozens of ordinary updates generate almost nothing. That spectacular post can lift the team’s average without proving that supporters regularly engage. A more complete comparison would examine typical posts, posting frequency and performance across different game results. Consistency matters because committed supporters remain involved even when the team doesn’t give them a spectacular moment to celebrate.
Comments can reveal passion or frustration
A popular post might attract thousands of comments because fans love it—or because they absolutely hate it. Anyone who follows NHL playoff discussions understands the difference. After a disappointing defeat, supporters might debate a goaltender’s positioning, complain about special teams or demand changes to the lineup. Those comments demonstrate involvement, but they aren’t necessarily positive.
A rival fanbase might also flood the replies after an embarrassing loss, generating interactions that have little to do with support for the team itself. Counting those reactions as equal expressions of loyalty would distort the picture. Researchers should therefore examine the tone and origin of conversations wherever reliable information permits. Shares, repeat participation and reactions to ordinary team updates can add more detail.
Repeat engagement reveals something a highlight cannot
Consider how supporters follow their teams between games. A Bruins fan checks an injury update before work, watches a practice clip later and returns for the starting lineup. After the game, another visit brings a replay of the decisive goal. Those separate actions suggest a continuing relationship rather than a passing interest.
Teams with access to detailed account analytics can study returning viewers and repeated interactions. Public researchers usually have a narrower view, making it difficult to distinguish long-term supporters from occasional visitors. That limitation deserves recognition because no public engagement chart can fully measure the private habits of every supporter, much less the emotional investment behind them.
What the next generation of NHL engagement rankings must measure
The next serious comparison of the most engaged NHL fanbases should begin with a simple principle: a fan’s willingness to return matters as much as a post’s ability to go viral. That means examining teams across comparable stretches of the schedule. Regular-season engagement should stand apart from playoff totals, while ordinary posts deserve attention alongside record-breaking highlights.
Posting frequency also needs context. A franchise publishing hundreds of videos should not automatically outrank a smaller account that consistently generates strong responses. The same applies to platform differences. Instagram rewards visual storytelling, while X encourages immediate reactions to breaking hockey news. Reddit offers room for longer arguments about coaching decisions, prospects and roster construction.
The 2025 and 2026 studies already show why one universal leaderboard would struggle. Toronto’s massive interaction totals, Carolina’s Instagram engagement rate and Utah’s smaller but responsive online communities describe different kinds of success. None offers a complete answer by itself, especially when the platforms and measurement periods vary.
There is also a human dimension that percentages cannot capture. Picture a Canadiens supporter watching another disappointing third period. The television goes dark, but the conversation continues on a phone. Someone shares the missed defensive assignment, while another argues that the goaltender had no chance. The replies keep coming because the game still matters to them.
That’s the difficult part of measuring hockey loyalty. A supporter who watches silently every night might leave fewer digital traces than someone who stops by to mock an opponent. Better research can narrow that gap, but it won’t erase it entirely. For now, the most engaged NHL fanbases should be understood through several complementary scoreboards rather than a single winner.
The next viral goal will bring another rush of views, likes and celebrations. Those numbers will rise quickly, just as they did when Ovechkin made history or Florida lifted its second consecutive Stanley Cup. But the more revealing moment arrives after the excitement fades. The team loses, the highlights stop trending, and another practice update appears on the screen. Who comes back to watch?
READ MORE: Most Popular NHL Fanbases and What Their Merchandise Sales Reveal
FAQs
Which NHL team has the most social media engagement?
Toronto led the 2024–25 regular season with 25.6 million engagements, according to Blinkfire. That measures total interactions, not engagement rate.
Which NHL fanbase has the highest Instagram engagement rate?
Carolina led NHL teams with a 2.56% average Instagram engagement rate per post in Covers’ 2025 analysis.
Why are the Carolina Hurricanes so popular on social media?
The Hurricanes use humor, rivalries and memorable celebrations to engage fans. Their Bunch of Jerks identity helped establish a distinctive online personality.
Does winning the Stanley Cup increase social media engagement?
A long playoff run can bring more attention. Florida generated 12 million engagements during its repeat championship run in 2025.
How do you measure NHL fan engagement?
Compare likes, comments, shares, engagement rates and video views. Regular participation can reveal more about fan loyalty than one viral post.
