Calgary Herald

Poll finds fans have a burning belief in Flames

More than one in five think the team is poised to win the Stanley Cup this year

- YOLANDE COLE ycole@postmedia.com

The Flames may be Stanley Cup long shots but Calgarians love them anyway, a new poll shows, with a fifth of respondent­s believing the underdog team could go all the way.

A survey for Postmedia by Mainstreet Research reveals that 68 per cent of Calgarians believe the Flames are important to the city, with 37 per cent saying “very important” and 31 per cent “somewhat important.”

The poll, which was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, before Calgary lost 3-2 in the opener of the first-round series in Anaheim on Thursday night, also shows that just 13 per cent of respondent­s think the team would the series lose to the Ducks.

Further underscori­ng fans’ confidence, 21 per cent told pollsters they think the young team could win hockey’s ultimate prize.

“It’s a healthy number of people who are optimistic and who are willing to say, yes, they think this is the year,” said David Valentin, executive vice-president of Mainstreet Research.

The Flames and Ducks face off in the second game of the sevengame series on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The team, led by stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, finished the regular season in fourth place in the Pacific Division.

The poll, which surveyed 811 people, shows the team should be well-watched during the playoffs, with more than a third (38 per cent) of respondent­s saying they plan to tune in to all of their games.

Valentin said that’s a strong number of viewers.

The survey also suggests the Flames are nearly equally im- portant to both men and women, with 67 per cent of men saying the team was either very important or somewhat important, and 69 per cent of women feeling essentiall­y the same way.

The team is most popular with adults between the ages of 18 and 34, with 43 per cent describing the Flames as very important.

Valentin said men were more likely than women to say the Flames will win the Stanley Cup, with people over 65 the strongest believers of all.

“Over one in five (Calgary seniors) are saying that they think that will be a reality,” he said.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.44 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Mainstreet also polled Edmonton residents on their faith in their city’s hockey team, with 41 per cent believing the Oilers will win the Cup and 45 per cent planning to watch all of the playoff games.

When asked how important the Oilers are to the city of Edmonton, 40 per cent said very important and 28 per cent said somewhat important.

“More casual fans, it looks like, are being engaged by the Oilers right now than they are being engaged by the Flames,” Valentin said.

The Edmonton poll was also conducted on April 11 and 12, and surveyed 802 people.

It’s a healthy number of people who are optimistic and who are willing to say, yes, they think this is the year.

 ?? RYAN MCLEOD ?? A new poll shows widespread support throughout the city for the Calgary Flames with 21 per cent of fans believing the team can go all the way to the Stanley Cup. A similar poll in Edmonton showed almost double number of people believing the Oils can win the cup.
RYAN MCLEOD A new poll shows widespread support throughout the city for the Calgary Flames with 21 per cent of fans believing the team can go all the way to the Stanley Cup. A similar poll in Edmonton showed almost double number of people believing the Oils can win the cup.

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