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NHL Nationality Breakdown between 1917/18 - 2009/10 Seasons
Published June 26, 2008 | Last Updated July 10, 2010
Charts below show the breakdown of NHL player nationalities between 1917-18 and 2009-10 seasons. Contribution of each nationality is displayed across the following statistics: Number of Skaters, Games Played, Goals, Assists, Points and Penalty Minutes. Chart data for each season can be viewed in the NHL Totals by Nationality stats page
Players
Goalies
Looking back at over 90 years of NHL history, the league has evolved from having an almost exclusively Canadian player base to a highly diverse league with player nationalities ranging from Croatia to Japan. After the 1970s, the Canadian dominance gradually diminished as players from the Unites States, Sweden and Finland began to find their way to the NHL in greater numbers. By the end of the 1980s, the share of Canadians in the league had dropped to approximately 75% and hovers now around the 50% mark. What's Related |