Willie O'Ree in Conversation with W. Graeme Roustan Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg3MTgzMzI2NzAyODcyNDYx/usatsi_17595896.jpg] The numbers don't lie. On Friday, SportsHandle released their data on the most-search NHL teams according to Google, providing a glimpse into which franchises are at the top of fans' minds in different regions across Canada and the United States. The results, at least in Canada, are far from surprising. As many could have guessed, the most-search NHL team in Canada is none other than the Toronto Maple Leafs, with the franchise eliciting 1,500,000 searches in their home country alone. The Maple Leafs also captured the title as the most-searched team globally overall, leading the way in 28 other countries, with, surprisingly, the United Kingdom coming in second place with 18,100. The Washington Capitals come in as the second-most searched team in the world according to SportsHandle, leading the pack in 16 individual countries, and placing second in Russia, home of Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin. As for the United States, back-to-back Stanley Cups have seemingly persuaded Americans into focusing on the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the franchise being searched 823,000 times to rocket to the top of the leader board. Internationally, it seems as if individual player recognition is the primary engine fuelling search results, as Leon Draisaitl's native Germany searches most for the Edmonton Oilers, David Pastrnak's home of the Czech Republic searches most for the Boston Bruins, and Swedish-native Elias Pettersson's Vancouver Canucks are the most-searched him in his homeland. While these results don't tell us the entire picture of a team's popularity, it does show just how important it is for the NHL to market its players in order to grow international interest in its product. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg3MTg0MTQ3ODQ2OTMyMzY2/infographic-nhl-world-map1.jpg]
