TORONTO (May 24, 2012) – Canadians may be passionate hockey fans – but their love affair with on-ice action sometimes puts a freeze on their love life. According to a Playoff Poll by romantic social network Zoosk.com, a lack of Canadian teams in the playoffs could have actually been a good thing for Canadian couples. Even in couples where both parties have watched playoff hockey, one in five women polled agree that their partner ignores them in favour of the playoffs.
While two-thirds of Canadians in a relationship polled enjoy watching the playoffs with their significant other, the survey indicates for a significant number of Canadian couples, the focus on hockey can put a strain on their relationship. According to the Zoosk Playoff poll, among women polled who were in relationships and watch hockey, 15% agree that their partner becomes obsessed with playoffs and it’s annoying and one-quarter say that fewer Canadian teams in the playoffs this year have meant less conflict in their relationship when it comes to watching too much hockey.
“I think most Canadians would happily sacrifice a few date nights to watch a team bring the Cup back to Canada,” says Shannon Tebb, Certified Life Coach and Dating and Relationship expert for Zoosk.com. “That won’t be happening this year so at least there is a bit of a silver-lining in that people can concentrate on the other loves in their life this spring.”
Singles will need to find another ice breaker:
It’s a different story for singles as the majority of Canadians think the playoffs are a good ice breaker. Two-thirds say the playoffs automatically give them something in common to talk about when talking to other singles and 50% say the playoffs provide a good atmosphere to meet singles out at bars or pubs.
“If your team is in the playoffs, it’s a pretty easy conversation starter, but I don’t think the lack of Canadian teams should affect singles too much. They’ll just have to be a bit more creative in their opening lines,” says Tebb. “It’s been years since the Leafs have made the playoffs, but Torontonians still manage to date!”
About the Zoosk playoff Poll:
From April 19th to April 20th 2012, an online survey was conducted among a sample of 1,001 Canadian adults who are also Angus Reid Forum panel members. The margin of error — which measures sampling variability — is +/- 3.09%, 19 times out of 20. The sample was balanced by age, gender and region, education (and language in Quebec) according to the most recent census data. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
About Zoosk:
Zoosk is the romantic social network that helps members create and share their romantic journeys, with millions of members from around the globe enjoying the service each month. Zoosk provides members at different stages of their romantic journey with a fun and social set of tools such as Romantic Moments, Couple Profiles, and the Personals application. Members can easily access Zoosk’s services from its website, its Facebook app, mobile devices, and a downloadable desktop application. Zoosk is available in 25 languages and has members in more than 70 countries. Founded in 2007 by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, Zoosk, Inc. is based in San Francisco and backed by Canaan Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and ATA Ventures.