On Thin Ice

Exploring the Carbon Emissions of the NHL and their harmful effects.

Professional sports are often celebrated for their excitement, entertainment and ability to unite communities across cities and countries. However, behind the mask of sold out arenas and nationally televised games lies a significant environmental cost. The National Hockey League (NHL), like many major sports organizations, relies on extensive travel, energy intensive arenas and more that contribute substantially to carbon emissions. As climate change continues to intensify, understanding the environmental footprint of professional hockey reveals the weight of its impact. By analyzing the NHL’s carbon footprint, it becomes clear that professional hockey, as well as other sports, must take their carbon footprint seriously and find sustainable ways to lower it.

Let's drive a little deeper into the specifics of the NHL’s admissions. For starters, like any organized sport, travel is a major issue. Teams must travel constantly to face opponents on their home grounds. A regular NHL season has 82 games, 41 of those being away games. There are 32 teams currently in the league with about 23 players per team, meaning each one of them assists in the admissions. The Ecologist reported that the carbon admissions of the LA Kings from travel “was the equivalent to the amount of energy used by 7.1 homes a year and the same as charging 7,832,571 smartphones”. Even then I've failed to mention pre season games that aren't counted within the 82, the week-long break that happens within the regular season to facilitate specialized games or the extra games played if a team makes it to the playoffs. The week-long break itself produces many admissions as they are often played over seas (ex. 2026’s break was filled with the Winter Olympics meaning players had to fly to Milan, Italy and 2025’s break was the 4 Nations Face off, which was played partly in Montreal, Canada and Boston, Massachusetts). 

A vital part of ice hockey is undeniably the ice, undeniably its poisoning our earth. The process of creating the initial ice sheet involves roughly 12,000 to 15,000 gallons of water over several days; it is an energy intensive process that contributes significantly to the overall carbon footprint of an arena. Now take that all and multiply it by 32 for every team in the league. With the inclusion of: refrigeration, humidification systems, concessions, heating/ventilation/air conditioning, lighting, and media display, the NHL estimates there to be about 406 metric tons of CO2 emissions per game played. When multiplied by the total number of games played in one NHL season (numbers vary), you get relatively 499,380 metric tons of CO2 emissions per season.

The overall impact of NHL carbon emissions are worrisome. In order to regulate the players' ice, it jeopardizes natural ice. Sustainability Sports stated “More than 45% of carbon dioxide emissions, a major cause of global climate change, are due to electricity and heat production. Reducing this percentage is one of the most effective ways to combat global warming.” Because indoor hockey arenas depend heavily on refrigeration systems, lighting, and climate control, they contribute to global warming trends that threaten the sports origin. This in turn endangered Arctic wildlife by diminishing the availability of outdoor ice. If the NHL hopes to preserve both the planet and the long term future of the sport, meaningful change is necessary. Ultimately, the environmental impact of the NHL’s carbon emissions is too significant to ignore.