First, it is necessary to distinguish the north american ice hockey and the European ice hockey.
  Indeed, there is an big ditch between these two continents. In France for example, this sport is almost unknown, while in the north America, it is a real society phenomenon. We can observe this difference for example at the level of the ice rink:

European ice rink	North american ice rink

   To most French people, the legendary Gordie Howe, Jean Béliveau and Wayne Gretzky are unknown. Ice hockey is a permanent fixture in everyday life in Canada or USA, and the players who move to Europe attempt to promote this culture by displaying their talent on rinks in France. But there is no denying the fact that hockey is to Canadians what soccer is to the French, and that these are two completely different sport cultures.