Thunder Bay the 'best hockey city in Canada'

Superior Morning5:53Zack Gallinger The 10 and 3 blog

Mackenzie Blackwood, recent draftee to the NHL joins a long list of pros from Thunder Bay. We talk about what makes this town so good at producing hockey's elite.It comes as no surprise to Zack Gallinger that another hockey player from Thunder Bay was drafted to the NHL.

Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood went to the New Jersey Devils in the second round in the recent June draft.

Earlier this year, Gallinger co-authored a report that lists Thunder Bay as "pound for pound the best hockey city in Canada"

He said one of the reasons is the opportunity for unstructured play in the city

"Thunder Bay just has a tremendous number of city sanctioned outdoor rinks. I believe the number was between 60 and 70, which is obviously a huge number, given its size," he said.

"I think having the opportunity for lots of kids to play makes a big difference."

Gallinger is the co-founder of the statistics blog The 10 and 3.

They'll be releasing a world-wide hockey study later this year.