That's ice as in hockey, not tea. It's just the opposite of what you'd think. The further south you go the higher attendance in hockey. The further north you go the higher attendance in minor league baseball. Hockey blends all of the major sports, especially football and basketball.
Fans love the fighting, which combines the best and worst aspects of boxing and wrestling.
And in the land where there used to only be football and spring football, the physical contact is nothing but a plus for hockey. There's nothing quite like a good body check to get the crowd pumped. Eighteen years passed before I went to my first game. The game wasn't that physical, which the WPHL's Director of Scheduling and Media Services Steve Cherwonak attributed to the Russian team's high skill and finesse. Other gimmicks promote crowd involvement.