Gas prices have always been a hot topic, but have recently centred around a negative and frustrating conversation. As gas prices have risen, so has the sale of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. It has led to a complete shift in the global production and marketing plan of automakers.

On the flip side, Canadians are now experiencing a four-year low in gas prices all over the nation. In some instances, average retail prices have dropped as much as 3¢ to 4¢ per litre. As of last week, the national average sits at $1.15 per litre.

With this great news, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) attempted a survey to see if gas price talk has become more popular than our national pastime – hockey.

CAA ended up asking over 1,200 Canadians to rank their most popular topics of conversation. The top three ended up being obvious choices: family/kids, weather and work. What's interesting is that hockey and other sports ranked eighth, while gas prices finished in fifth ahead of even the local news.

“Gas prices are a more popular topic for Canadians than hockey,” says Jeff Walker, vice-president of public affairs, CAA National. “This just goes to show how much focus Canadians put on the price of gas.”

It just proves that gas price fluctuation is a hot topic that concern many Canadians on a day-to-day basis. In the past half a decade, it's not been easy to just pick up and go for a long drive or road trip – fuel costs definitely get in the way and Canadians are keeping a close eye on how much they spend.

Now with great NHL season starts by the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks combined with gas price lows – it's hard to say how long until these topics exchange positions.

To check out fuel costs, CAA has their own Gas Price Monitor that can be seen at getgasprices.ca. You can get up-to-date prices at over 11,000 gas stations across Canada.