Mayor Brian Bowman is defending Winnipeg after a survey of anonymous NHL players revealed Winnipeg is their least favourite city to visit.

The ESPN poll asked 50 players a series of irreverent questions, including which of the league's 31 cities they dreaded visiting most.

It found that 42 per cent of them cited Winnipeg.

One player said "Winnipeg. It's always cold. Tough rink to play in. It's just dirty — you walk around the city and feel like you need to wash your face after you go outside. So nothing about it is very exciting."

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday Bowman took time to respond to the cheap shots.

Bowman asked, "who are these fragile hockey players who play a winter sport but can’t handle a little winter?"