Pro Hockey Thread

[RyDogg66]

So I have never been a huge hockey fan, but always had respect for it and really enjoyed going to Badger games the past 10 years when I lived in Madison. My 4 year old son is now playing and he is nuts about it, that makes me more interested, but since Wisconsin doesnt have a professional team I dont have a natural team to root for. So which pro team should I pick? Here are some thoughts, maybe one of these, maybe a team I am overlooking.

 

In no particular order:

 

St. Louis Blues: Pros: My childhood favorite team. My mother's side of the family is from the 'Lou and they always sent me Blues stuff when I was a kid. Brett Hull is my all time favorite player and back in the early 90s I dominated in Sega Genesis NHL Hockey with the Blues. Hull, Curtis Joseph, Craig Janney, Adam Oates, Brendan Shanahan and later Al McInnis and Chris Pronger.

Cons: Lost touch with the team over the past 10 years, no clue who is on the squad now and not a lot of recent success or rich history of titles.

 

Chicago Blackhawks: Pros. Local, geographically speaking. Just signed Jack Skille, a badger. Just won the Cup, so they are good.

Cons: It's Chicago, 'nuff said.

 

Minnesota Wild: The other local team. Richer Hockey history in the state - even if Wild are not the Stars. Robbie Earl.

Cons: Not as hard to root for Minnesota as Chicago, but with Badger rivalry with the Gophers, hard to align self with the city.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins: Mario Lemiuex, Jagr, Kevin Stevens days made Pens attractive second team in the 90s. Badger Bob Johnson was the coach, Sidney Crosby is young and awesome, so my son would be rooting for one of the best players for a long time. One of the three teams on my son's Stiga Hockey Table Hockey game so he is familiar with them.

Cons: Far away from here, may be harder to follow. Seems like a "front runner" type of selection given past and recent success. A lot of people dont like Crosby (not sure why, just get that feeling)

 

Nashville Predators: The Admirals tie-in is the big sell.

Cons: Who are these guys, a franchise along the vein of Atlanta Thrashers and Phoenix Coyotes that just seem to exist for no reason and with no identity. Is there mascot the predator from the Predator movie?

 

Suggestions?

[trwi7]

I'm a fan of the Predators (because of the Admirals) and the Wild (even though they suck http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif ) because I get a ton of Wild games on TV and I hate all things Chicago.

 

The Predators are named after the 9 inch fang and a foreleg bone of a saber-toothed tiger that was found in 1971 in downtown Nashville while the First American Center was under construction.

 

Just root for whatever team you want, as long as it's not Chicago. They don't need anymore bandwagon fans. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

As far as the Penguins being hard to follow. With Crosby and Malkin there's no shortage of games on Versus or NBC.

 

Edit: Just looked and the Penguins had 13 games between Versus and NBC last year.

 

Edit: I should add I also like following Buffalo. Small market but they have some great fans and I just kind of like them, don't really know why.

 

I'm also not a huge fan of the team in general, but easily the best fans and best atmosphere for a game is Montreal at Bell Centre. Their fans are insane all the time, it's great to watch. I watch every game of theirs I can because of that reason.

[dadofandrew]

I used to root for the Flames when Bob Johnson was their coach, and for the Rangers when Richter was their goalie.

 

If forced to choose today, I'd probably either go with TB, which is where Erin Andrews got her start, or a Canadian team, like Edmonton or Ottawa, based on their market and currency disadvantage which makes them a perennial underdog.

[homer]

Root for the Maple Leafs. That town will go absolutely bonkers if they ever win a Cup.

[burniebrewer]

Canadian teams are always fun to watch because of their passionate fans creating a great atmosphere. I love watching the Saturday night Canadian team match-ups each week.

[GAME05]

seems like it'd be hard to just pick a team and start rooting when you don't have a particular event/experience to make you keep cheering for them. i smell a good Christmas Break road trip with the kid to a few arenas. then the team he decides to like the best by default becomes your favourite team, too.

 

or maybe Fantasy Hockey can decide it. you tend to end up with one player you really like, or two or three players from one team where you just end up rooting for that team.

[logan82]

Pick the team with the most Badgers.

[BrewCrewForever]

I really want to be a Blackhawks fan, I love Kane and Towes plus they have former Badgers on the team and are close geographically. But the fact they are Chicago team I just find it so hard to fully root for them.

[trwi7]

 

Be a fan.? You know you want to. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[zurch1818]

I'm really just a fan of the NHL. If a game is on TV, I will watch it. Versus on Monday and Tuesday nights does a great job. If I had to pick a team to follow though, it would probably be the Wild. My old college roommate was from St. Paul, so that kind of rubbed off. Another and better reason is that FSN picked up 20ish games last year. Whenever the Bucks aren't on FSN and the Wild are, FSNwi will pick up the Wild.

 

Hockey is a sport that you have to watch to be entertained. It is nothing like baseball where a radio will suffice. Therefore, choosing the Wild is logical (only because a lot of games are on TV). But if you want to pony up the money for Center Ice, then the possibilities are endless. Madison has been in the Wild Market in the past, so don't be surprised if they get blacked out if you choose to go the Center Ice route.

 

I guess this is a semi off topic question. What sites are you guys using to get NHL trade rumors (ideally something like MLBTR). I found mynhltraderumors.com, but this doesn't update as much as I would like. It is a lot better than nothing though.

[1e Corbeau]

Welcome to Pro Hockey fandom!

 

As other's have mentioned, despite the fact that they're the closest team, I found it impossible to cheer for the Blackhawks, as they're from Chicago and I was raised to dislike all things Chicago, especially sports.

 

I got into hockey when I started playing in the early 90s, so I was looking for a pro team, too. This was back when the NHL was on FOX and the Fox Valley was assigned the Red Wings as their default "home" team. Plus, their biggest rival is the Blackhawks. That ended up being a perfect fit, as they were (and continue to be) a great team, with a great GM, an amazing history, a knack for player development and an outstanding owner. It also didn't hurt that they've won a few cups recently. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

They currently have my favorite Badger ever, Brian Rafalski, and Brendan Smith should see Detroit late this upcoming season. I'd recommend them: games are televised pretty frequently; their fans travel and represent better than anyone in the NHL (similar to the Packers in the NFL); they have an amazing history (Howe, Delvecchio, Lindsay, the fabled "Prodcution line;" Stevie Y, Nick Lidstrom, the best defenseman in the past 30 years, etc.); and they're always in it to win it. (And Mike Eaves kid, Patrick, is on the team, too. Though, like his brother, Ben, he went to BC...)

 

Biggest plus: UW and Detroit wear the exact same uniforms.

 

Good luck!

[rwa12]

I live down in STL now, big Blues fan. They are kind of like the Brewers of a few years ago. Tons of young talent (Oshie, Perron, Backes, Johnson), just can't quite put it together. They traded for Halak from Montreal, so their Goalie woahs may be solved. They are fun to cheer for, and awesome to watch live. Following the Red Wings is like following the Yankees, just wrong.

[davego]

I am a very casual hockey fan. I don't root for anything Minnesota. Or Chiago. I tend to root only for the teams north of the border. I still follow LA a bit. Throw back to Wayne's days there.

[trwi7]

I guess this is a semi off topic question. What sites are you guys using to get NHL trade rumors (ideally something like MLBTR). I found mynhltraderumors.com, but this doesn't update as much as I would like. It is a lot better than nothing though.

I just use TSN. It's basically the Canadian version of ESPN and they're all over hockey at the trade deadline.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

I became a Vancouver Canucks as I was in NYC in 93 (92?) when the Canucks and Rangers were in the Finals. As a consistent fan of the underdog, and wanting to be contrary to an entire city around me (as 14 year-old, mind you) - I decided I would be a Canucks fan.

[Teatoe993]

Whalers

[zurch1818]

I just use TSN. It's basically the Canadian version of ESPN and they're all over hockey at the trade deadline.

Thanks twirl. This looks like it is exactly what I am looking for.

[1e Corbeau]

Following the Red Wings is like following the Yankees, just wrong.

Spoken like a true Blues fan. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Sure, it's exactly the same. If the Yankees had a salary cap and made really smart moves to acquire huge talent in late rounds of the draft (within that salary cap) that no other teams identify, the best front office in the league, were in the Midwest, it's exactly the same. The Wings lived through some really lean years for a long time. I'm sorry that they happened to peak when the Blues were last a decent team... I mean, Fuhr/CuJo, Demitra, Turgeon, Tkachuk, Weight, and Pronger were pretty good. It's too bad that they never peaked together in a conference without Detroit and Colorado. Too. Bad. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Thanks for that Stevie Y blue-line slapper in the top corner in a game seven OT, though. That's a great memory. Like when Pronger tried to cheap shot Yzerman, but missed and hurt himself.

[Funketown]

I became a Vancouver Canucks as I was in NYC in 93 (92?) when the Canucks and Rangers were in the Finals. As a consistent fan of the underdog, and wanting to be contrary to an entire city around me (as 14 year-old, mind you) - I decided I would be a Canucks fan.

Nice! I've been a Canucks fan ever since I was young and dominated NHL '94 with Pavel Bure, Kirk McLean, and Trevor Linden.

 

If you want a fun team with a great fan base, I'd suggest the Canucks. Henrik and Daniel Sedin are an absolute joy to watch, and their defense looks much improved for the upcoming season. Besides, being from Vancouver they don't have any conflicts with baseball/football rivalries (Chicago, Minnesota, etc.).

[PKBadger]

Following the Red Wings is like following the Yankees, just wrong.

Spoken like a true Blues fan. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Sure, it's exactly the same. If the Yankees had a salary cap and made really smart moves to acquire huge talent in late rounds of the draft (within that salary cap) that no other teams identify, the best front office in the league, were in the Midwest, it's exactly the same. The Wings lived through some really lean years for a long time. I'm sorry that they happened to peak when the Blues were last a decent team... I mean, Fuhr/CuJo, Demitra, Turgeon, Tkachuk, Weight, and Pronger were pretty good. It's too bad that they never peaked together in a conference without Detroit and Colorado. Too. Bad. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Thanks for that Stevie Y blue-line slapper in the top corner in a game seven OT, though. That's a great memory. Like when Pronger tried to cheap shot Yzerman, but missed and hurt himself.

 

The Red Wings are a big reason why the salary cap exists in the first place. They spent $78 million on player salaries the year before the lockout - the highest total in the NHL.

[danzig6767]

Root for the Maple Leafs. That town will go absolutely bonkers if they ever win a Cup.

The Leafs are my favorite NHL team also. I won a 100 dollar bet on them during my teen years and thus they became my favorite team. Plus, besides what you said, they have sweet uniforms.

 

http://leafsown.com/kidd.jpg

 

http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/pimg/APInc/APNewsFeatures/2010/03/13/Oilers_Maple_Leafs_Hockey-59391.largeslideshow.jpg

[owbc]

San Jose Sharks. One of these years they will break through and win it all.

[trwi7]

Sharks fans should just be happy that they didn't choke in the 1st round again.

[RyDogg66]

I think I have it down to three teams. The Penguins, the Blues and the Maple Leafs. If Quebec ever gets a team again I'd like to root for them, its a neat city.

 

My son, somehow, has become a Hartford Whalers fan, maybe because I put Brass Bonanza as my ringtone for a while. He still doesnt understand why they dont exist anymore.

[trwi7]

If you want a team that's a team that's going to win now, go with the Penguins. If you want a team that's sort of close and Midwestern-y, go with the Blues. If you want a team with a great tradition and fans but who sucks (lulz at trading Tyler Seguin and Jared Knight plus a 1st round pick for Phil Kessel) go with the Leafs.