Help us choose a hockey team to root for

My son and I are watching the Winter Classic right now; I’m typing during intermission. This is kind of fun so my son suggests that after tonight we choose a team to root for. I have no idea where to start other than to rule out Pittsburgh because of Sidney Crosby. And I guess we should limit it to teams that have shot at the playoffs this year.

So who should be our team and why?

The Detroit Red Wings. If you’re diametrically opposed to rooting for the Penguins, root for the team that’ll beat them in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Wings are also a safe bet, making the playoffs for the past 20 years straight.

What the heck to you have against Sidney Crosby? Unless I’m missing something, I don’t think there would be a better role model for your son in the NHL.

Montreal has the richest history of any NHL team, with as many Stanley Cup Championships (24) as the next two teams put together (Toronto and Detroit, with 13 and 11 respectively.) Even after stumbling through a road trip where they won only twice in seven games, they’re still only one point out of the division lead.

EDIT: I agree with D18 about Crosby. The constant hype may be overdone a touch, but if any player in the league is worth it, he’s the one.

Most evil attack on America since 9/11/2001

:smiley:

Long-term, I recommend the team closest to you, geographically. You’d have a better chance of seeing their games on television or in person. If you’re just looking for a good team to cheer short-term, as mentioned, Detroit or Washington are probably the best teams outside of Pittsburgh. Alternately, I suggest my favorite team, the hometown Blackhawks.

:smiley: :smiley:

FWIW, the Tampa Bay Lightning are currently (just barely) ahead of the Washington Capitals in their division, have Steven Stamkos who is as exciting a player as Ovechkin or Crosby, and own one more Stanley Cup in 18 fewer seasons of existence. Sure, they sucked last year, and I don’t expect them to seriously challenge for the Cup this season, but they’re definitely a team on the rise with some fun offensive players to watch. If they can become more consistent and get better on defense they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

I usually cheer for the team that leads the league - I could cheer for the Calgary Flames, but they usually suck.

If you’re starting from a blank slate, I agree with the suggestion that you should consider the team that is geographically closest to you.

Full disclosure: I’m a Blackhawks fan. I would discourage you from becoming a Red Wings fan, because … why would you want to do that? Look at the Original 6 teams (other than Detroit). They are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Even though it seems like most of the teams haven’t had a ton of success for being around so long (with the exception of the Canadiens, and Red Wings), there is a lot of history that “your” team will have. They also have some of the best jerseys and logos in all of sports (though occasionally you’ll get something like the Bruins’ “Gentle Ben” logo). Back in the day the teams would travel on trains to play against each other.

If you plan to regularly attend games, you should avoid Canadian teams. The tickets seem to be the most expensive in the league for Canadian team like the Maple Leafs (even though they’ve been bad for so long) and the Canadiens.

Your reasoning for not liking Crosby is funny. Though he does seem to be a good guy, and will be the sport’s icon for years. He has won a Stanley Cup, won pretty much every individual award, and is one of the most skilled players in the league. He’s only 23.

You should probably stay away from most of the Sun Belt teams, or those in NASCAR country. I have my doubts about the teams in warmer climates. I don’t know if they will eventually move away (but let’s hope so).

NBC will start televising games again soon. Understandably it’s usually the high profile teams that will be shown. No use in picking Columbus if you’re hoping to see them on TV a lot.

Let us know which team you pick!

Detroit Red Wings

They’re just the coolest team over the last 20 years or so. They have a big following and are a sure thing for the playoffs…probably for the next few years, too.

I’m not picking my own team, the Dallas Stars.

I’d suggest the Atlanta Thrashers, even though they are in the bit of a slump. The Thrashers goaltender, Ondrej Pavelec, collapsed on the ice during the first game of the season this year. He is ok now. The Thrashers won that game against the Washington Capitals. Pavelec recovered and is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL this year.

The Thrashers also have Dustin Byfuglien. He was traded from the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks to the Thrashers and was moved to be a defenseman. He is an exciting player and, in my opinion, is the second best defenseman in the NHL.

The Thrashers lost top scoring forward Ilya Kovalchuk last year because he wanted an insane amount of money as well as to sign with a ‘contender’. Kovalchuk now plays for the useless New Jersey Devils making 6.66 million dollars per year to be in last place in the Eastern Conference.

I posted to this thread suggesting the Thrashers. I could equally post supporting the Lightning who have won a Stanley Cup and Stamkos is also one of the best players in the NHL.

Alternatively, OP, if there’s an American Hockey League team that’s closer to you than any NHL team, you might choose the parent club of the AHL affiliate that’s closest to you. Plus, tickets for AHL games are usually a fraction of the cost of what NHL tickets would be.

I also highly recommend going to see a game live, if you can. A television broadcast really doesn’t do the sport justice.

I’d again have to suggest cheering for a team close to you.

Cheering for a team that’s good right now, or a team with a lot of “History” is pointless. If you become a fan of the team, how they’re playing in 2010-2011 tells you nothing about how they will play a few years from now. Pittsburgh’s a fine team now but were awful for a long time and for all we know could be awful in five years. The defending Cup champions, the Blackhawks, were an utter disgrace for many years. On the other hand, teams that are currently down on their luck could be world beaters in just a couple of years. And switching allegiance from team to team just isn’t quite as emotionally satisfying and fun as having one team.

So just pick a team that’s easy to get on TV, follow them, learn their players, and learn the sport, and you’ll have a blast.

I’m a Wings fan, and I think they’re a fine team to be fans of overall. Their Yankee like days of buying championships (though the rangers bought more players in NY Yankee style. They just didn’t win as much) are behind them leaving behind one of the sharpest managed teams in the league and one that is loyal to their players as well.

Other than that, the Colorado Avalanche and the LA Kings have good young teams on the rise. The Tampa Bay Lightning are another team that should be up and coming. As Rickjay said, a team that’s close to you would be another good bet. Games would be easy to find as would jerseys and other swag.

I could list the various accusations of diving, the fact that he’s actually punched a guy in the groin, and other things (being a Detroit fan, the way he handled the handshake thing rankled a bit). Personally, I think the biggest reason not to hold up Crosby as a role model would be his sick amount of talent. The game just comes easy to him. If I were to pick a hockey role model for my hypothetical son, I’d pick a player that had to work hard or that wasn’t a straight lock as a #1 draft pick. A nice grinder or depth player maybe. A low draft pick like a Datsyuk or an out of nowhere player like a Marty St.Louis. If you want old school, I’d go for a Messier rather than a Gretzky. YMMV.

While it’s nice to root for the underdog, it’s certainly not very accurate to suggest that someone like Sidney Crosby or Wayne Gretzky just found the game easy and don’t work as hard as the Pavel Datsyuks. Indeed, one of the commonly noted characteristics of both Crosby and Gretzky is how remarkably hard they work at their craft. Certainly both were born with a natural physical intelligence that gave them a leg up, but they are/were extremely dedicated professionals who work even harder than is usual for pro players.

Actually, this is why you need to just pick a local team and run with it, IMHO. The stories of the players will then come and go as the team’s fortunes ebb and flow. You can rejoice in the success stories and mourn the wasted talents. Nobody would have picked Jose Bautista as their favourite ballplayer prior to 2010, but Blue Jays fans got a hell of a thrill out of him in 2010. If our OP picks some relatively nondescript team and follows them, who knows what remarkable stories will come and go? Top draft picks that never pan out, players who suddenly blossom after being disappointments in other organizations, a fourth-line grinder who was always overlooked and when given a shot ona scoring line nets 33 goals. You just never know.

Have you seen Sidney Crosby’s mother’s dryer? The game did not come easy to him - he put in his 10,000 hours and then some.

Follow the Maple Leafs for a couple of years, and count all the guys who used to be on the team who are in the playoffs. Other people find their fulfillment following winning teams - Leafs fans know that hope and disappointment go hand in hand like rum and coke… 44 years and counting.

I’m so sick of hearing that Sidney Crosby is a diver and a whiner. C’mon, the same thing has been said for years and it’s bullshit. That was when he first came into the league – about four, five years ago! – and he’s grown up since then.

Here you have a guy who’s a hard worker, a leader, someone who isn’t out spending all his money on hookers and blow, is uber-talented, and just a genuinely, all-around nice guy. He’s extremely popular here in Pittsburgh – not JUST for being a great hockey player, but because he’s a great person too. He’s friendly, down to earth, and always willing to stop and talk to his fans, sign autographs, etc.
He’s was the youngest captain in the NHL, and the youngest captain ever to lead his team to a Stanley Cup. I could hardly suggest a better role model for kids.

As far as “dirty-players”, it doesn’t stop people from rooting for the Capitals (Ovechkin), or the Rangers (Avery). Sid is hardly what I’d call dirty – far from it.
Okay, yes, I’m biased, but if you’re going to reject the Pens, at least don’t do it because, “Crosby’s a whiner!”. C’mon.

Besides, he’s not our only player. We’ve got Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, etc.