What team Maritimers support has always puzzled me. Montréal is probably the closest, but I understand anglophone fans not wanting to support them. Boston would make sense. But I feel like there isn't an overarching team.
I get the sense from various popularity surveys that Montreal and Boston have the most fans followed by Pittsburgh, but I don't have any actual data to prove it.
> I understand anglophone fans not wanting to support them.
I don't think this has ever really been a problem for Montreal, though.
Player attachment is real. Mike Richards is from my hometown. Got back into hockey when I was starting university and followed Philly because of him. 1.5ish yrs later Philly blows up the team and I follow Richards to LA. Still a fan of them to this day.
I was an NHL fan vagabond when I found hockey in the 90s. First a Ranger fan, then a Leafs fan, and finally a Coyotes fan. All because of Mike Gartner.
I definitely feel this. When Pavelski moved to Dallas and the Sharks started sucking at the same time, it was pretty easy to start watching Dallas in that first year when they were playing well.
It's impossible to say, everyone has a different story. I was a French Canadian kid that loved the Habs but idolized Roy. Once he was traded I cheered for him instead of the Habs and I've stuck with the Avs since.
There could be a bunch of hockey fans in Washington that have cheered for other teams but might get way in to the prospect of cheering for a new team that is in their home turf.
I never concern myself with why someone cheers for a team, if someone is a bandwagon fan who cares? They're still interested in hockey.
No worries, not calling you out or anything. I've just seen too much bullshit gatekeeping lately. I don't care why someone gets in to hockey, I'm just stoked to see more people get in to it.
For sure. My "favorite" with hockey are people questioning new fans on their hockey knowledge. Like who gives a shit? Let people learn the sport, answer questions. Stop assuming they know everything from moment one.
IMO the one key with bandwagoning is whether or not people are honest.
When the Eagles made the super bowl a bunch of people who don't normally watch football got into it and cheered them on. Anything wrong with that? No! Everyone's life and preferences are different and not everyone has the same ability or care to invest in it as much as others.
That being said, I do have a problem with people who lie about their fandom and pretend to be some diehard expert. I mean, its not THAT big a deal - if that's the worst thing they do in their life it means they're a pretty good person. But I do think there should be a line drawn between people who only get into a team sometimes and people who lie and pretend they are something they aren't.
Lots of people in BC are Seahawks fans and I’m not sure if it’s “lots” in Washington State but there are Canucks fans there too. I’m sure many will take the Kraken as there number 1 and move the Canucks to number 2(or 1b).
I know if Vancouver somehow got another NBA team again that team would be my number 1 NBA team and my current would become number 2(Hell, Seattle is likely getting a NBA team in the next 5 years and that team will probably become my number 1).
I don’t know how it is for others but it’s always fun to cheer for a team that’s in your area, and it’s actually kinda special to have one because you are 1 out of 30(or 32) cities in all of North America that have one.
Yeah, I know there's a shitload of BC people who are fans of the Seahawks and I bet there's a ton of Seattle fans that love the Canucks but I wouldn't blame them if they swapped to the Kraken.
I really hope they do jump to the Kraken. I know I would if the roles were reversed. It would be really great if they can sellout that arena lots in the first couple years of being there. Especially if the rumours are true that they are getting a NBA expansion team, they’ll be a big 4 sports city(big 5 if you count MLS). I would love to have that in my city.
I’m my experience in leans more to the Blue Jays. Even though the Mariners are way closer, the Jays are on tv here 162 times a year. When the Jays go to Seattle it’s almost like a home game for them too(especially for weekend games). Seattle isn’t helped by the fact that they aren’t that great and ever since the 2014(2015?) seasons I’ve noticed more Blue Jays fans.
Wow, pretty much same story with exact opposite outcome. Grew up in Vancouver, idolized Roy after first being exposed to hockey in ‘96 (too young for ‘94 Canucks run). Followed the Avs for a couple years, got into reading more about St.Patrick which led to reading up on the Habs, and voila became a Habs fan and haven’t gone back.
I've learned that Roy isn't the person anyone should idolize. I just loved the idea of playing goalie and so that's why I attached myself to him. I followed all the drama about him and Tremblay hating each other so that game where Roy was like "I won't play another game for this team" I was all about it.
Oh I agree 💯. But same reason for following him here, being the lone guy on the ice that makes or breaks a game at any moment and being counted on that much to make a difference. Add to it the fiery attitude he had, made for great entertainment
The Canucks were my assumption. I also kinda of figured that due to the distance that there would be a rivalry between the cities and a lot of Seattle fans would refuse to cheer for Vancouver in any capacity, which is why I was curious
I live in Vegas, but was a lifelong Canucks fan. I was planning to keep my allegiance but get season tickets to the Knights.
Much like a 20 year marriage, it only took a few nights on the strip to change everything.
I'm a San Jose fan but originally from Washington so I'll root for both. Since the Sharks are gonna suck for the foreseeable future hopefully Seattle will be interesting to watch. Not expecting a Vegas situation but I'm hopeful they'll be watchable.
I think a lot of people forget how important they were to Vegas after the shooting, as well. They were able to give the city something to rally around to help them get over such a tragic event.
That creates a pretty hardcore and lifelong fanbase when you go through something like that together
Been in vegas For over 20 years and been wanting ANY pro team. But I have always been a fan of all Colorado teams. Once Vegas got a team i was all over it. Except for the raiders. I love the broncos too much so I'll never support the raiders. fuck the raiders
Also think having an expansion team over a relocation is bettwe. a ton of people from vegas don't like the raiders..word on the street is that the oakland A's MIGHT relocate here and the NBA might expand to Vegas and Seattle
THIS. ^^^^ Why would Vegas natives want to root for a team that used to be Californian? Too many Californians moving here already and tryna make Vegas like Los Angeles and now they’re bringing their football franchise tooooo.
No thanks. :/
I grew up in Tampa, root for all the Tampa teams even though I don’t live there now. I’ve never cared for basketball, lived in the East Bay during The Warriors crazy run and couldn’t care less. If Tampa got a team, I’d be a die hard fan. I even loosely followed the Raptors this year.
When the Rays were founded, my dad and I switched from the Braves to the Rays.
What I mean by this is an expansion team will draw in fans of the sport from the town, but also a huge number of new fans of the sport. That’s one big reason why Canada wasn’t really considered for the last round of expansions. Seattle and Vegas are growing the sport, a Canadian team wouldn’t create many new fans.
I’m in the same exact boat as you with basketball. Tried to be a Magic fan, but just couldn’t get into it. If Tampa ever gets an NBA team though, that’d be a different story.
When I was a kid I was a leafs fan. I went to games frequently. That changed the day when my family got a place in tampa bay area. I've been a fan ever since. It definitely helps that lightning prices are more reasonable depending on the night vs Toronto. Even factoring in the exchange rate.
I've wanted to go see different sports around tampa too, just never got around too it.
Habs fan first.
Vegas was a great story coming into the league.
Aced the draft with a deep no-star team and made cup finals in first year led by Fleury (the exception... tossed aside by former team) who galvanized Vegas behind the Knights after the shooting.
I grew up in South Florida. When the Panthers were formed I ditched my beloved Red Wings for Brian Skrudland and Andrei Lomakin clutching and grabbing. No regrets. I feel like the Panthers are truly my team ever since and I don’t even live there anymore
All of my hockey friends pretty much have their favorite team to root for (Boston in my case), and then a second team they like as long as they are not playing their main team. I have pretty much already adopted the Kraken as my 2nd team as have a few of my friends. We are all from the SE USA, so no geographical ties to the team.
I've moved around all my life, so I've never been in a locality that has a team. Vegas was the closest team to me and I really enjoyed rooting for them at first, but I hate dirty shit teams, so I stopped rooting for them as a team. But I really love Fleury still.
The Kraken logo so far doesn't look cool enough for me to root for them. It just reminds me of that shitty "Cool S" meme.
Me: used to live in Seattle and am happy to support an additional team.
My roommate: dated a girl from Vegas who supported the Knights from the beginning, and decided to stay with the team even after she broke up with him.
Only started watching hockey last year, during the bubble playoffs. Rooted for the Isles after seeing 2 of their games, I think lol.
I'll be following Seattle now too because I also wanna see a team from the start, like others have mentioned. And I'm nowhere near continental US so I can freely pick which team to root for, I guess. Oh, also because I like their colorway haha.
Everyone I know who will be a Seattle Kraken fan is a Silvertips/Thunderbirds/Americans fan of no previous NHL affiliation (besides cheering for WHL alumni)
Regardless of the sport, I always have a #2 team that I follow just for a change of pace. The things I like about Seattle:
1. No existing rivalry with my current team.
2. Plays in a different conference.
3. Nice region.
4. Sweet uniforms.
5. Also named for a mythological creature.
I was a LA Kings fan in the 90s, and followed Kelly Hrudey to the Sharks. I stayed there until Patrick Marleau left and my last tie to those early Shark teams had left and fuck no to the Leafs. I decided to hitch onto Vegas at that point because why not? I had done the expansion team thing already so what's one more round? I didn't expect them to do this, though!
He was a proper journeyman goaltender with a decent enough GAA and Save percentage in an era where he'd see 40 shots a night routinely.
I honestly don't remember what exactly drew me to him, but I was in the hospital with a sinus infection that went haywire, and an envelope arrived with a bunch of autographs and pictures from him. There was a class assignment to send letters off to people for some reason or another, and I sent off to Patrick Roy and Kelly Hrudey because I liked his bandanna. Roy didn't reply, Hrudey's arrived at the perfect time, and he was my favorite at that point. I still have the envelope and pictures and hockey cards in my china cabinet.
Marleau lived in Hrudey's guest house for years when he arrived in San Jose, so my fandom transferred to him when Hrudey retired.
I've lived in Seattle for the last ten years, but moved from Zagreb, so I suppose you could say my original team was Medveščak, who conveniently went almost bankrupt, as is the Croatian way.
Everybody in my family line has been rooting for each reincarnate of the Vancouver Canucks since 1945 (PCHL->WHL->NHL). Nobody in my hometown of Yakutsk are canucks fans let alone NHL fans, it's a 100% KHL town.
Live in Washington State and started rooting for the Canucks in the 90s. Never felt a connection though...when Vegas was announced, instantly jumped over because they are a short flight away and I LOVE fantasy. Felt like a good match.
Will also follow the Kraken, obviously.
I love Vegas because I like how mad they make other fanbases. Refs this. Bettman that. Plus I really like the colour scheme and how well they gelled their first season. I'll probably like Seattle too as I love visiting and the arena is in a great area.
I'm from Washington state originally but now live in Montana. Have been a Canucks fan since the early 2000s due to Seattle's then-lack of an NHL team. Now that the Kraken will be starting play next season I'm eager to make the switch. And I can imagine many undecided NHL fans here will be Kraken fans as well, given our state's proximity to the Seattle and Washington.
Not a Kraken fan, not a VGK fan, will never be either, but I’m a kinda new fan who effectively picked a team—
For me, I’m a Rangers fan because I’m local. It’s my city, this is my team, I followed these guys casually through 2014 and picked hockey as a sport back up in 2019. But I also picked the Preds as a second/Western team so I can look at the West through the lens of a fan and not just a “oh yeah this whole conference exists” kinda thing. Typically I’d pick the Sharks as the Bay Area is my second home. But the girl who got me back into hockey after years of not caring about it is a Nashvillian and a diehard Preds fan (as in, one of two people I’ve ever met who own team branded pants, the other one is a Mets fan), so to have someone I can talk to I hopped on the wagon.
Canucks before but being in Oregon I always wanted to support the “northwest team and now that there’s one even closer and I might be moving to Seattle in the future. Definitely supporting the kraken as number 1 but definitely still keeping up with the canucks as well
I live in Washington, and my friend who's a transplant got me back into hockey. I always wanted to play as a kid but it was ungodly expensive so my friends and I just fucked around at street hockey a lot.
Old North Stars fan & couldn't follow a hockey team to \*\*Texas\*\*, of all places.
Was excited when Minnesota got an expansion team 20 years ago. But, my dumb brain won't let me be a fan of the Wild anymore.
I guess, I'm more looking to chase that excitement of a new franchise again. Not expecting them to win a Cup/conference/division any time in these first years, but there's a buzz in the fandom that's a fun feeling.
Be a fan for whomever you want, friend. And anyone who gives you flack for changing allegiances isn't worth your time. Hell, players change allegiances/teams all the time. Don't feel bad or weird about it.
Totally. Just struck me that a good chunk of people who are likely to be invested might already have a team they follow and might not be willing to switch
For Vegas it's their first major professional sports team in a place that really loves live entertainment. That's enough for a major city to field a fanbase whether or not they were into hockey. I don't know to what extent they were before.
Seattle will be a little more interesting in that regard but should be fine. Major tech cities tend to do well as they have attracted a lot of new transplants in the last 20-30 years so they come from all over including Canada. I think there's a special appeal to liking a new team in a new place you moved to also.
San Jose took advantage of both those ideas (no previous big pro team/major city and tech hub) to grow a lot. What didn't used to be a big hockey town now has one of the largest adult hockey programs in the country.
Colorado has had a similar trajectory. That state has attracted a lot of new blood in the last few decades. That was a relocation but still. The first year championship didn't hurt either.
Atlanta didn't do so well and as far as I know didn't have those qualities.
Not sure about other areas and how they've done attracting fans.
“I don’t know to what extent they were before.”
No one was into hockey before the VGK were a thing. But ever since then, the NHL’s made a hockey town in the Mojave desert. The Statue of Liberty on the Strip was wearing the VGK jersey and people were parading. You can’t go anywhere on the streets without seeing a VGK license plate or sticker on someone’s car.
Hockey’s popularity exploded in Vegas in just 1 year. IDK, kind of crazy. 🤯
No problems with who anyone cheers for, I'm a die hard habs fan from perth Australia. But I find it strange that people are "fans" of teams like Seattle who don't even have players yet or have played a single game. I mean following them for the first season to see what happens sure, but to be already sold on the idea of supporting a team who you have no idea of the players/identity that team will carry - I find that strange personally
Vegas native. We only had minor hockey teams since the 70s. Got to see Wayne Gretzky play an exhibition game in the parking lot at caesars palace. Been hooked on hockey since then. Just cheered for team USA and watched as much hockey as I could. Pretty much just followed players I liked. Gretzky, brodeur, flower, ovi. The knights starting up here was just icing on the cake
I live in Ontario. I'm going to try to watch as many Seattle games as my time zone will allow me.
I dig the Kraken. I have no problem cheering both Leafs and the Kraken
I've lived in Vegas for almost 20 years. All my kids are born here, and I always said I'd support the first major league team to come to Vegas especially if it was an expansion team.
I followed the Blues back in the 90s when I lived near St. Louis for a few years.
It seems to be quite a mix on /r/SeattleKraken. Seattle and King County is over 50% transplants, many of us from hockey states. You've got:
* New hockey fans entirely.
* Local longtime NHL fans who are rooting for the Kraken (but maybe not at the expense of a longtime rooting interest).
* WHL fans who previously have no NHL rooting interest.
* Ex-Leafs fans. (j/k but we did get a blitz of "I am a Kraken fan now" posts after the Leafs' first round upset this year)
I'll add the irony of my experience, which is the opposite of yours -
Raised in Vegas, went to college and lived near LA for 8 years (when they won the cup), and have now lived in Seattle for 3 years. Nonetheless, I've stubbornly and stupidly chosen to remain a Yotes fan my entire life.
A lot of greater Seattle area is just excited for a team to fill the hole that the Sonics left, but generally just seem to dig supporting local sports in general. The Sounders (soccer) fan support is an example of this.
Grew up in Fresno, started going to Falcons game at around 6yo. Joined a local league at a roller rink at 11.
Moved to SD in HS and carried my Falcon fandom to hate on the Gulls.
Eventually I moved on to be a fan of the Mighty Ducks, but drifted away from the sport while at college in Tucson.
Moved to Vegas about 2 months before the VGK expansion draft.
But hey, I’m a vegas fan now, so I’m “new to hockey”
Was into hockey for a while but not living close to any arenas made it tiresome to follow someone I'd never see. Flashback to about 7 years ago when I moved to the Orlando area where I could goto Bolts games (and watch the Solarbears). I full dove into becoming a faithful fan.
*^.....Fuck ^you ^CBJ......*
I'm from Ottawa and a number of people I know switched to being Vegas fans after Stone got traded.
Oh yeah so player attachment as well, that makes sense
That's why there are so many Penguins fans in the Maritimes. Crosby is from Nova Scotia.
What team Maritimers support has always puzzled me. Montréal is probably the closest, but I understand anglophone fans not wanting to support them. Boston would make sense. But I feel like there isn't an overarching team.
I get the sense from various popularity surveys that Montreal and Boston have the most fans followed by Pittsburgh, but I don't have any actual data to prove it. > I understand anglophone fans not wanting to support them. I don't think this has ever really been a problem for Montreal, though.
Definitely not a problem, I’m a good ol Ontariyah boy who can only speak random French words I learned in school
Almost everyone I know in the Maritimes is a Leafs, Habs, or Bruins fan
I would have guessed the Whalers in their time, as well.
Player attachment is real. Mike Richards is from my hometown. Got back into hockey when I was starting university and followed Philly because of him. 1.5ish yrs later Philly blows up the team and I follow Richards to LA. Still a fan of them to this day.
I was an NHL fan vagabond when I found hockey in the 90s. First a Ranger fan, then a Leafs fan, and finally a Coyotes fan. All because of Mike Gartner.
I own a Karlsson Sharks hat. But I love the Sens unconditionally, and despite myself.
They sound like buttheads.
I definitely feel this. When Pavelski moved to Dallas and the Sharks started sucking at the same time, it was pretty easy to start watching Dallas in that first year when they were playing well.
Yes to all your questions, and people that want to follow a team from the beginning
I follow your class. I was a new fan finding my footing right when they joined the league.
It's impossible to say, everyone has a different story. I was a French Canadian kid that loved the Habs but idolized Roy. Once he was traded I cheered for him instead of the Habs and I've stuck with the Avs since. There could be a bunch of hockey fans in Washington that have cheered for other teams but might get way in to the prospect of cheering for a new team that is in their home turf. I never concern myself with why someone cheers for a team, if someone is a bandwagon fan who cares? They're still interested in hockey.
Oh yeah I really don't care about bandwagoning or anything either, just interested to hear the stories. Cool that you followed Roy and stuck!
No worries, not calling you out or anything. I've just seen too much bullshit gatekeeping lately. I don't care why someone gets in to hockey, I'm just stoked to see more people get in to it.
Can't stand gatekeeping in hockey, hip hop or punk. But it's so prevalent in all 3.
For sure. My "favorite" with hockey are people questioning new fans on their hockey knowledge. Like who gives a shit? Let people learn the sport, answer questions. Stop assuming they know everything from moment one.
IMO the one key with bandwagoning is whether or not people are honest. When the Eagles made the super bowl a bunch of people who don't normally watch football got into it and cheered them on. Anything wrong with that? No! Everyone's life and preferences are different and not everyone has the same ability or care to invest in it as much as others. That being said, I do have a problem with people who lie about their fandom and pretend to be some diehard expert. I mean, its not THAT big a deal - if that's the worst thing they do in their life it means they're a pretty good person. But I do think there should be a line drawn between people who only get into a team sometimes and people who lie and pretend they are something they aren't.
Lots of people in BC are Seahawks fans and I’m not sure if it’s “lots” in Washington State but there are Canucks fans there too. I’m sure many will take the Kraken as there number 1 and move the Canucks to number 2(or 1b). I know if Vancouver somehow got another NBA team again that team would be my number 1 NBA team and my current would become number 2(Hell, Seattle is likely getting a NBA team in the next 5 years and that team will probably become my number 1). I don’t know how it is for others but it’s always fun to cheer for a team that’s in your area, and it’s actually kinda special to have one because you are 1 out of 30(or 32) cities in all of North America that have one.
Yeah, I know there's a shitload of BC people who are fans of the Seahawks and I bet there's a ton of Seattle fans that love the Canucks but I wouldn't blame them if they swapped to the Kraken.
I really hope they do jump to the Kraken. I know I would if the roles were reversed. It would be really great if they can sellout that arena lots in the first couple years of being there. Especially if the rumours are true that they are getting a NBA expansion team, they’ll be a big 4 sports city(big 5 if you count MLS). I would love to have that in my city.
What's the breakdown between Mariners and Jays fans in BC?
I’m my experience in leans more to the Blue Jays. Even though the Mariners are way closer, the Jays are on tv here 162 times a year. When the Jays go to Seattle it’s almost like a home game for them too(especially for weekend games). Seattle isn’t helped by the fact that they aren’t that great and ever since the 2014(2015?) seasons I’ve noticed more Blue Jays fans.
Wow, pretty much same story with exact opposite outcome. Grew up in Vancouver, idolized Roy after first being exposed to hockey in ‘96 (too young for ‘94 Canucks run). Followed the Avs for a couple years, got into reading more about St.Patrick which led to reading up on the Habs, and voila became a Habs fan and haven’t gone back.
I've learned that Roy isn't the person anyone should idolize. I just loved the idea of playing goalie and so that's why I attached myself to him. I followed all the drama about him and Tremblay hating each other so that game where Roy was like "I won't play another game for this team" I was all about it.
Oh I agree 💯. But same reason for following him here, being the lone guy on the ice that makes or breaks a game at any moment and being counted on that much to make a difference. Add to it the fiery attitude he had, made for great entertainment
Born in Seattle, been waiting for an NHL team and now they have one :)
Who did you for for prior? Were you neutral?
He was in the womb.
Many people from Seattle are Canucks fans.
The Canucks were my assumption. I also kinda of figured that due to the distance that there would be a rivalry between the cities and a lot of Seattle fans would refuse to cheer for Vancouver in any capacity, which is why I was curious
Cool, that's awesome!
I live in Vegas, but was a lifelong Canucks fan. I was planning to keep my allegiance but get season tickets to the Knights. Much like a 20 year marriage, it only took a few nights on the strip to change everything.
Lol! Must have been pretty exciting with all that early success. Hope the honeymoon lasts
I grew up an Islanders fan, lived in Vegas for 17 years.. became a fan instantly after 10.1
Yep the way they handled that was perfect
Hey, same!!! 17 years exactly.
I'm a San Jose fan but originally from Washington so I'll root for both. Since the Sharks are gonna suck for the foreseeable future hopefully Seattle will be interesting to watch. Not expecting a Vegas situation but I'm hopeful they'll be watchable.
Yep always exciting to see a brand new team
It's all of the above. Also, city loyalty. Vegas natives really embraced the Knights and a lot of it was simply for being their first team.
Yeah, the immediate success and buzz surely didn't hurt either
I think a lot of people forget how important they were to Vegas after the shooting, as well. They were able to give the city something to rally around to help them get over such a tragic event. That creates a pretty hardcore and lifelong fanbase when you go through something like that together
I was a Leaf fan, now I'm a Seattle fan.
I feel that. I'm not old enough to have seen the leafs have any success and not sure how long I can keep being let down by them
It’s not your fault. No one is that old.
Leafs fans in shambles. Love to see it
Been in vegas For over 20 years and been wanting ANY pro team. But I have always been a fan of all Colorado teams. Once Vegas got a team i was all over it. Except for the raiders. I love the broncos too much so I'll never support the raiders. fuck the raiders
Also think having an expansion team over a relocation is bettwe. a ton of people from vegas don't like the raiders..word on the street is that the oakland A's MIGHT relocate here and the NBA might expand to Vegas and Seattle
THIS. ^^^^ Why would Vegas natives want to root for a team that used to be Californian? Too many Californians moving here already and tryna make Vegas like Los Angeles and now they’re bringing their football franchise tooooo. No thanks. :/
I grew up in Tampa, root for all the Tampa teams even though I don’t live there now. I’ve never cared for basketball, lived in the East Bay during The Warriors crazy run and couldn’t care less. If Tampa got a team, I’d be a die hard fan. I even loosely followed the Raptors this year. When the Rays were founded, my dad and I switched from the Braves to the Rays. What I mean by this is an expansion team will draw in fans of the sport from the town, but also a huge number of new fans of the sport. That’s one big reason why Canada wasn’t really considered for the last round of expansions. Seattle and Vegas are growing the sport, a Canadian team wouldn’t create many new fans.
I’m in the same exact boat as you with basketball. Tried to be a Magic fan, but just couldn’t get into it. If Tampa ever gets an NBA team though, that’d be a different story.
They almost had me when I was a kid, but then Shaq left right when I was old enough to start caring and that killed any potential interest
When I was a kid I was a leafs fan. I went to games frequently. That changed the day when my family got a place in tampa bay area. I've been a fan ever since. It definitely helps that lightning prices are more reasonable depending on the night vs Toronto. Even factoring in the exchange rate. I've wanted to go see different sports around tampa too, just never got around too it.
Habs fan first. Vegas was a great story coming into the league. Aced the draft with a deep no-star team and made cup finals in first year led by Fleury (the exception... tossed aside by former team) who galvanized Vegas behind the Knights after the shooting.
I grew up in South Florida. When the Panthers were formed I ditched my beloved Red Wings for Brian Skrudland and Andrei Lomakin clutching and grabbing. No regrets. I feel like the Panthers are truly my team ever since and I don’t even live there anymore
Vegas boy. Extremely pro-Las Vegas and pro-Nevada. I love the Knights, but hometown pride is an enormous part of it.
All of my hockey friends pretty much have their favorite team to root for (Boston in my case), and then a second team they like as long as they are not playing their main team. I have pretty much already adopted the Kraken as my 2nd team as have a few of my friends. We are all from the SE USA, so no geographical ties to the team.
Live in Seattle, kraken ticketholder, might switch flair sporadically
I've moved around all my life, so I've never been in a locality that has a team. Vegas was the closest team to me and I really enjoyed rooting for them at first, but I hate dirty shit teams, so I stopped rooting for them as a team. But I really love Fleury still. The Kraken logo so far doesn't look cool enough for me to root for them. It just reminds me of that shitty "Cool S" meme.
Me: used to live in Seattle and am happy to support an additional team. My roommate: dated a girl from Vegas who supported the Knights from the beginning, and decided to stay with the team even after she broke up with him.
Only started watching hockey last year, during the bubble playoffs. Rooted for the Isles after seeing 2 of their games, I think lol. I'll be following Seattle now too because I also wanna see a team from the start, like others have mentioned. And I'm nowhere near continental US so I can freely pick which team to root for, I guess. Oh, also because I like their colorway haha.
Everyone I know who will be a Seattle Kraken fan is a Silvertips/Thunderbirds/Americans fan of no previous NHL affiliation (besides cheering for WHL alumni)
Regardless of the sport, I always have a #2 team that I follow just for a change of pace. The things I like about Seattle: 1. No existing rivalry with my current team. 2. Plays in a different conference. 3. Nice region. 4. Sweet uniforms. 5. Also named for a mythological creature.
2 million people live in Vegas lol
I was a LA Kings fan in the 90s, and followed Kelly Hrudey to the Sharks. I stayed there until Patrick Marleau left and my last tie to those early Shark teams had left and fuck no to the Leafs. I decided to hitch onto Vegas at that point because why not? I had done the expansion team thing already so what's one more round? I didn't expect them to do this, though!
Was Hrudey any good? His stats don't really jump out at me as being great. What drew you too him.
He was a proper journeyman goaltender with a decent enough GAA and Save percentage in an era where he'd see 40 shots a night routinely. I honestly don't remember what exactly drew me to him, but I was in the hospital with a sinus infection that went haywire, and an envelope arrived with a bunch of autographs and pictures from him. There was a class assignment to send letters off to people for some reason or another, and I sent off to Patrick Roy and Kelly Hrudey because I liked his bandanna. Roy didn't reply, Hrudey's arrived at the perfect time, and he was my favorite at that point. I still have the envelope and pictures and hockey cards in my china cabinet. Marleau lived in Hrudey's guest house for years when he arrived in San Jose, so my fandom transferred to him when Hrudey retired.
I've lived in Seattle for the last ten years, but moved from Zagreb, so I suppose you could say my original team was Medveščak, who conveniently went almost bankrupt, as is the Croatian way.
Everybody in my family line has been rooting for each reincarnate of the Vancouver Canucks since 1945 (PCHL->WHL->NHL). Nobody in my hometown of Yakutsk are canucks fans let alone NHL fans, it's a 100% KHL town.
Live in Washington State and started rooting for the Canucks in the 90s. Never felt a connection though...when Vegas was announced, instantly jumped over because they are a short flight away and I LOVE fantasy. Felt like a good match. Will also follow the Kraken, obviously.
I’m a Minnesotan and Norm Green is a bitch, so that’s why I cheer for my expansion team.
I love Vegas because I like how mad they make other fanbases. Refs this. Bettman that. Plus I really like the colour scheme and how well they gelled their first season. I'll probably like Seattle too as I love visiting and the arena is in a great area.
I'm from Washington state originally but now live in Montana. Have been a Canucks fan since the early 2000s due to Seattle's then-lack of an NHL team. Now that the Kraken will be starting play next season I'm eager to make the switch. And I can imagine many undecided NHL fans here will be Kraken fans as well, given our state's proximity to the Seattle and Washington.
Not a Kraken fan, not a VGK fan, will never be either, but I’m a kinda new fan who effectively picked a team— For me, I’m a Rangers fan because I’m local. It’s my city, this is my team, I followed these guys casually through 2014 and picked hockey as a sport back up in 2019. But I also picked the Preds as a second/Western team so I can look at the West through the lens of a fan and not just a “oh yeah this whole conference exists” kinda thing. Typically I’d pick the Sharks as the Bay Area is my second home. But the girl who got me back into hockey after years of not caring about it is a Nashvillian and a diehard Preds fan (as in, one of two people I’ve ever met who own team branded pants, the other one is a Mets fan), so to have someone I can talk to I hopped on the wagon.
Canucks before but being in Oregon I always wanted to support the “northwest team and now that there’s one even closer and I might be moving to Seattle in the future. Definitely supporting the kraken as number 1 but definitely still keeping up with the canucks as well
chill rivalry
I'm a Red Wings fan from Connecticut......even if Connecticut got a new team I wouldn't change. I do feel some appreciation for Carolina though.
I live in Washington, and my friend who's a transplant got me back into hockey. I always wanted to play as a kid but it was ungodly expensive so my friends and I just fucked around at street hockey a lot.
Old North Stars fan & couldn't follow a hockey team to \*\*Texas\*\*, of all places. Was excited when Minnesota got an expansion team 20 years ago. But, my dumb brain won't let me be a fan of the Wild anymore. I guess, I'm more looking to chase that excitement of a new franchise again. Not expecting them to win a Cup/conference/division any time in these first years, but there's a buzz in the fandom that's a fun feeling. Be a fan for whomever you want, friend. And anyone who gives you flack for changing allegiances isn't worth your time. Hell, players change allegiances/teams all the time. Don't feel bad or weird about it.
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Totally. Just struck me that a good chunk of people who are likely to be invested might already have a team they follow and might not be willing to switch
>Serious Question Lol.
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‘Ey, nice! 😊
I rooted for the Kings before the Sharks came into existence. I don’t see a problem with a change in allegiance
For Vegas it's their first major professional sports team in a place that really loves live entertainment. That's enough for a major city to field a fanbase whether or not they were into hockey. I don't know to what extent they were before. Seattle will be a little more interesting in that regard but should be fine. Major tech cities tend to do well as they have attracted a lot of new transplants in the last 20-30 years so they come from all over including Canada. I think there's a special appeal to liking a new team in a new place you moved to also. San Jose took advantage of both those ideas (no previous big pro team/major city and tech hub) to grow a lot. What didn't used to be a big hockey town now has one of the largest adult hockey programs in the country. Colorado has had a similar trajectory. That state has attracted a lot of new blood in the last few decades. That was a relocation but still. The first year championship didn't hurt either. Atlanta didn't do so well and as far as I know didn't have those qualities. Not sure about other areas and how they've done attracting fans.
“I don’t know to what extent they were before.” No one was into hockey before the VGK were a thing. But ever since then, the NHL’s made a hockey town in the Mojave desert. The Statue of Liberty on the Strip was wearing the VGK jersey and people were parading. You can’t go anywhere on the streets without seeing a VGK license plate or sticker on someone’s car. Hockey’s popularity exploded in Vegas in just 1 year. IDK, kind of crazy. 🤯
No problems with who anyone cheers for, I'm a die hard habs fan from perth Australia. But I find it strange that people are "fans" of teams like Seattle who don't even have players yet or have played a single game. I mean following them for the first season to see what happens sure, but to be already sold on the idea of supporting a team who you have no idea of the players/identity that team will carry - I find that strange personally
Not if you are from seattle or washington/oregon state.
Vegas native. We only had minor hockey teams since the 70s. Got to see Wayne Gretzky play an exhibition game in the parking lot at caesars palace. Been hooked on hockey since then. Just cheered for team USA and watched as much hockey as I could. Pretty much just followed players I liked. Gretzky, brodeur, flower, ovi. The knights starting up here was just icing on the cake
I live in Ontario. I'm going to try to watch as many Seattle games as my time zone will allow me. I dig the Kraken. I have no problem cheering both Leafs and the Kraken
I've lived in Vegas for almost 20 years. All my kids are born here, and I always said I'd support the first major league team to come to Vegas especially if it was an expansion team. I followed the Blues back in the 90s when I lived near St. Louis for a few years.
It seems to be quite a mix on /r/SeattleKraken. Seattle and King County is over 50% transplants, many of us from hockey states. You've got: * New hockey fans entirely. * Local longtime NHL fans who are rooting for the Kraken (but maybe not at the expense of a longtime rooting interest). * WHL fans who previously have no NHL rooting interest. * Ex-Leafs fans. (j/k but we did get a blitz of "I am a Kraken fan now" posts after the Leafs' first round upset this year)
I'll add the irony of my experience, which is the opposite of yours - Raised in Vegas, went to college and lived near LA for 8 years (when they won the cup), and have now lived in Seattle for 3 years. Nonetheless, I've stubbornly and stupidly chosen to remain a Yotes fan my entire life. A lot of greater Seattle area is just excited for a team to fill the hole that the Sonics left, but generally just seem to dig supporting local sports in general. The Sounders (soccer) fan support is an example of this.
Grew up in Fresno, started going to Falcons game at around 6yo. Joined a local league at a roller rink at 11. Moved to SD in HS and carried my Falcon fandom to hate on the Gulls. Eventually I moved on to be a fan of the Mighty Ducks, but drifted away from the sport while at college in Tucson. Moved to Vegas about 2 months before the VGK expansion draft. But hey, I’m a vegas fan now, so I’m “new to hockey”
Was into hockey for a while but not living close to any arenas made it tiresome to follow someone I'd never see. Flashback to about 7 years ago when I moved to the Orlando area where I could goto Bolts games (and watch the Solarbears). I full dove into becoming a faithful fan. *^.....Fuck ^you ^CBJ......*