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Right now I'm in college in Virginia, and I am surprised by the number of Caps fans down here. I was expecting Football to be the be all and end all of sports in the south. How about where you guys live, what is the NHL following like?

 Makarov wrote:
Right now I'm in college in Virginia, and I am surprised by the number of Caps fans down here. I was expecting Football to be the be all and end all of sports in the south. How about where you guys live, what is the NHL following like?

Caps fans are largely the fairweather sort. Having lived in Virginia on and off for most of my life, I can vouch for the fact that, prior to Ovechkin's arrival, the Caps were largely an afterthought in the DC/VA sports market. As soon as they're not consistent contenders, I expect that to return. It's sort of how everybody's a Nats fan all of a sudden.

Haw-Key?

We know nothing of this Haw-Key here in the islands.

Anyone want to talk cricket?

North of Boston is Bruins country. When I was growing up it was Bruins and Celtics. Not as much as when I was a kid, though, now that the Pats are good and the NFL has improved so much since the salary cap.

I live in Baseball Cardinal nations...

But, we have a large rabid Hockey fans here (Blues).

Well, I'm from Canada so that's self-explanatory.

I live in Vancouver, which has a single major sports team: the Vancouver Canucks. The city riots every time they feel entitled to win the Stanley Cup and don't.

It's big. Literally. This is a half hour's drive from my house.

Over here its not so big, the average ice hockey game here pulls around 300-500 fans, maybe more in some of the bigger arenas. Most of my friends think its a boring game, someone even described it as golf on ice...

 Azza007 wrote:
Over here its not so big, the average ice hockey game here pulls around 300-500 fans, maybe more in some of the bigger arenas. Most of my friends think its a boring game, someone even described it as golf on ice...

 Azza007 wrote:
golf on ice...

So wrong it hurts.
Anyways, I live in Minnesota. It's pretty big here.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Haw-Key?

We know nothing of this Haw-Key here in the islands.

Anyone want to talk cricket?

Me!

Yeah, ice-hockey isn't big here at all.

I'm a die-hard Habs fan, however, I live in the sadest place on Earth...

Erm, really doesent exist all that much here, just small teams :(
Which is a shame since i usually spend most of my time playing it or atleast on the ice lol.

I am originally from Oregon... and at least in Portland, people really get behind the minor league team, the Winterhawks (last I heard they were an affiliate of Chicago)

However, I am currently living near Fort Campbell... which is about an hours' drive from "Smashville" as the local fans like to dub it. Thats Nashville TN for those who couldn't figure it out.

But through all that, I am a Canucks fan through and through.

Where I'm from, it's huge. Where I am, it's non-existent.

Not as huge as baseball, but the St. Louis Blues are pretty big around here. Seems to be a decent Chicago and Detroit following here as well.

With the good season the Blues had last year, they jacked ticket prices through the roof this year, which is real frustrating. First year since i've moved here I really won't be able to afford to watch my Wings whup up on the Blues in person.

Connecticut has a lot of Bruins fans, but we are close enough to New York to see a fair mix of Rangers fans and even some Islanders fans and devils fans locally...

We also live close enough to attend Springfield Falcons games, CT Whale games, and Uconn is five minutes up the street so we get to watch men's and womens college hockey (looking forward to seeing UConn getting spanked around for a few years now that they are transitioning to Hockey East and getting their new scholarship program up to steam).

We build a rink in our backyard every year (hoping weather cooperates this year):


On a related note both my sons play travel hockey and we had season openers today: goodbye free time and lazy weekends, I'll see you in May...


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 Azza007 wrote:
Over here its not so big, the average ice hockey game here pulls around 300-500 fans, maybe more in some of the bigger arenas. Most of my friends think its a boring game, someone even described it as golf on ice...

In America many people think soccer is boring.

Glad to see that stupidity is Trans-atlantic.

Well being born and raised in Canada I love Hockey, and I'm a die-hard nucks fan, but those %^&#T$^#@$R&#$^&#T&*#$*&#@$&^#%#%&*#%*&#%*&#%^*&#%*&%T#*&%^#*&% just can't seem to win JUST ONE cup.

Here in New Zealand the closest thing I can get to "Ice" Hockey is field hockey, which I play.

Experiment 626 wrote:
I'm a die-hard Habs fan, however, I live in the sadest place on Earth...

Two things

A: I am a Islanders fan so I know you pain


B: this is so fething true, just replace the Bruins jersey with your respective team from any sport

St Louis is a baseball town, but the Blues fanbase is very large for a hockey team. The best thing is they are not fair weather plans. Even when the Blues were low in the rankings games sell out.

I'm Canadian so obviously Hockey is religion where I am.

 Coolyo294 wrote:

 Azza007 wrote:
golf on ice...

So wrong it hurts.
Anyways, I live in Minnesota. It's pretty big here.

The official State of Hockey.

Not very. We have an amateur/minor-league hockey team here in Houston, but other than some die-hard hockey fans, they only sell out when they're in the play off hunt. Fortunately, they've been in the playoffs a lot.

I have been to two minor league hockey games in person, and I'm of the opinion that Hockey on TV is boring, but Hockey in person kicks major ass. Even if I don't know what the penalties are.

It's basically non-existent...

We've had two hockey teams leave Atlanta for Canada cities who previously lost their teams. NHL is dead to me.

Living in metro Detroit...I can safely say the Red Wings are awesome and that it's huge here haha

Meh. Hockey isn't huge here. I remember when they build the Coyotes the arena I was mildly excited. The rest of Phoenix must have felt roughly the same way. They don't make money here. It doesn't help that I'm an old school Bruins fan, I like to see violent, ugly, physical hockey...you know: North American hockey. All these Slavs and Russians that actually know how to skate are ruining the game. The rink the semi-pro team in my home town played in is now a storage facility for the local Coca-Cola distributor...Hockey is dying as a sport because there's just no where to play it anymore in college, like wrestling. Thanks Title IX. At least my school in the middle of the desert has a rowing team...

 AustonT wrote:
Meh. Hockey isn't huge here. I remember when they build the Coyotes the arena I was mildly excited. The rest of Phoenix must have felt roughly the same way. They don't make money here. It doesn't help that I'm an old school Bruins fan, I like to see violent, ugly, physical hockey...you know: North American hockey. All these Slavs and Russians that actually know how to skate are ruining the game. The rink the semi-pro team in my home town played in is now a storage facility for the local Coca-Cola distributor...Hockey is dying as a sport because there's just no where to play it anymore in college, like wrestling. Thanks Title IX. At least my school in the middle of the desert has a rowing team...

Before blaming Title XI throw a little blame on the ungodly amount of scholarships which are given for football. It's basically 3 or 4 sports! In any case it hasn't stopped many schools from having hockey where it's more culturally accepted. Many Big 10 schools manage to support hockey teams, and wrestling for that matter.

Also, I think that the thugish nature of the game, with frequent fighting et al. is one reason why hockey won't really catch on nation wide.

 kronk wrote:


I have been to two minor league hockey games in person, and I'm of the opinion that Hockey on TV is boring, but Hockey in person kicks major ass. Even if I don't know what the penalties are.

I think more than any other sport Hockey is better live.