I need help in choosing a NHL team?

Question

I am new to the NHL and I do not know who I should cheer/follow so which team would be a good choice. Please give me some details on this team and why you chose them.

Answer 1

Find a team close to you and cheer and if they are not good just find a player you like and cheer for that team

Answer 2

Devils because Marty is amazing, and they had a great dynasty. plus they still pulled off a 40+ win season with a diminished team

Answer 3

I think you should pick a team that you live close to, it's easier to root for them, because you'll be surrounded buy other's that enjoy watching the same team. I'm just glad to see your becoming a hockey fan. Watch as many games as you can, and make sure you go to a game, then you'll really be hooked! I live in Cleveland, OH so Im a fan of the blue jackets, and i also like the penguins. Who ever you choose i'm just glad to see your becoming a hockey fan. Any questions please ask

Answer 4

Welcome to the NHL!!

I would say the team that is closest, but If ur like me I live in a state that has no professional sports teams so I was really equal distance between the rangers, bruins, and islanders. I choose the Bruins because a) they are an original 6 b) I like Boston in general 3) bobby orr 4) They are the ideal blue collar hockey...I love bashing and really physical play...if you like a certain aspect of hockey the best look for a team that is known for that.

5) It helps that they show all the bruins games on a local TV station....larger stations like versus in the U.S. may only show the team you like every once in a while...so if you are new to the NHL you may want to choose a team where you can watch their games when you want to familiarize yourself with their players etc.

6) Also check out nhl.com for team 's pages to help your decision!

Answer 5

Watch as much hockey as you can. Learn what you can about the game from TV shows, web sites, and magazines such as the Hockey News. When you find a team that interests you, for any reason. Try to learn more about that particular team, be it history, ads, or just stories. Then you can be a fan.

Or you can be like most of the people on this forum. Put up a map of North America. Put on a blindfold and throw a dart. Pick the team that comes closest to your dart and find a bandwagon and jump aboard.

Don't confuse yourself with facts, knowledge or history. Just shout louder than any one else and you'll be a fan.

Answer 6

if you live in the USA there is only one team  THE MIGHTY DETROIT RED WINGS. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG THERE even if they don't win the cup they will away be in the hunt.

Answer 7

The Montreal Canadiens !

The most glorious team there is, the one with the most stanley cups won. 24 to be exact. They've been around for 100 years now. It's THE team .

:) I suggest it, actually anything BUT the Toronto Maple Leafs is not so bad, but THE HABS are just the best !

Answer 8

Well, I love the Penguins. (Hometown team). If you want a team that is the future, turn to them. But don't take my word for it.

Watch some NHL games this year, just do what I did with the NBA. Since Pitt doesn't have an NBA team, and I hate the 76ers, I had to watch a lot of NBA games. Before deciding who to root for.

So just try that, you'll find your own team, no need to bandwagon with somebody else's opinion towards a team.

Answer 9

Welcome to the wonderful world of NHL, Lawl. Firstly, I don't really think that you should pick a team just because of what someone else says - choose a team that appeals to YOU. Four years ago, half the fun I had of starting to follow the NHL, was to hit the official NHL site & go through all the teams (this takes a while - but it is very much worth the effort at the end when you have choosen the best team that you most like). You can access team sites by the little icons near the top of the NHL main page.

If you don't want to do that, some simplier options of narrowing down choosing a NHL hockey team are:-

1)-Do you want to support a Canadian or US team?

2)-Would you prefer to follow a team in the Eastern or Western Conference?

3)-Do you want a team that has good colours or a great team logo?

Good luck with whatever team you decide to support in the end.

Answer 10

alright u have 2 options

1. root for the team closest to you

2. watch a couple games and see what team u like and what team is on TV often in your neighbourhood

Answer 11

I would pick a team in the state that you live in. Unless, you know they have a losing record then I would have to say GO ISLANDERS on that one. Because I live in Florida and right now I'm not to sure about the Panthers or the Lightning.

Answer 12

I think you should pick a team that's near your hometown if your in the north you should pick a team such as Chicago or Detroit or any of the original six. If you live in the South maybe go with the Ducks or Stars. if you're close to Canada you should pick Montreal. This is just my opinion.

Answer 13

Well i suggest a hometown team. Regardless of location though, i Hate bandwagon jumpers. Im from Pittsburgh and I hate how everyone likes them now.

But root for a team as close to where you live as you can. Thick or thin, you can find other people with the same interest to watch games with, and possibly attend one. If you like a team across the country, its kinda hard to find other with the same liking.

Besides. Being a hockey fan in general is ok. I watch games as much as i can regardless of whos playing.

Go Pens.

Answer 14

I grew up in Ohio in the 70's. The Cincinnati Stingers died with the WHA and the Cleveland Barons only lasted a few seasons.

Pittsburgh and Detroit both stunk in those days and I never liked the Flyers style of play. I kinda liked Boston, but when I saw the Montreal Canadiens, I knew I had found my team. I loved their open, fluid style and they had cool jerseys (I was about 10yo).

My advice is to just watch as many games as you can. Sooner or later one team (or one player) will grab your attention and before you know it....you're a fanatic!

Answer 15

Hometown Or In Your State Teams

Teams that Are Good and Will Make It All The Way

Players and Goalies Alike

Just Be A Fan and Trust Me You'll Find A Favorite Team When The Season Starts

Answer 16

I grew up just outside NYC so using everyone's hometown philosophy I should be a Rangers, Islanders or Devils fan.  But I'm not.  The first NHL game I went to was a Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadians playoff game.  The arena was so electric I just got hooked on the Sabres!  

Point is, find a team and stick with it.  Maybe you pick a team because they have a cool logo, they play by you, their minor league team plays near you or maybe there's a player's name that catches your attention.  I read how one guy is a Sabres fan because they had a player who's name was Satan (not pronounced the same but... ).

Point is--find your own reason to be a fan.  It will always be a story.

Answer 17

Personally, the Phoenix Coyotes are my favorite team in the NHL. Why? Because they're my home team. You've always gotta cheer for your home team through the good and the bad.

Now if I wasn't already for the Coyotes I'd most definitely root for the Detroit Red Wings. They are the most talented, powerful, and aggressive team in the whole NHL and they've proved that with 4 Stanley Cups in they're last 11 seasons. They're unstoppable!

Answer 18

well go for a hometown team (unless its the flyers or red wings)

my teams are the Washington Capitals (yes, i know its a one-man team)  and the Calgary Flames!!!!!!!!!

Answer 19

I would suggest the MONTREAL CANADIENS we have class, skill, a loyal fan following, an amazing history (24 Stanley Cup victories, most in the sport - yep that's more than Detroit and Toronto combined) and many attractive women go to the games. :)

Answer 20

My favorite team is the Red Wings because I grew up in Michigan and grew up watching them with my dad and brother.

I agree with the other posters and recommend choosing a team close to where you live because you will have an easier time catching their games on tv.  If there really isn't  a local team I recommend one of the orginal six teams, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks.  All of these teams have been around since the 1920's and have a lot of history behind them.  I think its more interesting to learn about them and follow them because they have a long history.  Opposed to the teams that were created in the 1990's.

Personally after the Red Wings I like the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals.

If you want to follow a team that many people follow I would recommend the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Red Wings.

The Penguins they have Sidney Crosby who is the 20 year old star of the league.  I have heard people call him "the Michael Jordan of hockey" and "the next Wayne Gretzky".  Before he was even drafted there a was a HUGE hype about him.  The Penguins have many new followers because of Crosby.  I personally am not a Penguins fan but a lot of people do follow the team and really like them.  If were to choose the Penguins make sure you learn about Mario Lemieux.  He played for the Penguins for more than 15 years.  He too was one of the greatest players in the NHL, and now is an owner of the Penguins.  Sidney Crosby also lives with him.  I don't know a lot about the Penguins but Evgeni Malkin is another key player on the team, he is a great player but gets left out of the spotlight often in my opinion because Crosby is always in the spotlight.  He was  second in scoring in the league this year.  With Crosby and Malkin on the team the Penguins have a good chance of winning the Stanley Cup or at least making it far in the playoffs for many years to come. I don't really follow the Penguins so I can't really give you a lot of info about them.

The Red Wings have won 4 Stanley Cups in the last 11 years and have gained many followers from their wins..  If you should choose to follow the Red Wings some of the most important people to learn about to get started are Gordie Howe who played a long time ago but still is involved with the organization and is one of the greatest players ever in the NHL.  Scotty Bowman was the coach of the Red Wings in the late 90's and early 2000's and was a great coach still involved in the Red Wings.  Steve Yzerman is a third person to learn about.  He played for the Red Wings for 22 seasons and was the Captain for 20 of them.  He is often refered to as "Stevie Y" or "The Captain".  He retired after the 2005-2006 season and is currently the Red Wings vice president.   Each of these three people have had a major impact on the Red Wings and they are three key people to know about.  After them I would reccommend learning about any player who has their number retired by the team.  Including Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Sid Abel, Ted Lindsay and a few others.  Vladimir Konstantinov and Jiri Fischer are also 2 former Red Wings that are very important to the history of the team over the last 15 years who no longer play due injury/medical problems.  The three current Red Wings that are the most popular are Nick Lidstrom who is the captain of the team, and Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.  Zetterberg and Datsyuk are two very good players on the team they are often refered to as "The Euro Twins" because they play very well together and read each other well.  They each make great plays, I put a link to my favorite below.  Each player has at one point set the other up this way.  They are a lot of fun to watch play together.  I could go on and on about past players and current players of the Red Wings in the last 15 years they have had many great players play with them for a least some amount of time like Brett Hull, Dominik Hasek, Brenden Shanahan.   I personally recommend following the Red Wings I think they are an interesting team to follow.  Many had speculated that after the 2004-2005 lockout when the salary cap was put into place that the Red Wings would no longer be able to contend for the Stanley Cup every year because they would not be able to buy all the great players like that had done in the past.  But in the three years following the lockout they have made it to the playoffs every year and have proved many people wrong.  The Red Wings have made the playoffs for 17 years straight and with most of their roster still intact for next year there's a good chance their streak will not be ending any time soon.

In my personal opinion the Red Wings and the Penguins are the two teams most likely to make the playoffs for many years to come and are fairly intersting to watch.

Answer 21

go 4 a team that appeals to the qualities you like and the way u find that out is watch the games or pick a team with your favorite players

Answer 22

Well, depending on where you live you should choose a team close to you. Or another option would be to order the NHL Center Ice package (if your provider offers it), and watch as many games as you can and find a team whose playing style appeals to you.

Answer 23

Go with a hometown team, that is of course if they have one.  My team is the Devils, I gotta show some respect for a team that plays in a state, and ACTUALLY uses that state's name for there team.   ******* giants and jets...they can both go to h**l

Answer 24

If you want to be band wagon go for the detroit red wings. they just won the stanley cup a few weeks ago. But if you want to pick an underdog team pick somebody like the toronto maple leafs or the washington capitals. Me personally I am a really big Columbus Blue Jackets fan but really I like every team...except for detroit.