If you are new to the world of hockey and the National Hockey League (NHL), then one of the first things you should do is choose an NHL team to root for. In a previous article, I put together a list of ten tips for becoming a hockey fan where choosing a team to root for was the first thing you should do.
In this article, I have put together five different ways that will help you choose an NHL team to root for.
1) Geographical Proximity
The obvious choice might be to choose an NHL team that is geographically close to either where you live, or somewhere that is important to you. If you do not leave near a city with an NHL team, then there are a couple of options to explore. Even if you do live in or near a city with an NHL team for one reason or another you might not be inclined to root for that club. Fear not, these next few points might appeal to you.
2) Your Favorite Player’s Team
Try and remember watching your first NHL hockey game, your second, your third. Did any one player stand out to you?
Maybe you caught a game between two teams that you weren’t invested in but one player on the ice always seemed to be the one making exciting plays.
Maybe you haven’t seen a game yet but you keep hearing the same names over and over again. For example, I hardly ever watch soccer but I know who Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are.
There is a reason that professional sports teams market their star players so heavily. It is because those players not only put butts in seats for games, but they also draw new fans to the sport. And if you are someone who is having a hard time choosing a team to root for but you have heard of a couple of names that you think are worth following, then that might be the best way for you to choose which team you want to support.
In the modern era, some of the most notable young names in the sport are Connor McDavid in Edmonton, Nathan MacKinnon & Cale Makar in Colorado, Auston Matthews in Toronto, Jack Eichel in Buffalo, Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary, and Quinn Hughes in Vancouver.
Nearly all these names, and a few more I didn’t mention, are franchise players that likely won’t be moving homes in the near future. So if you are looking to support a team based on a star player, this is a great list to start with.
3) A Star From Home
This point works particularly well for those watching the game overseas. The NHL is a geographically diverse league, drawing players from all across Europe & North America. And this international talent pool brings fans from across the world who want to see their hometown star compete in the most competitive league hockey has to offer.
Some of the league’s top talent hails from Russia, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Czechia, France, Germany, and even more recently, Latvia and Bulgaria. In North America, the NHL, after years of work, is now seeing the fruits of its labor pay off in “non-traditional” hockey markets like Arizona, California, St. Louis, Texas, and Florida to name a few.
Auston Matthews, mentioned above, was raised in Scottsdale, AZ, and has become somewhat of a poster child for the NHL’s efforts to continue expanding into markets where the league hasn’t historically been present.
This expansion includes working to grow the game in different continents as well. The NHL has been highly involved in China over the last several years, hosting hockey camps and preseason games in an attempt to grow hockey in a massive market that has been mostly untouched by the NHL for decades.
In the Matthews example, there are now fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Arizona. And the NHL has held games internationally in places like Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden to celebrate local favorites such as Aleksander Barkov, Patrik Laine, Victor Hedman, and Rasmus Dahlin.
Those teams, Florida, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, and Buffalo respectively, all benefit from international support because of the players on their roster. If you are from a part of the world that has one or two players playing in the National Hockey League, choose an NHL team to support based on that criteria and start looking for ways to become engaged with that fanbase!
4) A Club/Fanbase’s Inclusiveness
It is no secret that hockey is not the most diverse sport. It is expensive to play which disproportionately affects minority communities, and therefore creates a predominantly white demographic across not just the National Hockey League, but the hockey world as a whole.
Fortunately, it seems as though the sport is at a massive turning point in regards to making hockey more inclusive. The NHL and independent teams have been aggressive in pursuing matters of racism and misogyny in an attempt to change the course of the game.
There are strong efforts league-wide to promote women’s hockey and to find ways to make gear more affordable to kids who otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to play.
The Hockey Diversity Alliance is a newly-formed organization that is focused primarily on “changing the face of hockey” which involves taking a hard stance on racial issues in the sport, and the world as a whole.
We saw this change first hand when the National Hockey League postponed two days worth of games protesting racial injustice, which was sparked most recently by the shooting of Jacob Blake.
If you want to choose an NHL team to support based on its inclusiveness, Seattle might be a great place to start. While the team doesn’t take the ice until 2021, it is clear that the franchise is taking a hard stance on inclusivity.
From donating 100% of net proceeds from its first merchandise sale to organizations serving BIPOC youth and families to hiring the NHL’s first Black team broadcaster in Everett Fitzhugh, the Seattle Kraken are doing their part to change the face of hockey.
Just a scroll through the Kraken’s Instagram profile will give you an idea of the message of inclusivity the team is trying to spread, featuring fans across various nationalities in a move that is honestly refreshing, and important, to see in the hockey world.
5) Branding
And, very last, sometimes an easy way to choose an NHL team to support is by simply making a decision based on the logo and color scheme you like the most. It isn’t the most in-depth way to choose a team to root for necessarily, but as a fan, you do want to root for a club that looks good on the ice.
If you plan on buying merchandise from that team looks are important, and most NHL teams have stylish logos (there are a couple that could use a refresh in my opinion). Blue is a huge color in the hockey world so there are plenty of options on that front. Boston, Nashville, and Pittsburgh all make good use of yellow in their uniforms, and Edmoton and Philidelphia and the New York Islanders rock orange.
I have mentioned this in previous articles, but easily my favorite jersey in the entire league (and I am not alone in saying this) is the Arizona Coyotes’ Kachina jersey.
The Coyotes have the best alternate jersey in the league by a mile, and if you are looking to root for a team based solely on its on-ice appearance, the ‘Yotes would be an excellent choice.
Questions & Comments
As per usual, please feel free to reach out to me in the comment section, or on Twitter @jeremyperrigo I am always happy to help bring new fans into the game!
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