Big Z Man 1990
Registered User
Who do you think will be Vegas' rival out of the gate? I think Arizona has the potential to be that rival due to both teams' location in the desert.
I mean...I'm from LA originally...or not quite LA but the part of town I lived in was definitely Lakers/Kings/Dodgers country. Somehow I only ended up a Lakers fan and rooted for the Angels and Ducks
Betting it'll be between LA and Arizona.
I think LA might be our rival, but I doubt we're LA's rival until we meet in the playoffs.
Well, I'll say this - it's not hard to create a rivalry with the Los Angeles Kings and their fans. If you're long-timers on HF then you know what I mean...
I think there are different kinds of rivalries - the Vegas/AZ rivalry shouldn't be too mean-spirited because, away from the ice, we're both in kind of the same boat. We'll probably want each other to lose when we play each other but otherwise we want each other to succeed. In other words, I think there's a mutual respect to be had between the two teams, and I think it'll be a good performance rivalry.
Now, the Kings, on the other hand... that's a rivalry that's ripe for some serious sports hate. I can't speak for everyone in the Pacific Division but for Coyotes and Ducks fans, by and large, it is soooooooo easy to despise the Kings. They give you so much reason to loathe them. I think they actually print a list of reasons why in their annual media guide.
Vegas-LA is a little closer when you're not riding a bike.
I've said it a couple times, but there's definitely going to be a one way rivalry with the Kings right off the hop. Vegas people deal with Californians all the time, clogging up the highways driving 10 below the speed limit, being loud, just generally being Californian. We don't like them much.
However, to the average Californian I doubt they think about Las Vegas much if at all. Plus, the Kings already have the Ducks and the Sharks. If they decide they don't like us, it's going to be based on what happens on the ice.
The Kings don't like ANYONE. That's why everyone else hates them so much...