Why do you support your KHL team?

88

Registered User
Mar 14, 2017
54
6
Or maybe not! Didn't even see the announcement about them leaving the KHL, real shame.. I guess i'll just keep following the league and see what happens
 
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Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
I know it is different for some people, but to me it is puzzling how people be true fans of the team from a city they have no connection to.

People in Russia being fans of Barca or ManU are nuts to me.

I also can't understand how one could possibly be a fan of two teams in the same league. To me even in different leagues.

There can be only one team. It is my home town team. Anything else is somethng I can't understand.

Doe example I will never be a fan of any NHL team. Why? What is my connection to any of them?
 

88

Registered User
Mar 14, 2017
54
6
I know it is different for some people, but to me it is puzzling how people be true fans of the team from a city they have no connection to.

People in Russia being fans of Barca or ManU are nuts to me.

I also can't understand how one could possibly be a fan of two teams in the same league. To me even in different leagues.

There can be only one team. It is my home town team. Anything else is somethng I can't understand.

Doe example I will never be a fan of any NHL team. Why? What is my connection to any of them?

I don't think i'd ever call myself a "fan" of a KHL team but its nice to have a team to "follow" just to see how the team is getting on and what the results are, that way its easier to follow the league.

I am however a fan of the Blackhawks, I'm not from Chicago but my connection is the logo is the same (nearly) as my local club. I think its different for everyone but most people are fans of an NHL team
 

Acallabeth

Heart ablaze
Jul 30, 2011
9,936
1,233
Moscow
I know it is different for some people, but to me it is puzzling how people be true fans of the team from a city they have no connection to.

People in Russia being fans of Barca or ManU are nuts to me.

I also can't understand how one could possibly be a fan of two teams in the same league. To me even in different leagues.

There can be only one team. It is my home town team. Anything else is somethng I can't understand.

Doe example I will never be a fan of any NHL team. Why? What is my connection to any of them?
What is my connection with a bunch of wealthy strangers from all around the Northern hemisphere playing in my hometown for some years? A connection is when your friend or relative plays for a certain team. After that, it's all choice, and to choose a team that plays in your home town isn't essentially different from choosing a team with a uniform you like or a team that plays enjoyable hockey. Also, most Russian cities don't have a professional KHL or RFPL team any way.
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
I don't think i'd ever call myself a "fan" of a KHL team but its nice to have a team to "follow" just to see how the team is getting on and what the results are, that way its easier to follow the league.

I am however a fan of the Blackhawks, I'm not from Chicago but my connection is the logo is the same (nearly) as my local club. I think its different for everyone but most people are fans of an NHL team

Why would I be a fan of a NHL team? I have no connection to any of them. I don't really care who wins that cup that is pretty meaningless to me. It is definitely below any major international tournament.

I only follow russian players in the NHL. Other than that the NHL is league that prevents me from watching those players play in person.
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
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What is my connection with a bunch of wealthy strangers from all around the Northern hemisphere playing in my hometown for some years? A connection is when your friend or relative plays for a certain team. After that, it's all choice, and to choose a team that plays in your home town isn't essentially different from choosing a team with a uniform you like or a team that plays enjoyable hockey. Also, most Russian cities don't have a professional KHL or RFPL team any way.

1.RFPL is no sport. I don't like to watch football at all, but I acknowledge that top football leagues are a thing. RFPL is not.

2.Many KHL teams have fans from a larger area than the actual city for which the team plays. There are also different types of connection. Tatars from all over the country may be AkBars fans. That I totally understand, especially with the organization policy trying to develop home town talent and also going for ethnical tatar free agents that are originally not from Tatarstan(Billyaletdinov, Zaripov, Batyrshin, Galimov) if they fit in. I have tatar friends who would travel several hundred miles to watch an AkBars game. There is an AkBars fan club in Moscow. There are 6 ethnic Tatars on the AkBars roster now not including the head coach. Tatarstan born or not, they are not exactly strangers here. AkBars has 6 defencemen born and raised in Kazan. Another 4 homegrown forwards. Strangers? I lived in the same city with those guys walked the same streets. Of course it wouldn't work without signing foreigners and players with orginally no ties to Kazan or Tatarstan. Doesn't change the facts. In a way they are mercenaries of coursem but as in all professional sports after a while even with them there are growing ties. But we all understand they are not exactly at home here, so when such a major figure for the franchize like Morozov retired it was understandable he has a place elsewhere he'd like to got to now.

3.Every city has a different story obviously. For example might be complicated for Chelyabinsk. There is probabaly only a handful of KHL teams without Chelybinsk natives on the roster.
 

alko

Registered User
Oct 20, 2004
9,348
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Slovakia
www.slovakhockey.sk
What does it mean, to support your team?

- you buy hats, dress or other commodities with their logo?
- you fight in the woods, cities again other supporters?
- you speak every day with other guys whats new, how did they play and shoudl they do in future?
- or you only watch game in your TV and when its boring, you switch to another show?

By me, it is only option Nr. 4. In regard of Slovan Bratislava.
Then a follow also others Slovak players in other temas, how many points they have.
 

ozo

Registered User
Feb 24, 2010
4,320
425
Growing up I was always a fan of Sokol, and later on Khimik. Now i find myself supporting Sibir. Modest budget, cool city. They always seem able to do more with less.

Sokol? Krasnoyark, Kiev?
 

Rigafan

Registered User
Jul 28, 2016
902
195
Europe
I know it is different for some people, but to me it is puzzling how people be true fans of the team from a city they have no connection to.

People in Russia being fans of Barca or ManU are nuts to me.

I also can't understand how one could possibly be a fan of two teams in the same league. To me even in different leagues.

There can be only one team. It is my home town team. Anything else is somethng I can't understand.

Doe example I will never be a fan of any NHL team. Why? What is my connection to any of them?

I agree, I'm in Manchester and the amount of die hard Manchester United fans from all corners of the world is surprising. However some of them that travel to the city often and go to the games I can understand.

Like me with Riga. I'm in Riga a lot, I'm at Dinamo games all the time so a connection i feel has been grown now.

But as you say with the NHL. I'd say i support Boston, but only cause I liked their colours when I was young and I try to follow them but I know i have zero connection to them, i've never been for example.
 

CPFC

Registered User
Sep 12, 2004
500
121
Been following Jokerit, my hometown team, since 1989, when they played in the 2nd tier and rookie Teemu Selänne was the best scorer. Lokomotiv is another favourite, mainly due to the terrible accident and the way they have rebuilt their team. They're one of the most entertaining teams in KHL in terms of playing style.
 

Alexander the Gr8

Registered User
May 2, 2013
31,602
12,666
Toronto
I know it is different for some people, but to me it is puzzling how people be true fans of the team from a city they have no connection to.

People in Russia being fans of Barca or ManU are nuts to me.

I also can't understand how one could possibly be a fan of two teams in the same league. To me even in different leagues.

There can be only one team. It is my home town team. Anything else is somethng I can't understand.

Doe example I will never be a fan of any NHL team. Why? What is my connection to any of them?

Easy. You follow a certain player, then you start liking his team, until you love the team more than you love that player. Semin, Backstrom and Ovechkin made me a Caps fan, and I'll be a Caps fan even after they all retire or get traded.
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
Easy. You follow a certain player, then you start liking his team, until you love the team more than you love that player. Semin, Backstrom and Ovechkin made me a Caps fan, and I'll be a Caps fan even after they all retire or get traded.

No, it can't happen to me. The moment Russians leave Washington I will stop following them like I stopped following the Red Wings.
 

Alexander the Gr8

Registered User
May 2, 2013
31,602
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Toronto
No, it can't happen to me. The moment Russians leave Washington I will stop following them like I stopped following the Red Wings.

I guess your nationalistic bias sets you apart from other hockey fans, nothing wrong with that. For me, I don't care if my favourite player is Canadian, Russian or Vietnamese. I like them for the way they play, not for their birthplace.
 

Atas2000

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
13,601
3,269
I guess your nationalistic bias sets you apart from other hockey fans, nothing wrong with that. For me, I don't care if my favourite player is Canadian, Russian or Vietnamese. I like them for the way they play, not for their birthplace.

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

What is my nationalistic bias? It is a sport. Sports is about competition. Competition only matter if you can connect emotionally with one side. Fellow Russians do that for me. But is all about being interested in the outcome of a competitive event. But actually only with national teams. I really don't care which team wins the Stanley Cup. Because a couple of Russians on the team isn't enough emotional connection for me to care... just like some players I like russian or not being on the team.

P.S. And nationality is not birth place. There are rootless cultures out there(I do not mean national cultures), but they will fail. There is no tree without roots. Somebody is russian not by birthplace but by his ancestrial cultural roots. there is much more to it han being born in the same region of the Earth.
 
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Alexander the Gr8

Registered User
May 2, 2013
31,602
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Toronto
:laugh::laugh::laugh:

What is my nationalistic bias? It is a sport. Sports is about competition. Competition only matter if you can connect emotionally with one side. Fellow Russians do that for me. But is all about being interested in the outcome of a competitive event. But actually only with national teams. I really don't care which team wins the Stanley Cup. Because a couple of Russians on the team isn't enough emotional connection for me to care... just like some players I like russian or not being on the team.

P.S. And nationality is not birth place. There are rootless cultures out there(I do not mean national cultures), but they will fail. There is no tree without roots. Somebody is russian not by birthplace but by his ancestrial cultural roots. there is much more to it han being born in the same region of the Earth.

You're mistaken my friend. I didn't criticize you, I said there was nothing wrong with rooting for player X or Y because that player hails from the same background as you. You connect to players because they're Russians, and that's fine. So the only way you can invest yourself emotionally in sports is by being from the same background as a player or members of a team.

See, I connect to players in many other ways. Here, I'll give you some examples. I like Alex Ovechkin because besides being an exciting hockey player, he is also a great human being who was unfairly criticized early on in his career. I liked him, Semin and other players from the Capitals for similar reasons, so I became a fan of the team. I just want to see them succeed.

Another example was PK Subban. While he's a great hockey player, I didn't think much of him in his first few years in the NHL. Then, he showed that he has a great heart and made significant contributions to the Montreal community. I thought I couldn't appreciate more than I already did, until the media blamed him unfairly for the team's failures and he got chased out of town like a criminal.

I recognise myself in these guys. We have the right intentions but we're often misunderstood because we come from a different culture.
 

IDiO

Registered User
May 6, 2017
45
0
I don't know what's mentally wrong with me but I like it. :laugh: Not surprisingly, I will study Russian Literature & Language at university and in five to ten years, maybe I will have the chance to call Omsk or Novosibirsk as my actual home.

I'd suggest studying something that has to do with Oil/Gas rather than lit if you want to end up in Siberia :nod:. There's more than enough literature experts there, but oil/gas sector is a lot more likely source of employment :silly:.
 

IDiO

Registered User
May 6, 2017
45
0
As far as my favourite team - it's clearly Dinamo Minsk. For obvious reasons,
specifically regional/national patriotism. But before Dinamo started playing there, back in the times of the Superleague, I used to support Ak Bars, especially during the famous Morozov-Zaripov-Zinovyev which was killing everybody not just in Russia, but during the world championships (where it was the highest-scoring line overall). I just really loved their play.

That's generally weird for me, because as one of my friends once noted - I must have an issue with colour red :silly:. All the teams I support in all the sports tend to wear red prominently - Neman, Red Wings (hockey), Ajax, AC Milan, Arsenal (football), Ferrari (F1) etc. Well, I guess, this rule doesn't apply in KHL.
 

JaSa

Registered User
Sep 3, 2013
24
0
Espoo
I thought I've already answered to this thread, but looks like I haven't :laugh:

My favourite team in KHL is Jokerit because actually it's my hometown team. Have been rooting for them since I was a kid. I really cannot say for sure why I chose Jokerit back then, but the logo and colors were one factor.
 
Dec 13, 2010
976
5
No, it can't happen to me. The moment Russians leave Washington I will stop following them like I stopped following the Red Wings.

This is interesting to me. To go back to the football comment, I follow Tottenham because I grew up following Robbie Keane. When he went to Liverpool I was heartbroken because I'd fallen in love with Tottenham. I was torn and debated switching my allegiance, but stuck with Tottenham and Keane thankfully came back. I have no family tie to Tottenham, no history there, but being an Irish kid idolizing Robbie Keane drew me to the club and I've never looked back.

There are other hockey/football clubs I "like" because of certain players--I own an Avangard jersey for Cherepanov, Barys Astana jersey because of McDonagh...I love Linus Omark and have considered buying his jerseys. But they don't hold the same place in my heart as my local NHL team. I can't imagine being a fan of more than one team.
 

Finnpin

"internet"
Oct 10, 2005
11,735
10
Helsinki
Ive been Jokerit fan since Melametsä and Selänne era and they are from my home town. Never stop rooting for them, even if they would play in Australian Hockey League. Even though Jokerit's logo is awesome, that didnt make me a fan. Jokerit was the first Helsinki team I saw live when I was a kid and I remembered that when I got little bit older and got interested more at hockey. Jokerit were also underdogs back then so the choice was easy.

Well Canadian born living in finland, I've got the chance to catch both KHL and SM-Liiga ! I live in Helsinki!
Yeah I remember you from some old threads! Hopefully life has been good!
 
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hansomreiste

Registered User
Sep 23, 2015
1,625
237
Ankara
Ive been Jokerit fan since Melametsä and Selänne era and they are from my home town. Never stop rooting for them, even if they would play in Australian Hockey League. Even though Jokerit's logo is awesome, that didnt make me a fan. Jokerit was the first Helsinki team I saw live when I was a kid and I remembered that when I got little bit older and got interested more at hockey. Jokerit were also underdogs back then so the choice was easy.

Yeah I remember you from some old threads! Hopefully life has been good!

Many people seem to agree with you, which is really shocking for me. Over time, I got used to it but as a teen (yeah, teen, not a little child) I was very disturbed with Jokerit's logo. It even had a role in one of my nightmares. I don't have a clown phobia or something like that; I actually like them, but there is something so freaky and terrifying with Jokerit's logo for me.
 

HockeyBeherit

Registered User
Jun 17, 2017
12
3
Helsinki Area
I started following Dinamo Riga last season, when I visited Riga and witnessed a game between Jokerit and Dinamo.

Why not Jokerit then?

I grew up as a fan of Kärpät Oulu in Helsinki area, so Jokerit has been my arch enemy for years. Now that they play in the KHL, I regurarly go to games, but still the idea of supporting them makes me just feel bad.

The final nail in the coffin was when Dinamo scored a goal. The crowd, the goal horn and song, the smoke and all... It just felt awesome. Bought a jersey right away. ;)
 

Jisatsu

Registered User
May 17, 2013
215
10
I've been a Dynamo Moscow fan since the 90's when I first heard of them. Love the classic Jerseys and own a few game worns from recent years. Also was a fan of HC MVD, so when they merged it was awesome for me. I have a Kokarev MVD game worn jersey that I love. So, that's the team I root for in the K. I also really like Ak Bars, Traktor, and Avangard, but always root for Dynamo.
 

Rcknrollkillnmachine

Registered User
Sep 22, 2017
576
402
Finland
Hej!

After watching a lot of KHL, more so this season I decided to support the two eastern teams, Amur and Admiral.

My reasons are probably the fact they are located in what I perceive as very exotic parts of the world, from their cities' history, climate, the teams, the players and great support they receive.

The fact they're not traditional power houses also appeals to me as I love the highs and lows of smaller teams rather than the most popular ones.

They have great colours - I love Amur's orange and black and Admiral have that sweet blue, sky blue and white scheme.

I'd also love to visit these places and catch a game although that is very difficult right now. I live in Helsinki and I regret not seeing either when they were here this season.
 
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