That's fine, but I feel bad for my friends who were long-suffering fans who followed the NHL long before a team came to Nashville. I lived there from 2001-2005 and met plenty of knowledgeable hockey fans. Why do we have to focus on the bandwagoners? Did you feel this way about Tony X?
I had plenty of friends who were "NHL fans" long before the Avalanche had a team. All hopped on the bandwagon and they won a cup instantly. They are insufferable and I tend not to discuss hockey with them much anymore. Much like my friends who like the Blackhawks and the Cubs. Felt happy for them at first. Then they and many others liked to rub it in the face of Blues fans. At least Cards fans have plenty to defend themselves against bandwagon Cub fans.
Its exactly what you said. You said there were serious issue with new fans. of cup winner Then as evidence you said to ask the rivals of those fanbases and gave one extreme example of a single stupid fan. Neither of which are persuasive evidence that new fans are inherently bad, especially when compared to the need to expand the game.
Not what I said at all. You are putting words in my mouth. Regardless, what I know of those fans are the ones I interact with. I am very selfish about it, I will be the first to admit it. But if the Preds won and suddenly there were frat-boy Preds fans showing up to Blues / Preds games in STL rubbing the cup winning in our faces I guarantee you many people who were saying "good for the preds!" would be singing a different tune. Happened when KC won a WS, Cubs, Blackhawks. Being physically close to another winning city who hasn't won in a long time will turn the good tidings sour because of the single stupid fan interactions. It grows tremendously if they win.
I always find it funny that people think that fans of different teams are all that different.
People are more or less the same everywhere. Some factors change things up, like big city markets vs small and the recent success of the franchise... but I think that the vast majority of sports fanbases are more similar than different.
I don't think it would be different than another fanbase at all. It's the proximity. I am sure Hawk and Preds fans are going to feel the same exact way I do if the Blues were to ever win one. We would become the insufferable bandwagon fanbase that CHI is now and NSH almost became. The difference is living 4hrs from each city and having to deal with said fanbases. Not that it would be different for any other team.
Again, I am fully admitting to being selfish here. It's all moot anyways. Preds are going the way of VAN and SJS. All hype, everyone will be high on them for another year, they won't go to the cup finals again and everyone will forget about them. And I will remember all the silly fans saying how great they were blah blah blah and nobody will admit it and NSH can go back to watching football and listening to country music.
