Living in an AHL city, do you cheer for the parent team as well?

[PSGJ]

I'm just curious about whether living in an AHL city makes you more likely to cheer for the parent team. For instance, people of Milwaukee, are you Preds fans? People of Providence, you'd probably be Bruins fans anyway, but have you become even more of a fan thanks to having the AHL team? People of Syracuse, are you more inclined to like the Lightning since the affiliation change?

The reason I wonder is because of the whole Western movement idea in the AHL. Will that help the western NHL teams grow their fan bases?

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[Coach Nate]

Depends on where those teams place their AHL franchises. If there is an established fanbase for another NHL team, they are unlikely to reap the benefits.

As for me, once the players leave San Antonio, I hope they do well, but I pay little to no attention to the team (both Phoenix before and Florida now). I grew up a Red Wings fan and always will be.

 

[Gearhead82]

I'm just curious about whether living in an AHL city makes you more likely to cheer for the parent team. For instance, people of Milwaukee, are you Preds fans? People of Providence, you'd probably be Bruins fans anyway, but have you become even more of a fan thanks to having the AHL team? People of Syracuse, are you more inclined to like the Lightning since the affiliation change?

The reason I wonder is because of the whole Western movement idea in the AHL. Will that help the western NHL teams grow their fan bases?

I live in Milwaukee not a Preds fan.

 

[UticaHockey]

I follow Vancouver since the Comets came to Utica. I never followed the NHL western conference anyway so the Canucks are my new NHL west team.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I cheer for the Wolves to play well and develop poorly. The two aren't mutually exclusive, after all.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

I like the BlackHawks and Stars. I now follow the Blues since they are affiliated but not a fan of them. I have actually been more a fan of the players than the team which employs them.

 

[Rumblick]

In Hershey, there is a large segment of the fan base that attaches to whomever our affiliate is (Philly, Colorado, & now Washington). Having grown up in an NHL city, my allegiance to one team was formed long before I moved here, and nothing will change that. I follow ex-Bears when they make the NHL with any team, but if the Caps were to go 2-80 in a given season, I'm not sure it'd bother me a whole lot (unless my NHL team was one of the "2").

 

[210]

I'm just curious about whether living in an AHL city makes you more likely to cheer for the parent team. For instance, people of Milwaukee, are you Preds fans? People of Providence, you'd probably be Bruins fans anyway, but have you become even more of a fan thanks to having the AHL team? People of Syracuse, are you more inclined to like the Lightning since the affiliation change?

The reason I wonder is because of the whole Western movement idea in the AHL. Will that help the western NHL teams grow their fan bases?

I do not root for the San Jose Sharks in any manner. I do like seeing guys I know doing well, but as a team I couldn't care less what the Sharks do on the ice.

 

[adsfan]

I'm just curious about whether living in an AHL city makes you more likely to cheer for the parent team. For instance, people of Milwaukee, are you Preds fans? People of Providence, you'd probably be Bruins fans anyway, but have you become even more of a fan thanks to having the AHL team? People of Syracuse, are you more inclined to like the Lightning since the affiliation change?

The reason I wonder is because of the whole Western movement idea in the AHL. Will that help the western NHL teams grow their fan bases?

I live near Milwaukee and am a Predators fan going back to 1998. They need all of the fans that they can get. I heard that a lot of Atlanta fans are following them now. Not that there are or were a lot of Atlanta hockey fans.

 

[MM658]

I am a long-time Springfield fan, and a long-time Boston Bruins fan. I follow Columbus (Springfield parent), but don't root for them, per se. I usually hope they do well enough to prevent constant front-office turnover, but that's about it. In fact, come playoff time, I root against them, for reasons that should be obvious.

 

[Govment Cheese]

Think a lot of that depends on if the person already was a fan of an NHL team. Another factor is how often AHL affiliations change. I have lived in an AHL city for over ten years in which time the NHL affiliate has changed three times. I am not really a fan of the NHL team that my AHL is affiliated with at the time. But, i will watch, follow and root for players when they are called up to the NHL. Unless they are playing against my NHL team.

 

[Lunatik]

I was a Flames fan that moved to Abbotsford, then the Flames moved their AHL team to Abbotsford and I was happier than a pig in mud. But then I moved and now the team moved.

 

[adsfan]

I was a Flames fan that moved to Abbotsford, then the Flames moved their AHL team to Abbotsford and I was happier than a pig in mud. But then I moved and now the team moved.

Wow, you must be some major fan. You moved and the team couldn't go on!

Seriously, it is always sad when a team relocates.

 

[HisIceness]

Yes. Even if the Checkers were someone elses AHL club, I'd still be a Hurricanes fan.

 

[GareFan18]

When Kansas City's IHL team was the AAA-affiliate of the Sharks, I became a huge Sharks fan.

Part of the reason I became a Sharks fan is because I had met some of the guys while they played for the Blades. It was fun to follow their careers. When the Sharks affiliation ended and right before the league folded, the Blades were the AAA-affiliate for the Canucks. I didn't become a Canucks fan, but I sure have enjoyed following Bryan Allen's and Jarkko Ruutu's careers.

 

[CBJorBust]

The whole reason I became a Blue Jackets fan is from the partnership with the Syracuse Crunch (13 years?) but now I am a die hard CBJ fan and a Crunch fan second

 

[GarbageGoal]

I've always been a Bruins fan, so being a Providence fan hasn't changed much, other than I'll size up which team has a better chance of winning a cup in their respective league and wish for certain things based on that. For example, if Boston had an average team that was barely making the playoffs and Providence was leading the league, I might not want Boston to make it and hurt us with call ups and such. If Providence was having an average season, but Boston needed a piece to win the cup....I wouldn't care if we lost a prospect to bolster Boston's chances....things like that.

 

[hoodle]

I can use this coming from an ECHL /AHL/NHL point of view..Until this year our Toledo Walleye was an affiliate of both Chicago and Detroit..... I found myself rooting for Rockford and the Hawks..I can't and will NEVER root for.the Red Wings. Now that we aee a Wings only affiliate...my allegiance to the Hogs and Hawks will take a dip..

Being an Oilers fan, turning the question around , I will and have rooted for OKC even when at Grand Rapids...

 

[RFA]

Looking back it seem like somewhere in the 2nd year of the affiliation I started to follow the NHL team. Was always a Rangers fan, which made it tough because we had the Islanders, Devils, Hurricanes (not so tough there), Flyers, and Devils again. Flames in ADK shouldn't be too tough as they've been my "west coast" team for many years now. Probably watching some of the players from the AHL team go up, especially the guys you wouldn't expect to at first is the big factor.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I dont cheer for the Kings but I want to see the kids who came thru Manchester do well. Some of these kids you watch them grow as hockey players and mature in front of your eyes. It really makes me happy to see them have success at the next level.

 

[TKFAN]

I am a Manchester Monarchs season ticket holder & since so many former Monarchs are now with the LA Kings, I am a die hard Kings fan for life.

 

[HugoSimon]

I should be a Jets fan, I like the team, and am very proud that we got the team back. Even better st johns finally got a team again.


However the central teams are the least interesting to me, not to mention it's hard to watch them.

When there are pacific coast games, it's usually 4.5 hours away further messing up the whole deal.

 

[NHL Hartford]

People in Hartford generally root against the Rangers. You won't find much support for them until you move closer to Western CT on the CT/NY border.

 

[Sidly]

I live nearish to Hershey and always visit so I became a big Bears fan vs a Phantom fan. Still a Bears fan. I root for the Royals though haha.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

People in Hartford generally root against the Rangers. You won't find much support for them until you move closer to Western CT on the CT/NY border.

Doesn't that make it kinda strange to have the Rangers farm team in Hartford?