NHL teams and their fanbase reach

[Morris Wanchuk]

I have met, talked to, and seen on HF boards many Bruins fans from the Maritimes, especially Nova Scotia / Halafax. There seems to be a strong connection between Boston and Halifax. Be it the Irish heritage, the response to the explosion, and the access to Boston TV/Radio.

In 1918, Halifax sent a Christmas tree to the City of Boston in thanks and remembrance for the help that the Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee provided immediately after the disaster.[41] That gift was revived in 1971 by the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association, who began an annual donation of a large tree to promote Christmas tree exports as well as acknowledge the Boston support after the explosion. The gift was later taken over by the Nova Scotia Government to continue the goodwill gesture as well as to promote trade and tourism.[42] The tree is Boston's official Christmas tree and is lit on Boston Common throughout the holiday season. Knowing its symbolic importance to both cities, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has specific guidelines for selecting the tree. It must be an attractive balsam fir, white spruce or red spruce, 12 to 16 metres (40 to 50 ft) tall, healthy with good colour, medium to heavy density, uniform and symmetrical and easy to access.[43]
For the Christmas tree extension specialist the "tree can be elusive, the demands excessive, and the job requires remembering the locations of the best specimens in the province and persuading the people who own them to give them up for a pittance." Most donors are "honoured to give up their trees... [and] most will gladly watch their towering trees fall" since everyone knows the reason it is being sent to Boston. The trees don't often come from tree farms, but from open land where they can grow tall and full. It is so important to the people of Nova Scotia that "people have cried over it, argued about it, even penned song lyrics in its honor."[44]

Also, The Bruins have played exhibitions there and held training camp.

The Boston Bruins will hold part of their fall training camp in Halifax.

Head coach Claude Julien said the Nova Scotia capital is a fitting location for his team to work out.

"We know this is a hockey city and they've always supported hockey well, and I know for a fact that there's always Bruins fans in the area," said Julien, in Halifax for Wednesday's announcement.

"It's important for us to kind of give back and come down here."

The Bruins will be in Halifax for five days, starting Sept. 22. The training camp will be open to the public.

The team kicks off its stay with an exhibition game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Halifax Metro Centre. They are scheduled to play the Detroit Red Wings on Sept. 25.

Ticket packages start around $120.

Also, I was surprised the amount of Bruins fans I met at a Senators game. Seems a lot of them developed their loyalties being fans of the Oshawa Generals in the Bobby Orr times.

 

[dj4aces]

During the pre-cable days, places that picked up broadcasts from WGN and Detroit staions (Canadian Plains) developed fans for those teams.

Atlanta carried WGN back in the early-mid 80s.

It was the only way I could watch my Red Wings (native Detroiter) live as a kid.

 

[Confucius]

I'm still continually surprised how there are Leaf (and usually Wings) fans everywhere.

I watched the Leafs @ Wild game on TV and it almost seemed like a home game for them...in Minnesota!

As a Leaf fan, I have had little to cheer about over the last few years, however when the crowd explodes in Buffalo, Ottawa, Tampa, on a Leaf goal, it brings a grin.

 

[mucker*]

Re: Leafs base
-The fascinating thing about the Leafs fanbase is that
(1) The team has been awful for so long, and yet they still draw 2nd to none on the road
(2) They do this in the US where nobody is really a Leafs fans. Virtually all the Leafs fans you see at US rinks are Canadians either transplanted in the US or on vacation.
It is very rare to find people in the US who will root for a Canadian team.
What happens normally is people in markets without a hockey team either root for the Pens or Wings or Rangers or Flyers OR mostly, they don't care about the NHL.

Which brings me to point 2:
Re: Bruins fans in Canada

I am always shocked when reading HF Boards to see how 30-45% of the Bruins here are from Canada. It makes little sense.
I always thought Canadians where EXTREMELY patriotic to their country and it was a betrayal of national pride to root against the Leafs or Habs (or the other 4 Canadian teams).

Canada is a much more patriotic country than the US. But in the US, nobody roots for a team in Canada (again, those Leafs fans you see are from Canada, not US). So it would come as a shock to see any big portion of Bruins fans in Canada (especially in Quebec). I just don't get why Canadians would choose a foreign team given how patriotic they are.
Funny thing is I think the Bruins have a more loyal following in Canada than in the US or Boston because they clearly are the stepchild overshadowed by the Big Three in town and don't really have a big following outside metro Boston in the US like the Red Sox or Celtics do.

 

[AllByDesign]

Which brings me to point 2:
Re: Bruins fans in Canada

I am always shocked when reading HF Boards to see how 30-45% of the Bruins here are from Canada. It makes little sense.

I grew up in Oshawa, and the ties from the Generals to the Bruins have long since been cut, but there is still an affinity for the team. Across Canada, there are many fans for original 6 teams that aren't Montreal or Toronto. Keep in mind that hockey fans became alligned with various organizations because they never had a franchise to attatch themselves to. I found here in Winnipeg, that there is a huge base of Blackhawk fans.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

There are Orr-made Bruins sympathizers in the generation born 1950s-60s all over North America I think. I know a guy that age group from California who has no ties to Boston whatsoever but roots for the Bruins because Bobby Orr was his favorite player.

 

[Confucius]

Re: Leafs base
-The fascinating thing about the Leafs fanbase is that
(1) The team has been awful for so long, and yet they still draw 2nd to none on the road
(2) They do this in the US where nobody is really a Leafs fans. Virtually all the Leafs fans you see at US rinks are Canadians either transplanted in the US or on vacation.
It is very rare to find people in the US who will root for a Canadian team.
What happens normally is people in markets without a hockey team either root for the Pens or Wings or Rangers or Flyers OR mostly, they don't care about the NHL.

Which brings me to point 2:
Re: Bruins fans in Canada

I am always shocked when reading HF Boards to see how 30-45% of the Bruins here are from Canada. It makes little sense.
I always thought Canadians where EXTREMELY patriotic to their country and it was a betrayal of national pride to root against the Leafs or Habs (or the other 4 Canadian teams).

Canada is a much more patriotic country than the US. But in the US, nobody roots for a team in Canada (again, those Leafs fans you see are from Canada, not US). So it would come as a shock to see any big portion of Bruins fans in Canada (especially in Quebec). I just don't get why Canadians would choose a foreign team given how patriotic they are.
Funny thing is I think the Bruins have a more loyal following in Canada than in the US or Boston because they clearly are the stepchild overshadowed by the Big Three in town and don't really have a big following outside metro Boston in the US like the Red Sox or Celtics do.

Leaf fans for the most part will never cheer for the Habs. Last year during the playoffs the mayor of Montreal appealed to Leaf fans to cheer on and support the Habs, since they were the last Canadian team in the playoffs.

The sun newspaper ran a poll that simply said. Will you Leaf fans cheer for the Habs. 66% of the fans replied NO!

Edit to add: Most Canadians feel Americans are more patriotic. Go figure. A great example of the grass being greener on your neighbours yard.

 

[Shawa666]

I'll add to that that the Flyers had a good following in Quebec City, before the Nordiques. They had made the Quebec Aces to be their AHL affiliate in the 60's

 

[GKJ]

I'm still continually surprised how there are Leaf (and usually Wings) fans everywhere.

I watched the Leafs @ Wild game on TV and it almost seemed like a home game for them...in Minnesota!

Same for when Montreal was there. It gives transplants and such from the Canadian prairies a chance to see. Western Ontario isn't all that far from Minnesota, I assume that the Leafs reach that far.

 

[obsenssive*]

leafs fans are everywhere in Ottawa. it sucks. there were some brief conversions in 2002-07 but they all seem to be back to their masochistic leafs nation.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

The Northwest is largely a free for all when it comes to team support. Places with higher numbers of transplants tend to be the most represented. For example, Missoula has a lot of rust belt transplants (myself being one), so the Penguins and Red Wings are, by far, the most popular teams here...most locals without any ties are pretty oblivious to professional sports in general.

 

[BigBadBread]

Sometimes its unexplainable how a fan picks the team he roots for.
I have lived on the East Coast of Canada all my life but yet im a die hard Canucks fan. Probably a bigger fan than most that live in BC. I have no idea how I came to choose the Canucks, their probably the most challenging team to watch in the NHL for me. Im usually awake until 2-2:30am for every home game but that doesnt bother me. Ive been a huge fan for over 10 years, im 21 now.

Im actually very seriously considering moving to Vancouver for a few years when I finish university and the Canucks are the main reason.

 

[King Woodballs]

Leafs habs and bruins fans are everywhere

 

[Mathradio]

I'll add to that that the Flyers had a good following in Quebec City, before the Nordiques. They had made the Quebec Aces to be their AHL affiliate in the 60's

And in Winnipeg as well.

And, as far as the Leafs fanbase can reach, there is one place where the Habs will always beat them to: Florida. That being said, both these teams have fans most everywhere in the hockey-playing world.

 

[selkie]

Re: Wings fan base. The biggest gripe you get from Western Conference fans is about the huge number of Wings fans in their areas who generally only seem to show up for the Wings tilts. The team has a huge following in many US markets. Therefore, I have to believe that you will have a large number also in the secondary markets. If we dig up the national ratings for playoffs and big event games (e.g., Winter Classic), you have places with no hockey team registering in the top ten or fifteen. I think these are the transplants, retirees and snowbirds (at least for the warm areas).

I suspect that the transplants are a pretty huge factor in Red Wings Nation. Michigan's been losing both recent college grads and retirees to Sunbelt areas for going on 40 years at this point, and thinking back to the other people I know who left the state, they frequently ended up in California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. Nashville actually targeted the large number Michigan ex-pats in its early marketing in hopes of converting them into Preds fans.

I'll wear an old Kalamazoo Wings jersey to bush league games down here, and have had a surprising number of conversations with folks who grew up in The Mitten but whose lives and jobs have taken them far from there.

And, as far as the Leafs fanbase can reach, there is one place where the Habs will always beat them to: Florida. That being said, both these teams have fans most everywhere in the hockey-playing world.

I'd be interested to know if the old Florida rule that the I-75 corridor is Midwestern transplants and I-95 corridor is East Coast transplants applies for Canadians and if so, assuming that Ontario tracks with Midwest and Quebec tracks with East Coast, I'd think you'd get a good cluster of Leafs fans in Tampa.

 

[badinsults]

A few years ago, I was in Bathurst, New Brunswick for a few months. It appeared that the fan base was roughly split evenly between the Bruins and Canadiens. It was quite interesting being there when the two teams met in the first round of the playoffs. I was wearing a Canadiens hat, and people would pull over on the street to boo.

I was in Saskatoon last year for a while. You would find people who would cheer for any random team, but I think the Flames were the most common team to cheer for.

Also that map that was posted earlier is fairly inaccurate. For instance, I lived in Sudbury for a while, and there were more Canadiens fans than Leafs fans.

Here in Canberra, I have met a few Penguins fans, and a Sabres fan (though he did live in Buffalo for a while).

 

[JohnLennon]

I've watched so many NHL games this season and I am almost 100% sure that Montreal fans are the most well-traveled fanbase in the league. I don't even think it's that close when it comes to Toronto and Detroit.

For example, Habs vs. Minnesota a few weeks ago and Toronto vs. Minnesota recently... the Habs game had way more Habs fans. When I see Panthers games, it is quite obvious Habs fans literally take over Sunshine. More than any other team in the league, even Florida!
I travel to Ontario regularly and encounter more Habs fans in towns like Cornwall and Ottawa than Leafs fans. Habs fans are crazy and obsessed, which is why I have chosen to embrace the Habs as my team.

Funny, because Florida is almost the complete opposite!

 

[AllByDesign]

Completely off topic... But I just love Baconator sandwiches.

 

[Killion]

...most locals without any ties are pretty oblivious to professional sports in general.

Who cares when you've got Caras Park, the Grizz, Phoenix, Ospreys, Maulers & especially, the Hellgate Rollergirls?.

 

[badinsults]

I've watched so many NHL games this season and I am almost 100% sure that Montreal fans are the most well-traveled fanbase in the league. I don't even think it's that close when it comes to Toronto and Detroit.

For example, Habs vs. Minnesota a few weeks ago and Toronto vs. Minnesota recently... the Habs game had way more Habs fans. When I see Panthers games, it is quite obvious Habs fans literally take over Sunshine. More than any other team in the league, even Florida!
I travel to Ontario regularly and encounter more Habs fans in towns like Cornwall and Ottawa than Leafs fans. Habs fans are crazy and obsessed, which is why I have chosen to embrace the Habs as my team.

Funny, because Florida is almost the complete opposite!

I have a buddy who drove down to Minnesota from Winnipeg to take in those two games. He was there to cheer for the Canadiens, and cheer against the Maple Leafs. Remember, there are tons of Leafs haters out there, far more than Canadiens haters. Also remember that the Leafs used to be in the same division as the North Stars, so maybe there is less of a novelty of them being there.

 

[Kimota]

I'll add to that that the Flyers had a good following in Quebec City, before the Nordiques. They had made the Quebec Aces to be their AHL affiliate in the 60's

And my uncle live to tell the tale. He has so many of them about all the brawls and epic confrontations he has seen during Quebec Aces games. He's proud in saying time and time again how in exibition games the Aces would face the Habs and beat them.

 

[TheStranger]

I'm still continually surprised how there are Leaf (and usually Wings) fans everywhere.

I watched the Leafs @ Wild game on TV and it almost seemed like a home game for them...in Minnesota!

It's not that amazing really. Not everyone up and stops cheering for the home team when a new one comes to town, and that often transcends generations. If Dad loved the Leafs or Wings in the original six, there's a good chance all of his children will as well.

My father is a Leafs fan, they're not my number one team (Colorado now) but I definitely cheer for them, they're my favorite team in the east and I have owned gear of theirs in the past, worn it to Senators/Leafs games in Ottawa, etc.

I think it's just heavily influenced by who you grow up around, and what you grow up knowing, and if all the older people are still on board the original 6 teams, thats how it will likely be.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

Here is a map that I found on http://icethetics.info


http://bp3.blogger.com/_r8tWGVHrjGI/SE20HQMn7FI/AAAAAAAAEi4/65Rbr_TaZ_Y/s1600-h/fanbasemap.png

So the Blue Jackets and Stars have a bigger fanbase than Pittsburgh and Montreal? That's awful.

 

[Confucius]

I have a buddy who drove down to Minnesota from Winnipeg to take in those two games. He was there to cheer for the Canadiens, and cheer against the Maple Leafs. Remember, there are tons of Leafs haters out there, far more than Canadiens haters. Also remember that the Leafs used to be in the same division as the North Stars, so maybe there is less of a novelty of them being there.

Yeah, we bad..

 

[JohnLennon]

Completely off topic... But I just love Baconator sandwiches.

LOL who doesn't? It's never off topic to talk about the meal of a real man

I have a buddy who drove down to Minnesota from Winnipeg to take in those two games. He was there to cheer for the Canadiens, and cheer against the Maple Leafs. Remember, there are tons of Leafs haters out there, far more than Canadiens haters. Also remember that the Leafs used to be in the same division as the North Stars, so maybe there is less of a novelty of them being there.

I hadn't considered the Leafs haters vs. Habs haters idea. Probably does play a role in the whole situation as well. Good point.