Question to people that moved (Hockey Team Related)

[Thirty One]

I think you'll find that being closer to Penguin fans won't endear you to them.

 

[Inferno]

Yeah I got no financial aid, but I pretty much had to accept as I was getting jerked around by my other schools on the waitlist. Carnegie Mellon is a great comp sci and engineering school. Business school it's good but not elite.

yeah school of engineering for me. i got my B.S. in ECE.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Hated the Pens when I lived in Morgantown (you will learn to hate them even MORE in Pittsburgh since their fans are obnoxious and really stupid). Hated Caps fans in DC.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Also, one of my best friends played in the Pens organization and knows a bunch of their current players. Even that couldn't make my hatred grow less. Their fans are such utter ******** and bandwagoners.

It's funny since Steelers fans are super hardcore. But the Pens are such a fringe-y team out there in comparison.

 

[Kane One]

It depends. There's no way in hell I could ever adopt the Penguins as a second favorite team.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Also, Pitt (the college) fans are ****ing Pejorative Slured, too. The entire city of Pittsburgh is pretty terrible sports-wise save the Steelers. Pirates fans are just as bandwagon-y as the Pens (if not worse).

 

[Cake or Death]

I've lived in numerous places in the US and Canada. I'll always be a NYC kid no matter where I go and NY teams will always be tops for me (NYR foremost and secondarily I follow the NYI).

 

[SnowblindNYR]

It's funny I get on people for being Jets and Giants fans. It's just that even before moving there I've developed a soft spot for the city itself.

 

[bobbop]

I've been an STH for 5 different NHL teams and wherever I've lived, I've developed some attachment to the home team. Now have been in Phoenix for 7 years and I know some of the players so the Coyotes have been an easy team to root for. Nothing compares to the Rangers though, not even close.

 

[Nash Money]

I went to law school for three years (2008-2011) in Philadelphia. As someone else suggested, you will learn to hate the local team 1000 fold. I'm a Rangers/Giants/Mets/Knicks fan. My time there kinda coincided when the Flyers/Eagles/Phils replaced the Devils/Cowboys/Braves as main competition for my teams, so that didn't help. We lost the play in game to the flyers in 2010, eagles beat us in our first playoff game in 2009, Phil's won the ws after the Mets' second collapse. Also, basketball something.

Even though I'm back in NY, the Philly teams are still my most hated, and probably always will be. I loved the city, but given the rise of the rivalries and being around all those fans... Phuck Filly.

 

[haohmaru]

Personally, I'd rather look to support a local minor league team than another NHL team. Unfortunately, Jacksonville's minor league team folded and the 2nd closest is in Orlando (about 2 hours away).

That being said, I pull for Columbus in lieu of the Rangers.

 

[NCRanger]

I moved to Charlotte from New Jersey in 1998, and then to Raleigh in '99.

I started following the Hurricanes in 2001, and even got a half-season package in 01-02 (year they went to the Finals). Got a full season the next year. Dialed back to a half season in 03-04. During this time, I changed by NC license plate to a Hurricanes plate. I got a Hurricanes jersey. However, any time the Hurricanes played the Rangers, I'd always wear my Ranger jersey.

Met my wife during the season that didn't exist, and then ended up splitting a mini-plan with friends of ours for the 05-06 season. During a game against the Rangers is when I realized I could no longer share loyalties. My ticket rep came and visited with me during a game against the Rangers and started giving me **** about wearing the Ranger jersey. Not playful stuff either. I felt like "I've spent nearly $8,000 on this team over the past few seasons, and truly support them in every game they don't play the Rangers, and this guy is going to give me hell about rooting for the team I grew up with and lived and died with for the past 30 something years?" My wife, who is a native NCer, wearing a Hurricanes jersey, who would have no reason to support any team other the 'Canes, heard it as well and thought the rep was completely over the top out of line. She's now a die-hard Ranger fan, even though her sister works at the PNC Arena during Hurricanes games.

Didn't take the playoff option that year (as I was taking a new job back in Charlotte anyway). Did go to a Finals game, and was truly happy that the 'Canes won in 2006. Even tried to keep some Hurricanes fandom going down to Atlanta for a Canes-Thrashers game, but just couldn't keep it up thanks to that douchehelmet ticket rep and the fact that Rutherford makes Sather look like a genius.

Find out later that I wasn't the only fan with divided loyalties that was run off.

The way I feel about the Hurricanes now is, I'd like them to do well to keep hockey growing in North Carolina, but I certainly do not have any real affinity towards the franchise anymore.

As for the other teams, I DESPISE the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats or Hornets or whatever they're calling themselves, and that's mainly because the local paper will write an article if the third-string tight end's turds changed from brown to yellow.

I do follow the Charlotte Hounds lacrosse team and have gone to the local soccer team's (Eagles) games, but those aren't exactly your major sports.

 

[tlallstar6]

If you thought you hated the Penguins before...just you wait.

 

[jerseyjinx94]

Did someone above say they root for the Rangers and Islanders?

 

[TruBlue]

I'm sure a lot of people here moved from the NY area at some point. I just signed a lease for an apartment to Pittsburgh as I'll be attending Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business or 2 years. My question is did you guys adopt the local team as a 2nd team, or maybe learn to hate it (more if you already did), or were ambivalent. My problem is that I like Pittsburgh but hate the Pens and Steelers. That said this will be the first time I lived outside of NY since I was 3 and have soft spot for it already. Maybe I can still hate the Pens but not as much. What did you guys do?

Moved to the Greater Boston area for college 35 years ago...became a bit of a Bruins fan because back then there was no internet, streaming, Center Ice or Gamecenter...if you were a hockey fan you had to follow the local team to satisfy your hockey hunger...it's probably a lot different nowadays.

 

[SA16]

Lived in Philly for 4 years.

Hate the Flyers even more.

Somewhat root for the Eagles though (Jet fan, not giant fan though)

 

[KingWantsCup]

I moved to Florida for six months back in 2009. I developed no love for the Lightning or the Panthers. I was forced to watch games online and it blew so hard.

 

[Trxjw]

Lived in Pittsburgh for 8 years and I hate the Pens more now than I ever have. The Pens had to compete with the Steelers for fans, so they targeted the young / college import crowd. Makes for a lot of obnoxious fans.

However, it's easier to pay $100 for two Rangers tickets at CONSOL than it is at MSG. Pittsburgh is up and coming and has really changed for the better. However, when it comes to hockey, you'll probably want to keep to yourself.

 

[Cake or Death]

Did someone above say they root for the Rangers and Islanders?

Me... and I absolutely do root for both teams. I started watching in the 70s. Even though I'm a natural NYR fan from NYC, the Islanders had a great team and you'd be a moron not to go watch Bossy, Potvin, Trottier, Gillies, etc etc. One of the best teams in NHL history. I went to a couple of hundred Islanders games back then to the extent that we ran into players after the games so often they knew our family by name. True story, but my mom had *****ed to Trottier after one night about how she never saw Lafontaine after games with the rest of the players, and Trottier took my parents into the locker room to meet him. The guys were down to earth and all class to us as fans.

When you're a teen watching one of the greatest teams in NHL history, and the players are so approachable, so nice to you, and you have dozens of autographs, or you're talking the game with Al Arbour after a game, the team grows on you and you learn to appreciate them. Half my family is from the Bronx, half from Queens/LI. The 'rivalry' was always in fun for us and we never acted like kids about it. None of us play on either of the teams, so we never got too caught up in taking it personally. In the end, as a NYer and for reasons stated, I pull for both the local NY teams.

 

[Slick Rick 61]

Moved to Florida in 2009. My take is this: NHL Center Ice costs $200. $200 + my internet bill + DirecTV regional sports package to get the same coverage of my favorite team as back home > adopting the local team. It's not that much extra $$. Tampa area fans are obnoxious and rude, but that comes with the territory of living in this area.

The only team in this town I've embraced is the Buccaneers.

 

[Gardner McKay]

It's funny I get on people for being Jets and Giants fans. It's just that even before moving there I've developed a soft spot for the city itself.

I think it truly depends on where you lived. When I moved from L.I. to Atlanta in 1999 and then back to Atlanta again in 2004, I had adopted the Thrashers as my "2nd" team both times. They were a neutral team and just being a fan of hockey, it made me appreciate that team. With that being said, if it was not a neutral team (like Philly, Pittsburgh, NJ, Washington, MTL, Ottawa,) I would only have most definitely not adopted them as a 2nd team.