Why is atlantic Canada dominated by leafs/habs/bruins when the sens are their official team.

[DJJones]

Honestly, the Newfies and the rest of them are lucky, they get to pick a team. Most people are born into it haha.

No one for the majority of the last 70 years is gonna pick Ottawa.

 

[Lt Dan]

40 year old born and raised in Atlantic Canada.

The majority here are either Habs, Leafs or Bruins fans. I think I know a couple Sens fans.

The Habs are who I grew up watching on TV when I was a kid, so I was a Habs fan long before the Sens were even a thing.

And I definitely don't consider Atlantic Canada a "Sens region". No idea where that notion came from.

I get and totally respect this.

I grew up a Kings fan, but I live in what is now Ducks' territory. I stuck with the team I have been rooting.
Some people totally get this. I get other people that think that one should switch allegiances everytime there is a new closer team to them.

 

[HotPie]

I'm struggling to understand why Ottawa has a claim on the East that a team like the Habs or the Bruins don't have? Both of those teams are actually further east.

 

[JuJu Mobb]

Ottawa is an irrelevant team, that's why.

 

[HabsQC]

Question should be : Why is Atlantic Canada a Sens territory ?

 

[Staniowski]

Admittedly me experiences are anecdotal, but I have never, EVER, heard of "newfie" being derogatory until today

my brothers fiance is from Newfoundland and she characterizes herself as a "Newfie" all the time. It is an endearing term for her and many of my friends from the region...

How can it possibly be construed as derogatory? It is literally a shortening of the term "Newfoundlander"

If you've never heard of the term being derogatory until today, you must not get out much...because it's been used that way for many decades.

I posted an article, above, that discusses this, and states that many Newfoundlanders find the word derogatory....that is exactly what the article is about.

The issue is not how some Newfoundlanders refer to themselves today.....it is how the term was used historically by non- Newfoundlanders to refer to Newfoundlanders in a negative way.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

I can't understand this, Ottawa has one of the smallest markets in the league, you have 2 million+ people living in the East. It's technically their territory and yet they let the habs bruins and leafs have their way?

Why on earth wouldn't they be marketing their players in that area?

EDIT: I understand the history of why the 06 is so dominant.

Do you know when the Senators entered the league?

(and yeah I think they may have won the first official stanley cup)

Maybe start there.

And I'm sorry for immediately answering your question without reading the responses because I doubt I'm the first person to point this out.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

Montreal is like 3 hours east of Kanata

 

[Thrasymachus]

If you've never heard of the term being derogatory until today, you must not get out much...because it's been used that way for many decades.

I posted an article, above, that discusses this, and states that many Newfoundlanders find the word derogatory....that is exactly what the article is about.

The issue is not how some Newfoundlanders refer to themselves today.....it is how the term was used historically by non- Newfoundlanders to refer to Newfoundlanders in a negative way.

Yeah, I don't buy it. Language changes over time, and unlike some words that have been used for denigration, there is nothing inherently hateful contained within the term "Newfie" itself - from an etymological standpoint, it is a mere abbreviation of the place. Just for one (I believe) legitimate counter-example, I am sure at some point, some where, someone referred to "those damn new yorkers," that is to say, they used the term "New Yorker" in a derogatory manner... but NOBODY would claim that is a slur.

What is the difference here exactly? As someone from the maritimes who, I assure you, DOES get out a lot (talk about a veiled insult) and knows many Newfoundlanders (who are generally a very laid back people) this is the first I have heard of any of this.

Just cause a few academics found some Newfoundlanders to get quotes from doesn't mean that is a commonly held sentiment within or without Newfoundland. I am genuinely curious if there is someone actually from Newfoundland here who is offended by the term.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

So I researched. Atlantic Canada consists of cities like Halifax, Charlottetown, Sydney, and Moncton.

Why would the Sens be more popular there than established teams like Habs, B's, and Leafs?

Now if the discussion was about why there are more Habs and Leafs fans than Sens fans in Ottawa. Well...we would be on to something.

Because they're the official team.

Don't waste time thinking about it though, just move on the way most people do.

 

[aufheben]

Well clearly it’s not their territory.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Like I know Americans tend to focus on their own geography, but do yall really not know where NFLD is? It is a big island

Big massive.

Isn't Canada the 2nd largest country on the earth with the biggest being Russia?

 

[Kegsey]

I’m from Nova Scotia and the Senators are not our official team by a long shot. There’s more Detroit fans here than Senators.

 

[Thrasymachus]

I’m from Nova Scotia and the Senators are not our official team by a long shot. There’s more Detroit fans here than Senators.

yeah it is bemusing to see outsiders say that so matter of factly

were we all supposed to switch when the sens franchise began in the 90s?

 

[Kegsey]

yeah it is bemusing to see outsiders say that so matter of factly

were we all supposed to switch when the sens franchise began in the 90s?

Yeah, and there’s also a shitload of Penguins and Colorado fans here for obvious reasons. Hell, I’m a Sharks fan. Where you’re from doesn’t mean shit when it comes to fandom.

 

[Thrasymachus]

Yeah, and there’s also a shitload of Penguins and Colorado fans here for obvious reasons. Hell, I’m a Sharks fan. Where you’re from doesn’t mean shit when it comes to fandom.

that is why I love NS's hockey community. We have such a great mix of fans out here.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Question should be : Why is Atlantic Canada a Sens territory ?

Uh, question was answered in the title dude. Try reading? Ottawa is officially (checks thread title again, just to be sure)

Well I'm not sure now, but Ottawa is officially a team, perhaps even Canada's official team because Ottawa is the Capital of Canada?

 

[Voight]

Honestly, I always thought that was more Habs territory.

Anyhow, legacy. Current Sens have only been around for 20 years and even so, they've been absolute dog crap for half of that time. Good chance people there grew up fans of other teams either because of exposure (i.e. the other Canadian teams) or family ties.

 

[Kimota]

The negative connotation is that the term generally refers to Newfoundlanders as being dumb and/or lazy.

From the article I posted....apparently the term was created by outsiders to refer to Newfoundlanders in a derogatory way.

And the term has always been used mostly in a negative way.

I grew up with this expression in Quebec where people would call each other "newfies" meaning "stupid". But I don't think people knew that it came from a Newfoundland connotation.

 

[Hasbro]

this is the correct answer.

same reason there are a ton of bruins fans out here

in NS we have a pretty big pens fanbase as well, but curiously, not so much the avs... maybe that will change if Nate can bring a cup back home

Or the Avalanche continue their plan of acquiring every resident of Nova Scotia.

 

[Thrasymachus]

I grew up with this expression in Quebec where people would call each other "newfies" meaning "stupid". But I don't think people knew that it came from a Newfoundland connotation.

hmmm fair e

Or the Avalanche continue their plan of acquiring every resident of Nova Scotia.

GL competing with all the Sidney cultists

 

[HabsQC]

Uh, question was answered in the title dude. Try reading? Ottawa is officially (checks thread title again, just to be sure)

Well I'm not sure now, but Ottawa is officially a team, perhaps even Canada's official team because Ottawa is the Capital of Canada?

Yeah I read, but it's still stupid. Outside of Ottawa being Canada's capital, there's no real reason for anyone in the Atlantic to cheer for them, is there ?

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Yeah I read, but it's still stupid. Outside of Ottawa being Canada's capital, there's no real reason for anyone in the Atlantic to cheer for them, is there ?

Well, if you like the Ottawa Senators there's nothing wrong with cheering for them.

My past posts are completely sarcastic btw. I should stop doing that.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

No one outside of Ottawa likes or cares about the Sens

 

[Zenos]

"Official team" is such a weird, vague, meaningless term.

The question probably should have been, why is Atlantic Canada considered Sens (and Habs) territory for regional broadcast purposes? Which I assume this is all really about...