Would you still support this team if it was relocated?

[tigervixxxen]

Couple scenarios. If they moved to Canada I'm not sure how I'd feel. If they moved for some stupid reason related to the owners or management who followed the franchise, I'm not sure how I'd feel.

I think a more interesting question for those of us around here would be along the lines of... 'If the Avs were dissolved as a franchise, which team would you root for?'

Probably whatever team got my favorite players. Or I wouldn't, I don't know that I could just follow another team. I don't really have a second team, it takes up enough of my brain cells to follow this one. I generally like Tampa though.

 

[The Shermanator]

What even happens if a team is dissolved? The players get drafted? Or all UFA?

 

[nanzenkills]

I totally would. The biggest reason why I'm an Avs fan now is because I was a Nordiques fan who continued to support them after they moved to Denver.

Ceremony, what country do you live in? For some reason I had always thought you were American or Canadian.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Ride or die *****es

 

[Balthazar]

Good topic and I can honestly answer that one because it happened to me. Here's my story (if anyone is interested, sorry if it's a little long).

I'm from QC city and grew up as a Nords fan. When I was little, I "had" to pick between the Nords (who joined the NHL when I was 3) and the Habs (older people like my dad were long time Habs fans and didn't make the switch). Of course at 6 or 7 years old I was too young to make a rational decision and I picked the Nords because, as a little boy, I liked the blue jerseys better. From then on I became a Nords fan and regardless of what happened, I'd live and die with the team. We went through some tough, tough years together but we were looking ahead and had a bright future.

When they moved to Denver, I kept following the team (many of us did) because we knew all the players and they were "our" kids. We suffered for many years to get that team and were emotionally attached to it. In 1996 when they won the cup, I felt pretty much the same as if the Nords would have won. I bought an AVS hat, followed every game on TV, watched the SC parade and so on.

But then the years went by, and players were slowly replaced until the point where it wasn't "my" team anymore. I remember watching the SCF in 2001 and while I was rooting for the AVS, it didn't feel like it was "my" team like in 1996. It was awesome to see Forsberg and Sakic but it would have been almost as awesome to watch them in any other team.

So after a while I moved on and just stopped watching hockey altogether.

That's until last year when Roy came back, I was curious so I started watching and quickly became an AVS fan again. I learned a lot about the current players and such by reading this board and watching the streams on the internet.

Right now I'm just happy to be a hockey fan again. If/when we get the Nords back, I'll be a Nordiques fan but will still have a soft spot for the AVS.

 

[the_fan]

Since i've never ever lived in Colorado or even visited, i'd support the Avs even if they relocated to Afghanistan

 

[titan]

No. I'm an old guy and I was a HUGE Colorado Rockies fan back in the late 70's (the first NHL team in Denver). I was at the only Rockies playoff game (vs the Flyers in 1978) and believe me the atmosphere was just as good as the Avs/Minnesota series I attended earlier this year. Denver has always been a good hockey town - the Rockies were done in by bad ownership and a stubborn mayor unwilling to give them a break on their lease.

Did I become a Devils fan when the team moved to New Jersey? No! I hated the Devils for having abandoned our city. It was sweet to see the Avs finally avenge that franchise loss by beating the Devils for the Cup in 2001.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Sure would as I was a Nordiques fan before. When the Nordiques moved to Denver I tried to change team but it didn't go very well. I was so invested in the players that I would always look at the Avs stats before any other team I wanted to change to. So I stayed with the Avs. Glad I did.

 

[Hennessy]

I grew up a Rockies fan. Tried to follow, failed. Dropped out of hockey. As luck would have it, was in Denver when the Avs came in. Fun. Was in Sweden by the second Cup. If they left, I'd probably be so mad at ownership I'd root for anyone else.

But only casually. Ownership sucks all over.

 

[Jeff_Dyck_#1]

I was a Nordiques fan for one season.

Yes, I'm a fan of the team.

 

[Ceremony]

To those not from Colorado, why would it matter at all?

Although I've never experienced it with hockey before, I do have experience with a team I followed being... changed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administration_and_liquidation_of_The_Rangers_Football_Club_Plc

In this instance the team remained the same, everything remained the same bar the division they played in, and I found myself completely indifferent to them afterwards. Now on this occasion I am still a football fan, I have the national team to support and I still follow the game both here and in other countries, but the team I supported, although they're still there and still the same, don't mean anything to me any more.

Since following the Avalanche is harder in terms of the saturation of the coverage and the times I need to watch games at, what guarantee is there that I'd stay with the Avalanche, or the ghost of the Avalanche as it were, if something happened? The future in terms of the players is more set with their contracts and the core we currently have which should be together for ~5 year or thereabouts, but the Avalanche is the only reason I'm interested in the NHL. When I was younger and they showed a game a week on TV here I used to watch all of them and be more interested in the league as a whole, but now my focus and interest is solely on the Avalanche. If they changed, or if something happened, there's nothing else to keep me interested. My main worry at this point is that I was faced with something more concrete and immersive in terms of a sport team changing and I lost interest, so if there was a change in the Avalanche I'm worried that I would lose interest.

Unless such a thing were to happen I honestly couldn't answer the question. Initially out of habit I'd probably follow them but I don't know how long that would last. Part of my disillusionment with Rangers being liquidated was the farce that accompanied it (and does to this day), so if something ludicrous happened to the Avalanche I could see me being turned off. They'd have to go some to match what happened here, though.

I totally would. The biggest reason why I'm an Avs fan now is because I was a Nordiques fan who continued to support them after they moved to Denver.

Ceremony, what country do you live in? For some reason I had always thought you were American or Canadian.

Elsewhere.

 

[Jayevs]

Yeah definitely

 

[Avs For Life]

It would kill me a bit but I love our boys. Yes I would.

I would be devistated though.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I'd support them still. Location has nothing to do with it for me.
Similar question. Do any of you guys who do support the team based on location know any Devils fans who followed the rockies.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I'd support them still. Location has nothing to do with it for me.
Similar question. Do any of you guys who do support the team based on location know any Devils fans who followed the rockies.

No. Tbh I don't think you'd find many that are even aware the Devils came from here.

 

[Lord Moriarty007]

I lived there for many years in Colorado(Arvada to exact). and played most of my Hockey Career there. I plan of moving back also. I would only support them if they went back to Quebec City and renamed as the Nordiques. I still hope Quebec still get the Nordiques from expansion or the yotes move.

 

[Hasbro]

No. Tbh I don't think you'd find many that are even aware the Devils came from here.

The Devs went a long time without even recognizing the history here.

The years of ineptitude, openly courting New Jersey and failure to develop a star player for any length of time insured that there was little if any transfer.

It became something of a joke in the hockey community how bad attendance was in the swamp because the projections of sellouts from day one. Denver had minor league teams outdrawing the Devils at certain times.

 

[ABasin]

My answer is yes, since they already moved and I followed them. And I also moved away and came back, and followed them the whole time.

It's an interesting question in this day and age though. I think that it's been historically somewhat easier to follow a local team, since one gets to see them and read about them all of the time. But today, one's viewing/reading access to any local team is no more or less than any remote team. The only difference between the two is actually attending games. Ergo, the bunch of European Avs fans we have on this very board.

So yes - I'd support them if they moved. And I'd support them if I moved.

To me, the bigger question around the removal of my support, isn't the my proximity to the team. It's what the team management is doing with the team.

 

[tigervixxxen]

True, the team would still be pretty accessible and easy to follow if they moved. But for me I have lived in Denver since I was 8 years old and have not even an inkling or desire to move so it matters to me that the team represents my state and plays in my city and by extension represents me. It really would have to depend on the circumstances on the move. I could never just start cheering for someone else though, maybe I'd have to step away from the sport for a while.

 

[Puckstop40]

Avs fan living in California so yes, absolutely.

 

[Stig]

I seriously doubt it. I was a huge North Star fan before the move. I did not follow them after them moved. I really didn't have a favorite team until Colorado got a team back in 95/96.

 

[Vagrantfan]

Definitely. I'm in a similar boat to a lot in that I'm not from the area anyway. A move would likely just move them closer to me (Michigan) if anything.

If they were dissolve in some way, I'd root for the Blackhawks. I'm already a fan of them, they just come far in second to the Avs. Without the Avs, they would take over I guess.

 

[Hasbro]

closer to me (Michigan) if anything.

There has to be a story behind that.

 

[Vagrantfan]

There has to be a story behind that.

Less than you'd think surprisingly. For the most part Sakic, Roy, and Foote got me into hockey. Living in Wings territory did use to bring about some interesting conversations at parties.

 

[Spirits]

Not a chance. If they moved I'd be done with hockey.