How many NHL teams have you been a fan of?

I personally started out as a big Calgary Flames fan. I picked them initially because I loved the logo. Hey I was a kid at the time. I moved on to liking the Penguins because I was huge Mario Lemieux fan. I find it very difficult to like the Penguins after they swept us the season before last though.

Yes I'm ashamed to admit it but I was a supporter of the Leafs but that was only by default since there were no other Ontario teams so I felt a certain sense of obligation. Thankfully the Sens came along and I've been a fan ever since.

What about all of you? Do you still support other teams? Did your loyalties change? I still have a soft spot for the Flames but I think the days of being a Pens fan are over for me. The Leafs? I will continue to hate them

I have only cheered for one other team than Ottawa, and it was the Oilers, and it was because of the Moose when he played there, well he was just one of the players, the others being Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, and yeah I suppose I should say Gretz, I was 7 or 8 when the Oilers were a dynasty back in the 80's and I was like every other kid, wanted to be like Gretz and was watching Pro Stars (all the while eating the cereal religiously). I was such a loser , but the Oil were a good team at least lol.

SensFan71 wrote:I have only cheered for one other team than Ottawa, and it was the Oilers, and it was because of the Moose when he played there, well he was just one of the players, the others being Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, and yeah I suppose I should say Gretz, I was 7 or 8 when the Oilers were a dynasty back in the 80's and I was like every other kid, wanted to be like Gretz and was watching Pro Stars (all the while eating the cereal religiously). I was such a loser , but the Oil were a good team at least lol.

I remember collecting Oilers Stickers in Sticker books actually. I don't think I was much of a fan but I enjoyed collecting the Stickers

Montreal. Now I delight in their failures and the sight of burning cars.

Montreal, Toronto, Nordiques, and Sens.

I've always hated the same teams though, namely Chicago and Philly.

When I was a kid (during the Original Six days in the late fifties and early sixites) growing up in Ottawa, you had two choices...to be either a Montreal or a Toronto fan.

When you played hockey on the river, in somebody's backyard, or down at the local outdoor rink, those whose parents could afford to buy them an NHL replica wool sweater--some with the lace up collars, some with the crew necks--wore them with both pride and trepidation.

Kids were cruel to each other about the teams whose sweaters they wore.

I remember one kid having a Boston sweater, one with a Rangers sweater, and one kid with an old 1954 Blackhawks sweater. These kids were even more the 'outcasts'...made fun of by the others...and I never understood why.

In my neighbourhood which was predominantly French-Canadian, all the kids were Montreal fans.

As I detested following the crowd, and I liked Frank Mahovlich--another unpopular choice--I asked for and received a Maple Leafs sweater.

But I was never a Toronto fan...in fact, the more I learned about how the team was run--starting with the boorish 'Punch' Imlach--the more I disliked them.

When I watched the Black Hawks play for the Cup in 1961, I immediately identified with the team of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Glenn Hall and Pierre Pilote...wishing that I could find a Chicago sweater--and never could.

When Frank Mahovlich was nearly traded to the Blackhawks in 1962, if memory serves me well, I was hoping my then-hero would join my favourite team, but it was not to be.

As time goes on...one strangely remembers those things.

A business colleague from Chicago brought me a CCM Hawks home red jersey in 1991. "Fresh off Eddie Belfour's back", he joked. I couldn't admit how thrilled I was.

I understand how people can switch their loyalties...and I appreciate good players no matter who they play for, and respect the accomplishments of all the clubs.

But for me, there's one team, win or lose...the Chicago Blackhawks. 48 years...and never more fun than it is now.

As for those who 'hate', mock and/or deride other teams...I just don't go there. Never have. Don't see the point of that.

IMHO hockey is our game, no matter who we cheer for.

Doesn't really belong in here but I was also a North Bay Centenials fan when I lived there from 0 (- 9 months or so depending on your point of view and beliefs) to 14 years of age.

SensFan71 wrote:I have only cheered for one other team than Ottawa, and it was the Oilers, and it was because of the Moose when he played there, well he was just one of the players, the others being Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, and yeah I suppose I should say Gretz, I was 7 or 8 when the Oilers were a dynasty back in the 80's and I was like every other kid, wanted to be like Gretz and was watching Pro Stars (all the while eating the cereal religiously). I was such a loser , but the Oil were a good team at least lol.

Q: Why is Wayne Gretzky like a paint roller?
A: Neither one goes into the corners.

I liked all the Canadian teams when I was younger, basically because Saturday was the only time I could watch hockey. When I grew up a little more, I became a pretty big Toronto and Montreal fan. This was a time when the Habs weren't little Dung eaters, they had the great, character players. Ditto Toronto.

I thought they would meet in the Finals and I'd be conflicted, but LA diddled that party up pretty damn good.

Still, in the end, one of my teams won the Cup that year.

Now, I'm afraid they're the bane of my existence (Montreal way more than Toronto).

Weird how it all works out, huh? :crazy:

I grew up in the 80s when the Oilers were winning cup after cup. I cheer for them, the Sens and thats about it

This was the first year in a long time I didn't have a single team to root for in the playoffs

Fan or supporter? I view them quite differently to be honest. I'm a fan of several teams but my support and loyalty lies with the Sens.

Growing up in Ottawa, like DTR said, you had to chose between Habs or Leafs pretty much. I was a Habs fan and made many bus trips to Montreal to see them play in The Forum. As soon as Ottawa got an NHL team, my loyalty changed and I'll never look back.

Sens supporter for life.

I was a Habs fan as a kid, also because I liked their jersey and they were Canadian.

A little bit of a Leafs fan too as a kid.

I usually picked teams based on their colors and logos etc...

I loved the Kings jersey at the time too, and Gretsky.

I may have also owned a Mighty Ducks jersey because I loved the movie and the jersey at the time.

As for Baseball, I was totally a White Sox fan, with love for the Jays too.

Basketball - the Charlotte Hornets straight up!!! Loved the colors!!

It's funny how as a kid some people will pick favorite teams based on the colors and logos.

SeawaySensFan wrote:Montreal. Now I delight in their failures and the sight of burning cars.

:##:

I was a New York Islander fan as a kid... what a club... had it all... coaching, defence, scoring, goaltending... juggernaut...

I stayed a fan until the Sens came into existence, then I switched off the light on those Wangs.... still love, Bossy, Potvin, Gillies, Trottier and Billy Smith (who eventually moved in behind my house in Barrhaven, small world)