As a life-long Oilers fan, I find it difficult to imagine cheering for any other team (except, of course, the 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings). Sure there are teams that I can tolerate, but I simply don't know what to think of these people who claim to be fans of other teams.
I'm sure that in a place like Philadelphia, fans think the same thing about Oilers fans, so I suppose it's a mutual confusion.
That said, if a sinkhole were to open up underneath the practice facilities of the following teams, I don't think I'd miss the teams at all (not the players, just the teams).
- Toronto Maple Leafs - Is there even a point to this franchise anymore? I know that it was an Original Six Franchise with a ton of history, but I just can't seem to imagine anyone actually liking a team that so consistently puts out such bad product. They've even got a decently talented lineup, but I feel that there is something lacking. Like unified ownership and a vision for the club. And a captain with hair.
- Calgary Flames - Obviously a no-brainer. If you like the Oilers, you can't like the Flames. And Dion Phaneuf is highly overrated. And they are not Alberta's team.
- Vancouver Canucks - There is not one redeeming quality to this franchise. You can take the raw talent that the team has and in any other situation, build a Stanley Cup winner out of it. In Vancouver,however, the fans are fair-weather at best and the team can't seem to figure out if it wants to be a contender or an also-ran. this team seems to run on empty more often than not. I also think it's time for the Sedin's to cut the umbilical cord. Seriously.
- Dallas Stars - Two Words: Mike Modano. I know he's a talented hockey player, but man, I can't stand the guy. I read somewhere that his favourite TV show was the Young and the Restless. He was in The Mighty Ducks too. 'Nuff said.
- Anaheim Ducks - After the whole Chris Pronger debacle in Edmonton, it would stand to reason that any self-respecting Oilers fan would despise the Ducks. I disliked them a long time before that. I think it was because they were owned by Disney, and it made my skin crawl to know that the same company who brought me "Beauty and the Beast" was responsible for MORE hockey in California.
Teams I am ambivalent to (but don't really dislike):
- Tampa Bay Lightning/Florida Panthers - Hockey in Florida? Really? I know there are lots of Quebecers down there in the winter, but they could just watch on satellite.
- Carolina Hurricanes - They won the Stanley Cup on a fluke. And are terrible.
- Atlanta Thrashers - What the heck is a Thrasher, anyway?
- Columbus Blue Jackets - I don't even know what to say about that.
- Minnesota Wild - Wild what? Certainly not their game plan.
- L.A. Kings/ San Jose Sharks - Hockey + California = peculiar.
- Nashville Predators - Don't know what KIND of predator, just that they "pick apart their victims", but even still...I don't get it.
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4 months ago
A Thrasher is a bird, usually seen more often in the south.
A Blue Jacket is a reference to Ohio's history and bloodshed in the civil war paying homage to those who served and died from their state. They use the bee image to go along with it.
The Predators name and symbol come from during the building of the Arena in Nashville the builders found the skeleton of a sabre-toothed tiger. Hopefully this stems some light on the subject of some of these team names.
4 months ago
Ken is right about the Blue Jacket. Their new logo is much better than the old one at representing the significance. The new one is the Ohio flag wrapped around a star, while the old one was just a stupid bug that made people think they should have been named the Yellow Jackets.
I could not agree more about Carolina. They caught a huge break in almost every series that year and were not even close to being the best team of the bunch.
I hate it when teams have one good year and win the Cup (or make it really far) and spend the rest of their years being terrible. Carolina had a lucky run in 2002 and then sucked enough to get Eric Staal, Cam Ward and Andrew Ladd. Then those three helped them win a tainted Cup.
4 months ago
It is hard to say that winning a Stanley Cup is a fluke. Correct me if I am wrong, but you still have to win 16 games to claim the title. A fluke would be winning a game, or winning a close series, but 16 games is a considerable accomplishment. Losing a goalie in the finals is unfortunate, but that can happen to anyone. The Canes have been to the finals twice since 2002 and this year they missed the playoffs by 1 win and also missed winning the Eastern Conference number one seed by 6 wins. Hardly a failing season. They lost 350 player games to injuries and yet, went into the final weekend with a great chance to make the playoffs. Finally, to say the cup win is tainted is unfortunate. I will say it again, they had to (and did) win 16 games that year, no one else did. Hardly tainted.
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