It is an interesting matchup in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs to me.
Growing up I was a big time Red Wings fan, mostly because of them being on TV more often than my hometown team, the Chicago Blackhawks. Obviously there is a nationwide love for the Wings which could be compared to that of the Yankees or Red Sox in baseball.
However, I am also a major supporter of Sidney Crosby, mostly because of what he has been able to do to return interest to the NHL. As a fan of Crosby, I have also picked up an interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past couple of years that has flooded over to me pulling for them this postseason in the East.
Ever since the strike, I will admit that my interest in the Detroit Red Wings declined a little bit. I still visit their message board at letsgowings.com frequently, but not being able to see them on TV has made me lose some interest (My cable company does not offer VS).
If I want hockey news I do not really have a TV station that offers that for me. Instead I read about the games online, with my only way of knowing whats happening being in the form of live scoreboards on various websites.
Above all anymore I feel that I am a hockey fan. Is there anything wrong with that? I have an interest in what is best for the game these days, not necessarily one team.
Right now Crosby and the Penguins are what is best for the game of hockey and it shows in ratings and overall interest. Saturday night's Game one of the Finals was seen by twice as many people as the last two year's Game ones. Where did last years Stanley Cup Finals even show up on SportsCenter? Compare that to now where they are worthy of an opening segment.
The NHL has an opportunity coming up that it has not seen in fifteen years. A story-filled finals matchup with the two most talked about teams of the year. A face to put on the league in the form of Sidney Crosby, whether he's a diver or not.
Couple Crosby with the youth movement in the NHL and it has plenty of young stars for years to come. If the NHL can gain a younger audience and more interest now, it will only help the league down the road.
I am not saying that the Red Wings winning would be bad for hockey by any means. Would the Yankees or Red Sox ever be considered a "bad winner" of the World Series? No, but the country has seen Detroit win cups recently (3 in 11 years).
They have not yet seen this twenty year old from Cole Harbour, Canada hoist a Stanley Cup over his head. If the league wants to get the most out of this finals I feel that is what has to happen, the Penguins would have to walk away with the Cup.
What I am saying is that I am torn.
In Detroit it may not be as obvious the shambles the NHL is in, but in Chicagoland you can't miss it. The Penguins winning the Cup would bring more positive attention to the game than anything that has happened in the past 14 years in the NHL, including the Outdoor Classic.
For that reason I am hoping the Penguins can hoist the Cup.
With that said I still consider the Red Wings to be my favorite hockey team. However, for the game of hockey the Penguins winning would be a prime outcome. People not having seen the youthful Penguins win a cup yet would gain more interest in that by seeing Detroit win it all. Although the Wings are still a phenomenal second choice for Gary Bettman and company, seeing the Penguins with the Stanley Cup would do more for the game.
That's my reasoning for feeling it is okay to be doing what I am doing. Leave me feedback about how I'm a bad fan and how I don't support my team. I support the game of hockey, something not nearly enough people in this country do.
Is it wrong that I am putting the game ahead of my team this year? I am curious to know what you all think.
comments (2) write a comment »
write a new comment
4 months ago
You are no red wings fan. Crosby is over-rated and Datsyuk/Zetterberg are showing why they are the best one-two punch up front in the NHL. GO WINGS!!
4 months ago
it's cool to be a fan of another team's player(s), but when it comes down to it, I think that you gotta pull for your team because it represents so much more than just a group of players. that team is a reflection of not only its' players and fans, but the city in which it plays.
its not very often that you hear someone saying "I hate Crosby fans b/c they think he is the greatest thing on Earth" but rather "I hate Penguin fans ...".
obviously in "Hockeytown" they don't take the team concept as seriously as we do here in the Burgh. I could never imagine considering a player on an opposing team one of my "favorties" or actually pulling for another team just because that player is on it. That's blasphemous.
write a new comment