12 Most Accepting Fanbases in the NHL

It's easy to back a winner. No trouble at all to shell out for a team like the Yankees who reward their fans regularly with winning seasons and long—often successful—playoff runs.

Who are the NHL fans who support their teams no matter what? Who are the most accepting fanbases?

To compile this list, I've tried to balance on-ice performance against the cost of being a fan. A few intangibles factor in but most broadly, I'd say the "most accepting" fanbases are the ones that pay the most to win the least. For some, the futility is short-term while for others it extends through generations. Sometimes past success makes things better; sometimes it's worse.

Here's a look at 12 groups of fans who love 'em but can't leave 'em, no matter what.

Attendance figures are from ESPN.com.

Costs are from Team Marketing Report. Here's how they came up with their numbers:

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Average ticket price represents a weighted average of season ticket prices for general seating categories, determined by factoring the tickets in each price range as a percentage of the total number of seats in each stadium. Premium seating (tickets that come with at least one added amenity) are not included in the ticket average. Luxury suites are also excluded from the survey. Season-ticket pricing is used for any team that offers some or all tickets at lower prices for customers who buy season tickets.

The Fan Cost Index™ comprises the prices of four (4) average-price tickets, two (2) small draft beers, four (4) small soft drinks, four (4) regular-size hot dogs, parking for one (1) car, two (2) game programs and two (2) least-expensive, adult-size adjustable caps. Costs were determined by telephone calls with representatives of the teams, venues and concessionaires. Identical questions were asked in all interviews.

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Toronto Maple Leafs

Franchise established in market:  1917

Average 2011-12 attendance:  19,506  (5th)

Percent of capacity:  103.7

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $123.77  (1st)

Premium ticket price:  $199.41  (3rd)

Fan Cost Index:  $626.45  (1st)

2011-12 NHL standings: 26th  80 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  13

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  45  (1967)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a class of their own. Never has a team found ways to be so bad for so long, despite the endless devotion and bottomless wallets of Leaf Nation.

You won't pay more to go to a game than at the Air Canda Centre—if you could get a ticket. Chances are, you'd have to know somebody in a big Canadian corporation to make it happen.

The euphoria that accompanied the Leafs' early-season success last year shows how desperately the fans and media would love to see a winner in Toronto. Rest assured, no matter what happens next year the support will be there. The run-up to the Winter Classic could be deafening.

Winnipeg Jets

Franchise established in market:  2011  From Atlanta, established 1999

Average 2011-12 attendance:  15,004  (25th)

Percent of capacity:  100

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $98.27  (2nd)

Premium ticket price:  $176.50  (4th)

Fan Cost Index:  $485.52  (3rd)

2011-12 NHL standings: 22nd  84 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

Jets fans knew the deal when they signed on. They had to commit to 15,000 season tickets, and be prepared to pay top dollar to compensate for their smaller arena.

For their first season, they've been more than happy to live up to their end of the bargain. How long till they start to demand better results from their team?

Despite their stellar home record, people are starting to notice that the team itself is average at best. Fans are asking for changes. What is Kevin Cheveldayoff's strategy to bring in the good players and strong support staff that he'll need to keep the party going in Winnipeg?

Edmonton Oilers

Franchise established in market:  1972   Joined NHL in 1979

Average 2011-12 attendance:  16,839  (19th)

Percent of capacity:  100

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $70.13  (4th)

Premium ticket price:  $182.66  (4th)

Fan Cost Index:  $369.48  (7th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 29th  74 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  5

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  22 years  (1990)

Canada, the numbers don't lie. You love your hockey, even when your teams aren't very good. And you're prepared to pay to support it.

During Gary Bettman's sunbelt expansion years, there was a great deal of talk about how a franchise like Edmonton would never be able to pay its players enough to stay competitive.

Now, the Canadian dollar is sitting around par but the Canadian franchises are still charging their customers like there's a 40 percent exchange rate.

Edmonton's premium ticket price is the fourth-highest in the league, despite the fact that the only thing this team wins these days is the draft lottery.

The Oilers have some good young stars but the dynasty era is long gone. They owe it to their fans to make this next rebuild a good one and start bringing competitive hockey back to Alberta.

Calgary Flames

Franchise established in market:  1980  From Atlanta, established 1972

Average 2011-12 attendance:  19,289  (7th)

Percent of capacity:  100

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $68.18  (6th)

Premium ticket price:  $152.52  (8th)

Fan Cost Index:  $374.51 (5th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 17th  90 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  1

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  23

It has been nearly a decade since Calgary won a playoff series, yet Flames fans still reminisce about going to the finals in 2004 like it was yesterday. They're seven years removed from their last Northwest Division title. It's now four years since their last playoff appearance.

In winter, in Canada, it's hockey. Calgarians—or the corporations that call the city home—continue to spend top dollar to support a product that has not been very good for awhile.

Harvey the Hound is awesome though, isn't he?

Ottawa Senators

Franchise established in market:  1992

Average 2011-12 attendance:  19,356  (6th)

Percent of capacity:  101.1

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $55.51  (15th)

Premium ticket price:  $124.90  (14th)

Fan Cost Index:  $314.06 (15th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 16th  92 points  eliminated by New York Rangers in conference quarterfinal

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

Considering how bad Ottawa was when they first entered the NHL, maybe it's not surprising that their fans think these days of being in the playoff race are good days indeed.

Sens fans enjoy the best hockey value in Canada, with mid-pack pricing, and they showed their loyalty by voting four of their own to the starting lineup when they hosted the 2012 All-Star Game.

After horrible early-franchise missteps with the likes of Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin, the departure of Dany Heatley was small potatoes compared to the love that Sens fans pour on Daniel Alfredsson and now, Erik Karlsson.

Montreal Canadiens

Franchise established in market:  1909  joined NHL in 1917

Average 2011-12 attendance:  21,273  (2nd)

Percent of capacity:  100

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $88.67  (3rd)

Premium ticket price:  $133.89  (12th)

Fan Cost Index:  $486.28  (2nd)

2011-12 NHL standings: 28th  78 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  24  most in NHL

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  1993

I wasn't intending to include Montreal fans on this list. Their team has such a storied history. And they are very vocal about their desires, which often generate action—look at how Mike Cammalleri was run out of town last season.

But then I looked at the numbers. The Habs finished 28th in the league this year, while charging some of the highest prices in the NHL. Yes, the memory of the 2010 Conference Final is still fresh, but fortunes have changed in a hurry since then.

Will Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien be able to give the faithful reason to believe?

San Jose Sharks

Franchise established in market:  1991

Average 2011-12 attendance:  17,562  (18th)

Percent of capacity:  100

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $49.73  (19th)

Premium ticket price:  $112.68  (20th)

Fan Cost Index:  $304.42 (18th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 12th  96 points  eliminated by St. Louis Blues in conference quarterfinal

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

Not so long ago, the San Jose Sharks were the class of California among NHL teams.

Then the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007. Now the Kings have followed suit, but the Sharks' trophy case remains empty.

2012 marked a regression for the Sharks after reaching the conference final the previous two years and snagging four straight Pacific Division titles.

Doug Wilson typically revamps his team with dash and flash each summer, and the fans respond with renewed hope. Brad Stuart is already in the fold. What other changes does Wilson have in store?

New York Islanders

Franchise established in market:  1972

Average 2011-12 attendance:  13,191  (29th)

Percent of capacity:  81.3

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $49.06  (20th)

Premium ticket price:  $97.24  (27th)

Fan Cost Index:  $288.74 (20th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 27th  79 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  4

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  30

New York Islanders fans are not the biggest or most visible fanbase. They make this list for their willingness to put up with mad player management and the worst arena in the NHL.

It's a sad state of affairs when the franchise's early 80s dynasty reputation is now sullied by a team that has appeared in the postseason just once since the lockout and has won a grand total of six playoff games since 1994.

The Isles' arena referendum was defeated last summer and they might be on the move when their current lease expires at Nassau Coliseum in 2015. They have a top talent in John Tavares—can owner Charles Wang pull a rabbit out of his hat to reward his long-time faithful?

Washington Capitals

Franchise established in market:  1974

Average 2011-12 attendance:  18,506  (12th)

Percent of capacity:  101.3

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $62.42  (11th)

Premium ticket price:  $208.18  (2nd)

Fan Cost Index:  $354.67 (10th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 15th  92 points  eliminated by New York Rangers in conference semifinal

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

When comparing the Capitals to their expansion brothers the New York Islanders, who has it worse? The Isles will always have their glory years, but now their franchise is virtually on the scrap heap. The Caps boast a shiny, packed arena, the second-highest premium ticket prices in the league behind the New York Rangers, and five straight playoff appearances.

Washington salvaged a rough season with an impassioned playoff run, but they remain coachless and uncertain of their future direction.

If Washington falters out of the gate again next season, how long before the fanbase begins to grow truly restless and starts speaking with their wallets?

St. Louis Blues

Franchise established in market:  1967

Average 2011-12 attendance:  18,809  (9th)

Percent of capacity:  98.2

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $41.57  (25th)

Premium ticket price:  $135.40  (13th)

Fan Cost Index:  $249.27  (25th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 3rd  109 points  defeated by Los Angeles Kings in Conference semifinal

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

With this year's Stanley Cup win by the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis is now the only 1967 expansion franchise never to have won the big prize. They share the overall record for futility with Toronto, who last won in '67, right before the expansion.

Blues fans can console themselves with relatively low ticket prices—unless they're in the premium seats. And in the hometown of Anheuser-Busch, it's no surprise that they enjoy some of the cheapest beer in the NHL.

All the better to drown their sorrows.

Minnesota Wild

Franchise established in market:  2000

Average 2011-12 attendance:  17,772  (16th)

Percent of capacity:  98.4

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $62.63  (10th)

Premium ticket price:  $99.38  (24th)

Fan Cost Index:  $346.01 (12th)

2011-12 NHL standings: 24th  81 points  missed playoffs

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

The Minnesota Wild decided early on that the only way they were going to win games was to keep the score low and close. Jacques Lemaire developed a defensive strategy that defined the franchise for years.

The training wheels are off and the Wild are trying to become a more dynamic hockey club, but so far the road to success has been rocky.

Minnesota is one of the true hockey hotbeds in the US and the Wild price their product accordingly. The first half of last season showed tremendous promise. Will fans demand more now that their appetites have been whetted?

Nashville Predators

Franchise established in market:  1998

Average 2011-12 attendance:  16,690  (20th)

Percent of capacity:  97.5

Average 2011-12 ticket price:  $51.04  (18th)

Premium ticket price:  $113.50  (19th)

Fan Cost Index:  $288.67 (21st)

2011-12 NHL standings: 5th  104 points  eliminated by Phoenix Coyotes in conference semifinal

Stanley Cups in franchise history:  0

Years since last Stanley Cup win:  never

Nashville's numbers may help to explain how they've become the most successful of the sunbelt franchises. They offer good value with reasonable ticket pricing, they've gradually built their franchise into a Western Conference competitor, and they've connected with the locals to the point where they're close to selling out their games.

All that, playing a shutdown style of hockey that most purists deplore.

The average Preds fan seems happy enough to enjoy the rough-and-tumble hockey experience, and is happier still now that the team is winning. Will the attitude hold as Nashville tries to take that last big step up the ladder?

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