OT: NHL Conference Finals Rooting Interest
We're 3 combined games into the Conference Finals which have been interesting, to say the least. I'm curious as to what everyone's rooting interest is for those who aren't fans of the teams in the final 4, especially with all of the former Michigan and Red Wings ties:
Tampa has no Michigan alumni and former Wing Gemel Smith on their roster.
The Rangers have 3 Michigan alumni with Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and Jacob Trouba along with former Wing Patrik Nameth on their roster and Gerard Gallant behind the bench.
Colorado also has 3 Michigan alumni with Jack Johnson, JT Compher, and Andrew Cogliano along with former Wing Darren Helm on their roster.
and the Oilers have 1 Michigan Alumni with Zach Hyman along with former Wing GM, Ken Holland in the same role.
Who are you guys rooting for?
Plenty of room on the Rangers bandwagon for any and all, WHY NOT US?
A B A
(And if you have to ask you're not a Red Wings fan!)
I had to head to urbandictionary, thanks Rob.
A B T F A
W N T F A T F S !!
(Well, not the fucking Avs, that's for sure.)
I live in Denver and it’s cool to have a local team this deep in the playoffs but… fuck the Avs. Go Rangers I guess.
Can't bring myself to root for any NY teams, ever. Not gonna do it. I'll pull for Tampa, despite my life-long obsession that there should be no hockey teams south of the Mason-Dixon Line. But we all know that's an asinine thing to say these days... Hockey is global - and it should be!
Stevie Y built the Lightning - it's nice to know the Wings brought him back home.
I am a Wings fan and of course a Mich fan. But not sure I have ever rooted for a team because they had a former Wing, or any former Mich player. I wish the former Mich/Wings players the best, but once they put on another uniform, I just can't root for them to win a cup.
I can say I hate any and all NY teams. I respect Mcdavid, Mackinnon, Stamkos, and the stars still playing, but really have no favorite to win the cup. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be for Mcdavid to win one with EDM. But Not because I like EDM, or really any other players there. Its just because I think he is the best player in the NHL this generation and if he can be front and center, it would only help the game and the NHL.
But whoever wins it this year.... Congrats.
Edmonton
NYR
Big Gap
Tampa
Covid
Satan
Social Media Influencers
Avs
________
Would be happy for Helmer and Michigan folk but yeah- this is a rough final four for me. Edmonton is on top by default. Annoyed by NYR lottery luck (shouldn't be, but am), don't want a Tampa three-peat.
This times a thousand. I fully agree with the logic, and I practically choked on my cortado over the ordering of the last four on this list.
I mostly agree, but I think you are underrating how funny it is that a Canadian team hasn't won the cup in 30+ years.
Give me the Rangers... they have a fun, young team, plenty of Michigan talent, and their stars are likable in Panarin, Kreider, Zibanejad, Fox, Trouba, and Igor Shesterkin. Sure, I'll be cheering for New York, which is always gross, but their lottery picks (Kakko and Lafreniere) have been disappointments and Dolan already fired the GM who built 90% of the roster, so there would be a sweet sense of justice.
Kakko and Lafreniere, along with Chytil have really played their best hockey, to this point, in these playoffs. Lots to look forward to in both the near and distant future with how all of the kids are playing.
True, but Kakko has 58 points in 157 career games and Lafreniere has 52 points in 135 games... I think it's safe to call them disappointments to this point considering the hype that came with those #1 and #2 picks.
Granted, they did have one hell of a shift in Game 1, so perhaps the light is coming on for them, but Chytil has really been the one powering that line as of late
I think the difference with Kakko and Lafreniere, as opposed to other top picks are that neither of them get PP time and that'd not because of their play but because of the guys in front of them. Panarin, Kreider, Zibanejad, Strome, etc etc etc. Through their first 108 games, Lafreniere had as many 5v5 goals as Connor McDavid did. Now, I'm not comparing the two because McDavid is the greatest player on the planet but everyone's development and opportunities are not the same.
Kakko's development has been less than great but you can see him becoming the player that he was in Finland, in these playoffs. Puck control down behind the goal line and along the walls.
Chytil's gone through a lot of ups and downs. Demotions to Hartford, being healthy scratched and told by his coach to "watch how Mika plays." His hard work is starting to pay off, he's playing the game the right way and not taking any shortcuts and he's also started to find his game, obviously.
That shift was incredible and the fact that the average age of the 5 skaters on the ice for the goal was 21.8 years old shows they're all starting to play with more confidence and are developing. They're not passengers during the run, not in the slightest.
Chytil reminds me a lot of Zadina from a Red Wings perspective... It's going to take some time to put everything together and it's going to look awkward and frustrating until it does, but once it happens he's going to look like a complete difference-maker out there.
Hopefully, Zadina is learning from Vrana the same way Chytil was learning from watching Zibanejad.
Any team but the one Ken Holland inherited.
Avs, because no LA Kings in it this year. Also because IDGAF about hockey, but would be an Avs or Kings fan if I did.
As a secondary Isles fan, I can't really be expected to root for the Rags, and I'll never root for the Avs.
The Oilers simply don't have the goaltending, defense, or depth to win.
So I guess that leaves the Lightning, and honestly, I think it'd be pretty cool to see a team win 3 straight Cups.
So... Go Bolts!!!
As a secondary Isles fan
Well, that's disappointing...
Rangers or bust
Tampa native so you know what my answer is, but if they bow out against the Rangers or against the Avs in the Finals, I can't possibly be mad. Who on Earth could be with two straight Stanley Cups and making the ECF in six of the last nine seasons? And honestly, after they got vastly outplayed by Toronto in the first round, they probably shouldn't even be here anyway. And yet, they are.
I got to see them hoist the Cup in person at Game 5 last year. Everything from here is gravy.
Obviously I'd love to see them win it all this year, and then you could truly start talking about a dynasty and being among the greatest hockey teams of the modern era. But there is (in my opinion) no trophy in North American sports that is harder to win than the Stanley Cup. To win it even just once in your career is hard enough. But to do it twice in a row hardly ever happens. Three times....you're talking about living legends.
Anywho, if they don't win, I'd be perfectly happy with watching the Avs win, but preferably the Oilers, just because I'd want to Canada finally break the drought. That and Connor McDavid is so freaking exciting to watch. When he gets enough supporting pieces around him, he's hoisting the Cup for himself.
I don't care to see the Rangers win.
Not even really a hockey fan, but I did live in SE Mich in the late 90s so go literally-anyone-but-the-Avalanche
Fuck Avs!!
The Wings-Avs rivalry was as intense a sporting experience as any in my life. Beating the Avs consumed everything. Still, that was 20 years ago. Everyone is retired. Claude Lemieux is long gone. Patrick Roy is an elder now, and Steve Yzerman is a respected GM.
The mature, rational thing to do is move on, be objective, let the past stay in the past. Be responsible adults.
Well, I’ll be mature and rational about something else. The Avs can suck a lemon. I can *respect* certain rivals I dislike intensely, like OSU. UM-MSU basketball is fun when they’re both good, etc. Not the Evilanche. In 96-02 I didn’t care if their franchise folded and they never won another game… and I still don’t. My two favorite teams in the NHL remain the Wings and Whomever Is Playing Colorado.
I don’t care that we have three Michigan guys there. I hope they post good stat lines and get traded. There are 31 NHL teams I would rather see win the Cup.
May they lose their next four games, may their arena burn to the ground, and may the soil be salted and condemned.
This is a mature and level headed take that I fully co-sign.
I am originally from the West, I went to college in Colorado and until I went to Michigan for Grad school I had no ties to Detroit teams. Despite all that, I became a Red Wings fan because Avalanche fans were so terrible back in that late 90's period. Go Wings and may the Avs be swallowed by the earth.
Bolts since I live here. Fuck Colorado for obvious reasons. Looking forward to that E60 on the Wings/Avs rivalry which was one of the greatest ever while it lasted.
Rooting for Edmonton, even though I’m not a fan, nor am I following the playoffs. Why? I was high school friends with one of Hollands daughter (cool story, bro). And would like to see a Canadian team win
It is great to see so many Michigan players in the conference finals. As a Sabres fan, I really have no dog in this fight. It is fun to watch all of the offensive talent in the West, although the Oilers were playing like hacks last night. I was also hoping to see a goalie duel in the East, but that didn't happen in Game 1. We will see if the Vasilevskiy rebound streak will continue tonight.
I will say that my daughter is a goalie, and since she has no chance of getting over 6' tall she is pulling for Shesterkin and Francouz as the relatively shorter goalies, lol.
This is the first time where I genuinely do not care who wins. I don't really hate any of the teams remaining, nor do I have any particular rooting interest either. Which I'm actually pretty happy about because I can be a true neutral fan and just ENJOY watching the intense competitive playoff hockey.
The only thing I "root" for now is drama. So please, get pissed at each other after the whistle, and please, make sure some games go to multiple overtimes. I want ALL OF THAT.
And if Colorado is to win, please let it be Darren Helm who scores the game 7 3OT winner. Just for the LULZ (it was funny enough that Colorado advanced to the semis because of him and Cogs)
Anyone but Tampa strictly for Michigan rooting interests. I'm probably most on the Rangers bandwagon. As a Wings enjoyer it's weird to pull for the Avs, but they'd be my 2nd choice due to the Michigan guys as well
Greatness is what makes sports fun. Tampa!
It's a process of elimination...
Avs - Not the same players, but I hate them anyway
Rangers - They're from New York, and Bettman gave them Lafreniere
Oilers - Don't want Ken Holland to win anything after destroying the Wings
Lightning - Yzerman connection - Go Tampa!
Rangers fan since the 50s when I saw them play in the old Madison Square Garden. Saw my first major hockey fight in person on February 1, 1959 when Gordie Howe demolished the Rangers’ Lou Fontinato who’d been considered the NHL’s toughest fighter at that time. LINK
Before 1994, never thought I’d live to see the Rangers win the Stanley Cup. As with other pro sports teams I’ve rooted for, I’d also thought that I’d never live to see the Giants win the Super Bowl or the Red Sox or the NY/SF Giants win another World Series.
(At this rate, I doubt that I’ll live to see the Knicks win another NBA championship, or the USA win the men’s World Cup, or Arsenal win the UEFA Champions League title.)
What I find interesting is that all four teams left in the NHL playoffs have won at least two Stanley Cups. Although the Rangers (the only one of the Original Six still playing) have won the Cup four times, only once came after 1940, and they haven’t won since 1994, but made the finals in 2014. Colorado has won the Cup in their only two appearances in the finals, but haven’t won since 1996. The Oilers’ five Cup wins came in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. The Lightning have three Cup wins and are going for a three-peat which hasn’t happened since the Islanders won the Cup four straight seasons, ending in 1983.
Because of my rooting interest in Michigan, I'd be happy to see the Cup won by either (1) the Rangers who were wise enough to add two former Wolverines teammates (Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte) at the trade deadline this season, thanks to their GM Chris Drury who's still the only person to win the Little League World Series, the NCAA hockey championship, the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's best player, the Calder Memorial Trophy for the NHL Rookie of the Year award, the Stanley Cup and an Olympics ice hockey medal, or (2) the Avalanche (sorry all you Red Wings fans, but I once had a client who worked for the Avalanche and he sent me an Avalanche jersey that still somehow fits.)
Leapin' Louie!
Colorado won in 1996 and then again in 2001 (their last Cup, the Borque one), and it's still gross to think about
Colorado Avalanche all the way. Live in Denver and loving the playoffs. Let’s go Avs and bring the cup back to Denver!
As my rooting interest in the Red Wings goes back to the 1940s, I'm happy that Toronto is out of the playoffs. Don't particularly care who wins. However, Edmonton was once a Detroit farm club.
Easy. Tampa Bay, the team the Captain built.
Anybody but the Avs!
Would I ever root for the Yankees, OSU or MSU just because the players are different? Hell No!
I honestly don't care one way or the other.
Red Wings
I will never root for Denver and always root for an Original Six member when they’re not playing the Wings.
NY/Edmonton
Rangers in 7 in double OT.
Gotta root for Gallant. Maybe Stevie can lure him back to his original Original 6 team.
TB (Stevie’s legacy) or EDM (love watching McDavid play … he goes full tilt).
NYR … cantstandya! cantstandya!!
And of course the Avs are enemies 1A/1B/1C with the Leafs and Hawks for me as a lifelong Wings fan.