Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Season

[Bruno7481]

I am completely open minded about this. Just thought it might be better to pick a team I could actually watch regularly.

[UMFan83]

I am completely open minded about this. Just thought it might be better to pick a team I could actually watch regularly.

 

I mean Nashville is a really good team, they just bore me when I watch them play. Not the best way for a novice fan to gain enthusiasm for the sport. But maybe the winning makes up for it.

[Exile on Waveland]

Yeah, don't pick Columbus or Nashville. Putting it in Big Ten basketball terms, picking Columbus would be like picking Nebraska and picking Nashville would be like picking Wisconsin.

[jersey cubs fan]

Ridiculous question for you all...

 

Have decided I am going to follow Hockey this season. I have enjoyed watching it, but have never really considered myself a fan. I want to change that and try to learn the game better. I need to adopt a team though. That is where I need some help.

 

Locally I can catch games on TV from two teams, Columbus and Nashville. I know Columbus sucks, and that Nashville is pretty good. Should I go with a local team that I can see on TV more often?

 

If not, where should I look?

 

Assuming you get NBC Sports (formerly Versus) you can still catch plenty of games on tv. If I were you I'd watch some of those and see if you are interested in teams outside your immediate area. If you do, Pittsburgh will be on all the time, not that they need any help with fans. It could also be worth it to have an interest in a Canadian team just for the fun, and overabundance of non-television coverage you can find on them.

[kujay]

Ridiculous question for you all...

 

Have decided I am going to follow Hockey this season. I have enjoyed watching it, but have never really considered myself a fan. I want to change that and try to learn the game better. I need to adopt a team though. That is where I need some help.

 

Locally I can catch games on TV from two teams, Columbus and Nashville. I know Columbus sucks, and that Nashville is pretty good. Should I go with a local team that I can see on TV more often?

 

If not, where should I look?

 

Assuming you get NBC Sports (formerly Versus) you can still catch plenty of games on tv. If I were you I'd watch some of those and see if you are interested in teams outside your immediate area. If you do, Pittsburgh will be on all the time, not that they need any help with fans. It could also be worth it to have an interest in a Canadian team just for the fun, and overabundance of non-television coverage you can find on them.

 

If I had to start over, perhaps because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'd take on one of the Canadian teams (other than Vancouver, or course). The Jets would probably be my choice, though if you're a Cubs fan, you might identify more with the Leafs and their fans and their legacy of futility and heartbreak.

 

I'm not high on Nashville for the reasons others have stated. And goes without saying losing Suter will hurt them. That said, I really appreciate what ownership and management have done there to foster and grow the fan base. St. Louis does a lot of the same things and does them well. Come to think, if you want to take on a young team that has a lot of potential, St. Louis might be for you. Good goaltending, decent young defensemen. They really need an impact scorer. Problem is they can't afford to buy one in the summer and will be too good to get one high in the draft.

 

I'm babbling at this point but so excited to have hockey back I want to talk about it all day. Been listening to NHL Radio on XM pretty much nonstop. Can't wait for next Saturday night.

[biittner77]

If your local choices are Columbus and Nasville, I'd get center ice and pick a different team from anywhere else. Since you already have a Chicago connection, the Hawks are a good place to start.

[UMFan83]

I suppose we might as well try to convert him to a Hawks fan.

 

Benefits of choosing the Chicago Blackhawks:

-Talented team with a good amount of young superstar players (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith)

-Recent championship team (you don't have to take too much crap about futility....don't get me wrong the Hawks are the losingest team of the O6 and spent 20 years as a farm team to our archrivals, but having a recent cup in hand squashes a lot of that trashtalk)

-Original 6 team...tradition, rabid core of fans, respect amongst hockey fans

-Coach has a moustache

-Largest arena in the NHL, packed every night, electric atmosphere

-Will be on TV lots over the coming years

-Great if your a fan of ex-Scottish indie rock bands (the Fratellis' Chelsea Dagger is played after every goal, and while every team has a post-goal song and some even use Chelsea Dagger, its taken on a life of its own in Chicago, ask the Canucks)

-Team has a lot of personality overall whether you like drunken fratboys (Kaner), clean shaven super-captains (Toews), russian offensive skill players (Hossa), goons (Carcillo and Mayers), or toothless defensive players (Keith)

-Plays a fairly offensive friendly style a majority of the time. Can score goals with the best of them, especially on the first 2 lines

-Part of one of the best rivalries in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. Also have a decent rivalry with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks, although the Canucks rivalry is not a traditional rivalry and is based on playing in the playoffs 3 times in the last 4 years, and Roberto Luongo being a sissy boy who collapses in big games and is forever haunted by Chelsea Dagger

 

Cons:

-As mentioned above, the team has gone through quite a bit of futility in its past. Had a terrible ownership situation that led to their best longtime players getting dealt and/or alienated, no home games on TV regardless of whether the arena was packed or empty until 2008, recently had the longest cup drought in NHL history (broken in 2010). It hasn't all been bad (team holds (held?) record for most consecutive playoff appearances between the early 80s and late 90s and had some good runs including a SCF appearance in 1992, which although they were swept was a very close series

-The bandwagon is still packed with post 2010 title fans (see video for example:

)

-The horrible owner that had the Hawks stone age died in 2008, but his son Rocky is the current owner. Nothing wrong with Rocky and he has reversed a lot of the damage his father did in the later years, but he's still a Wirtz so you have to be slightly wary.

-Team still recovering from their post-Stanley Cup talent purge due to the salary cap/Dale Tallon. Issues with depth, although they have a promising group of prospects that are in various stages of development

-The jury is definitely still out on Stan Bowman, the team's GM and many are not exactly in love with him and his post Cup moves

 

 

I dunno thats all i feel like contributing. Go Hawks!

[jersey cubs fan]

I suppose we might as well try to convert him to a Hawks fan.

 

Benefits of choosing the Chicago Blackhawks:

-Talented team with a good amount of young superstar players (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith)

 

Hossa is neither young nor a superstar.

[jersey cubs fan]

russian offensive skill players (Hossa),

 

He's also not Russian.

[UMFan83]

russian offensive skill players (Hossa),

 

He's also not Russian.

 

See I'm one of those bandwagon fans! Yeah that was stupid

[UMFan83]

I suppose we might as well try to convert him to a Hawks fan.

 

Benefits of choosing the Chicago Blackhawks:

-Talented team with a good amount of young superstar players (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith)

 

Hossa is neither young nor a superstar.

 

Keith is not really a superstar either....and turns 30 this offseason. Oh well

[jersey cubs fan]

There's more of an argument to be made for him, and I didn't want to entirely burst the "be a Blackhawks fan" bubble.

 

 

Although I assume since the guy is in the Blackhawks thread and didn't mention them as an option he's specifically not interested in following them.

[SABR Gamer]

Hawks all the way.

 

Love this video:

[Bruno7481]

I'm fine with the Blackhawks, my only mention of Nashville and Columbus was because those are the two teams I could watch the most of.

 

I appreciate the input you guys are supplying, and I don't want to hijack your thread. If there is anything else to add I'd be glad to read it, but don't want to divert attention for the purpose of this thread.

 

Thanks. This will be a big decision, hah.

[kujay]

No worries man. I'm not sure there really needs to be a separate thread for non-Hawks NHL talk anyway. I sure don't mind if there's talk about other teams and players here.

 

Case in point, it's one thing for Vishnovsky to be a bitch and stay in Russia. But apparently Kovalchuk is considering it too? What is wrong with these people?

[brinoch]

Bruno, I'd watch some games and wait until you find some players or a style that you like or find attractive.

[kujay]

Apparently Datsyuk is dragging his feet too. That works.

[seanimal]

I suppose we might as well try to convert him to a Hawks fan.

 

Benefits of choosing the Chicago Blackhawks:

-Talented team with a good amount of young superstar players (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith)

 

Hossa is neither young nor a superstar.

 

he was the best player on the team last season, by a fairly wide margin, and one of the best players in the league. if he's not a superstar, then the word is meaningless

[UMFan83]

Well I was wrong. I guess they are going to go with unbalanced scheduling within the division. Reportedly, the schedule will involve 5 games against two divisional opponents (10 games), 4 games against the other two divisional opponents (8 games) and 3 games against the other 10 conference teams (30 games).

 

Ok then...hope we get 5 games against Columbus

[kujay]

Yeah but likely we get 5 with Detroit and St. Louis, if only for ticket sales.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah but likely we get 5 with Detroit and St. Louis, if only for ticket sales.

 

It would make more sense for the lesser franchises to get to play Chicago and Detroit more often to sell more tickets. The Blackhawks don't need to play Detroit or STL to sell tickets.

[kujay]

They do in Detroit and St. Louis. Sellouts aren't guarantees in either city.

 

And the Leafs continue to be clown shoes. Fired Burke. This may be why:

 

@SportsnetSpec: Sounds like Burke did NOT want to make Luongo deal, while many in Leafs org did. Burke a principled man.

[UMFan83]

They do in Detroit and St. Louis. Sellouts aren't guarantees in either city.

 

Red Wings sold 100.7% of their seats last year, 98.1% the year before and 97.4% the year before that.

Blues were at 98.2% last year, 100.0% the year before and 98.6% the year before that.

[Old Style]

I suppose we might as well try to convert him to a Hawks fan.

 

Benefits of choosing the Chicago Blackhawks:

-Talented team with a good amount of young superstar players (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith)

-Recent championship team (you don't have to take too much crap about futility....don't get me wrong the Hawks are the losingest team of the O6 and spent 20 years as a farm team to our archrivals, but having a recent cup in hand squashes a lot of that trashtalk)

-Original 6 team...tradition, rabid core of fans, respect amongst hockey fans

-Coach has a moustache

-Largest arena in the NHL, packed every night, electric atmosphere

-Will be on TV lots over the coming years

-Great if your a fan of ex-Scottish indie rock bands (the Fratellis' Chelsea Dagger is played after every goal, and while every team has a post-goal song and some even use Chelsea Dagger, its taken on a life of its own in Chicago, ask the Canucks)

-Team has a lot of personality overall whether you like drunken fratboys (Kaner), clean shaven super-captains (Toews), russian offensive skill players (Hossa), goons (Carcillo and Mayers), or toothless defensive players (Keith)

-Plays a fairly offensive friendly style a majority of the time. Can score goals with the best of them, especially on the first 2 lines

-Part of one of the best rivalries in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. Also have a decent rivalry with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks, although the Canucks rivalry is not a traditional rivalry and is based on playing in the playoffs 3 times in the last 4 years, and Roberto Luongo being a sissy boy who collapses in big games and is forever haunted by Chelsea Dagger

 

Cons:

-As mentioned above, the team has gone through quite a bit of futility in its past. Had a terrible ownership situation that led to their best longtime players getting dealt and/or alienated, no home games on TV regardless of whether the arena was packed or empty until 2008, recently had the longest cup drought in NHL history (broken in 2010). It hasn't all been bad (team holds (held?) record for most consecutive playoff appearances between the early 80s and late 90s and had some good runs including a SCF appearance in 1992, which although they were swept was a very close series

-The bandwagon is still packed with post 2010 title fans (see video for example:

)

-The horrible owner that had the Hawks stone age died in 2008, but his son Rocky is the current owner. Nothing wrong with Rocky and he has reversed a lot of the damage his father did in the later years, but he's still a Wirtz so you have to be slightly wary.

-Team still recovering from their post-Stanley Cup talent purge due to the salary cap/Dale Tallon. Issues with depth, although they have a promising group of prospects that are in various stages of development

-The jury is definitely still out on Stan Bowman, the team's GM and many are not exactly in love with him and his post Cup moves

 

 

I dunno thats all i feel like contributing. Go Hawks!

You forgot Jim Cornelison's National Anthem in your pros list.

[Guest]

I suppose we might as well try to convert him to a Hawks fan.

 

Benefits of choosing the Chicago Blackhawks:

-Talented team with a good amount of young superstar players (Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith)

-Recent championship team (you don't have to take too much crap about futility....don't get me wrong the Hawks are the losingest team of the O6 and spent 20 years as a farm team to our archrivals, but having a recent cup in hand squashes a lot of that trashtalk)

-Original 6 team...tradition, rabid core of fans, respect amongst hockey fans

-Coach has a moustache

-Largest arena in the NHL, packed every night, electric atmosphere

-Will be on TV lots over the coming years

-Great if your a fan of ex-Scottish indie rock bands (the Fratellis' Chelsea Dagger is played after every goal, and while every team has a post-goal song and some even use Chelsea Dagger, its taken on a life of its own in Chicago, ask the Canucks)

-Team has a lot of personality overall whether you like drunken fratboys (Kaner), clean shaven super-captains (Toews), russian offensive skill players (Hossa), goons (Carcillo and Mayers), or toothless defensive players (Keith)

-Plays a fairly offensive friendly style a majority of the time. Can score goals with the best of them, especially on the first 2 lines

-Part of one of the best rivalries in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. Also have a decent rivalry with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks, although the Canucks rivalry is not a traditional rivalry and is based on playing in the playoffs 3 times in the last 4 years, and Roberto Luongo being a sissy boy who collapses in big games and is forever haunted by Chelsea Dagger

 

Cons:

-As mentioned above, the team has gone through quite a bit of futility in its past. Had a terrible ownership situation that led to their best longtime players getting dealt and/or alienated, no home games on TV regardless of whether the arena was packed or empty until 2008, recently had the longest cup drought in NHL history (broken in 2010). It hasn't all been bad (team holds (held?) record for most consecutive playoff appearances between the early 80s and late 90s and had some good runs including a SCF appearance in 1992, which although they were swept was a very close series

-The bandwagon is still packed with post 2010 title fans (see video for example:

)

-The horrible owner that had the Hawks stone age died in 2008, but his son Rocky is the current owner. Nothing wrong with Rocky and he has reversed a lot of the damage his father did in the later years, but he's still a Wirtz so you have to be slightly wary.

-Team still recovering from their post-Stanley Cup talent purge due to the salary cap/Dale Tallon. Issues with depth, although they have a promising group of prospects that are in various stages of development

-The jury is definitely still out on Stan Bowman, the team's GM and many are not exactly in love with him and his post Cup moves

 

 

I dunno thats all i feel like contributing. Go Hawks!

You forgot Jim Cornelison's National Anthem in your pros list.

Great jerseys