Why I Have Gone NHL Agnostic

Have you seen the recent NFL Shop commercial featuring the family of Vikings fans, that through a series of life events branch out to take on other teams? If not, it goes a little something like this: family starts as a Vikings fan, son marries a girl from Cincinnati and raises the grand kids as Bengals fans, daughter meets Emmitt Smith and becomes a Cowboys fan, other son goes to school in Pittsburgh and jumps on the Steelers bandwagon (my kid would be disowned), and this once happy Vikings family ends up as a happy smorgasborg of fandom.

It’s a fun commercial highlighting how the NFL can take your money, regardless of what team you root for, but honestly it is an accurate representation of fandom across sports these days. Now I know there are plenty of people out there who can only root for one team, “their” team. However, whether it be fantasy sports, favorite players being traded, or you yourself moving to a new city, there are many fans who have multiple “favorite” teams.

My story goes like this: I grew up in New Jersey, so I was naturally a New Jersey Devils fan. However, it was the Disney Mighty Ducks movies that got me into hockey in the first place, so I always had an affinity for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks as well. During college, I was a huge fan of Sean Avery and could be seen sporting an Avery Rangers jersey. When I moved to Ohio full-time, I started cheering for the Columbus Blue Jackets as well. When I started listening to the Steve Dangle podcast, I also started taking an interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs. So basically, that is how I turned into a Devils / Ducks / Blue Jackets / Sean Avery / Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

At this point in my life and because covering the NHL demands that I pay attention to the entire league, I no longer have the time or energy to focus on one team 24/7. While the teams listed above are what interest me most, I have started to consider myself team agnostic. I was exposed to the idea of following the sport vs one team when listening to the Marek Vs Wyshynski podcast, where Jeff Marek explained his philosophy on hockey and why he does not identify with a team. I started noticing some similarities in how I watched the game. I applauded and shared that feeling of joy when the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup a few years ago. There had to be some explanation as to how a Devils fan could not despise Sean Avery.

Fantasy hockey has also played a big role in how I watch the sport. It has gotten me to follow a plethora of players each season that I normally would not have had as much of an interest in.

It was argued earlier on this very site that this “fan of the league” mentality and fantasy are ruining the sport and fandom. If anything, the exact opposite is true. There is a reason that NHL viewership trails off during the Stanley Cup playoffs: as teams are eliminated, their fans tune out. People who are fans of multiple teams, or just follow the league stick with the NHL from September pre-season until the Cup is awarded.

I know describing myself as “team agnostic” comes off as incredibly douchey, but it’s the best way to convey that you cheer for a league vs one team. I think there is room for both types of fans in the NHL. Teams need die-hard fans; who else would be purchasing season tickets. However, people who don’t identify with one team are also good for the league, as these are the people buying Center Ice and NHL Gamecenter and have filled a closet with jerseys and merchandise. So if you ask me which team I am rooting for this season, don’t be surprised when the answer is “all of them”.