Monday, May 26, 2008
The Top 10 Cities For Hockey Fans
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As you peer through the list, you may think, what? No San Jose? No Anaheim? No Dallas? Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think you can really be a hockey fan and want to live in a city where there is no such thing as winter, hence, the cities below, do have winter and great hockey to watch.
10. New York City
There are practically three NHL teams in the city with the Rangers (who made the playoffs), the Islanders (who did not), and the New Jersey Devils (who did, as well). I mean the Devils play in Newark, which is a whole 10 miles away. The New York Football Giants and the Jets don't even play in New York State, they're in East Rutherford, NJ, so not much difference between cheering for the Devils or the Giants. So, however unlikely it seems, New York City would be a good place for a winter hockey vacation.
9. Calgary
The Flames had a good year this year and if Miikka Kiprusoff can keep up the good work in net, and Jarome Iginla puts up the numbers he did this past year (50 goals, 48 assists, and 9 game-winners), the Flames are going to be a great team for many years to come.
8. Montreal
While the Canadiens blew it this season, there is a rich tradition in Montreal that exists very few places in other NHL cities. Very few of those other cities are in as good of shape currently as Montreal. With the veteran presence of Alex Kovalev and the up-and-coming talent of Tomas Plekanec, the Canadiens could put on a pretty good show in the next few years.
7. Denver
The Avalanche are an exciting team to watch. With wile veterans like Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic, the Avs always have a chance to win and there is a very extensive fan base rocking the Pepsi Center every night they get the chance. Denver is also home to Denver Pioneers hockey, who were third in the WCHA this season. The WCHA regular season champion, the Colorado College Tigers, are located in Colorado Springs, just south of Denver. Two great college hockey programs and a solid NHL team put Denver at number seven.
6. Buffalo
The Outdoor Hockey Classic would be enough to put Buffalo in the top 10. But people in Buffalo are not just Sabres fans. They are hockey fans. I saw a report that showed in last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Buffalo area gave the game higher ratings than either network that was in the game (Anaheim and Ottawa). That is just ridiculous. There must be some amazing hockey bar scenes perhaps worth a look in Buffalo.
5. Boston
While there is so much noise about the Patriots, the Red Sox, and the Celtics, the Bruins get lost a bit in there. They're a good hockey team who unfortunately gets ignored by the over-stimulated Boston sports fans. Also, Boston College won the NCAA men's hockey championship this year, so there's a lot of goodness going on in Boston. Since all the other sports fans are distracted by baseball, football, and basketball, it should be easy for hockey fans to enjoy their successful hockey programs with like-minded hockey fanatics.
4. Detroit
I think the Penguins will top the Red Wings this season, but the Wings have been consistently amazing for the past 15 seasons. They're in the playoffs and often favored to win it all, and have in 2001-02, 1997-98, and 1996-97.
The reason "Hockeytown, USA" isn't any higher on this list is due to the city's struggle to sell-out regular season games. While that could be good for hockey fans to see as many games as they want, with a slightly lower demand. A sold-out stadium of hardcore fans is much more enjoyable than a stadium of nearly full, not quite as hardcore fans.
The Red Wings are a great hockey team and the college hockey in the area isn't so bad, either. This past year, both the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans were among the top teams in all of college hockey. While Michigan Tech (a no-name in any other sport) is also a close-by Division I competitor.
3. Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers aren't the NHL's most prized Canadian team, but they are generally contenders in the playoff hunt. What makes Edmonton so great is that they have the best team in the most underrated and virtually unknown college hockey league in the world. The University of Alberta Golden Bears have won the University Cup (awarded to the Canadian Inter-University Sports Hockey Champion) five times in the past 10 years. Every season, this team plays the rookies from the Edmonton Oilers and they won every year from 2001-2005. There is some good hockey to be seen up in Edmonton.
2. Pittsburgh
While I believe the Penguins will go on to win Lord Stanley's Cup, that is not the only reason to be in Pittsburgh as a hockey fan. Sidney Crosby could very well be the NHL's savior.
In April SC's Sean Crowe wrote an article entitled "Why the NHL is Dead" in which he rates hockey as number six among sports that the average sports fan will watch — after NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, and the PGA. I do not disagree with Crowe on this point. The average sports fan is missing out on the gloriousness that is hockey and one can only hope the Crosby will be a path to show a new generation how amazing hockey is.
I know hockey fans know how amazing Crosby is. When I wanted to get tickets for the Penguins at Wild game in October, prices on Craigslist were triple or more that of any other game. Crosby already is an amazing player and I can only hope that he can lead the NHL out of its poor standing in the minds of the average sports fan, and to be in Pittsburgh to see it would be quite the treat.
1. Saint Paul
While the Wild are not a perennial powerhouse as of yet, they are a team of growing young talent with one of the NHL's most underrated, exciting players in Marian Gaborik. They also have one of the best, if not the best hockey arena in the NHL. The Xcel Energy Center is an absolutely amazing place to watch hockey and the fans know their hockey.
Beyond the NHL, the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey teams have been toward the top of the WCHA for many years. Then there are the other four Minnesota schools in the WCHA who are no slouches themselves (exception: Bemidji), Bemidji State (women's only); University of Minnesota-Duluth; Saint Cloud State; and Minnesota State University, Mankato. So if you grew up in Mankato, Bemidji, Duluth or Saint Cloud, and just happen to live in the Twin Cities, it's very easy to catch a game of your favorite college team.
But what really puts Saint Paul over the top of any other city is the attitude of the whole state toward hockey. Hockey is not just a professional sport or even a college-pro tandem. Hockey is a way of life for many Minnesotans and it starts at a very young age. In 2006, the Minnesota State high school boys' hockey tournament averaged over 18,000 fans per contest, all but selling out the Xcel Energy Center. That type of commitment to and passion for hockey is not found anywhere else. Minnesota truly is the "State of Hockey" and Saint Paul is where the action is at its best.
Michigan Tech a "close by" D-I competitor to Detrout? It's only 558 miles from Joe Louis Arena to Michigan Tech's John J MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Alabama-Huntsville is only 90 miles further from Detroit than Houghton is. In fact there are more than a dozen closer teams than the Huskies, including RPI, Robert Morris, Wisconsin and Mercyhurst.