Following that up with gatekeeping is a good point too. For instance, in Toronto there is even the luxury of multiple kinds of gatekeeping! The "Dubasites" and the playoff-style-hockey-ites each lay claim to unique expertise of what the franchise was/is/should be. That being said, it's much better to have ideological differences (like advanced stats or something) than to have people resorting to racial, sex, or other -isms to support their "expertise".
I saw a game in Seattle and had to explain the game to the people next to me (he asked me questions about what was going on). I loved it and so did they. Made the night lots of fun
Kind of surprising to me that some of that love for the sport hasn't spilled across the border. I've never been to the west coast and of course know nothing about it, but I originally assumed that an expansion into Seattle was a bad move because I figured most of the market was already Vancouver fans.
@@Neotenico usually if they move from places like Vancouver, the last place they want to be is Vancouver-but-with-slightly-cheaper-housing (aka Seattle), they will go further south to Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas.
Thank you for being humble enough to teach. Many get annoyed when a “noob” is around who doesn’t know the game very well. Clearly forgetting that they were once a noob too.
seattle will crush being hockey fans, they just need to catch up on rules and the comings and goings of the nhl. I'm a life long seattle sports fan, thick and thin. especially happy about hockey cause I grew up playing it and half my family lives in delta bc.
As a Jackets fan, I always come to this channel for the even-handed takes and excellent analysis irregardless of the team. Thanks for doing what you do!
I have to say that other than podcasts like 32 Thoughts, the CJ Show, and Agent Provocateur; THG has completely replaced everything else as my go-to for hockey and major reason is obnoxious posters pretty much everywhere else. THG videos are always excellent and the posters are almost invariably polite and good fans of hockey regardless of their favourite team(s) -- I enjoy reading their comments and thumbs-upping and sometimes replying.
I guess the content creator's vibe attract similarly minded people. So, who knew that a no-drama, just enjoying hockey dude attracts no-drama people who happens to enjoy hockey!
I liked the Steve Dangle podcast until Steve started trying to bring up every reason he could not to like St. Louis during the Kadri situation. Dude virtue signals so hard. THG is the best
Im a Ducks fan living in Houston. Just moved here three years ago from southern Ca. Got into hockey in the 02-03 season when a friend in high school had an extra ticket to the pond and invited me out. I was hooked. It’s been a casual fandom for years, but discovering your channel and some streaming sites that help me watch games outside of local broadcasts, I’ve been getting way more into it lately.
@@ProggaWoggga no teams in Houston right now. I think Dallas has a minor league team over in Austin or San Antonio. I might have to make the trip up to Dallas this season when the ducks come to play. Wish I would have been there last season for the EBUG game.
My best friend here in Calgary described the Yotes fanbase as "6 Newfies who got drunk and somehow ended up in Arizona" and I just about fell out of my chair laughing
I'm one of the Avs fans just here to hear you say "The Colorado Avalanche won the cup!" haha, in all seriousness I have loved your channel for years and am excited we are right around the corner of another season! GO AVS!
Buffalo native. Tampa Bay Area resident. Lightning fan. One of the weird dynamics of NHL hockey fandom in the Sunbelt is the huge numbers of people who were born “up north” but have located to the Sunbelt for employment opportunities and lower taxes. Some of these people adopt the teams of their new home. Some never give up their allegiance to the the teams of their Rust Belt youth. Some people cheer for both their new and old teams. Nomadic, relocated “Yankees” make up a large percentage of fans at Sun Belt NHL rinks, especially in the early years of expansion. Another observed phenomenon in Tampa, and I am sure in South Florida, Nashville, Vegas, Arizona and California too is “hockey tourism.” Fans from “up north” and in Canada fly down to see their hometown team play a team in the South or Out West. It’s an easy sell. Fly to Florida from chilly Toronto or frigid Buffalo or anywhere up north in February. See your team play a game (or two), play golf and go to the beach and get some sun. Or go to Nashville and after the game, walk out of the rink right onto Broadway and enjoy some fantastic live music. Vegas…enough said.
That’s exactly what happened in Dallas, it was like a yankee magnet lol that’s all it was at first, but 90s tough hard hitting style was great for attracting football fans like myself, now you can barely a touch a player w out a penalty
Tampa resident as well. Yeah, everything you said. And I support Tampa. They are my team. But I spent 15 years ad a Predator fan. And I still love them.
Kraken fan here! Happy to be a new arrival and avid fan thanks to our underrated and very mighty team! 😁 Love your breakdowns as someone relatively new to the sport (two years).
Lifelong St. Louis fan. The wife and I have been traveling to away stadiums to watch the Blues once a year. We've only made it to 9 so far, but Nashville has been the least welcoming. We are quiet and respectful fans when traveling, but MANY of Nashville's fans were miserable, vulger, and hockey illiterate. The more friendly fanbases were Washington, Minnesota, and Toronto (believe it or not).
While I have not seen a game in Nashville, there is just a negative vibe in that city, which is just unfortunate. Attending games in many NHL markets, you meet knowledgeable fun fans, who love to talk shop and do not put your team down. They enjoy the challenge of winning against you, but in a friendly way. That is VERY unfortunate Nashville is negative.
I appreciate the discussion about the gate keeping of southern hockey fans. It’s hard to care about a team when they don’t make the playoffs for 10 years (but some of us did lol). But now in Raleigh you can’t go 5 mins without seeing a Canes sticker on a passing car and it’s great!
Hockey works in the south! Though I was raised and still reside here in Edmonton I have a soft spot for all of the southern teams for two reasons: 1) I love it when Ontarians and hockey purists get pissed about southern success and 2) I was born in Utah so I cheer for the Avs, Golden Knights and Yotes. Lots of southern teams popped up in the ‘70s and ‘80s but failed do the masterful marketing of the NFL and college football as well the poor NHL marketing and high playing costs; but that didn’t mean southern hockey wasn’t popular. After all, a true hockey fan should believe that hockey is powerful enough to work anywhere with proper implementation. A expansions and relocations in the south in the ‘90s proved hockey could work in the south, namely the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes. Arizona meanwhile eventually proved that hockey could work in the desert, but poor management until the last few years (which was too late) have put the fate of Arizonan hockey in danger. That does not mean a desert team can’t have a loyal fanbase, it’s just harder to create it: because Nevada, a place only known for aliens, gambling and desert, is a hockey state (it helped that the NHL beat the other major leagues there), with the number of dedicated hockey athletes more than tripling since Vegas joined the league. Whether they win a cup or not, Nevada is a desert hockey state, and with the amount of people and money in Arizona it can to. That’s why I am pulling so hard for their rebuild (which I think is so pretty good), because not only would tapping into Arizona’s resources be great for the league’s money as well as spreading the game we love (AM34 came to love hockey by watching the Coyotes after all), but if - no, when we make hockey work in Arizona, it will be the gateway to the world when we can finally tell the world that hockey isn’t just the most exciting sport, but the greatest! Sorry for the rant lol, being an American in Canada I got bullied a ton for not having the money to be on the hockey team and not being a true hockey fan because I was American.
@@isaacwest276 Arizona has never worked when they have never turned a profit in over 25 years and have to be supported by profitable teams and needed a city's taxpayers to pay for their arenas lease. There is no reasonable business person that would say a company constantly losing millions every year for a quarter of a century is successful. Other non-traditional markets, like LA or Dallas or Tampa still made money during their lean years and drew good crowds. That can't be said about the Coyotes. And blaming the management is just a cop out. If fans really cared, they'd show up to the games and stop complaining about the arena location.
THG might be the only person I've ever seen or heard, capable of an extremely rare feat: fair, impartial and objective hockey analysis. I can sometimes disagree with the conclusions but never the process, and as such this has become my go-to for quality hockey content!
Islanders fans are passionate and love our team win or lose! We love chirping back and forth with Ranger and Devils fans and it’s fun having such close rivalries.
I'm calling it right now - Buffalo makes or BARELY misses the playoffs. No RJ (not that he was holding them back) and THIS YEAR they "get over the hump".
The Hockey Guy is a channel where a true unbiased analysis occurs of the games played in the NHL. This is a channel where it has a comfortable feel about it suiting both the novice as well as the seasoned hockey fan with what happened in the games being reviewed. It's a pleasure to listen to Shanon because he doesn't act like a seal performing a routine to entertain like some unmentionable other channels. My interest lies with the game, not some seal balancing a ball to entertain the audience with everything that doesn't involve hockey. Thanks Shannon you have the perfect formula.
Sharks fan here - been one in a small way since my dad covered Marleau in the papers from draft day, and have gotten fully into it in the 2010s. Interesting debate and discussion on rebuild vs casual fan retention in SJ now that we are not great. I’m just excited for the new kids and for hockey in general coming back!
I'm a 32yo Seattle fan from the Philly area and the arrival of the Kraken brought back my love of hockey from when I was a kid! I do still care about the Flyers, but they're not my favorite anymore (main reason being I hate the color orange 😅). I know a lot of things about the game, but I don't know everything quite yet. Thanks for having such a great channel! LET'S GO KRAKEN!!!!! 💙🦑
Your spot on with Avs fans now I’ve been so dedicated to my Avs for years and this is my 15th season as an Avs fan watch Hockey vids during the off-season regardless of if we won it all or not
same, I live 2 hours from Denver and I became an avalanche fan when they moved to Denver and have watched nearly every game since then, including the rough years (I am a submarine veteran so I missed some due to being underwater)
@@ErinGnarkill thank you for your service, That’s so cool you got to go in submarines, I hope you didn’t watch the Avs in 2016-17. Idk how I even watched Every game maybe because I love this sport. But I never thought in summer of 2017 that we would be sitting here 5 years later with the Stanley Cup back in Colorado.
Sabres fan checking in. I'm part of the diaspora, live in the Stars market. I generally go to one game a year when the Sabres come to Dallas. But I've heard that ticket sales in Buffalo have been rebounding nicely. The perception among the fan base is the team is expected to be much more competitive, if not playoff bound, and is headed in the right direction. The Prospect Challenge is happening this weekend and the Sabres games (at HarborCenter, not KBC) are selling out. The fans are very enthusiastic about the prospect pool and we're watching them with anticipation. The Sabres will be improved this year, but will improve year on year for several years to come and we're pretty geeked up about it.
@@Paul_Halicki not sure if that's part of my half season tix, but if you want to go let me know, I'll happily hang with a Buffalo fan and watch our teams!
@@yassimchenard243 Leaf fans are not international. Only in Canada (and mostly Ontario). But Habs fans are indeed everywhere, and there's lots of Wings fans in Sweden, and the other teams that have actually won something in the past generation.
I’m a huge hockey fan. I happen to be ride or die for the Wild, but I love getting content for all the teams and you make it so easy. Gives me good ideas of what games to watch, who’s running hot or cold.
I'll see your Tuukka Rask, and raise you one Corey Crawford. Even when he was played a large part in their last 2 Cups, he had lots of detractors in the Hawks' fanbase, who refused to give him any credit. Now that he's gone, they think he's God's gift to goal-tending.
I live in Western Pennsylvania. Casually watched the Pens with friends for 5-8 years as they consistently asked me to become a real hockey fan. Officially became a hockey fan and chose the Golden Knights in 2017. Have watched 70%+ of games last 2 years. Been to 1 game in Vegas and 3 in Pittsburgh. I now am more of a NHL fan than NFL. I appreciate your channel a lot!
As a Blue Jackets fan, I feel really good about the development of the fan base. I've seen great growth even as the team has regressed some. However, there are still a ton of people just waiting for the success. There are also a lot of fans of other teams from before we had our own home team. A lot of old Red Wings fans seem nice and knowledgeable, but most of the Penguins fans are either young band wagon fans or jerks that want to feel superior to Columbus fans.
Saint Louisian here. It’s been amazing to watch the explosion of hockey since I was a kid in the late 80s/early 90s. We maybe had a few rinks, but once Brett Hull arrived it’s just exploded. And since the cup season there is a rink in every neighborhood it seems. I can only remember a real lull in the support for the Blues and that was in 2005-2009. Those were some dark years for the note
As a Columbus fan, I am honestly sick of the "Pittsburgh West" stigma that Columbus has had over the years. Yeah, we might have been plopped in the middle of Pens/Red Wings territory, but this fanbase is passionate and growing.
You guy's need more love,Fanbase like your's isn't very spoiled lately.But your prospect pool is impressive,it will be hard to compete in the Atlantic Division in the next 4-5 years.
Sens Fan from Staffordshire, England. The difference between vids every day from THG and a monthly 5 min phone call with my mate who lived in Montreal in the 90’s is VAST…! Eternal thanks to you Shannon!
Hey there Sens fan!! Andrew, you picked a truly great team to cheer on, Just curious as to what made you choose them. I live in Ontario, Canada and nearly everyone in my area are Leafs or Red Wings fans. The Ottawa people are some of the nicest fans I have been around. I love it up there, usually only get to one game a year but it is always the best time.
You may have more fans in Canada, but your most dedicated fan lives right here in Colorado. I watch every video you post and I’m better for it. Keep it up brother.
As a Sabres fan who lives way out in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, it's a lot more economical to get a ticket to a Buffalo at Montreal game, which I have done for November 22nd. I've done it twice before since 2009, and the Sabres won both times I attended those games! There won't be many Buffalo fans at the game, but we're easy to spot, and we love to chat with each other. With Granato's coaching making them play like a team and not just a collection of individuals (hello, Toronto!), the future is looking bright!
Yes, especially the Fayetteville Force/FireAntz/ newer team name. The league is fun to watch in the smaller markets. When I lived in the south, it was very entertaining.
As a Buffalo fan, I watch almost every single video you post. Not because its all Buffalo content, but because I love hockey. I joined the Air Force and got stationed near San Jose. I have half season tickets to them this year just for fun. There is definitely a passionate fanbase in Buffalo. I am guilty of checking out on them for a bit but I always find myself getting into the off season discussion and hype for the next season. I don’t know why but it happens. I think its just my love for the game. I really hope Buffalo can be more competitive this year
As a Colorado fan who wants to see Buffalo do well, I also understand any Buffalo fan's need to protect themselves emotionally from the team they want to cheer for.
Just seeing this comment and I think it's hype because there is a lot of hope being thrown around in buffalo now! Idk if they'll be a playoff team but they are definitely fun to watch!
Buffalo is practically a Canadian market. I feel like, outside of the last couple years, the fans have always shown up and supported. When the team is good it gets electric.
@@borisvandruff7532 Damn Right!! Even if they are casual it is fun having that energy and enthusiasm around the rink : )) Been a die hard Sabres fan from the first game they ever played as a franchise!
I love the Rail Yard Dogs shoutout! I lived in Roanoke for 2 years and went to maybe 5 games and it’s a great time despite being a lower tier of hockey, and the fans were wild. I’m there just enjoying some tier 4 hockey, and there were two ladies behind the bench heckling a player. I was laughing so hard. I didn’t know anybody would really care enough. All those hockey players have day jobs lol.
Hockey is hopefully getting more permanent in NC. from 4,500 to 14,000 Season ticket holders in a few years shows commitment, with RBA here, I don't see the fanbase dwindling anytime soon as well. That guy is adored by fans, HUGE ovation for him opening night, made him tear up. He is NC Hockey.
I’m a Red Wings fan & your videos have been very helpful. I remember when the Wings won the 1997 Stanley Cup Championship I was between 5 & 6 I watched the last game with my dad & boy I was hooked every since. Just watching them flow on the ice with those jerseys capture my attention.
I think my dad and I must be partially Canadian because we’ve been talking Blues hockey almost every other day since I was born in 1990. 😂 wishing everyone luck in the new season (but not too much luck 😅)!
I love the discussion about talking to Canucks fans. As I've said many times in the past, the Canucks have the most committed fanbase, as in, most of us fans need to be committed.
@@BrotherAlpha I started following the Canucks more last season as a Rangers fan when I thought we could possibly get JT Miller back; WHY DID WE TRADE HIM?! The Canucks fanbase is fun. I was a fan of the Van Halen Hey Hey Hey goal song but this passed year going with The Breakfast Club? Ehhh. THG did not approve either! I still enjoy reading Wyatt Arndt as he described Tyler Myers as the Chaos Giraffe. Definitely appropriate! GL and glad JTM is locked up! If he went to the Islanders, I would have had to take matters into my own hands!
Dollar Bill Wirtz, late owner of the Blackhawks, thought televising home games was insulting to the season ticket holders, and it was akin to giving away his product, and had a blackout on all home games. When his son Rocky took over after his death, home games were finally televised. Prior to that, we used to go to bars in the Chicago area that had satellite dishes that would pick up the visiting teams feed, and the bartender would turn the sound down and put the radio on to listen to Hawks radio broadcast. There is still some animosity among many Hawk fans for Dollar Bill, for what he did to us fans.
Thank you for bringing up that here in Chicago there were legitimate reasons we weren’t behind the team as much. Not many people know we had to pay $15 per game on PPV to watch them. The Wolves we’re on regular tv and many people, myself included, watched them more because of it. I believe they were also getting more fans in attendance than the Hawks at the time too. It was only in like 2009 that we finally were able to watch the Hawks on TV when Bill died. Side note, drove up to Milwaukee with my family to see the Hawks get their asses kicked by the Wild but it was a great experience and my preference for the next NHL location.
I used to always have to listen to hawks home games on the radio in my basement. It was very lonely. It seems beyond ridiculous thinking back on it now.
Love the show. I am a Devils fan from New Jersey. Being surrounded by Rangers, Islanders, and Flyers fans, I know something about obnoxious fans. But boy, Bruins fans are something special.
Islander fans I don't have much problems with, Flyers fans can be asses but they own up to it. Rangers fans however will act like assholes but think like they are the "good guys". on a Different note I find that Buffalo fans can be very grumpy and sometimes mad but I guess I can understand where they are coming from.
Shannon, you should run a pole to see how the fan bases are represented on your channel. Would be very interested to see a breakdown of all 32 teams and the level of support they have from channel viewers.
My sports consciousness dates back to 1967 in the Detroit Metro area. I loved and still love any team with Detroit or Michigan in its name. I recall my first trip to Olympia as an 8 year old so I saw a few greats that were still around from glory years and then came the Dead Wings era followed by the 25 year playoff run. The current era, recovering from stretching that playoff era to the extremely optimistic times now, has made being a fan of the Red Wings a great thing. One bonus being in the Detroit area is that we got 3 channels from Canada and had Hockey Night in Canada and it came in clear enough (in black and white) to actually see the puck. The Wings were on UHF so it was very "snowy" at 30 mile road so I could see the flow of the game but not the puck. Thanks to the Detroit Lions I can kinda feel for the Sabres and Leafs fans.
Tom, your post resonated with me. I recall channel 50 showing snowy Red Wings games, in the Pointes also. HNIC coach's corner was a must see. Do we dare hope for the lions?
I'm new to the Carolina area and a Pens fan. I thought PPG was close to unmatched with fans and ambiance. I have to say the Canes games are probably some of the best games I've been to in my life and I got to watch McDavid light up the OHL while in high school. The fans at PNC are incredible.
Indeed, living in the Raleigh area for 20 years, the whalers/'Canes followed me down to NC. I used to go to games in Hartford, living just over the state line in Mass. The Entertainment and Sports arena/RBC Center/PNC Arena is a really good arena to watch a hockey game. Even when the team went 9 seasons without making the playoffs, they still drew decent, and after they got back to the top, getting a ticket is EXTREMELY difficult.
As a fan of the Dallas Stars for as long as I can remember I appreciate all you do over the summer and talking points that I can keep in mind. Its not easy especially being in South Texas where noone really knows hockey. I do teach others and try to spread the love of the game and a few people I know are looking forward to watching this season. Fan bases all have toxic people but there are good ones as well. Again thank you and glad I subscribed to you when I did. Oh and also from one stars fan to another... Go Stars!!
As a Flyers fan since around 1992, I'd love to see THG take a closer look at the state of the team's rebuild/retool under Torts this season. I know we're off to a good start after just 2 games, but it would be interesting to see your take.
I really appreciate the positivity towards AZ from this channel... too often it's "they have no fans" and "lol move the team to Houston/Quebec" and us fans that say anything contrary to that just get dismissed and bullied. On r/hockey I noticed it's mostly Toronto and Pittsburgh flairs that especially have ire against us for some reason. A couple of notes as a Coyotes fan and AZ resident: Many of us, myself included, are from families that moved out here in the 70s/80s, so we end up with multiple hockey teams to root for (I for one have the Blues as my second team 'cause my family is from... you guessed it, St. Louis). So generally we appear as fairweather fans based on our attendance, especially since we don't feel like watching our team get dunked on while half the stadium is roaring for the visiting team (since not all people that move out here take on the Yotes as their primary or even second team), especially when we can stay home and watch our second team do something actually good on TV. Also, our stadium being in Tempe really will be a major boost to our attendance issues. Glendale is, for a lack of a better term, a trash city and away from most of the hockey fans in the greater Phoenix area. People have tried saying "well [insert Canadian team] fans will drive 2-3 hours every game to see their team play!", but that argument just doesn't really have merit. You can be a fan of a sport, a huge fan, and not revolve your life around it. There's no questioning that hockey is a massive deal to people in Canada, moreso than anywhere in the States, but even fans of fairly large hockey markets like St. Louis, Philly, and even the Rangers won't drive 2-3 hours to watch those teams when they are bad, even when they are good many times. The fact of the matter is, now the Coyotes are less than an hour away from a majority of their fanbase. This is massive for the organization, and with Bill Armstrong making smart moves and playing the long game, I truly believe this organization is finally turning a new leaf to a brighter future for hockey in the desert. Ask any Coyotes fan, and we will all say that the team being "kicked out" of the Glendale arena is the best thing to happen to the team since we initially moved to AZ. Anyway, that turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated but yeah I just really appreciate the positive attitude towards us. Many of us don't speak up online because we know we're just gonna get the same recycled arguments and a million downvotes (or whatever the equivalent is on said platform), but there are quite a few of us and things are only looking brighter.
2 years ago i went to my first kings game from living in denver to going to a few avalanche games i grew to like the kings and have been learning every since have been to 20+ games since. i hate the fans that are stuck up and try to act better than everyone else the point is to grow the game. so with that being said gokingsgo!
Sabres fan here. I watch every Sabres game on tv (that will never change). But, I refused to see a game for the past 5 years because they suck and management showed no signs of even caring that they sucked. All we ask for is for management and players to care. Care about trying, care about the team, care about the fans, and care about our city and the history our franchise has here. Our city loves the Sabres and always will. We have one of the most passionate fan bases in the league, heck, we have the most passionate sports fans out there (go Bills). It wasn't until mid-season last year that most Sabres fans started noticing a shift, and March and April last season were the best 2 months of hockey I have seen with this team in a decade. I will be going to games this year and I am confident that a lot more fans will be showing up this year. I think all true Sabres fans can see that there is something very good developing with this team and the playoffs are coming real soon. Let's Go Buffalo!
They're really fun to watch now. As a Leafs fan I want them to be good as the rivalry back in the day was very fun! Also, Thompson is a mutant and no one should miss a chance to watch him play.
My personal experiences on Discord and other places around the internet reflect a lot of what you said in this video. During the offseason the Canadian and asterisked fans are the ones I'm seeing the most. As a Sharks fan there is very little activity around my team and fanbase during the off season.
Something I remember when interacting with fans in other cities is that every ship has its rats. Some ships might appear to be overrun with rats, but I've yet to see one that's all rats or even a majority. It's just that rats on some ships are extra aggressive & extra loud.
I've found that the more traditional teams, like the original 6 and the Canadian teams, have both the smartest and stupidest fans. They have smart fans because those are genuine fans that have been following the sport for a long time, and have actually learned something, and they have the stupidest fans because those fans think that just by being a fan of a traditional team, that automatically makes them smarter, so they don't even realize how stupid they are. I've noticed this with, say, Rangers fans (locally where I live) who think because their team has been around almost 100 years, that makes them smarter than fans of newer teams. Or with Canadian fans, they think just being Canadian makes them smarter about hockey than fans from other countries (this especially goes for Leafs fans, who think they're too smart even for other Canadian fans). So the fans of these teams, when they're smart, they really know the game, but when they're dumb, they are the dumbest.
Even though Shannon demoted Dallas Stars while on air in this video, I just wanted to say that I'm here as a fan of both - this channel and the Dallas Stars. 😁 😀
Thank you for putting that asterisk under Tampa. It’s been a Hockey town for years now and people seem surprised there is so many fans in Florida. Go Bolts!
Every bolts fan I've known has been seriously into their team, knowledgeable about hockey, and appreciate the game. Shining example of how southern hockey can work.
Honestly being a lifelong Islander fan is rough, but we are extremely devoted at all times even when they are awful. We still love this team and it’s honestly a lot to do with the area and the sports market as a whole. Considering most isles fans also root for the jets and Mets, they are extremely devoted to their area of New York sports. For me being a Yankees fan throws it off but still I love my isles and jets, definitely lot of older fans from the cup era but still a lot of younger fans who got their fandom passed down to them. Even my girlfriend who knew nothing about hockey until we started dating is completely devoted to the isles. We love our team
Funny you mention this. I'm a Canadiens fan who lives on Long Island,but grew up here,and all my friends that are Islander fans root for the Yankees in baseball,while my friends that are Ranger fans almost all root for the Mets
You now have a stable ownership, a beautiful new arena and you have Lou running the team. You have a competitive team, the Islanders should be good for long time. A depressed Leafs fan.
I've been following this channel since 2018, right after Colorado's disastrous season, and even back then there was a ton of Avalanche fans showing support on here. So it's not just a bunch of people who have jumped on because of the team's success, Avs fans have always had the team's back.
I probably watch 3 of your videos per year, but I always come away from the appreciating your deep thought. There aren’t a lot of people doing what you do for any league, let alone hockey.
On the whole, I find the Habs fans to be the most self-absorbed...in Canada. Hence why so many loved the comment from Kucherov in the post cup win interview. Was so right on.
Meanwhile a lot of us non-Habs fans found Kucherov to be classless and highly unsportsmanlike. And making things worse, those "self-absorbed" Habs fans are paying part of his salary. He should leave the opposing fans out of it amd focus on increasing his money-losing team's fanbase.
@@humankirk9196 Whether he had class or not....has little to do with whether or not he was expressing the general sentiment of non-Montreal hockey fans... What he said resonated with many people I have spoken to.
I gave up on the NFL in the 90s due to quarterbacks getting slaughtered, baseball is just dull, I tried to get into EPL then MSL but I can only stand so many 1-0 games, the NBA when they put a message on the court. I have always been a hockey fan and at this time it is my only sport.
@@10999MW I take your point if it's about competition/business coming to replace original aspects like sportsmanship and entertainment. But even in that "good old days" sort of way, sport has been political for way beyond our life times.
Glad to be one of your few Preds fans that watch the channel! I wish hockey was more popular down here, I hear a bunch of stories from friends about Canada and the northeast US. Edit: Nice Rail Yard Dawgs jersey, I'm an Ice Bears fan myself.
I get what your point is about Buffalo but we are still hockey mad and you could put us up there with the Canadian teams cause I, for one, listen to your channel and about hockey 365/6 days a year
The other issue with AZ fans is there are SO many other fans of other teams in the Phoenix area. It’s a bit hard when over 1/3 of the seats are occupied with fans of the away team. I’m hoping the rebuild helps in converting those to Coyotes fans and seeing the city start really backing them.
It's funny that you bring this up, Iwas just listening to a podcast like a couple weeks ago stating that Arizona often has a lot of seats fill by fans of the Kings, Ducks and Avs, and more recently started seeing a surge in Stars, Knights and Sharks fans. I am a long time Avs fan from Canada and I have entertained the idea of going to watch the Avs play in Arizona. I mean I have never been, but I always thought about the option.
I came to this video because Im a Colorado Avalanche fan! Wanted to hear what Shannon had to say! To hear that was absolutely perfect! Couldn't agree more! Let's go Avs!
Do you ever take questions? Like maybe get 10-15 questions you consider good ones and do a video on those? Example....do you think Kaprizov can score 60 goals? Are the Jackets a playoff team with Gaudreau?
@@AlexPittiStockMan Kaprizov just potted 47 in his sophomore campaign and is only 25, arguably yet to hit his prime, which is typically around 27. He most definitely could get 60, especially if scoring continues it's upwards trend. He's one of the best players in the game
Grew up and played hockey for 16 years in Detroit. Grew up during the greatest run as a fan. I have lived in California, Illinois, Alabama and now Missouri. I attend at least 1 Detroit game in Detroit every year. I also try to attend at least 1 game ( outside of Alabama ) that was playing the team closest to me. I live, breath and bleed hockey. Close enough to being Canadian without being Canadian! Whitewater raft quite a bit on the Ottawa, Ontario River so there is that and love the hockey hall of fame in Toronto but yea. I love your videos and catch as much as I can. Keep bringing them and I will keep watching. You bring true prospective to the entire league and your commentary and dedication are phenomenal sir! Very much appreciated for your time taken to speak about all things hockey.
Hello. I discovered your channel last season. Have lived in the Twin Cities for 40 years so I'm a Wild fan and previously a North Stars fan (Norm Green Sucks!). I was born and raised playing hockey in Portland, Oregon so obviously I also hate all things Seattle (Sno-King Sucks!). I really enjoy your channel and wish I lived close enough to join you for street hockey!
Wife and I are originally from extreme SE Minnesota, and you are a NERD and weird if you’re into hockey down there; it’s all football. Avs fan now, but I’ll always hate Norm Green because the Wild just aren’t the North Stars.
You are spot on about Coyote fans! I live in the Midwest US and was kicking around the idea of going to see them play in the new arena. Then someone told me what the tickets were running and I’m having second thoughts about making the trip. Might have to watch when they visit Minnesota.
My family is largely dominated by Toronto and Montreal fans, growing up I cheered for the Nordiques and stayed with the franchise after they moved. Burnaby Joe was my hockey hero growing up, and to watch the team I cheer for win the cup 3 times in my life is a privilege. I am also more than happy to introduce new people to this game.
My opinion is that inconsistent, unpredictable, and brutal Officiating is the biggest source of confusion, negativity and lack of credibility for the league and holding back growth in drawing in and keeping new fans engaged. 👋 from Calgary.
Seems to be a trend in all sports. Think it's for a whole bunch of reasons, and don't think, especially in some fans eyes, it's ever going to get better.
100% this. The DoPS can also be rolled into this as well. Penalties should be a lot more consistent, players will adjust and if something becomes too restrictive to be called strictly then the rule can be reviewed and it can be adjusted. I hate watching and seeing something get called when it was let go earlier. I feel like I make comments of "wow we got away with that one." or "Come on the other team did that to us like 5 minutes ago!" almost every game.
Detroit fan here, I love your point with not blaming the goaltender. I would spend so much energy when the wings were struggling back when Jimmy Howard was goalie trying to explain that it's a team sport. Not always on the goaltender's shoulders. Love the videos, also I am curious on your opinion of Lions fans haha.
@Vince Belanger oh absolutely and he had big ol Erikson always in front of him blocking his view. I'm pleased he retired with us and was a franchise player.
"Hockey fans are always in the mood to dissect what's wrong"
Truest statement I've ever heard 😅🙌
Following that up with gatekeeping is a good point too. For instance, in Toronto there is even the luxury of multiple kinds of gatekeeping! The "Dubasites" and the playoff-style-hockey-ites each lay claim to unique expertise of what the franchise was/is/should be.
That being said, it's much better to have ideological differences (like advanced stats or something) than to have people resorting to racial, sex, or other -isms to support their "expertise".
That needs to be on something that he can sell. Thats gold.
@@geoff3103 It shows the passion of the fanbase if anything
I don't think that's a hockey fan thing, but more of an internet thing.
Steve Dangle's reason for being is disecting whats wrong with the maple laughs 😀
I saw a game in Seattle and had to explain the game to the people next to me (he asked me questions about what was going on). I loved it and so did they. Made the night lots of fun
Kind of surprising to me that some of that love for the sport hasn't spilled across the border. I've never been to the west coast and of course know nothing about it, but I originally assumed that an expansion into Seattle was a bad move because I figured most of the market was already Vancouver fans.
Same thing when I was in Anehiem
@@Neotenico usually if they move from places like Vancouver, the last place they want to be is Vancouver-but-with-slightly-cheaper-housing (aka Seattle), they will go further south to Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas.
Thank you for being humble enough to teach. Many get annoyed when a “noob” is around who doesn’t know the game very well.
Clearly forgetting that they were once a noob too.
seattle will crush being hockey fans, they just need to catch up on rules and the comings and goings of the nhl.
I'm a life long seattle sports fan, thick and thin. especially happy about hockey cause I grew up playing it and half my family lives in delta bc.
As a Jackets fan, I always come to this channel for the even-handed takes and excellent analysis irregardless of the team. Thanks for doing what you do!
Same here
Let's Go Jackets!
I have to say that other than podcasts like 32 Thoughts, the CJ Show, and Agent Provocateur; THG has completely replaced everything else as my go-to for hockey and major reason is obnoxious posters pretty much everywhere else. THG videos are always excellent and the posters are almost invariably polite and good fans of hockey regardless of their favourite team(s) -- I enjoy reading their comments and thumbs-upping and sometimes replying.
yup, this man filled a hole i didn’t know existed. great coverage and a great community
I agree this man is very good. The comment section is very intelligent and polite.
I guess the content creator's vibe attract similarly minded people. So, who knew that a no-drama, just enjoying hockey dude attracts no-drama people who happens to enjoy hockey!
I liked the Steve Dangle podcast until Steve started trying to bring up every reason he could not to like St. Louis during the Kadri situation. Dude virtue signals so hard. THG is the best
THG puts The Hockey News and TSN to shame.
Im a Ducks fan living in Houston. Just moved here three years ago from southern Ca. Got into hockey in the 02-03 season when a friend in high school had an extra ticket to the pond and invited me out. I was hooked. It’s been a casual fandom for years, but discovering your channel and some streaming sites that help me watch games outside of local broadcasts, I’ve been getting way more into it lately.
Houston has a minor league team, yes? I've heard that the NHL considers Houston as an excellent market.
@@ProggaWoggga Houston, KC, Quebec, maybe San Antonio?? There's always places that Arizona and Florida can go to !!
@@ProggaWoggga no teams in Houston right now. I think Dallas has a minor league team over in Austin or San Antonio. I might have to make the trip up to Dallas this season when the ducks come to play. Wish I would have been there last season for the EBUG game.
@@ProggaWoggga Houston hasn't had a hockey team since 2013 and I'm still sad about it
California: so bad it's worth moving to an area with no hockey team lol.
Every long-time, knowledgeable, expert hockey fan was once a new fan just learning the game.
Being a Coyotes fan is like staring into the sun.
The pain eventually stops but damage is still being done.
My best friend here in Calgary described the Yotes fanbase as "6 Newfies who got drunk and somehow ended up in Arizona" and I just about fell out of my chair laughing
Sorry bro
-Blues fan
Haha
Damn must hurt even more now. I feel so bad for you guys.
So true 😭
As a CBJ fan, I might not know what's going on but I'm happy to be here and always thrilled when someone notices we exist.
I'm one of the Avs fans just here to hear you say "The Colorado Avalanche won the cup!"
haha, in all seriousness I have loved your channel for years and am excited we are right around the corner of another season! GO AVS!
Sharks fan since 1991 loving my Sharks win or lose and love watching Hockey Guy whether it's Sharks content or not, keep up the great work Shannon!
Lose*
^ Essentially this, except I’m a Ducks fan, and the only reason I haven’t been a Ducks fan since 1993 is because I was born in 1994 😊
Im sorry for what the Blues did to you guys in 2019. It was savage and... I loved it.
@@BiologistRyan maybe it makes up for what we did to you in 2000, you remember Owen Nolan gave 7, savage and..........I loved it.
@@DavidMartinez-xh4ye the NHL is really just game of thrones on ice.
Buffalo native. Tampa Bay Area resident. Lightning fan. One of the weird dynamics of NHL hockey fandom in the Sunbelt is the huge numbers of people who were born “up north” but have located to the Sunbelt for employment opportunities and lower taxes. Some of these people adopt the teams of their new home. Some never give up their allegiance to the the teams of their Rust Belt youth. Some people cheer for both their new and old teams. Nomadic, relocated “Yankees” make up a large percentage of fans at Sun Belt NHL rinks, especially in the early years of expansion. Another observed phenomenon in Tampa, and I am sure in South Florida, Nashville, Vegas, Arizona and California too is “hockey tourism.” Fans from “up north” and in Canada fly down to see their hometown team play a team in the South or Out West. It’s an easy sell. Fly to Florida from chilly Toronto or frigid Buffalo or anywhere up north in February. See your team play a game (or two), play golf and go to the beach and get some sun. Or go to Nashville and after the game, walk out of the rink right onto Broadway and enjoy some fantastic live music. Vegas…enough said.
That’s exactly what happened in Dallas, it was like a yankee magnet lol that’s all it was at first, but 90s tough hard hitting style was great for attracting football fans like myself, now you can barely a touch a player w out a penalty
Tampa resident as well. Yeah, everything you said.
And I support Tampa. They are my team. But I spent 15 years ad a Predator fan. And I still love them.
Kraken fan here! Happy to be a new arrival and avid fan thanks to our underrated and very mighty team! 😁 Love your breakdowns as someone relatively new to the sport (two years).
Lifelong St. Louis fan. The wife and I have been traveling to away stadiums to watch the Blues once a year. We've only made it to 9 so far, but Nashville has been the least welcoming. We are quiet and respectful fans when traveling, but MANY of Nashville's fans were miserable, vulger, and hockey illiterate. The more friendly fanbases were Washington, Minnesota, and Toronto (believe it or not).
While I have not seen a game in Nashville, there is just a negative vibe in that city, which is just unfortunate. Attending games in many NHL markets, you meet knowledgeable fun fans, who love to talk shop and do not put your team down. They enjoy the challenge of winning against you, but in a friendly way. That is VERY unfortunate Nashville is negative.
What was the other arenas? Just for fun
Thanks for traveling to watch our team! I want to start doing that. Screw wackville! LGB!!
I appreciate the discussion about the gate keeping of southern hockey fans. It’s hard to care about a team when they don’t make the playoffs for 10 years (but some of us did lol). But now in Raleigh you can’t go 5 mins without seeing a Canes sticker on a passing car and it’s great!
Hockey works in the south! Though I was raised and still reside here in Edmonton I have a soft spot for all of the southern teams for two reasons: 1) I love it when Ontarians and hockey purists get pissed about southern success and 2) I was born in Utah so I cheer for the Avs, Golden Knights and Yotes. Lots of southern teams popped up in the ‘70s and ‘80s but failed do the masterful marketing of the NFL and college football as well the poor NHL marketing and high playing costs; but that didn’t mean southern hockey wasn’t popular. After all, a true hockey fan should believe that hockey is powerful enough to work anywhere with proper implementation. A expansions and relocations in the south in the ‘90s proved hockey could work in the south, namely the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes. Arizona meanwhile eventually proved that hockey could work in the desert, but poor management until the last few years (which was too late) have put the fate of Arizonan hockey in danger. That does not mean a desert team can’t have a loyal fanbase, it’s just harder to create it: because Nevada, a place only known for aliens, gambling and desert, is a hockey state (it helped that the NHL beat the other major leagues there), with the number of dedicated hockey athletes more than tripling since Vegas joined the league. Whether they win a cup or not, Nevada is a desert hockey state, and with the amount of people and money in Arizona it can to. That’s why I am pulling so hard for their rebuild (which I think is so pretty good), because not only would tapping into Arizona’s resources be great for the league’s money as well as spreading the game we love (AM34 came to love hockey by watching the Coyotes after all), but if - no, when we make hockey work in Arizona, it will be the gateway to the world when we can finally tell the world that hockey isn’t just the most exciting sport, but the greatest!
Sorry for the rant lol, being an American in Canada I got bullied a ton for not having the money to be on the hockey team and not being a true hockey fan because I was American.
@@isaacwest276 Arizona has never worked when they have never turned a profit in over 25 years and have to be supported by profitable teams and needed a city's taxpayers to pay for their arenas lease. There is no reasonable business person that would say a company constantly losing millions every year for a quarter of a century is successful.
Other non-traditional markets, like LA or Dallas or Tampa still made money during their lean years and drew good crowds. That can't be said about the Coyotes. And blaming the management is just a cop out. If fans really cared, they'd show up to the games and stop complaining about the arena location.
THG might be the only person I've ever seen or heard, capable of an extremely rare feat: fair, impartial and objective hockey analysis. I can sometimes disagree with the conclusions but never the process, and as such this has become my go-to for quality hockey content!
I gotta say i really appreciate the positive outlook you showed about the Yotes here. It was refreshing not having to hear we should move
Islanders fans are passionate and love our team win or lose! We love chirping back and forth with Ranger and Devils fans and it’s fun having such close rivalries.
Couldn't agree more
I'm not giving up on Buffalo, love the team!
Cheers 🍺
I’m cautiously optimistic about the Sabres, it’s hard but someday will be our day
I'm calling it right now - Buffalo makes or BARELY misses the playoffs. No RJ (not that he was holding them back) and THIS YEAR they "get over the hump".
I hope Buffalo does well this year, the fan base deserves it for their loyalty, good luck 👍
We finally have a GM with a plan. I'm optimistic for the first time in forever.
Ayooo Go Sabres!!
The Hockey Guy is a channel where a true unbiased analysis occurs of the games played in the NHL.
This is a channel where it has a comfortable feel about it suiting both the novice as well as the seasoned hockey fan with what happened in the games being reviewed.
It's a pleasure to listen to Shanon because he doesn't act like a seal performing a routine to entertain like some unmentionable other channels. My interest lies with the game, not some seal balancing a ball to entertain the audience with everything that doesn't involve hockey.
Thanks Shannon you have the perfect formula.
he has bias, everybody has bias.
Sharks fan here - been one in a small way since my dad covered Marleau in the papers from draft day, and have gotten fully into it in the 2010s. Interesting debate and discussion on rebuild vs casual fan retention in SJ now that we are not great. I’m just excited for the new kids and for hockey in general coming back!
I'm a 32yo Seattle fan from the Philly area and the arrival of the Kraken brought back my love of hockey from when I was a kid! I do still care about the Flyers, but they're not my favorite anymore (main reason being I hate the color orange 😅). I know a lot of things about the game, but I don't know everything quite yet. Thanks for having such a great channel! LET'S GO KRAKEN!!!!! 💙🦑
Caps fan here. I don't comment on that many videos but I watch almost all of them. Keep up the good work!
Your spot on with Avs fans now I’ve been so dedicated to my Avs for years and this is my 15th season as an Avs fan watch Hockey vids during the off-season regardless of if we won it all or not
same, I live 2 hours from Denver and I became an avalanche fan when they moved to Denver and have watched nearly every game since then, including the rough years (I am a submarine veteran so I missed some due to being underwater)
@@ErinGnarkill thank you for your service, That’s so cool you got to go in submarines, I hope you didn’t watch the Avs in 2016-17. Idk how I even watched Every game maybe because I love this sport. But I never thought in summer of 2017 that we would be sitting here 5 years later with the Stanley Cup back in Colorado.
Sabres fan checking in. I'm part of the diaspora, live in the Stars market. I generally go to one game a year when the Sabres come to Dallas. But I've heard that ticket sales in Buffalo have been rebounding nicely. The perception among the fan base is the team is expected to be much more competitive, if not playoff bound, and is headed in the right direction. The Prospect Challenge is happening this weekend and the Sabres games (at HarborCenter, not KBC) are selling out. The fans are very enthusiastic about the prospect pool and we're watching them with anticipation. The Sabres will be improved this year, but will improve year on year for several years to come and we're pretty geeked up about it.
I concur. Can't wait I think the team are done fooling around. Good things to come for sure 😎👍🏒 Also want the new so called Goathead jersey .
I'm a Tampa/Dallas fan here in DFW and get season or half season tix. It's fun to see hockey in the South succeed.
@@smurfquake You going to the Buffalo @ Dallas game in January? See you there maybe?
@@Paul_Halicki not sure if that's part of my half season tix, but if you want to go let me know, I'll happily hang with a Buffalo fan and watch our teams!
@@smurfquake I'll be sitting with the DFW Bills Backers. We go as a group every year.
you should do a poll im actually curious how many of each fan base there are
On behalf of all Red Wings fans, we are not interested in embarrassing the other fan basses. 🤣
Would be 5 of the orignal 6 at the top with the oilers for the top 6.
Toronto should be number 1 imo they are everywhere😢
@@It-s-me-P true it would definitely not be super accurate, but ide give an idea I think.
@@yassimchenard243 Leaf fans are not international. Only in Canada (and mostly Ontario). But Habs fans are indeed everywhere, and there's lots of Wings fans in Sweden, and the other teams that have actually won something in the past generation.
@@alcatraz8623 my team is extinct. There's lots of us fans for teams that wouldn’t be on the current list.
I’m a huge hockey fan. I happen to be ride or die for the Wild, but I love getting content for all the teams and you make it so easy. Gives me good ideas of what games to watch, who’s running hot or cold.
Your Luongo discussion reminds me of so many I’ve had about Rask as well. Goalies really are a heat magnet for some
Goalies are an scapegoat for people who can't make an argument
I'll see your Tuukka Rask, and raise you one Corey Crawford. Even when he was played a large part in their last 2 Cups, he had lots of detractors in the Hawks' fanbase, who refused to give him any credit. Now that he's gone, they think he's God's gift to goal-tending.
Even Ken Dryden in the Summit Series facing the Soviets had it.
Even Patrick Roy in 1995 with both ears plugged with Cup rings.
I live in Western Pennsylvania. Casually watched the Pens with friends for 5-8 years as they consistently asked me to become a real hockey fan. Officially became a hockey fan and chose the Golden Knights in 2017. Have watched 70%+ of games last 2 years. Been to 1 game in Vegas and 3 in Pittsburgh. I now am more of a NHL fan than NFL. I appreciate your channel a lot!
As a Blue Jackets fan, I feel really good about the development of the fan base. I've seen great growth even as the team has regressed some. However, there are still a ton of people just waiting for the success. There are also a lot of fans of other teams from before we had our own home team. A lot of old Red Wings fans seem nice and knowledgeable, but most of the Penguins fans are either young band wagon fans or jerks that want to feel superior to Columbus fans.
I'm in Cincinnati and we have a large Columbus Blue Jackets fan base here. Their like Ohio's Universal team.
Saint Louisian here. It’s been amazing to watch the explosion of hockey since I was a kid in the late 80s/early 90s. We maybe had a few rinks, but once Brett Hull arrived it’s just exploded. And since the cup season there is a rink in every neighborhood it seems.
I can only remember a real lull in the support for the Blues and that was in 2005-2009. Those were some dark years for the note
The Canes have put the hope and excitement back in the city of Raleigh couldn’t be more happy 😊
This is a very UNDERRATED fan base. Even THG doesn't realize how many transplants from Northern US and Canada are in NC.
Exactly!
Go CANES
I'm curious to know if they would Care as much even if Carolina was a losing team? To be successful I think has a lot to do with winning games.
@@CastleBrookKrew I mean I do been a fan all my life I was there all those years of no playoffs nice to see some winning for a change
As a Columbus fan, I am honestly sick of the "Pittsburgh West" stigma that Columbus has had over the years. Yeah, we might have been plopped in the middle of Pens/Red Wings territory, but this fanbase is passionate and growing.
Love my Sabres...Hope this is the year they break through...I just like the fact they don't quit. They play like they are having fun.
You guy's need more love,Fanbase like your's isn't very spoiled lately.But your prospect pool is impressive,it will be hard to compete in the Atlantic Division in the next 4-5 years.
@@geoff3103 don't forget the other Buffalo team that's been to the finals the last 2 years in a row, that plays in keybank center.
Sens Fan from Staffordshire, England. The difference between vids every day from THG and a monthly 5 min phone call with my mate who lived in Montreal in the 90’s is VAST…!
Eternal thanks to you Shannon!
Hey there Sens fan!! Andrew, you picked a truly great team to cheer on, Just curious as to what made you choose them. I live in Ontario, Canada and nearly everyone in my area are Leafs or Red Wings fans. The Ottawa people are some of the nicest fans I have been around. I love it up there, usually only get to one game a year but it is always the best time.
You may have more fans in Canada, but your most dedicated fan lives right here in Colorado. I watch every video you post and I’m better for it. Keep it up brother.
As a Sabres fan who lives way out in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, it's a lot more economical to get a ticket to a Buffalo at Montreal game, which I have done for November 22nd. I've done it twice before since 2009, and the Sabres won both times I attended those games! There won't be many Buffalo fans at the game, but we're easy to spot, and we love to chat with each other. With Granato's coaching making them play like a team and not just a collection of individuals (hello, Toronto!), the future is looking bright!
When BUF hired Granato, I made a prediction that he would begin to turn them around . I had no evidence just a hunch - good hockey family genes
Appreciate the SPHL shoutout! We love our teams down here, and the league is a ton of fun!
Yes, especially the Fayetteville Force/FireAntz/ newer team name. The league is fun to watch in the smaller markets. When I lived in the south, it was very entertaining.
As a Buffalo fan, I watch almost every single video you post. Not because its all Buffalo content, but because I love hockey. I joined the Air Force and got stationed near San Jose. I have half season tickets to them this year just for fun. There is definitely a passionate fanbase in Buffalo. I am guilty of checking out on them for a bit but I always find myself getting into the off season discussion and hype for the next season. I don’t know why but it happens. I think its just my love for the game. I really hope Buffalo can be more competitive this year
Can’t beat having most of Bills Mafia as your fan base!
As a Colorado fan who wants to see Buffalo do well, I also understand any Buffalo fan's need to protect themselves emotionally from the team they want to cheer for.
Just seeing this comment and I think it's hype because there is a lot of hope being thrown around in buffalo now! Idk if they'll be a playoff team but they are definitely fun to watch!
Buffalo is practically a Canadian market. I feel like, outside of the last couple years, the fans have always shown up and supported. When the team is good it gets electric.
@@borisvandruff7532 Damn Right!! Even if they are casual it is fun having that energy and enthusiasm around the rink : )) Been a die hard
Sabres fan from the first game they ever played as a franchise!
I love the Rail Yard Dogs shoutout! I lived in Roanoke for 2 years and went to maybe 5 games and it’s a great time despite being a lower tier of hockey, and the fans were wild.
I’m there just enjoying some tier 4 hockey, and there were two ladies behind the bench heckling a player. I was laughing so hard. I didn’t know anybody would really care enough. All those hockey players have day jobs lol.
Have an Express jersey. What happened to them?
The atmosphere at rail yard dawgs games is the most unique thing i’ve ever seen.
The atmosphere at rail yard dawgs games is the most unique thing i’ve ever seen.
As a Kings fan, I'm always watching hockey videos everyday. Can't get enough of hockey.
But are you american?
Yes
Same. Also American.
GKG
@@XXieroXX GO KINGS!!!
Hockey is hopefully getting more permanent in NC. from 4,500 to 14,000 Season ticket holders in a few years shows commitment, with RBA here, I don't see the fanbase dwindling anytime soon as well. That guy is adored by fans, HUGE ovation for him opening night, made him tear up. He is NC Hockey.
I’m a Red Wings fan & your videos have been very helpful. I remember when the Wings won the 1997 Stanley Cup Championship I was between 5 & 6 I watched the last game with my dad & boy I was hooked every since. Just watching them flow on the ice with those jerseys capture my attention.
I think my dad and I must be partially Canadian because we’ve been talking Blues hockey almost every other day since I was born in 1990. 😂 wishing everyone luck in the new season (but not too much luck 😅)!
I love the discussion about talking to Canucks fans. As I've said many times in the past, the Canucks have the most committed fanbase, as in, most of us fans need to be committed.
Toronto, line 1
@@rickyaz8640 You can make the same joke about several fan bases.
@@BrotherAlpha I started following the Canucks more last season as a Rangers fan when I thought we could possibly get JT Miller back; WHY DID WE TRADE HIM?! The Canucks fanbase is fun. I was a fan of the Van Halen Hey Hey Hey goal song but this passed year going with The Breakfast Club? Ehhh. THG did not approve either! I still enjoy reading Wyatt Arndt as he described Tyler Myers as the Chaos Giraffe. Definitely appropriate! GL and glad JTM is locked up! If he went to the Islanders, I would have had to take matters into my own hands!
“Canucks have the most committed fanbase” yeah sure… you could say that… *1994 and 2011 riots flashback*
@@dogwithheadphones hows that 2019 G7 final loss because of a star players line change doing for you bud
Dollar Bill Wirtz, late owner of the Blackhawks, thought televising home games was insulting to the season ticket holders, and it was akin to giving away his product, and had a blackout on all home games. When his son Rocky took over after his death, home games were finally televised. Prior to that, we used to go to bars in the Chicago area that had satellite dishes that would pick up the visiting teams feed, and the bartender would turn the sound down and put the radio on to listen to Hawks radio broadcast.
There is still some animosity among many Hawk fans for Dollar Bill, for what he did to us fans.
Ever talked with Leaf fans about Ballard?
@@humankirk9196 No, but I can imagine he’s just as bad as Wirtz. Those old dinosaurs threw nickles around like they were manhole covers.
@@humankirk9196 Ballard was wayyyyy worse
Thank you for bringing up that here in Chicago there were legitimate reasons we weren’t behind the team as much. Not many people know we had to pay $15 per game on PPV to watch them. The Wolves we’re on regular tv and many people, myself included, watched them more because of it. I believe they were also getting more fans in attendance than the Hawks at the time too. It was only in like 2009 that we finally were able to watch the Hawks on TV when Bill died.
Side note, drove up to Milwaukee with my family to see the Hawks get their asses kicked by the Wild but it was a great experience and my preference for the next NHL location.
I used to always have to listen to hawks home games on the radio in my basement. It was very lonely. It seems beyond ridiculous thinking back on it now.
Love the show. I am a Devils fan from New Jersey. Being surrounded by Rangers, Islanders, and Flyers fans, I know something about obnoxious fans. But boy, Bruins fans are something special.
Islander fans I don't have much problems with, Flyers fans can be asses but they own up to it. Rangers fans however will act like assholes but think like they are the "good guys".
on a Different note I find that Buffalo fans can be very grumpy and sometimes mad but I guess I can understand where they are coming from.
You are the obnoxious fan
Hyped for Johnny Hockey to be in the Union Blue! I have my Opening Night tickets are ready to go!
Columbus Blue Jackets couldn't win with Ulysses S. Grant on their team.
@@kitfisto1827 2:07
Have fun missing the playoffs and living in Ohio 😂😂😂😂
@@mr.watts69 Nice one dude come up with that one yourself?
@@nathansnyder1595 he’s a Calgary fan, they barely know what championships are
The hockey guy really just has the best hockey channel on youtube, always such solid content
Shannon, you should run a pole to see how the fan bases are represented on your channel. Would be very interested to see a breakdown of all 32 teams and the level of support they have from channel viewers.
My sports consciousness dates back to 1967 in the Detroit Metro area. I loved and still love any team with Detroit or Michigan in its name. I recall my first trip to Olympia as an 8 year old so I saw a few greats that were still around from glory years and then came the Dead Wings era followed by the 25 year playoff run. The current era, recovering from stretching that playoff era to the extremely optimistic times now, has made being a fan of the Red Wings a great thing. One bonus being in the Detroit area is that we got 3 channels from Canada and had Hockey Night in Canada and it came in clear enough (in black and white) to actually see the puck. The Wings were on UHF so it was very "snowy" at 30 mile road so I could see the flow of the game but not the puck.
Thanks to the Detroit Lions I can kinda feel for the Sabres and Leafs fans.
Tom, your post resonated with me. I recall channel 50 showing snowy Red Wings games, in the Pointes also. HNIC coach's corner was a must see.
Do we dare hope for the lions?
Please take care of Fabri, Perron, and Sundquist. They are fucking treasures.
@@BiologistRyan Don't forget Husso and Walman :)
@@vee361-e1c 🤦♂️. Them too. Walman in particular was very underrated.
Long Standing Avalanche fan who is -always- happy to hear the thoughts of our Hockey Guy! My #1 source of analysis for Hockey.
It’s good as an Arizona fan to hear my team talked about. Honestly I hope Tempe will be a long time home for us
I hope so too and I live 8 minutes from GRA. Unfortunately the team needed to get out of Glendale. Go Yotes!
I'm new to the Carolina area and a Pens fan. I thought PPG was close to unmatched with fans and ambiance. I have to say the Canes games are probably some of the best games I've been to in my life and I got to watch McDavid light up the OHL while in high school. The fans at PNC are incredible.
Indeed, living in the Raleigh area for 20 years, the whalers/'Canes followed me down to NC. I used to go to games in Hartford, living just over the state line in Mass. The Entertainment and Sports arena/RBC Center/PNC Arena is a really good arena to watch a hockey game. Even when the team went 9 seasons without making the playoffs, they still drew decent, and after they got back to the top, getting a ticket is EXTREMELY difficult.
As a Preds fan, the Canes have the best atmosphere hands down.
As a fan of the Dallas Stars for as long as I can remember I appreciate all you do over the summer and talking points that I can keep in mind. Its not easy especially being in South Texas where noone really knows hockey. I do teach others and try to spread the love of the game and a few people I know are looking forward to watching this season. Fan bases all have toxic people but there are good ones as well. Again thank you and glad I subscribed to you when I did. Oh and also from one stars fan to another... Go Stars!!
Oh my gosh, I found my clone on Shannon’s channel, a Stars fan from South Texas!! Where in South Texas?
@@matthewfranke9988 San antonio
@DarkRoseVids Corpus Christi
Let’s go Red Wings!
Love the videos hockey guy, they help me get through the offseason!
Blues fan here, enjoy Perron - he's special!
@@mattsayle I also really love sonny! He’s a great guy!
@@camero2596
We're loving Leddy on the blue line
Blues fan here. Man, I miss the Blues/Red Wings rivalry. Hated seeing them go to eastern conference. RIP Norris Division.
@@majesticluminouspaul7663 yeah you guys had a pretty good team back in the day too with hull pronger and McGinnis
That is a GORGEOUS Rail Yard Dawgs jersey.
Yoooo that's awesome to see you wearing our local teams hockey jersey halfway across the continent. Love from star city
As a Flyers fan since around 1992, I'd love to see THG take a closer look at the state of the team's rebuild/retool under Torts this season. I know we're off to a good start after just 2 games, but it would be interesting to see your take.
I really appreciate the positivity towards AZ from this channel... too often it's "they have no fans" and "lol move the team to Houston/Quebec" and us fans that say anything contrary to that just get dismissed and bullied. On r/hockey I noticed it's mostly Toronto and Pittsburgh flairs that especially have ire against us for some reason.
A couple of notes as a Coyotes fan and AZ resident: Many of us, myself included, are from families that moved out here in the 70s/80s, so we end up with multiple hockey teams to root for (I for one have the Blues as my second team 'cause my family is from... you guessed it, St. Louis). So generally we appear as fairweather fans based on our attendance, especially since we don't feel like watching our team get dunked on while half the stadium is roaring for the visiting team (since not all people that move out here take on the Yotes as their primary or even second team), especially when we can stay home and watch our second team do something actually good on TV.
Also, our stadium being in Tempe really will be a major boost to our attendance issues. Glendale is, for a lack of a better term, a trash city and away from most of the hockey fans in the greater Phoenix area. People have tried saying "well [insert Canadian team] fans will drive 2-3 hours every game to see their team play!", but that argument just doesn't really have merit. You can be a fan of a sport, a huge fan, and not revolve your life around it. There's no questioning that hockey is a massive deal to people in Canada, moreso than anywhere in the States, but even fans of fairly large hockey markets like St. Louis, Philly, and even the Rangers won't drive 2-3 hours to watch those teams when they are bad, even when they are good many times.
The fact of the matter is, now the Coyotes are less than an hour away from a majority of their fanbase. This is massive for the organization, and with Bill Armstrong making smart moves and playing the long game, I truly believe this organization is finally turning a new leaf to a brighter future for hockey in the desert. Ask any Coyotes fan, and we will all say that the team being "kicked out" of the Glendale arena is the best thing to happen to the team since we initially moved to AZ.
Anyway, that turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated but yeah I just really appreciate the positive attitude towards us. Many of us don't speak up online because we know we're just gonna get the same recycled arguments and a million downvotes (or whatever the equivalent is on said platform), but there are quite a few of us and things are only looking brighter.
Grew up right down the road from Roanoke! Glad to see you own a jersey!!!
2 years ago i went to my first kings game from living in denver to going to a few avalanche games i grew to like the kings and have been learning every since have been to 20+ games since. i hate the fans that are stuck up and try to act better than everyone else the point is to grow the game. so with that being said gokingsgo!
Sabres fan here. I watch every Sabres game on tv (that will never change). But, I refused to see a game for the past 5 years because they suck and management showed no signs of even caring that they sucked. All we ask for is for management and players to care. Care about trying, care about the team, care about the fans, and care about our city and the history our franchise has here. Our city loves the Sabres and always will. We have one of the most passionate fan bases in the league, heck, we have the most passionate sports fans out there (go Bills). It wasn't until mid-season last year that most Sabres fans started noticing a shift, and March and April last season were the best 2 months of hockey I have seen with this team in a decade. I will be going to games this year and I am confident that a lot more fans will be showing up this year. I think all true Sabres fans can see that there is something very good developing with this team and the playoffs are coming real soon. Let's Go Buffalo!
They're really fun to watch now. As a Leafs fan I want them to be good as the rivalry back in the day was very fun! Also, Thompson is a mutant and no one should miss a chance to watch him play.
Caniac here. I love the objective and thorough analysis on this channel. Your hockey knowledge is impressive.
Been a Ducks fan my whole life I’m cautiously optimistic about this upcoming season I hope hey can try and get in the playoffs again
My personal experiences on Discord and other places around the internet reflect a lot of what you said in this video. During the offseason the Canadian and asterisked fans are the ones I'm seeing the most. As a Sharks fan there is very little activity around my team and fanbase during the off season.
Something I remember when interacting with fans in other cities is that every ship has its rats. Some ships might appear to be overrun with rats, but I've yet to see one that's all rats or even a majority. It's just that rats on some ships are extra aggressive & extra loud.
I've found that the more traditional teams, like the original 6 and the Canadian teams, have both the smartest and stupidest fans. They have smart fans because those are genuine fans that have been following the sport for a long time, and have actually learned something, and they have the stupidest fans because those fans think that just by being a fan of a traditional team, that automatically makes them smarter, so they don't even realize how stupid they are. I've noticed this with, say, Rangers fans (locally where I live) who think because their team has been around almost 100 years, that makes them smarter than fans of newer teams. Or with Canadian fans, they think just being Canadian makes them smarter about hockey than fans from other countries (this especially goes for Leafs fans, who think they're too smart even for other Canadian fans). So the fans of these teams, when they're smart, they really know the game, but when they're dumb, they are the dumbest.
As a Cats fan, we throw our rats out onto the ice if we win. LOL. :-)
You've never been on board a ship docked in Philly apparently.
@@kitfisto1827 😬😂
@@kitfisto1827 or Boston
Even though Shannon demoted Dallas Stars while on air in this video, I just wanted to say that I'm here as a fan of both - this channel and the Dallas Stars. 😁 😀
Thank you for putting that asterisk under Tampa. It’s been a Hockey town for years now and people seem surprised there is so many fans in Florida. Go Bolts!
Bolts have the longest sellout streak currently in the NHL.
Every bolts fan I've known has been seriously into their team, knowledgeable about hockey, and appreciate the game. Shining example of how southern hockey can work.
Colorado fan here. Can confirm I watch every day to hear you say we won the cup.
Honestly being a lifelong Islander fan is rough, but we are extremely devoted at all times even when they are awful. We still love this team and it’s honestly a lot to do with the area and the sports market as a whole. Considering most isles fans also root for the jets and Mets, they are extremely devoted to their area of New York sports. For me being a Yankees fan throws it off but still I love my isles and jets, definitely lot of older fans from the cup era but still a lot of younger fans who got their fandom passed down to them. Even my girlfriend who knew nothing about hockey until we started dating is completely devoted to the isles. We love our team
Funny you mention this. I'm a Canadiens fan who lives on Long Island,but grew up here,and all my friends that are Islander fans root for the Yankees in baseball,while my friends that are Ranger fans almost all root for the Mets
You now have a stable ownership, a beautiful new arena and you have Lou running the team. You have a competitive team, the Islanders should be good for long time. A depressed Leafs fan.
As a Colorado fan that is an accurate description. I watch a video and hear Avs are champs and I go about my day.
I've been following this channel since 2018, right after Colorado's disastrous season, and even back then there was a ton of Avalanche fans showing support on here. So it's not just a bunch of people who have jumped on because of the team's success, Avs fans have always had the team's back.
I probably watch 3 of your videos per year, but I always come away from the appreciating your deep thought. There aren’t a lot of people doing what you do for any league, let alone hockey.
On the whole, I find the Habs fans to be the most self-absorbed...in Canada. Hence why so many loved the comment from Kucherov in the post cup win interview. Was so right on.
Meanwhile a lot of us non-Habs fans found Kucherov to be classless and highly unsportsmanlike. And making things worse, those "self-absorbed" Habs fans are paying part of his salary. He should leave the opposing fans out of it amd focus on increasing his money-losing team's fanbase.
@@humankirk9196 Whether he had class or not....has little to do with whether or not he was expressing the general sentiment of non-Montreal hockey fans... What he said resonated with many people I have spoken to.
Im an oilers fan and enjoy watching THG. Keep up the good work
I got into hockey at the start of COVID, the other sports got too political and too many negative headlines. I'm happy I found hockey :)
I found myself in the very same boat... Only watch Hockey now and couldnt be happier!
Crazy how politics took over something as simple as sports.
I gave up on the NFL in the 90s due to quarterbacks getting slaughtered, baseball is just dull, I tried to get into EPL then MSL but I can only stand so many 1-0 games, the NBA when they put a message on the court. I have always been a hockey fan and at this time it is my only sport.
@@10999MW I take your point if it's about competition/business coming to replace original aspects like sportsmanship and entertainment. But even in that "good old days" sort of way, sport has been political for way beyond our life times.
Didn't know basic human decency and compassion was a political issue.
Went to a canes playoff game on a whim (game 5 win against NJ) and have been trying to get into hockey ever since. This channel is awesome.Keep it up
Keep up the amazing work !!! Excited to see the new Habs team this season.
And see the Leafs bow out in the first round.... again... lol
Glad to be one of your few Preds fans that watch the channel! I wish hockey was more popular down here, I hear a bunch of stories from friends about Canada and the northeast US.
Edit: Nice Rail Yard Dawgs jersey, I'm an Ice Bears fan myself.
I get what your point is about Buffalo but we are still hockey mad and you could put us up there with the Canadian teams cause I, for one, listen to your channel and about hockey 365/6 days a year
@@danevertt3210 it's a Canadian team in the USA basically
I’ve just started getting into hockey these last few years and I gotta say, I appreciate your content👍🏿 Keep up the good work
WOOOOOOO
GO SENS GO
Love the videos!
I am a Vegas fan and I am still here for every upload!
The other issue with AZ fans is there are SO many other fans of other teams in the Phoenix area. It’s a bit hard when over 1/3 of the seats are occupied with fans of the away team. I’m hoping the rebuild helps in converting those to Coyotes fans and seeing the city start really backing them.
It's funny that you bring this up, Iwas just listening to a podcast like a couple weeks ago stating that Arizona often has a lot of seats fill by fans of the Kings, Ducks and Avs, and more recently started seeing a surge in Stars, Knights and Sharks fans. I am a long time Avs fan from Canada and I have entertained the idea of going to watch the Avs play in Arizona. I mean I have never been, but I always thought about the option.
I came to this video because Im a Colorado Avalanche fan! Wanted to hear what Shannon had to say! To hear that was absolutely perfect! Couldn't agree more! Let's go Avs!
As a Lightning fan I love your videos!
Me and my family live in Roanoke, VA. Awesome rail yard dogs jersey! Cool to see you repping it
Do you ever take questions? Like maybe get 10-15 questions you consider good ones and do a video on those? Example....do you think Kaprizov can score 60 goals? Are the Jackets a playoff team with Gaudreau?
no he can't lol
@@AlexPittiStockMan Kaprizov just potted 47 in his sophomore campaign and is only 25, arguably yet to hit his prime, which is typically around 27. He most definitely could get 60, especially if scoring continues it's upwards trend. He's one of the best players in the game
Yea and..maybe?
Kaps a legend wouldn't bet against it
Kaprisov is the best left winger
In just his second year he may do it!
Grew up and played hockey for 16 years in Detroit. Grew up during the greatest run as a fan. I have lived in California, Illinois, Alabama and now Missouri. I attend at least 1 Detroit game in Detroit every year. I also try to attend at least 1 game ( outside of Alabama ) that was playing the team closest to me. I live, breath and bleed hockey. Close enough to being Canadian without being Canadian! Whitewater raft quite a bit on the Ottawa, Ontario River so there is that and love the hockey hall of fame in Toronto but yea. I love your videos and catch as much as I can. Keep bringing them and I will keep watching. You bring true prospective to the entire league and your commentary and dedication are phenomenal sir! Very much appreciated for your time taken to speak about all things hockey.
Hello. I discovered your channel last season. Have lived in the Twin Cities for 40 years so I'm a Wild fan and previously a North Stars fan (Norm Green Sucks!).
I was born and raised playing hockey in Portland, Oregon so obviously I also hate all things Seattle (Sno-King Sucks!).
I really enjoy your channel and wish I lived close enough to join you for street hockey!
Wife and I are originally from extreme SE Minnesota, and you are a NERD and weird if you’re into hockey down there; it’s all football. Avs fan now, but I’ll always hate Norm Green because the Wild just aren’t the North Stars.
You are spot on about Coyote fans! I live in the Midwest US and was kicking around the idea of going to see them play in the new arena. Then someone told me what the tickets were running and I’m having second thoughts about making the trip. Might have to watch when they visit Minnesota.
I'm not far from Roanoke and seeing them is always a blast. Especially when they play Fayetteville.
That Dawgs logo is so good.
Next Friday!
My family is largely dominated by Toronto and Montreal fans, growing up I cheered for the Nordiques and stayed with the franchise after they moved. Burnaby Joe was my hockey hero growing up, and to watch the team I cheer for win the cup 3 times in my life is a privilege. I am also more than happy to introduce new people to this game.
My opinion is that inconsistent, unpredictable, and brutal Officiating is the biggest source of confusion, negativity and lack of credibility for the league and holding back growth in drawing in and keeping new fans engaged. 👋 from Calgary.
Seems to be a trend in all sports. Think it's for a whole bunch of reasons, and don't think, especially in some fans eyes, it's ever going to get better.
100% this. The DoPS can also be rolled into this as well. Penalties should be a lot more consistent, players will adjust and if something becomes too restrictive to be called strictly then the rule can be reviewed and it can be adjusted. I hate watching and seeing something get called when it was let go earlier. I feel like I make comments of "wow we got away with that one." or "Come on the other team did that to us like 5 minutes ago!" almost every game.
Every league has officiating problems unfortunately. I’d say the NFL makes a much bigger deal about it
Disagree because every single other sport has similar issues.
Detroit fan here, I love your point with not blaming the goaltender. I would spend so much energy when the wings were struggling back when Jimmy Howard was goalie trying to explain that it's a team sport. Not always on the goaltender's shoulders.
Love the videos, also I am curious on your opinion of Lions fans haha.
Jimmy Howard got screwed hard by some fans. The team fell apart over the course of his career and the more net time he got, the less stars we had.
@Vince Belanger oh absolutely and he had big ol Erikson always in front of him blocking his view. I'm pleased he retired with us and was a franchise player.
"Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley cup"
*hits like*
"Oh now I can go about my day!"
Islanders fan here love you channel Shannon!
If my Sabre's continue what they did the last 3rd of the season. They will indeed be just fine. Plus the Pipeline of young uns looks pretty sweet!!!
We're looking pretty decent so far
You have six Flyers fans from New Jersey who watch you year-round between my brother, four of our mutual friends, and myself. We love ya bud!