5 Biggest and Most Devoted Hockey Fan Bases in North America
This guest post comes from www.honesthockey.com
You probably already know that hockey fanatics are pretty die-hard. When the game’s really going, so are the fans, and there’s nothing that’s going to step in between them (except for an opposing team).
But what are the most devoted hockey fan bases in North America? Sure, most of them will get rowdy when their team loses (or wins) but which hockey teams have the most religiously devoted fan bases? That’s what we’re going to outline in this article.
The Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago senatorswon the big victory three times- in 2009-1, 2012-13, and the 2014-15 seasons. That’s three times that they claimed the Stanley Cup in just 5 years, which is absolutely unbelievable.
One of the results of claiming the Stanley Cup so often is a huge fan base. The Blackhawks have been able to fill out arenas anywhere they play, they’ve been selling insane amounts of jerseys, and the internet has been abuzz with fans talking about the team.
Just last year, 4 of their players made the NHL All-Star Game. This is only going to make them more popular!
Chicago Blackhawks has its own fan store for the most dedicated fans, where they sell hats, signed wheeled hockey bags, autographed hockey helmets and other apparel.
The Pittsburgh Penguins
This team has been around since 1967, when it constituted a part of the NHL’s original expansion. The NHL was originally only 6 teams, but it expanded to 12 in this year, with the Penguins emerging as a result of this evolution.
They recently won the Stanley Cup in the 2015-16 season, which sent them soaring to the top of the rankings for fan dedication. The Penguins are able to fill arenas with nearly as much ease as the Blackhawks.
The Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruinsare the oldest U.S. Hockey team, which is impressive on its own, and they’re also the 3rd oldest in the entire NHL. They’re the third most popular team with their fans being almost as loyal as those who prefer the Penguins on the Blackhawks.
Over the years, they’ve won the Cup 6 times. Their most recent win was in the 2010-11 season. After that, they were able to take part in the conference championship for the 2012-13 season, but they weren’t lucky enough to win the Cup that time.
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit’s Red Wings, which are my favourite team (only because my first introduction to hockey was from a school teacher who preferred the Red Wings) are also the 4th most popular hockey team in North America.
There are more people following the Red Wings on Twitter and Facebook than there are the Penguins, but they don’t have the same Facebook following as any of the previously mentioned teams. They have an average win percentage of 0.61 and their average arena occupancy is 1.014, which is more than the Bruins.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Being as they’re from the biggest and most populous city in Canada, it makes sense that the Maple Leafs(despite the difficult use of the word Leafs) are the most popular team in Canada and, thus, one of the most popular in North America.
With an average win percentage of 0.49 and an average arena occupancy of 1.027, the Leafs blow away the amount of people who show up at their games in Canada. However, they’re not as frequently victorious as the Senators or the Flames.
In conclusion
The NHL has a lot of teams playing with it now, and all of these teams have their own fan bases. On one end, you have new emerging teams that don’t have a lot of fans yet. On the other hand, you have teams like the Blackhawks and the Bruins who have people bending over backwards to get a spot at one of their games.The sports industry will continue to grow in terms of fan bases.
