My hockey fanhood is for sale...

[fiasco!]

Don't be a chump, root for your home team.

[TFoA]

Don't be a chump, root for your home team.

Most convincing argument yet.

But seriously, I decided between four teams: Thrashers, Devils, Wild, and Blackhawks.

I decided that I didn't want to just get on a team that already has a long, storied tradtion (well, considering the Blackhawks only have 1 Cup since 1961. ), so that threw the Devils & 'Hawks out.

Then the last elimination was simple: make like a disney movie cliche' and follow your heart. So I picked Blueland. I'll be getting a home sweater soon.

Thanks for all the replies and such, it really helps to also learn about the nuances of a team's fanbase from the fans themselves. Thanks thanks thanks alot!

[Drew22]

Then the last elimination was simple: make like a disney movie cliche' and follow your heart. So I picked Blueland. I'll be getting a home sweater soon.

WooHoo!

I'm asking for a Kolvachuk jersey for my birthday I think. Maybe a non-EDGE one.

[-kj]

Well, since it's too late to get a good-looking Thrash jersey (unless you find one of the pre-edge non-powder jerseys), you might as well get that powder blue disaster.

[rmackman]

Be a Florida Panthers fan! Nobody will ever accuse you of being a bandwagon Panther fan, our logo is cool, and I work for them! =)

[Shane Does Art]

Be a Florida Panthers fan! Nobody will ever accuse you of being a bandwagon Panther fan, our logo is cool, and I work for them! =)

A tad too late...

[rmackman]

Not if I sent him a ticket package LOL!

[Maz]

The Penguins

Why Root for the Pens?

Tons of young talent

Sidney Crosby

cup within next 2 years

history

great past players

Great Ownership/Front Office

Coaching

Legendary Broadcaster (well, he's just on radio now)

a kickass logo

historic arena

and, of course

Including this year? Are you cereal?

And no offense but a lot of those reasons can be put into the same category.

History= Great Past Players, Historic Arena, Legendary Broadcaster.

Good Team= Young Talent, Crosby (which is young talent) , Coaching, Ownership.

and logo...oh and the cotton candy guy.

All that could be said for a lot of teams.

1. Yes. Injuries heal, and the team is doing well with key guys out. If they can hold onto a playoff spot until Crosby and a few other guys come back, they will be scary. Crosby, being the kind of guy he is, will come back form a long abscence workign harder with a stronger desire than before. The team is doing better this year than last year, even through injuries and with teams now paying attention to them - their play on the ice is much better...they just havent had the long points streak like last year (which started around this time). They have good, consistent, experienced goaltending in Ty Conklin. that, and, come playoff time, if they have a spot, they will be better prepared - especially with experience form last year. there are many other variables, but in reality, this whole mess teh pens are going through can turn out to be a huge blessing in disguise.

2. Those things could go for any team, but some are more apparent for the pens than others, such as:

Legendary broadcaster - Mike Lange, hes very popular here, and in the sports broadcasting world

Sidney Crosby- does anyone else have him?

Young Talent - Thats almost the whole team

Historic Arena - First retractible dome, oldest arena in NHL, and home to many other memorable events in entertainment and sports history

Coaching/Ownership - more teams may have bad coaching than you think, and no team has had their ownership save their team from the brink of extinction/relocation twice

History - being the NHL, alot of teams have us there, but more teams do not

Kickass logo - isnt as legendary as the habs' "CH", the Rangers' Shield, Bruins B-wheel, but definately one of the best out of what seems to be a league of continously worsening logos

Cotton Candy Guy - come on, who doesnt instanly love the guy?

[Neon_Matrix]

The Penguins

Why Root for the Pens?

Tons of young talent

Sidney Crosby

cup within next 2 years

history

great past players

Great Ownership/Front Office

Coaching

Legendary Broadcaster (well, he's just on radio now)

a kickass logo

historic arena

and, of course

Including this year? Are you cereal?

And no offense but a lot of those reasons can be put into the same category.

History= Great Past Players, Historic Arena, Legendary Broadcaster.

Good Team= Young Talent, Crosby (which is young talent) , Coaching, Ownership.

and logo...oh and the cotton candy guy.

All that could be said for a lot of teams.

1. Yes. Injuries heal, and the team is doing well with key guys out. If they can hold onto a playoff spot until Crosby and a few other guys come back, they will be scary. Crosby, being the kind of guy he is, will come back form a long abscence workign harder with a stronger desire than before. The team is doing better this year than last year, even through injuries and with teams now paying attention to them - their play on the ice is much better...they just havent had the long points streak like last year (which started around this time). They have good, consistent, experienced goaltending in Ty Conklin. that, and, come playoff time, if they have a spot, they will be better prepared - especially with experience form last year. there are many other variables, but in reality, this whole mess teh pens are going through can turn out to be a huge blessing in disguise.

2. Those things could go for any team, but some are more apparent for the pens than others, such as:

Legendary broadcaster - Mike Lange, hes very popular here, and in the sports broadcasting world

Sidney Crosby- does anyone else have him?

Young Talent - Thats almost the whole team

Historic Arena - First retractible dome, oldest arena in NHL, and home to many other memorable events in entertainment and sports history

Coaching/Ownership - more teams may have bad coaching than you think, and no team has had their ownership save their team from the brink of extinction/relocation twice

History - being the NHL, alot of teams have us there, but more teams do not

Kickass logo - isnt as legendary as the habs' "CH", the Rangers' Shield, Bruins B-wheel, but definately one of the best out of what seems to be a league of continously worsening logos

Cotton Candy Guy - come on, who doesnt instanly love the guy?

God, you sound like a Leafs fan.

I guess you have never really followed any players who get foot or ankle injuries and see them plague them throughout their careers (Forsberg, anyone?). This will cause problems for the rest of his career - hell, he played in the playoffs with a BROKEN foot. Not a smart move if he intends to play for a long time. Yes they have been winning some games without him, but soon they will begin to tire out and the win's will stop coming, and impaitence will grow, and an injured Crosby will be forced back onto the ice to help stop the bleeding.

And come on, TY CONKLIN will not lead them to a cup. Its like whe J.S. Aubin came in and won us a bunch of games 2 seasons ago... it won't last man. They need a solid goalie, which they lack. Conklin SUCKED in the playoffs when he had his chance to shine... hence why he was kicked out of Edmonton and made a 3rd string goalie in Columbus and backup in Buffalo when they got rid of Biron. He was also signed as a 3rd string by Pittsburgh behind Fleury and Sabourin!!

Now you see why you sound like a Leafs fan? Everything you say is just pure hope and wishing.

[Shane Does Art]

The Penguins

Why Root for the Pens?

Tons of young talent

Sidney Crosby

cup within next 2 years

history

great past players

Great Ownership/Front Office

Coaching

Legendary Broadcaster (well, he's just on radio now)

a kickass logo

historic arena

and, of course

Including this year? Are you cereal?

And no offense but a lot of those reasons can be put into the same category.

History= Great Past Players, Historic Arena, Legendary Broadcaster.

Good Team= Young Talent, Crosby (which is young talent) , Coaching, Ownership.

and logo...oh and the cotton candy guy.

All that could be said for a lot of teams.

1. Yes. Injuries heal, and the team is doing well with key guys out. If they can hold onto a playoff spot until Crosby and a few other guys come back, they will be scary. Crosby, being the kind of guy he is, will come back form a long abscence workign harder with a stronger desire than before. The team is doing better this year than last year, even through injuries and with teams now paying attention to them - their play on the ice is much better...they just havent had the long points streak like last year (which started around this time). They have good, consistent, experienced goaltending in Ty Conklin. that, and, come playoff time, if they have a spot, they will be better prepared - especially with experience form last year. there are many other variables, but in reality, this whole mess teh pens are going through can turn out to be a huge blessing in disguise.

2. Those things could go for any team, but some are more apparent for the pens than others, such as:

Legendary broadcaster - Mike Lange, hes very popular here, and in the sports broadcasting world

Sidney Crosby- does anyone else have him?

Young Talent - Thats almost the whole team

Historic Arena - First retractible dome, oldest arena in NHL, and home to many other memorable events in entertainment and sports history

Coaching/Ownership - more teams may have bad coaching than you think, and no team has had their ownership save their team from the brink of extinction/relocation twice

History - being the NHL, alot of teams have us there, but more teams do not

Kickass logo - isnt as legendary as the habs' "CH", the Rangers' Shield, Bruins B-wheel, but definately one of the best out of what seems to be a league of continously worsening logos

Cotton Candy Guy - come on, who doesnt instanly love the guy?

God, you sound like a Leafs fan.

I guess you have never really followed any players who get foot or ankle injuries and see them plague them throughout their careers (Forsberg, anyone?). This will cause problems for the rest of his career - hell, he played in the playoffs with a BROKEN foot. Not a smart move if he intends to play for a long time. Yes they have been winning some games without him, but soon they will begin to tire out and the win's will stop coming, and impaitence will grow, and an injured Crosby will be forced back onto the ice to help stop the bleeding.

And come on, TY CONKLIN will not lead them to a cup. Its like whe J.S. Aubin came in and won us a bunch of games 2 seasons ago... it won't last man. They need a solid goalie, which they lack. Conklin SUCKED in the playoffs when he had his chance to shine... hence why he was kicked out of Edmonton and made a 3rd string goalie in Columbus and backup in Buffalo when they got rid of Biron. He was also signed as a 3rd string by Pittsburgh behind Fleury and Sabourin!!

Now you see why you sound like a Leafs fan? Everything you say is just pure hope and wishing.

YES!

Pure awesomeness Neon.

[-Helix-]

Good choice. I doubt you were going to travel to Minnesota or Ottawa very often to go to games. Go to some Thrashers games and you'll fall in love with them faster than you can believe. And soon enough they'll be a force in the league and you'll be rewarded for the time you've spent supporting them.

They may not have the tradition and the success other teams have yet but in 50 years when you're old and senile you can tell all the youngins' that you were there since (almost) the beginning.

[Lee.]

Western Canadians get massive erections whenever they get an opportunity to bash the Leafs and when you get to Lee's age you have to take every chance you get

Just out of curiosity, how DOES Bob Cole's ass taste? Just asking.

[Maz]

The Penguins

Why Root for the Pens?

Tons of young talent

Sidney Crosby

cup within next 2 years

history

great past players

Great Ownership/Front Office

Coaching

Legendary Broadcaster (well, he's just on radio now)

a kickass logo

historic arena

and, of course

Including this year? Are you cereal?

And no offense but a lot of those reasons can be put into the same category.

History= Great Past Players, Historic Arena, Legendary Broadcaster.

Good Team= Young Talent, Crosby (which is young talent) , Coaching, Ownership.

and logo...oh and the cotton candy guy.

All that could be said for a lot of teams.

1. Yes. Injuries heal, and the team is doing well with key guys out. If they can hold onto a playoff spot until Crosby and a few other guys come back, they will be scary. Crosby, being the kind of guy he is, will come back form a long abscence workign harder with a stronger desire than before. The team is doing better this year than last year, even through injuries and with teams now paying attention to them - their play on the ice is much better...they just havent had the long points streak like last year (which started around this time). They have good, consistent, experienced goaltending in Ty Conklin. that, and, come playoff time, if they have a spot, they will be better prepared - especially with experience form last year. there are many other variables, but in reality, this whole mess teh pens are going through can turn out to be a huge blessing in disguise.

2. Those things could go for any team, but some are more apparent for the pens than others, such as:

Legendary broadcaster - Mike Lange, hes very popular here, and in the sports broadcasting world

Sidney Crosby- does anyone else have him?

Young Talent - Thats almost the whole team

Historic Arena - First retractible dome, oldest arena in NHL, and home to many other memorable events in entertainment and sports history

Coaching/Ownership - more teams may have bad coaching than you think, and no team has had their ownership save their team from the brink of extinction/relocation twice

History - being the NHL, alot of teams have us there, but more teams do not

Kickass logo - isnt as legendary as the habs' "CH", the Rangers' Shield, Bruins B-wheel, but definately one of the best out of what seems to be a league of continously worsening logos

Cotton Candy Guy - come on, who doesnt instanly love the guy?

God, you sound like a Leafs fan.

I guess you have never really followed any players who get foot or ankle injuries and see them plague them throughout their careers (Forsberg, anyone?). This will cause problems for the rest of his career - hell, he played in the playoffs with a BROKEN foot. Not a smart move if he intends to play for a long time. Yes they have been winning some games without him, but soon they will begin to tire out and the win's will stop coming, and impaitence will grow, and an injured Crosby will be forced back onto the ice to help stop the bleeding.

And come on, TY CONKLIN will not lead them to a cup. Its like whe J.S. Aubin came in and won us a bunch of games 2 seasons ago... it won't last man. They need a solid goalie, which they lack. Conklin SUCKED in the playoffs when he had his chance to shine... hence why he was kicked out of Edmonton and made a 3rd string goalie in Columbus and backup in Buffalo when they got rid of Biron. He was also signed as a 3rd string by Pittsburgh behind Fleury and Sabourin!!

Now you see why you sound like a Leafs fan? Everything you say is just pure hope and wishing.

1. Lemieux had back problems, hip problems, and the like for alot of his career, and still is one of the greatest there ever was. They will not tire out. This is a resilient young team. Theyre capible. To be playing as well as they have this long witout a player like Crosby already shows they have a ton of fight and potential in them. Crosby is FAR too much of an asset to be forced onto the ice. He, the pens coaching staff, and everyone else knows that.

2. Who says Conklin cannot redeem himself? He is a solid goalie. He is experienced. And hes played better than Fleury. Sure, he doesnt make the flashy saves Fleury does...because unlike fleury, hes actually in position - he helps the defenders by handling the puck, unlike Fleury....im not saying he will take us all the way, Fleury will return, but I definately think weve found a backup man for Fleury. Besides, remember when Barasso was out and Lallime came in for the pens and they went on the longest winning streak in the history of the NHL?

Its not so much hoping and wishing as much as it is realistic optomism. It can happen, and, the general consensus amongst us pens fans and local sports analysts is that it will.

[Shane Does Art]

The Penguins

Why Root for the Pens?

Tons of young talent

Sidney Crosby

cup within next 2 years

history

great past players

Great Ownership/Front Office

Coaching

Legendary Broadcaster (well, he's just on radio now)

a kickass logo

historic arena

and, of course

Including this year? Are you cereal?

And no offense but a lot of those reasons can be put into the same category.

History= Great Past Players, Historic Arena, Legendary Broadcaster.

Good Team= Young Talent, Crosby (which is young talent) , Coaching, Ownership.

and logo...oh and the cotton candy guy.

All that could be said for a lot of teams.

1. Yes. Injuries heal, and the team is doing well with key guys out. If they can hold onto a playoff spot until Crosby and a few other guys come back, they will be scary. Crosby, being the kind of guy he is, will come back form a long abscence workign harder with a stronger desire than before. The team is doing better this year than last year, even through injuries and with teams now paying attention to them - their play on the ice is much better...they just havent had the long points streak like last year (which started around this time). They have good, consistent, experienced goaltending in Ty Conklin. that, and, come playoff time, if they have a spot, they will be better prepared - especially with experience form last year. there are many other variables, but in reality, this whole mess teh pens are going through can turn out to be a huge blessing in disguise.

2. Those things could go for any team, but some are more apparent for the pens than others, such as:

Legendary broadcaster - Mike Lange, hes very popular here, and in the sports broadcasting world

Sidney Crosby- does anyone else have him?

Young Talent - Thats almost the whole team

Historic Arena - First retractible dome, oldest arena in NHL, and home to many other memorable events in entertainment and sports history

Coaching/Ownership - more teams may have bad coaching than you think, and no team has had their ownership save their team from the brink of extinction/relocation twice

History - being the NHL, alot of teams have us there, but more teams do not

Kickass logo - isnt as legendary as the habs' "CH", the Rangers' Shield, Bruins B-wheel, but definately one of the best out of what seems to be a league of continously worsening logos

Cotton Candy Guy - come on, who doesnt instanly love the guy?

God, you sound like a Leafs fan.

I guess you have never really followed any players who get foot or ankle injuries and see them plague them throughout their careers (Forsberg, anyone?). This will cause problems for the rest of his career - hell, he played in the playoffs with a BROKEN foot. Not a smart move if he intends to play for a long time. Yes they have been winning some games without him, but soon they will begin to tire out and the win's will stop coming, and impaitence will grow, and an injured Crosby will be forced back onto the ice to help stop the bleeding.

And come on, TY CONKLIN will not lead them to a cup. Its like whe J.S. Aubin came in and won us a bunch of games 2 seasons ago... it won't last man. They need a solid goalie, which they lack. Conklin SUCKED in the playoffs when he had his chance to shine... hence why he was kicked out of Edmonton and made a 3rd string goalie in Columbus and backup in Buffalo when they got rid of Biron. He was also signed as a 3rd string by Pittsburgh behind Fleury and Sabourin!!

Now you see why you sound like a Leafs fan? Everything you say is just pure hope and wishing.

1. Lemieux had back problems, hip problems, and the like for alot of his career, and still is one of the greatest there ever was. They will not tire out. This is a resilient young team. Theyre capible. To be playing as well as they have this long witout a player like Crosby already shows they have a ton of fight and potential in them. Crosby is FAR too much of an asset to be forced onto the ice. He, the pens coaching staff, and everyone else knows that.

2. Who says Conklin cannot redeem himself? He is a solid goalie. He is experienced. And hes played better than Fleury. Sure, he doesnt make the flashy saves Fleury does...because unlike fleury, hes actually in position - he helps the defenders by handling the puck, unlike Fleury....im not saying he will take us all the way, Fleury will return, but I definately think weve found a backup man for Fleury. Besides, remember when Barasso was out and Lallime came in for the pens and they went on the longest winning streak in the history of the NHL?

Its not so much hoping and wishing as much as it is realistic optomism. It can happen, and, the general consensus amongst us pens fans and local sports analysts is that it will.

But in the next 2 years? No way in hell will Fleury come back in the next 2 years as this amazing goalie, and neither will Conklin.

Also, the general consensus amongst us Sens fans and local sports analysts is that it has been "our year" for the past 5 or 6 years...So using the general consensus of local analysts and local fans isn't exactly helping your case.

[Neon_Matrix]

1. Lemieux had back problems, hip problems, and the like for alot of his career, and still is one of the greatest there ever was. They will not tire out. This is a resilient young team. Theyre capible. To be playing as well as they have this long witout a player like Crosby already shows they have a ton of fight and potential in them. Crosby is FAR too much of an asset to be forced onto the ice. He, the pens coaching staff, and everyone else knows that.

2. Who says Conklin cannot redeem himself? He is a solid goalie. He is experienced. And hes played better than Fleury. Sure, he doesnt make the flashy saves Fleury does...because unlike fleury, hes actually in position - he helps the defenders by handling the puck, unlike Fleury....im not saying he will take us all the way, Fleury will return, but I definately think weve found a backup man for Fleury. Besides, remember when Barasso was out and Lallime came in for the pens and they went on the longest winning streak in the history of the NHL?

Its not so much hoping and wishing as much as it is realistic optomism. It can happen, and, the general consensus amongst us pens fans and local sports analysts is that it will.

Remember how effective Lemieux was after all of his injury problems? Not as much as when he was young and healthy. Yes it was amazing he still tried, but he was a shell of his former self.

Just wait until the team takes a nose dive, Conklin's luck runs out... you'll see the coaching staff scrambling for an answer, and that answer wears number 87 on his back.

You think it was a smart coaching decision to let him play on a broken foot last year in the playoffs? Don't give them too much credit, they could have permanently screwed up his foot as a result.

Yes Conklin handles the puck much better than M-A, but its not like he can't learn that if given time. And look at Lalime after that win streak... he toiled with the Sens and then found himself floating around the NHL because he couldn't stop a beach ball. Goalies have hot streaks, they could suck, become good for a stretch of games, and then go back to sucking again. Does the name Jim Carey ring a bell? Hell, even look at Andrew Raycroft! Just because a goalie wins a few games does NOT mean they will continue to do so.

And don't put all your feelings into what an analyst says... most said New England was going to win the Super Bowl the other day.

[oz615]

As Rod Smith says in those Blackjack Pizza ads "Stick w/ the home team",but it doesn't hurt to have a team or two on the side,may i suggest the Nashville Predators a your 2nd team (contrary to what folks say about the long term future and what not?)

[CC97]

Western Canadians get massive erections whenever they get an opportunity to bash the Leafs and when you get to Lee's age you have to take every chance you get

Just out of curiosity, how DOES Bob Cole's ass taste? Just asking.

Like a furry cinnamon timbit... I wouldn't have it any other way

[Maz]

1. Lemieux had back problems, hip problems, and the like for alot of his career, and still is one of the greatest there ever was. They will not tire out. This is a resilient young team. Theyre capible. To be playing as well as they have this long witout a player like Crosby already shows they have a ton of fight and potential in them. Crosby is FAR too much of an asset to be forced onto the ice. He, the pens coaching staff, and everyone else knows that.

2. Who says Conklin cannot redeem himself? He is a solid goalie. He is experienced. And hes played better than Fleury. Sure, he doesnt make the flashy saves Fleury does...because unlike fleury, hes actually in position - he helps the defenders by handling the puck, unlike Fleury....im not saying he will take us all the way, Fleury will return, but I definately think weve found a backup man for Fleury. Besides, remember when Barasso was out and Lallime came in for the pens and they went on the longest winning streak in the history of the NHL?

Its not so much hoping and wishing as much as it is realistic optomism. It can happen, and, the general consensus amongst us pens fans and local sports analysts is that it will.

Remember how effective Lemieux was after all of his injury problems? Not as much as when he was young and healthy. Yes it was amazing he still tried, but he was a shell of his former self.

Just wait until the team takes a nose dive, Conklin's luck runs out... you'll see the coaching staff scrambling for an answer, and that answer wears number 87 on his back.

You think it was a smart coaching decision to let him play on a broken foot last year in the playoffs? Don't give them too much credit, they could have permanently screwed up his foot as a result.

Yes Conklin handles the puck much better than M-A, but its not like he can't learn that if given time. And look at Lalime after that win streak... he toiled with the Sens and then found himself floating around the NHL because he couldn't stop a beach ball. Goalies have hot streaks, they could suck, become good for a stretch of games, and then go back to sucking again. Does the name Jim Carey ring a bell? Hell, even look at Andrew Raycroft! Just because a goalie wins a few games does NOT mean they will continue to do so.

And don't put all your feelings into what an analyst says... most said New England was going to win the Super Bowl the other day.

1. Even being a shell of what he was, Lemieux was still a great player until his last few years when he was just plain too old - same would be true with Crosby.

2. It was not a coaching decison. Crosby didnt tell anyone until afterwards.

Im not saying theres a 100% guaranteed chance this will happen, im just saying its very possible. If htey keep up what theyve been doing and dont make any stupid mistakes (i.e. putting in crosby or fleury to early, etc. etc.), they can very well pull through this and at least make a one or two round run in the playoffs.....next year, however, is different.

I guess just me showing our style here in Pittsburgh, to always believe, no matter what.

[Neon_Matrix]

2. It was not a coaching decison. Crosby didnt tell anyone until afterwards.

You CAN'T honestly believe this bs. The doctors who were treating his injury knew, and its their obligation to tell the coaching staff what the situation is. Both need to give the OK for a player to come back into action.

They knew. They let him play.

[Maz]

2. It was not a coaching decison. Crosby didnt tell anyone until afterwards.

You CAN'T honestly believe this bs. The doctors who were treating his injury knew, and its their obligation to tell the coaching staff what the situation is. Both need to give the OK for a player to come back into action.

They knew. They let him play.

You think that news like that wouldnt leak out? The media was all over Crosby in the playoffs...it wouldve been made known if he told the team...someone wouldve found out.

They knew from the beginning they had little chance, that hey were not near experienced enough. They wouldnt have put in Crosby knowing he had a broken foot, ESPECIALLY if they knew it would end up being in vain.