| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Guest4178 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 10:19:57
It's pretty hard to argue about who has the best fans, but I'm wondering which team has the most fans?
I'm guessing by sheer numbers, that the Leafs have the most fans, but I suppose it depends on your definition of a fan.
In this forum, I noticed that the six Canadian teams have the most number of postings, and postings about the Leafs greatly surpass the number of postings for any other team.
At present, there are about 3,300 postings about the Leafs on this forum, and Edmonton is way back in second place at around 1,200 postings. The bottom three teams in number of postings are Columbus (44), Florida (69) and Minnesota (70).
I'm not suggesting that this forum reflects the number of fans for any given team, but it's interesting to see which teams get the most postings on this particular forum (and website).
Why, for example, do postings about Edmonton exceed postings about Calgary by a nearly 2-1 margin? Is this a national forum? What kind of traffic does this website (and forum) get in the US? Or internationally?
I suppose there are more interesting topics going on right now (especially since we are in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs), but I thought this merited about as much attention as the query and debate on which teams have the bestest fans in the whole wide world! :) |
| 27 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Guest2743 |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 18:00:49
Speaking from a nuetral province here in Nova Scotia The majority would be in the Leafs, Habs camp while there is a decent following for teams like Boston, Detroit, and Pittsburgh(the Crosby factor). Not a lot of love for the Western Canadian teams but you can blame that on 11:00 o clock game times. |
| fat_elvis_rocked |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 14:59:39
I would agree with RC in the respect that until the 70 expansion, the Habs and Leafs were all we in the west had. I would think that the statement about the west being predominantly Leafs fans may be a little off though, as living all my life in Saskatchewan, I saw as many blanc, bleu et rouge, as Leaf paraphernalia.
In Regina, for example the Pats were historically a farm team for the Canadiens. with players such as Bill Hicke and Bob Turner being Habs property. There was also Father Pere and Notre Dame just a ways down the road, pretty sure they were all Habs fans. Gravelbourg and surrounding area, are predominantly french communities.
My father tells of how when he was in the Residential school system, the priests were adamant that they cheer for the Habs.
I myself, had favorites from both teams, with Salming, Keon, Sittler and Lalfeur, Cournoyer, and Savard.
Thanks to the higher powers for the Oilers and Gretzky, thereby saving me from this schizoprhenic adulation.
In my opinion, I would put the Habs on equal, maybe even greater footing than the Leafs, fan-wise, particularly in Saskatchewan. |
| ginks40 |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 14:53:53
I'm from Edmonton but both my parents and the majority of my extended family are from Saskatchewan, not to mention I'm marrying into a family from Saskatchewan as well. The vast majority of them are Oiler fans with a few Leafs fans thrown in there.
Granted my extended family is quite a small sample size and granted I may just have Oiler blinders on but from what I've seen, the Oilers tend to be the most visible team in SK. |
| shelbyann |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 14:45:16
quote:
Originally posted by Guest4178
Good for the NHL – they have scheduled the Western Finals games as early as they possibly can, which will help with eastern viewership.
Essentially, they have a few 5 p.m. local start times (for any weekend games in San Jose or Vancouver), and 6 p.m start times for any weekday games. (Along with an afternoon game which has a noon local start time.)
This means that "eastern" fans will be able to catch these western finals games at either 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., which is pretty reasonable. (Not a lot different than the eastern finals where 6 out of the 7 potential games start at 8 p.m. eastern time.)
And when I say "eastern" fans, I mean those fans who reside in the eastern time zone. I'm from western Canada, but I do know that Ontario is actually centrally located in our country, and the people there are not really easterners.
For those who really do reside in the east, it just means staying up late if you want to watch Ryane Clowe or whoever you cheer for out there. :)
Speaking of which, this is a very good opportunity for Vancouver to expand their fan base. While size of a city's population base really mostly determines the number of fans a team (or city) can have, there are other factors too. For example, being one of the original six teams helps, but of course, these teams also have large population bases too!
Playoff success can also determine who cheers for who. I'm curious about a province like Saskatchewan for example. Who do they cheer for? They've never had an NHL team, so does it come down whoever is hot at the time, or is there some tradition in who they cheer for? Maybe a lot of people like Detroit, because Gordie Howe was born in Saskatchewan?
I kinda think their fans all over the map, but if I had to guess, I believe there are more Oiler fans in Saskatchewan than Flames fans, but I'm not sure?
I've been to the maritimes a number of times, and I have a business office in St. John's, and it appears there are more Leafs fans than any other team in this part of Canada. And while my comment about Ryane Clowe was a bit "tongue in cheek," people really like the hometown success stories, especially in smaller provinces like Newfoundland. A lot of people there cheer for San Jose because of Ryane Clowe, and they also like Detroit because of Dan Cleary, who also grew up in Newfoundland.
I really can't speak for all of Saskatchewan, but I know that where I am you're dead on about there being more oiler fans than flames fans. (It definitely doesn't hurt that the Oilers have recruited Jordan Eberle who was born in Regina.)
In my family we're die hard Canucks and Pens fans. The Canucks simply for the fact that my dad doesn't like any other Canadian team. The Penguins because of all the Canadian boys on the team. (Fleury, Staal, Crosby, Talbot etc.)
While the main Canadian teams would definitely be the Oilers, Leafs and Canadiens, to be perfectly honest in SK we're all over the place.
As I said before, I'm not trying to speak for all of Saskatchewan, and I would love to hear another SK opinion. |
| TheRC |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 14:18:25
This is less and less a factor all the time, but part of the popularily of Toronto and Montreal is their history. Into the late 1960's Toronto and Montreal were the only two choices for Canadian NHL teams. Detroit earned some fans in the Windsor area, and Boston a few in the maritimes, but for the most part Ontario and west was Leaf fans, while Quebec and east, plus a majority of french Canadians, wherever they happened to be, cheered for Montreal.
It's odd to think that such loyalty would persist so long (in some cases more than 40 years) after expansion teams have entered the league much closer to home, but I know from personal experience that there are many diehard Leaf fans in and around Ottawa, as well as out west. These are people who have never lived in Toronto, but grew up cheering for what they considered english Canada's team (or in some cases what dad considered his team etc. - sports loyalty can run in the family!)
"If at first you don't succeed, you fail" |
| Guest4178 |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 13:35:40
Good for the NHL – they have scheduled the Western Finals games as early as they possibly can, which will help with eastern viewership.
Essentially, they have a few 5 p.m. local start times (for any weekend games in San Jose or Vancouver), and 6 p.m start times for any weekday games. (Along with an afternoon game which has a noon local start time.)
This means that "eastern" fans will be able to catch these western finals games at either 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., which is pretty reasonable. (Not a lot different than the eastern finals where 6 out of the 7 potential games start at 8 p.m. eastern time.)
And when I say "eastern" fans, I mean those fans who reside in the eastern time zone. I'm from western Canada, but I do know that Ontario is actually centrally located in our country, and the people there are not really easterners.
For those who really do reside in the east, it just means staying up late if you want to watch Ryane Clowe or whoever you cheer for out there. :)
Speaking of which, this is a very good opportunity for Vancouver to expand their fan base. While size of a city's population base really mostly determines the number of fans a team (or city) can have, there are other factors too. For example, being one of the original six teams helps, but of course, these teams also have large population bases too!
Playoff success can also determine who cheers for who. I'm curious about a province like Saskatchewan for example. Who do they cheer for? They've never had an NHL team, so does it come down whoever is hot at the time, or is there some tradition in who they cheer for? Maybe a lot of people like Detroit, because Gordie Howe was born in Saskatchewan?
I kinda think their fans all over the map, but if I had to guess, I believe there are more Oiler fans in Saskatchewan than Flames fans, but I'm not sure?
I've been to the maritimes a number of times, and I have a business office in St. John's, and it appears there are more Leafs fans than any other team in this part of Canada. And while my comment about Ryane Clowe was a bit "tongue in cheek," people really like the hometown success stories, especially in smaller provinces like Newfoundland. A lot of people there cheer for San Jose because of Ryane Clowe, and they also like Detroit because of Dan Cleary, who also grew up in Newfoundland. |
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 12:16:16
quote:
Originally posted by nuxfan
something tells me that the Canucks TV ratings benefited mostly from playing a team in the EST timezone. We'll see how much interest there is with the all-PST matchup.
Very good point, i hadn't considered that. The earlier times they played would def help keep the east interested. Maybe they should make the Sharks and Canucks play at 3 or 4pm pst to satisfy those back east?  |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 09:40:38
something tells me that the Canucks TV ratings benefited mostly from playing a team in the EST timezone. We'll see how much interest there is with the all-PST matchup. |
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/13/2011 : 08:52:18
Just found this little "blurb" while reading some playoff stuff.
TUBE TERRIFIC: The Canucks may not yet be Canada's team but TV ratings are indicating otherwise as the CBC reported record numbers for the Vancouver-Nashville second round series. According to the Corp's figures, the series produced an average audience of 2.978 million, which bettered last year's second round between the Penguins and Habs. That series averaged 2.833 million. (This is second-round only, and not all series.)
While the Canucks may not be cheered on by the rest of Canada, they've sure gained their interest! Not to say that 90% of those watching weren't rooting for Nashville of course!
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| Beans15 |
Posted - 05/12/2011 : 08:32:12
Yep, and this writer answered with the generalized typical 'Vancouver' attitude, basically proving what the original story stated. Arrogant, better than everyone, justify and be proud of things that are known to be 'Canadian' not being part of Vancouver and making a pathetic attempt at making fun of people from other places.
Every once in a while, something like this comes out that makes me like Toronto a little bit more. That is not an easy thing for me to say. This guys ccan have his 'I'm the prettiest girl at the dance" attitude. That also normally means they are the dumbest girl at the dance, get used and abused, and end up a 40 yr old cougar wondering how everyone else is so much richer and in a better position in life.
*** I can not stress enough, very generalized opinion of Vancouver and my opinion is specifically towards the writer of this story and his attitude.*** |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/12/2011 : 07:38:08
Looks like the Vancouver media picked up on that story you posted beans:
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Opinion+Dear+rest+Canada+please+your+hockey+team/4769549/story.html |
| fat_elvis_rocked |
Posted - 05/11/2011 : 11:17:38
quote:
Originally posted by nuxfan
........If I were not a Canucks fan and living east of here, I'd have a hard time getting excited about them too.
But thats fine, we're happy playing for ourselves 
I will not respond with something unkind.
I will not respond with something unkind.
I will not respond with something unkind
I hate trying this self-discipline crap!  |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/11/2011 : 09:03:08
You may be right about Vancouver, if only because of the population of BC - outside BC though I'd have to think their fan base dwindles substantially. They might have the weakest national presence of all the teams.
I also think you underestimate the Calgary fanbase. The mid-to-late-80's were very defining years for Alberta with 2 of the most powerful teams in the NHL in the same province, and that rivalry probably led to a more fanatic fan base on both sides of Red Deer. Calgary fans were so solid in those years, and a lot of it came from a mutual hatred of all things Edmonton - and they are now. There are a fair chunk of Calgary fans in Vancouver now, and they're pretty hardcore still. I can't speak for the east, but they have a good following out west. |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/11/2011 : 08:21:20
good article Beans, thanks for the post. The article is biased, but reflective of true feelings on both sides of the mountains I think. I've also lived in Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton in my life, and now living in Vancouver, I've never felt more removed from the rest of Canada. I'm not surprised that it goes both ways.
In regards to the Canucks, I can only imagine that a lot of the apathy is due to the rest of the world simply not seeing them play often. The only national exposure they get is on HNIC, and who east of Saskatchewan stays up past the Leafs to watch the late game? They only see us when we go on our one eastern road swing. If I were not a Canucks fan and living east of here, I'd have a hard time getting excited about them too.
But thats fine, we're happy playing for ourselves |
| n/a |
Posted - 05/11/2011 : 08:20:05
nuxfan - after the big two of Toronto and Montreal, I still think it would be very close between Vancouver and Edmonton. Calgary would be a bit behind both, and Ottawa is for sure solidly in last place, I'd think.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
| Beans15 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 22:02:15
TOR and MTL for certain have the most fans in places outside of those cities. The NHL has supported this as well through their schedule making. When the Leafs or Habs are only in town once a year, every Leaf/Hab fan wants a ticket to the game. The same goes for almost any Original 6 team when they come out West. Boston, Chicago, and Detroit specifically. Let of an identity with NYR for some reason. But when any of those teams are in Edmonton, it seems like there are more people cheering against Edmonton than for them. |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 20:59:57
quote:
That is why my guess is in actuality, despite Vancouver being so much larger population wise, Edmonton might actually rival them for total fans
That would not surprise me. VAN's major fan base is likely BC-centric (maybe the Yukon as well), and probably goes no further - its hard to extend your fan base further when you bump up against CGY and EDM to the east, both of whom have steady and dedicated fans.
EDM (and to some extent CGY) also have a winning history that promotes fans to stay with them even after they leave. I lived in Calgary through the 80's as a kid, and was a huge Flames fan up until I left in 1990. But I stayed a Flames fan for 10 more years (living in Edmonton and then Vancouver), mainly due to my personal fan relationship with a winning team. It wasn't until the last bits of the '89 cup championship team finally left Calgary that my love of the team faded, and by then I'd been in Vancouver for 3 years, it was easy to follow the Canucks. And here we are today.
I think if someone really counted, you'd see TOR and MTL with the deepest fan counts country-wide, followed distantly by CGY and EDM, followed even more distantly by VAN and OTT. |
| Beans15 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 20:59:56
There are various trains of thought on the "who do you cheer for once your team is out," but a common one is to keep the Cup in Canada.
Here is the story, written as an editorial by Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun and distributed across the counrty in Sun Media. Terry Jones is from Edmonton and highly respected, but this story is heavily biased. I make no illusions that it's not.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/06/the-canucks-are-not-canadas-team |
| nuxfan |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 20:53:55
quote:
I recently read an article about Vancouver specifically and how many people on the East side of the Rockies do not consider Vancouver "Canada's Team" even though they are Canada's last hope in the playoffs. I will dig it up and post it one here
It was an interesting read for a non-Canuck fan. It was extremely biased, but that should just go along with every news story and Canuck fan posts anyway.
I looked for it in our local papers but could not find anything, but I'm not surprised - post it if you find it. There seems to be a mutual disrespect between Vancouver and the other side of the mountains, but it goes both ways - I don't think VAN really wants to share the Canuck success with the rest of the country either.
I too don't necessarily cheer for other Canadian teams either when they're in the playoffs - I did not cheer for EDM or CGY during their recent runs, and the OTT/ANA series I was ambivalent. Once VAN is eliminated I cheer for whoever is still in my pool |
| n/a |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 18:00:48
But the unsaid part of Beans' point was . . . many of the teams in Canada - specifically Edmonton (taking aside TO and the Habs) - have a sizeable following outside their region.
For the Oilers, it's those 5 stanley cups, and nothing whatsoever can take away the long lasting fans made from a dynasty built around arguably the best all time along with one of the top 5 players all time. There is just no denying 99's power, the Mess man and all those stars, and the 5 cups. I
That is why my guess is in actuality, despite Vancouver being so much larger population wise, Edmonton might actually rival them for total fans. That, and they take the whole north (not a huge population, but still) and everyone who ever loved Gretz. Like the Habs and the french . . . it's just a much bigger crowd included.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 17:36:17
quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
I recently read an article about Vancouver specifically and how many people on the East side of the Rockies do not consider Vancouver "Canada's Team" even though they are Canada's last hope in the playoffs. I will dig it up and post it one here.
It was an interesting read for a non-Canuck fan. It was extremely biased, but that should just go along with every news story and Canuck fan posts anyway.
When i first read your post, i thought you meant BC fans on the east side of the Rockies (living in BC). I chuckled as i can't imagine there being all that many! Now i realize, you meant basically the rest of Canada.
That doesn't surprise me in the least! I've never cheered for teams "because they're from Canada". I don't care about "bringing the cup back to Canada" really. When Chicago won, i was happy for good Canadian kids like Toews, Keith, Seabrook, etc.
If the Canucks aren't in it, i pull for one team or the other for the most part but it's rarely, if ever, that i choose a team just because it's located in Canada!
I rooted for Chicago last year because i've never really liked Philly.
I rooted for Pittsburgh the two years prior cuz i was sick of Det winning and wanted to see Sid get the cup!
I even rooted for the Oilers in '06 as i thought it'd be neat to see them become champs once again, after the Gretzky and Messier era's.
Every year for me is different, for different reasons but for those "east of the Rockies", i'm not surprised they wouldn't be jumping on the Canucks bandwagon really. |
| Beans15 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 16:49:29
I recently read an article about Vancouver specifically and how many people on the East side of the Rockies do not consider Vancouver "Canada's Team" even though they are Canada's last hope in the playoffs. I will dig it up and post it one here.
It was an interesting read for a non-Canuck fan. It was extremely biased, but that should just go along with every news story and Canuck fan posts anyway.
|
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 14:35:39
I really don't think this site is anywhere close to accurately predicting the team with the most fans. In fact, i'd be willing to bet that # of fans of Canadian teams is almost directly reflective of that city's population. To think that one team has less fans than another due to the number of posts on PUH is crazy!
I was using this site for a few years before i ever posted even as a "guest". It took another year or so for me to sign up. There are thousands of Canucks fans who post on the Canucks website (through NHL.com) as i'm sure there are for other teams. Most of those prefer that site and many prob have never even heard of this one!!!
Even with their success of the 80's, i'd be hard pressed to believe that there are more Oiler fans in existence than Canucks fans. The main reason is population. The Canucks draw from all of BC (and then some) as compared to the Oilers sharing their province with Flames fans!
This isn't always a good thing of course, because for every good fan, we prob have 2 morons!!! I will say though, and i'm sure it's due to the team having recent success and high hopes, i've never seen opposing rinks with more Canucks jersey's than i did this year. It's not to say that it happens everywhere like it seems to for the Leafs and that Habs, but the numbers of Canucks fans who made that trip to LA, Anaheim and some even down to Phoenix this season was amazing! The support at the LA game reportedly was a very poor marketing move by the Kings/Lakers whereby to get Lakers tix, you had to get Kings tix (something along those lines). They were talking about this on the radio and how it backfired, with thousands of Canucks fans buying lower bowl seats below cost (Lakers fans offloading their unwanted ducats).
Really, i don't think it matters which team has the most, i just think population and interest (hockey mad cities) is the key factor! |
| Guest2759 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 14:32:34
After Montreal and Toronto, Pittsburgh and Boston are well supported in Atlantic Canada. |
| Guest4178 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 13:52:55
Thanks for taking the time to respond Slozo, and specifically, for the background info on this forum (and site).
I like this forum. There is some very good hockey knowledge on display most of the time, and opinions are usually well expressed. And for the most part, it's very respectful, especially the views provided by the regular posters. (Despite the obvious jabs at the Leafs, a team for which I neither hate nor hold with any significant reverence.)
I've been a guest on this site for about six months, and I'm now planning on moving from total anonymity (as guest #4178) to partial anonymity with a chosen name and avatar.
One thing for sure though. I'm never going to wager my avatar identity when chosen. It must be hard being a Leafs fan with a Habs avatar, or an Oilers fan with a Leafs avatar! :)
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| n/a |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 13:10:54
Of note, this website started out as a Vancouver-based site, and over the years, has become more and more popular. What isn't in the statistics but must be absolutely noted, are the number of prolific posters - I would be included in that category (Leaf fan) as would Beans (Oiler fan), bumping up the posts for either team significantly.
Leigh has been a moderator for a long time as a Calgary fan, but past him, I can't think of hardly any prolific Flames posters in my time here (3 years or more, I think).
Hard to guage fan support when obviously each team's fan does not solely make posts about their own team; they don't always put team posts in the correct category (often in general chat); and, some team fans post a heck of a lot more topics than others.
All that said, most surprising thing to me is that Vancouver lags behind Edmonton at all - they SHOULD be a clear second IMHO due to the site originally starting there and having many posters from there. No surprise about Montreal being lower on the list than actual fans in Canada, as it's an english language site. And lastly . . . it is surprising at how incredible the fan support for the Leafs is - overwhelming amount of topics on them, despite the terrible record in the last few years. Many of these are "I hate the Leafs and this topic is an excuse to prove it" topics, though, and that also inflates the numbers.
I would guess that in real Canadian numbers, Leafs are in the lead, but by a very small margin, over Montreal. Edmonton and Vancouver might be tied, with Calgary close behind and Ottawa at the bottom for sure. Vancouver could vault into a clear third place with a Cup parade, though.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
| Beans15 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 11:55:40
Well, I don't know why this is so hard to figure out. The Leafs get the most posts as TO has the highest population in the country.
The Oilers are next because they are the best team!!!
Kidding.
I think the layover from the Oilers success through the 80's still resonates through the population of hockey fans who are in their late 20's or older. Furthermore, because of the success of the Oilers at that time, they have more of a national identity than Vancouver, Calgary, or Ottawa.
Toronto and Montreal are ahead by a mile. The Oilers are next. Seems pretty logically to me. |
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