Immortalfire said:
thanks. I did that all of the top of my head, I'm amazed that was the only thing I got wrong
Deathlok2001 said:
Yes, the warmer climate teams have done very well. But they have no fan base. They are fair weather fans. Sure, they turn out for the playoffs, but where are they in teh regular season? DO they get front page coverage in the local papers?
Its nothing compared to the Edmonton Oilers & the fanbase here. Everywhere you go in the city, you see OILERS signs, car flags, tee shirts, OILERS jerseys, stores with OILERS paintings all over their front windows, TV & radio OILERS promos, wear your fav OILERS shirt to work days, etc....every move the OILERS make is front page news.
If a team like anahiem were to win the Stanley Cup, would anyone ever know?
But in all those instances, the NHL has been the newest entry into the market and havent even been there 10-15 years yet so thye've barely been around for a generatrion of fans. Plus those cities all have established franchises in the NFL, MLB, and NBA, some for like 40+ years. Of course, it's not gonna be the #1 game in town. And it doesnt have to be, to be successful. Hell Detroit is called "Hockeytown" yet the Lions, one of the worst teams in NFL history, will always steal headlines from the Red Wings because the NFL is King. The same goes for places like NY. Philly, Chicago, and Boston. All are considered "hockey markets" but yet the NHL is probably the 3rd or 4th sport in each town.
In Edmonton, there is nothing else to root for, so of course the Oilers are going to be the #1 game in town, not to mention they've been around for 30+ years and are engrained in the collective consciousness of the community. When you only have 1 connection to pro sports, that one team becomes the be all and end all of your city. Trust me, I lived in Sacramento, CA for a time, and that city had Sac Kings crap everywhere and every game was a sell out. It was the only game in town, it didnt meam that the people in Sac were "better" fans than the people in NY, LA, etc.
As for flag waving, signs, etc. Have you seen the pictures of downtown Raliegh the past 2 weeks? Did you see what Tampa looked like in 2004? Do you remember 30,000 people throwing rubber rats on the ice in Miami in 1996? Anytime a team makes the Finals their respective city goes nuts with that kind of stuff, it's not only Edmonton.
