So the NHL preseason has begun and for many they did not notice. The NHL now considered the fourth major league in North America is now over shadowed by the likes of the NFL, MLB, NBA, and even NASCAR.

Well I am a huge hockey fan and adore the NHL. I also have a girlfriend that doesn't like hockey and a roommate who has a girlfriend that loves the Steelers and the NFL while he doesn't like sports. So this got me to thinking...what about all those people out there who have family/friends/loved ones who adore the game and they desire to join in the fun by having a favorite team? I'm sure this list actually is kind of small, but I know stuff like this happens as my roommate chose the Steelers as his favorite football team to be a part of something meaningful to her. Another reason I came up with this idea is actually due to my Sixty Feet, Six Inches cohort who attended his first NHL game last March and wanted to pick a favorite team. I lead him through a series of questions to determine who he wanted to be a fan of, with the final answer being the Boston Bruins.

So without further explanation behind the reasons why this seems like a great idea here is: The Sixty Feet, Six Inches Guide on How to Pick a Favorite NHL Team

Alright so let's start with where you either currently reside or the place you call home.

If it's one of these cities:

Anaheim, California
Atlanta, Georgia
Boston, Massachusetts
Buffalo, New York
Calgary, Alberta
Chicago, Illinois
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Detroit, Michigan
Edmonton, Alberta
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Montreal, Quebec
Nashville, Tennessee
New York City, New York
Newark, New Jersey
Ottawa, Ontario
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
San Jose, California
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida
Toronto, Ontario
Uniondale, Long Island, New York
Vancouver, British Columbia
Washington, D.C.

You need to go no further than this point. If you live in the metro area or consider one of these cities home, they should be your team. Local teams need all the support they can get. If you think your local fans are dickholes and don't want to associate with them, I strongly urge you to then be a fan that isn't like them. Supporting home teams is a big deal to me because they represent your city, they represent you.

Now if I was unable to sway you or you just don't live in an area with a team (like Indianapolis), we can now move further to other options. I'll list categories and give each team a score for each category listed except logo because that's completely subjective. Now before going any further think of what you want in a team. Is it a logo? Is it a storied history? Is it recent success? Maybe you want a team with a huge fan base, or maybe you are the sort that actually loves cheering for a team no one else seems to like. Perhaps you hate a certain city with an intense passion and you want to be a fan of the team that is their rival. It is even possible that you might pick a team you'd have the best chance of seeing in person (team plays at a family vacation spot, or in the city where friends/family live). This is sort of key before moving on because it will allow you to know what you want and look straight at the scores.

Ok, now one final thing before we get to the scoring. Think about any hockey fans that are close to you (family, friends, significant others). Who is their favorite team? Maybe you would like to join in the camaraderie of rooting for a team together, or maybe you're that sick sort of person that wants to cheer for the rival. So maybe this is your stopping point. Otherwise, let's begin!

Here are the categories I have made:
Logo, History, Overall Success, Recent Success, Stanley Cups Won, Popularity, Captain, Rival(s).


All scores are on a 1-10 scale, except for the categories that are asking for a specific number or name.

Anaheim Ducks

History: 2 Overall Success: 2 Recent Success: 10 Stanley Cups Won: 1 Popularity: 9
Captain: Chris Pronger Rival(s): Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas

Atlanta Thrashers

History: 1 Overall Success: 1 Recent Success: 3.5 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 3
Captain: Currently Vacant Rival(s): Carolina, Tampa Bay

Boston Bruins

History: 8 Overall Success: 8 Recent Success: 2.5 Stanley Cups Won: 5 Popularity: 6
Captain: Zdeno Chara Rival(s): Montreal, NY Rangers

Buffalo Sabres

History: 6 Overall Success: 3 Recent Success: 7 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 8
Captain: Jason Pominville Rival(s): Ottawa

Calgary Flames

History: 5 Overall Success: 3.5 Recent Success: 6 Stanley Cups Won: 1 Popularity: 8
Captain: Jarome Iginla Rival(s): Edmonton

Carolina Hurricanes

History: 5 Overall Success: 2 Recent Success: 8 Stanley Cups Won: 1 Popularity: 5
Captain: Rod Brind'Amour Rival(s): Tampa Bay, Atlanta

Chicago Blackhawks

History: 8 Overall Success: 6 Recent Success: 1 Stanley Cups Won: 3 Popularity: 4
Captain: Jonathan Towes Rival(s): Detroit, St. Louis

Colorado Avalanche

History: 5 Overall Success: 3 Recent Success: 5 Stanley Cups Won: 2 Popularity: 6
Captain: Joe Sakic Rival(s): Detroit

Columbus Blue Jackets

History: 1 Overall Success: 1 Recent Success: 1 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 2
Captain: Rick Nash Rival(s): Detroit

Dallas Stars

History: 7 Overall Success: 3 Recent Success: 7.5 Stanley Cups Won: 1 Popularity: 7
Captain: Brenden Morrow Rival(s): Edmonton, Anaheim

Detroit Red Wings

History: 9 Overall Success: 8.5 Recent Success: 10 Stanley Cups Won: 11 Popularity: 8
Captain: Nicklas Lindstrom Rival(s): Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, Colorado

Edmonton Oilers

History: 7 Overall Success: 5.5 Recent Success: 4 Stanley Cups Won: 5 Popularity: 6
Captain: Ethan Moreau Rival(s): Calgary, Los Angeles

Florida Panthers

History: 2 Overall Success: 1.5 Recent Success: 2 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 1
Captain: Currently Vacant Rival(s): Tampa Bay, Carolina

Los Angeles Kings

History: 7 Overall Success: 2 Recent Success: 1 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 6
Captain: Currently Vacant Rival(s): Anaheim, Edmonton

Minnesota Wild

History: 1 Overall Success: 1 Recent Success: 5 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 8
Captain: Marian Gaborik Rival(s): Vancouver

Montreal Canadians

History: 10 Overall Success: 10 Recent Success: 5 Stanley Cups Won: 24 Popularity: 9
Captain: Saku Koivu Rival(s): Toronto, NY Rangers, Detroit, Boston

Nashville Predators

History: 1 Overall Success: 1 Recent Success: 6.5 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 2
Captain: Jason Arnott Rival(s): Detroit, St. Louis

New Jersey Devils

History: 5 Overall Success: 3 Recent Success: 6.5 Stanley Cups Won: 3 Popularity: 2
Captain: Currently Vacant Rival(s): NY Rangers, Philadelphia

New York Islanders


History: 6 Overall Success: 5 Recent Success: 2.5 Stanley Cups Won: 4 Popularity: 2
Captain: Jamie Langenbrunner Rival(s): NY Rangers

New York Rangers


History: 9 Overall Success: 5.5 Recent Success: 6 Stanley Cups Won: 4 Popularity: 9
Captain: Bill Guerin Rival(s): Montreal, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, NY Islanders

Ottawa Senators

History: 2 Overall Success: 2 Recent Success: 8 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 10
Captain: Daniel Alfredsson Rival(s): Toronto, Buffalo

Philadelphia Flyers


History: 7 Overall Success: 5 Recent Success: 3 Stanley Cups Won: 2 Popularity: 8
Captain: Currently Vacant Rival(s): Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, New Jersey

Phoenix Coyotes

History: 4 Overall Success: 1 Recent Success: 1 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 2
Captain: Shane Doan Rival(s): Dallas

Pittsburgh Penguins

History: 7 Overall Success: 3 Recent Success: 10 Stanley Cups Won: 2 Popularity: 6
Captain: Sidney Crosby Rival(s): Philadelphia

San Jose Sharks

History: 2 Overall Success: 1 Recent Success: 7.5 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 6
Captain: Patrick Marleau Rival(s): Anahiem

St. Louis Blues

History: 7 Overall Success: 3 Recent Success: 1 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 2
Captain: Eric Brewer Rival(s): Chicago, Detroit

Tampa Bay Lightning

History: 3 Overall Success: 2 Recent Success: 3.5 Stanley Cups Won: 1 Popularity: 7
Captain: Vincent Lecavalier Rival(s): Atlanta, Carolina

Toronto Maple Leafs

History: 9 Overall Success: 9 Recent Success: 3 Stanley Cups Won: 13 Popularity: 10
Captain: Mats Sundin Rival(s): Montreal, Detroit, Ottawa

Vancouver Canucks

History: 6 Overall Success: 1.5 Recent Success: 4.5 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 9
Captain: Currently Vacant Rival(s): Calgary, Colorado

Washington Capitals

History: 5 Overall Success: 2 Recent Success: 1.5 Stanley Cups Won: 0 Popularity: 2
Captain: Chris Clark Rival(s): Pittsburgh, Philadelphia

For explanation of scoring please ask through comments or you can e-mail me at ninety7poundwuss@gmail.com. Also if this helped you pick a team, please let us know in the comments.