# Most Popular NHL teams per Country



## saskriders

What do you think the most popular NHL teams by country are

In Sweden I would say- Probably Detroit, but Vancouver and Ottawa might be getting bigger followings

Russia- Washington maybe 

Finland- Probably Anaheim, but there might be some fans of Edmonton because of Kurri and Tikkanen 

Czech Republic- Not so sure about them 

Slovakia- Maybe St. Louis because of the Slovak Pak, or Chicago because of Mikita


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## zorz

Philadelphia easily as long as Jagr plays there. I'm not sure which club it would be if he left the league. If I had to guess, I'd say Montreal, but that's pure speculation.


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## ozo

The one with a Latvian on a roster. Most non-homers follow some historic Eastern conference side or Detroit. Odd Avalanche fan here and there and that's it.


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## DrunkElkCZ

zorz said:


> Philadelphia easily as long as Jagr plays there. I'm not sure which club it would be if he left the league. If I had to guess, I'd say Montreal, but that's pure speculation.




Agree, I think that most people from Czech Republic tend to be a fan of a team where some Czech player/s play. 
It is a bit bitter for me as a Leafs fan but at least I can choose a team I'll be cheering for in the Playoffs since early 2000's.  
This year its of course Flyers but I think I would be cheering for them anyway cause I really like those players there.


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## Franck

saskriders said:


> In Sweden I would say- Probably Detroit, but Vancouver and Ottawa might be getting bigger followings




The Rangers are arguably as popular in Sweden as Detroit. Henrik Lundqvist is a major celebrity and Swedes tend to have a massive hard-on for anything related to NYC.

The Leafs would be right behind the Red Wings and Rangers in popularity. Salming, Sundin and the Leafs status as an Original Six franchise have helped solidify their popularity.

I have never felt that the Senators were particularly popular. Most Swedes are unfamiliar with Ottawa as a city and Daniel Alfredsson has always been the least famous, least popular and least appreciated player from our "Golden Generation". He has always been in the shadows of Forsberg, Sundin and in later years LidstrÃ¶m.


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## Bakayoko Ono

Now that Mikael Granlund is about to join Mikko Koivu and Niklas BÃ¤ckstrÃ¶m in Minnesota, the Wild will probably become the new "favorite" team for most Finns.


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## zorz

DrunkElkCZ said:


> Agree, I think that most people from Czech Republic tend to be a fan of a team where some Czech player/s play.
> It is a bit bitter for me as a Leafs fan but at least I can choose a team I'll be cheering for in the Playoffs since early 2000's.
> This year its of course Flyers but I think I would be cheering for them anyway cause I really like those players there.




welcome to the boards!


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## saskriders

Franck said:


> The Rangers are arguably as popular in Sweden as Detroit. Henrik Lundqvist is a major celebrity and Swedes tend to have a massive hard-on for anything related to NYC.
> 
> The Leafs would be right behind the Red Wings and Rangers in popularity. Salming, Sundin and the Leafs status as an Original Six franchise have helped solidify their popularity.
> 
> I have never felt that the Senators were particularly popular. Most Swedes are unfamiliar with Ottawa as a city and Daniel Alfredsson has always been the least famous, least popular and least appreciated player from our "Golden Generation". He has always been in the shadows of Forsberg, Sundin and in later years LidstrÃ¶m.




I was thinking there might be a lot of younger fans because of Karlsson, Lehner, Silfverberg, and Zibanejad


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## Franck

saskriders said:


> I was thinking there might be a lot of younger fans because of Karlsson, Lehner, Silfverberg, and Zibanejad




Only one of those has actually made the team yet though, and as great as Karlsson has been this season, he's hardly a well-known name in Sweden. If all of those prospects pan out and Ottawa becomes something of a "Detroit Light", I could see them becoming one of the more popular NHL teams in Sweden but I still think the fact that the Sens come from a city most Swedes know absolutely nothing about will hold them back.


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## Siamese Dream

In Norway it's definitely the Rangers, because of Zuccarello.

In the UK it's either the Rangers, Red Wings, or Penguins. All the bandwagoners were Red Wings fans from 2002-2009, the amount of kids I saw at hockey wearing Red Wings jerseys was unreal. More recently it's now the same for the Penguins. All the 'real' fans pick their own team but for some reason lots of people seem drawn to the Rangers, I can't explain why I was. There seem to be more Flyers fans than any others too but they aren't as many as Rangers, Pens or Red Wings


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## Mirinho

yeah, I agree ... most popular teams are teams with good czech players ...


as north americans you won't understand this, but many czechs don't wish success to czech players in stanley cup cause there is chance they will come to play for national team during IIHF WCH - I'd say average pub czech fan (guys on the picture) behave like this


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## Tomas W

saskriders said:


> I was thinking there might be a lot of younger fans because of Karlsson, Lehner, Silfverberg, and Zibanejad




Ottawa is probably more popular than the average NHL team already, and could possible be one of the most popular. Depends on how good they get. 

Popularity factors (SWEDEN):

1. Lots of Swedes/or at least one famous one.
2. Classic hockey name. Let's face it, a team like The leafs might be pretty sub-par (by NHL standards), but it's still a classic name, and a well known city.
3. Success. Obviously success always generates new fans, from whereever they might be.
4. Foreign superstar. To some extent the REALLY big Canadan/Russian/whatever stars is also attractive to Swedish hockey fans. I think the Pens is pretty popular in Sweden as an example.


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## urbanshocker

In Brazil, It's Robyn Regehr. 

Last year he to Mardi Gras and told Pele to get the F out. It's Robyn's country now.

The crowd went wild for their favorite native son of hockey, and pelted Pele with roving monkeys until the former soccer player was banished to Edmonton.

It was riveting.


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## Muuri

Minnesota is quite popular and will be even more so from next season onwards.


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## Bluebirds Boyo

99 Problems said:


> In the UK it's either the Rangers, Red Wings, or Penguins.



That's like discussing which is the most popular Nazi; I don't recall seeing support for any!


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## Stanleyjub

Minnesota and Anaheim gets the most media attention here in Finland.

If you measure popularity with which team gets the most posts in season topics in here the order would be:

1. Red Wings
2. Penguins
3. Wild
4. Flyers
5. Ducks
6. Blackhawks
7. Flames
8. Leafs
9. Sharks
10. Oilers
11. Rangers
12. Canadiens
13. Canucks
14. Stars
15. Avalanche 
16. Bruins
17. Hurricanes
18. Capitals
19. Coyotes
20. Kings
21. Lightning
22. Sabres
23. Devils
24. Jets
25. Islanders
26. Predators
27. Panthers
28. Blues
29. Senators
30. Blue Jackets


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## albator71

Franck said:


> Only one of those has actually made the team yet though, and as great as Karlsson has been this season, he's hardly a well-known name in Sweden. If all of those prospects pan out and Ottawa becomes something of a "Detroit Light", I could see them becoming one of the more popular NHL teams in Sweden but I still think the fact that the Sens come from a city most Swedes know absolutely nothing about will hold them back.




How is it possible that Swedes don't Know anything about Ottawa??? After all Ottawa is Canada's capital you're suppose to learn that in school.

Sweden is smaller than Canada and the fast majority of Canadians know that Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.


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## ozo

albator71 said:


> How is it possible that Swedes don't Know anything about Ottawa??? After all Ottawa is Canada's capital you're suppose to learn that in school.
> 
> Sweden is smaller than Canada and the fast majority of Canadians know that Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.




 I can guarantee that most Swedes know that Ottawa is capital of Canada yet that still doesn't mean they know "anything" about Ottawa.


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## 1912

albator71 said:


> How is it possible that Swedes don't Know anything about Ottawa??? After all Ottawa is Canada's capital you're suppose to learn that in school.
> 
> Sweden is smaller than Canada and the fast majority of Canadians know that Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.




When will Sweden respect Ottawa?

And also, what Ozo said.


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## Dosing

albator71 said:


> How is it possible that Swedes don't Know anything about Ottawa??? After all Ottawa is Canada's capital you're suppose to learn that in school.
> 
> Sweden is smaller than Canada and the fast majority of Canadians know that Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.




Difference is canada often gets overshadowed by america while sweden always have been the center of it's side of the planet.

I think you also have to add anaheim here due to the movies, if asked to name an nhl team the swedes with hockey knowledge are gonna mention detroit even tho they know about the ducks, but those who dont know anything about hockey are gonna say the mighty ducks right away.


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## Siamese Dream

Bluebirds Boyo said:


> That's like discussing which is the most popular Nazi; I don't recall seeing support for any!




That's probably because you are an armchair NHL fan and do not follow the British game at all. If you actually went to a game you would see those teams I mentioned always have the most worn jerseys by the fans, and are always the most common for kids on the ice at practice.


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## LiveeviL

Franck said:


> The Rangers are arguably as popular in Sweden as Detroit. Henrik Lundqvist is a major celebrity and Swedes tend to have a massive hard-on for anything related to NYC.
> 
> The Leafs would be right behind the Red Wings and Rangers in popularity. Salming, Sundin and the Leafs status as an Original Six franchise have helped solidify their popularity.
> 
> I have never felt that the Senators were particularly popular. Most Swedes are unfamiliar with Ottawa as a city and Daniel Alfredsson has always been the least famous, least popular and least appreciated player from our "Golden Generation". He has always been in the shadows of Forsberg, Sundin and in later years LidstrÃ¶m.




Pretty much like this. I feel rather exclusive as a Vancouver fan, not many cheer for them despite many Swedish players through the system. I guess being in Pacific time has a small impact on the popularity too.


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## Make

*Finland*

The original six teams are all quite popular in Finland. Especially Canadiens because of Saku Koivu and Red Wings because their overall success over the years. The other established succesfull teams like Flyers and Penguins are also popular. Anaheim is popular because of Teemu. Wild's fanbase is also growing.


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## Systemfel

I've been on lots of NHL-related Swedish message boards. Teams I've never heard/read that a Swede cheers for:

- Atlanta/Winnipeg
- Buffalo
- Carolina
- Columbus
- Minnesota
- Nashville
- Phoenix


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## joe89

^ If there are, they're probably mostly fans of SEL/Allsvenskan teams following their players. OEL for Phoenix, Enstrom with Winnipeg and so on.

(which is fine)


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## Djurgardsjavel

Systemfel said:


> I've been on lots of NHL-related Swedish message boards. Teams I've never heard/read that a Swede cheers for:
> 
> - Atlanta/Winnipeg
> - Buffalo
> - Carolina
> - Columbus
> - Minnesota
> - *Nashville*
> - Phoenix




I know of a couple of swedes that follow the Predators intimately. They are also DjurgÃ¥rdare, if that helps you work out the equation.

Personally I've never met another swede that likes the Bruins.


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## BalticWarrior

For Latvia-The team that picks Girgensons in this years draft ,that will be the team which will be the most popular among latvian fans ,also Philadelphia if Bartulis gets to plays,Jets if Kulda gets to play and ofcourse Ottawa if Daugavins gets to play,basically any team with Latvian on its roster will be supported by latvian hockey fans.


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## ozo

Helo said:


> For Latvia-The team that picks Girgensons in this years draft ,that will be the team which will be the most popular among latvian fans ,also Philadelphia if Bartulis gets to plays,Jets if Kulda gets to play and ofcourse Ottawa if Daugavins gets to play,basically any team with Latvian on its roster will be supported by latvian hockey fans.




Player can also be a healthy scratch and even then his game will be singled out in every sprots news coverage. We are a humble nation


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## Ivan13

In Croatia it's the Avalanche by far.


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## Swedish playmaker*

ozo said:


> I can guarantee that most Swedes know that Ottawa is capital of Canada yet that still doesn't mean they know "anything" about Ottawa.



Unfortunately I think I'll have to disagree, wouldn't be surprised if a survey showed that most of our population thinks that Toronto is the capital of Canada. 

Canada gets zip, zero, nada, 0 spotlight time in Sweden - if it's ever mentioned its something about Toronto because of Sundin/Salming. Has Ottawa been mentioned at all during the last 500 years? I think not. At the same time, news about the US is everywhere. Half of the Swedish TV tabloid is american shows. Half of the music being played here is probably from the US - and as previously stated, Swedes trying to be "trendy" got a hard on for NY, especially girls in their 20's who think they're in Sex and the city just because they just uploaded a photo of them on a holiday in NY.

On topic, Detroit/Rangers/Toronto and to some extent Vancouver because of the Sedins. Then there's the random fan here and there, I'm a Caps fan myself (bc of Ovetjkin, BÃ¤ckstrÃ¶m) but it's hard to get really emotionally involved with a team of which I have no geographical connection to. I think most european fans feel like this and just cheer for the team where their favourite players play at the moment.


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## SurMartin

Boston is probably the most popular NHL-team in Sweden around the UmeÃ¥/SkellefteÃ¥ area, especially among hockeyplayers.

Even if most of it revolves around BrÃ¤nnboll.


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## v-man

ozo said:


> Player can also be a healthy scratch and even then his game will be singled out in every sprots news coverage. We are a humble nation




Hey, Canada is no different with their coverage of their two or three baseball, American football and basketball players.


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## Hzzz

Wild and Ducks in Finland.............by far


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## Theokritos

Mwahah said:


> Swedes trying to be "trendy" got a hard on for NY, especially girls in their 20's




There goes the notion of Swedish girls being among the most attractive in the world. Then again, I hear there are more then just a few guys who got the hots for a girl with a hard on.


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## villevalo

Seem to see a fair few Leafs jerseys around the rinks, mostly the older people but quite a few younger guys wearing them. 

I have seen 5 different people wear Islanders jerseys at one rink before


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## Siamese Dream

villevalo said:


> Seem to see a fair few Leafs jerseys around the rinks, mostly the older people but quite a few younger guys wearing them.
> 
> I have seen 5 different people wear Islanders jerseys at one rink before




I've never seen an Islanders jersey, ever  Leafs was one I forgot to mention


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## villevalo

99 Problems said:


> I've never seen an Islanders jersey, ever  Leafs was one I forgot to mention




It was quite a few years ago at the Spectrum and my friend elbowed me and said 'blimey is that an Islanders jersey?', we were pretty surprised obviously, so to see 4 more was pretty weird 

Saw an old Hartford jersey at the Spectrum at another occasion too, must be something to do with Guildford I'm sure.


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## vsk92

I know one hockey fan who lives in Scotland and he supports the Ducks


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## Doogee

I reckon the Canucks are most popular in Australia, see them everywhere.


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## Andrew Knoll

WanderingWarrior said:


> I reckon the Canucks are most popular in Australia, see them everywhere.




And least popular in Canada! Just kidding.

I don't think it's a huge secret who the most popular U.S. teams are. I've lived in a couple other places, I did not meet many (read: any) hockey fans in Colombia however in the Netherlands the Bruins and Flyers were both popular it seemed. Went to a couple Dutch league games, fun enough but not exactly elite competition. In Austria the Sabres seemed pretty big, for obvious reasons.


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## Thesensation19*

Its very simple. Europeans watch where they have relations too. Peter Forsberg plays for Colorado, Swedes will most likely watch and fall in love with the team with Fors, Sakic, Roy and so on.

Most people around the world have loved to watch Detroit because of their roster full of Europeans. An exciting team to watch and having won so many titles they have made a global name for themselves.

Right now im sure Europeans watch mostly Washington, Detroit, Pittsburgh and I would not be shocked to see a lil New York Rangers.


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## vancanucks16

WanderingWarrior said:


> I reckon the Canucks are most popular in Australia, see them everywhere.




Funny you say that actually, I work at a sports apparel shop here in BC, and there are a surprising amount of people who come in looking for Canucks stuff for their relatives/friends in Australia.

One thing they always ask for: "Make sure it says Vancouver on it, otherwise nobody will know what it is"


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## Franck

vancanucks16 said:


> Funny you say that actually, I work at a sports apparel shop here in BC, and there are a surprising amount of people who come in looking for Canucks stuff for their relatives/friends in Australia.
> 
> *One thing they always ask for: "Make sure it says Vancouver on it, otherwise nobody will know what it is"*




So that's why they put it in giant letters on the jersey?


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## Choralone

I'm going to guess for Slovenia it's the Los Angeles Kings...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CCZTG_GQqPs


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## The Cowboy Poet

I'd imagine the Canucks would probably be the most popular team in Sweden due to the team being so successful in recent years, and the amount of big name Swedish players currently on the roster, and in the past.


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## Jonimaus

The Cowboy Poet said:


> I'd imagine the Canucks would probably be the most popular team in Sweden due to the team being so successful in recent years, and the amount of big name Swedish players currently on the roster, and in the past.




They are not. The Sedins are not super-popular in Sweden.


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## SirKillalot

99 Problems said:


> *In Norway it's definitely the Rangers, because of Zuccarello.*
> 
> In the UK it's either the Rangers, Red Wings, or Penguins. All the bandwagoners were Red Wings fans from 2002-2009, the amount of kids I saw at hockey wearing Red Wings jerseys was unreal. More recently it's now the same for the Penguins. All the 'real' fans pick their own team but for some reason lots of people seem drawn to the Rangers, I can't explain why I was. There seem to be more Flyers fans than any others too but they aren't as many as Rangers, Pens or Red Wings




Well. There is some along the casual-fans. And gotten some real fans lately too.

But. It's Pittsburgh who I think got the most hardcore fans. They have had a superstar there for big chumps of the last 20 years.

The big media-favorite is Detroit of course.

But, among hardcore fans behind Pittsburgh, it's split between : Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

Have to say tho, pretty much every team has some fans.


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## Calirose

Slovenia- Kings


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## Rutkowski

Systemfel said:


> - Phoenix



Then it's time to come here and say that there's at least one Yote fan here in Sweden. That and one of the guys I play floorball with, he's an old Yote fan too.

Make that three actually. My son loves watching the early morning games with me. In a few years my daughter will join in too.

Rutkowski: Coyotes biggest PR guy in Sweden. 

EDIT: To actually provide something to the topic; my friends and family that are into hockey is divided into the following:

Panthers: 1 brother
Boston: 1 brother, 1 buddy
Detroit: 1 buddy
Colorado: 1 brother
Ottawa: 1 brother
Washington: 1 buddy

Back when I grew up almost everyone were either a Detroit fan, Quebec/Colorado fan, Toronto fan or Devils fan.


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## BalticWarrior

Calirose said:


> Slovenia- Kings




Thats sure suprising


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## howeaboutthat

99 Problems said:


> That's probably because you are an armchair NHL fan and do not follow the British game at all. If you actually went to a game you would see those teams I mentioned always have the most worn jerseys by the fans, and are always the most common for kids on the ice at practice.




At the NIC the most common NHL jerseys I've seen are either Penguins, Florida Panthers (I guess its an "ooo, same nickname as Nottingham" thing) or whichever team won the Stanley Cup last!

As for what the rec hockey players wear, once again the most common NHL jerseys I see have a flightless bird on them and I'd say nine times out of ten feature the number eighty seven.


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## Siamese Dream

howeaboutthat said:


> At the NIC the most common NHL jerseys I've seen are either Penguins, Florida Panthers (I guess its an "ooo, same nickname as Nottingham" thing) or whichever team won the Stanley Cup last!
> 
> As for what the rec hockey players wear, once again the most common NHL jerseys I see have a flightless bird on them and I'd say nine times out of ten feature the number eighty seven.




This is the truth now, when I first started playing 6-7 years ago all the kids my age wore Red Wings jerseys and now it's Penguins. I remember buying a Carolina jersey just to be different 

I line in the EPL so I go to a few different rinks and at every game there is always a Capitals jersey and 8/10 times it has 8 and Ovechkin on the back, it's also hard to go to a game without seeing a Rangers or Leafs jersey. The Florida jerseys must definitely be a Nottingham thing, but I don't think I saw one when I went to the NIC to watch GB v Netherlands.


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## Pengo

Antarctica - Penguins


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## Hedning

Minnesota, the biggest Swedish community in the States. And they keep piling up on Finnish players and still wondering why they never win anything? Karma is a ....

But back to the topic on support from our side of the pond.
Myself I'm a Bruin, been so since the early 90's
AIK my team also had a very similar jersey to Bruins in the 92-93 season i believe? (Same colors also helps) And i know a bunch more of us that support the Bruins. A couple of players from AIK has also been in Boston during the years, which obviously helps. (Tim Thomas the latest)

And also Philly or NY Rangers seems to have a large amount of followers from AIK-fans that support a NHL team.
NY Rangers - Largest city as Stockholm, classic team, etc...
Philadelphia - Per Erik Eklund (85) and to a lesser extent Pelle Lindbergh along with a similar fan-base along with Bostons and NY that an AIK-fan can relate to.

Otherwise i would say that it's the team with the most or should i say popular swedes are playing and the team that gets the most TV-air time. Ie the east coast.

That's my 5c on the topic.


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## smitty10

In South Africa I've seen a few hockey jerseys. At a mall in Cape Town there were home/third Leafs jerseys, home Rangers', home Canucks and both home and away Flyers jerseys in a sports store. Found that quite interesting as I've never encountered a South African hockey player (excluding Olaf Kolzig). I asked the guy working there and he said they were just seeing if there was a market for them and that they'd only ordered 1-3 of each.


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## Elvs

Systemfel said:


> I've been on lots of NHL-related Swedish message boards. Teams I've never heard/read that a Swede cheers for:
> 
> - Atlanta/Winnipeg
> - Buffalo
> - Carolina
> - Columbus
> - Minnesota
> - Nashville
> - Phoenix




There's quite many Buffalo fans on SvenskaFans, or at least there used to be when I used to hang out there.


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## HC Bienne

in my circle of friends it get's:

Boston- 2x
Detroit- 2x
Montreal- 5x
Ottawa- 1x
Nashville- 2x
Pittsburgh- 1x 
Chicago- 4x 
Tampa Bay- 1X
Vancouver- 1x
Minnesota- 1x
Washington- 2x


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## ModryJazyk

Slovakia : Rangers, Hawks, Capitals, Blues.No chance for west coast teams as they home games start at 4am CET...


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## Abduljabbar

Of the Saudi fans I know (me being an Avs fan):

Flyers - 1 fan
Flames - 1 fan
Avs - 3 fans
Canucks - 2 fans


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## Grabovski

In Belarus it's definitely the Red Wings. But there is a lot of support for the Leafs and Habs. And also the Preds because of the Kostitsyens.


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## Justinov

Hard to say what is the favourite NHL team in Denmark, but since Frans Nielsen made his debut for the Islanders that team got a lot of the exposure in the press. The danish press actually talked about the existence of NHL, and how much money Frans Nielsen was making (with his rockbottom salery lol). Off course if Canucks ends up having 2 danish players (Jannik Hansen and Nicklas Jensen) then it doubles all other teams that only have one dane on the roster. I would also think that most of the danish hockey fans cheer for teams with danish players. Hoping that one will finally win the Stanley Cup or either be kicked out fast so they can play the WC and this year the VERY important olympic qualification.


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## Kokoschka

Austria: Buffalo AINEC. Followed probably by TOR, NYI, DET, PIT, NYR, PHI, MTL, CHI, BOS in that order. Some diehard Oiler fans, still remaining from the 80's, as well. Rather EC than WC teams, because WC teams often start around 4am here.


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## Vicente

Of the NHL fans I know here in Germany the favs are Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. Usually teams with Gemans on their roster and the traditional super powers get most media attention.


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## smitty10

Vicente said:


> Of the NHL fans I know here in Germany the favs are Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. Usually teams with Gemans on their roster and the traditional super powers get most media attention.




Makes sense:

Avs: Uwe Krupp
Leafs: Holzer, Mueller, Flaake
Sharks: Sturm, Ehrhoff, Greiss, Goc, Patzold, Abeltshauser
Bruins: Seidenberg, Sturm
Canucks: Ehrhoff, Sturm, Sulzer, Butenschon

They've all had their fair share of German players/draftees. I know San Jose has drafted more Germans than that, but I can't think of any except maybe Hospelt.


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## Pominville Knows

I think Pittsburgh has a rather large following in Sweden since when Lemieux and Jagr was there during the hockey card boom in the mid-nineties. Sandstrom and the two Samuelssons did'nt hurt their case either. Their logo was also fun. Perhaps they're quite popular in many countries.


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## Analyzer*

I imagine Montreal lost a bunch of Sweden fans after Mats Naslund and a lot of Fin fans after Koivu.


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## QnebO

From my friends:

Ducks (me) 1
Red Wings 3
Bruins 1
Avalance 1
Devils 1
Penguins 1


These are so called "true fans". The teams have been those since 90's school days, and we have fighted in many schoolyard fights defending our opinions  Allthought I haveto say I think Red Wings has allways been cool, I like it too, even thought its pretty bad enemy for Ducks. Its classic jerseys and history and great players which it allways seem to have makes one to respect the team.

But most of the fans are right now Ducks and Minnesota, because those teams have great finns and multiple of them. Now granlund with the Wilds and Vatanen with the ducks as new wont make it less. But those fans will follow where ever the finns are, they arent really that big fans I think. 


Then there is bandwagoners, like now you can see Kings cap's used all the time, who the hell used a Kings cap year or two ago? No one.


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## Maverick41

smitty10 said:


> Makes sense:
> 
> Avs: Uwe Krupp
> Leafs: Holzer, Mueller, Flaake
> Sharks: Sturm, Ehrhoff, Greiss, Goc, Patzold, Abeltshauser
> Bruins: Seidenberg, Sturm
> Canucks: Ehrhoff, Sturm, Sulzer, Butenschon
> 
> They've all had their fair share of German players/draftees. I know San Jose has drafted more Germans than that, but I can't think of any except maybe Hospelt.




The Sharks had also drafted Dominik Bielke, Patrick Ehelechner and Timo Pielmeier.

Also since the acquistions of Ehrhoff and Sulzer, the Sabres seem to be getting more popular. They also have some tradition with German players. Hecht has been playing for them for a long time, and they had drafted players like Gogulla, and SchÃ¼tz in recent years, and Jayson Meyer and Uwe Krupp sometime in the 80s, 1983 or 1984 I think.


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## HanSolo

Ducks with Finland is an easy one: Selanne, Koivu, Vatanen, Lydman and they had Ruutu and Tarkki

Now they're doing what they can to win Swedes over: Lindholm, Rakell, Friberg, Karlsson, Fasth, Andersen (yes I know he's Danish but he comes out of the SEL) and will likely add Elias Lindholm if they can.


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## kiluj

in Russia:
1 Detroit
2 Washington
3 Pittsburgh
imho


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## The Noot

Special One said:


> in my circle of friends it get's:
> 
> Boston- 2x
> Detroit- 2x
> Montreal- 5x
> Ottawa- 1x
> Nashville- 2x
> Pittsburgh- 1x
> Chicago- 4x
> Tampa Bay- 1X
> Vancouver- 1x
> Minnesota- 1x
> Washington- 2x




Funny, since in my circle of friends I get:

Anaheim - 8x
Boston - 3x
Detroit - 2x
Montreal - 2x
NY Rangers - 2x
NY Islanders - 1x

The high amount of Anaheim fans is explainable with me and most of my friends being fans of Davos, who started to follow the NHL closer as soon as Hiller went to the Ducks.

It's pretty hard to tell for Switzerland. I guess every team with swiss players has it's "fanbase", that roots more for the player than for the team itself.

The "common" swiss hockey fan has nearly no knowledge of the NHL and is very focused on his local team. I think that's caused by our media, which tend to heavily overrate the NLA while the NHL was nearly ignored in the mainstream media for a long time. During the last 1-2 years they started to report in a regular fashion how the swiss players were doing.


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## GBG Glenn

I'm from Sweden, my favourite team is the Rangers and have been my favourite team since i got my first hockeycard (Mike Richter) . Detroit is a populare team here. I know a few people that likes the Canucks, and Lightning.


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## ottawa

I bet the habs are the most popular NHL team world-wide, but as for them appealing to a specific country I don't know. I just figure their logo is the most well-known.


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## Hasa92

I'd say that Habs, Rangers, Wings, Penguins, Bruins & Blackhawks are the most popular teams outside North America, don't know which team is the most popular among them thought...


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## BalticWarrior

ottawa said:


> *I bet the habs are the most popular NHL team world-wide*, but as for them appealing to a specific country I don't know. I just figure their logo is the most well-known.




LOL not even close Red wings and Ducks are far more popular


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## Siamese Dream

ottawa said:


> I bet the habs are the most popular NHL team world-wide, but as for them appealing to a specific country I don't know. I just figure their logo is the most well-known.




No, outside of Canada the Habs aren't popular at all. The logo definitely isn't more well known.


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## Jonimaus

ottawa said:


> I bet the habs are the most popular NHL team world-wide, but as for them appealing to a specific country I don't know. I just figure their logo is the most well-known.




Habs are defenitely one of the least popular/known teams in Sweden.


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## Alicat

Vicente said:


> Of the NHL fans I know here in Germany the favs are Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. Usually teams with Gemans on their roster and the traditional super powers get most media attention.



Must have been fun when Seidenburg became only the 2nd German to have won a cup


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## adsfan

I can't believe that the Islanders are ahead of the Preds!


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## Patchy

Detroit, Rangers and Vancouver for Sweden. In that order. 

But that's just my hunch.


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## TC82

Vicente said:


> Of the NHL fans I know here in Germany the favs are Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. Usually teams with Gemans on their roster and the traditional super powers get most media attention.




I also live in Germany and the few hockey fans I've met have been Sabres fans. One was a Caps fan due to Koelzig.


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## Pia782

Based on my friends the most popular team in Slovakia is either Chicago (Hossa, Handzus) or Rangers (Gabby in the past). I don't actually know anyone who likes another team, but it is probably a result of me not knowing so much "true" hockey fans  (most of my friends only watch World Championships) Oh and as for me, I am a proud Penguin


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## Acallabeth

Pittsburgh is the most popular team in Russia even with good old Red Wings memories and recent Washington hype.
Philadelphia is also widely loved (as much as it's possible in Russia of course).


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## kiluj

Acallabeth said:


> Pittsburgh is the most popular team in Russia even with good old Red Wings memories and recent Washington hype.
> Philadelphia is also widely loved (as much as it's possible in Russia of course).




Why do you think so?


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## Dykstra

In Brazil i would say Ducks, Red Wings, Penguins and Canadiens.

A fan made a poll recently, the results so far: http://www.enquetes.com.br/enquete.asp?id=1060657


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## Shawn Heins 44

In the area I grew up Pittsburgh had the most fans by a wide margin. But that was just the guys I was hanging out with and 20 years ago already.


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## Acallabeth

kiluj said:


> Why do you think so?




Personal experience and talking to guys on the net. Maybe they're just the most vocal and arrogant, just like all Pens fans


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## Flyerss

Morocco: Flyers territory because i'm the only NHL fan there


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## Mynameismark*

Propane Nightmares said:


> No, outside of Canada the Habs aren't popular at all. The logo definitely isn't more well known.




Are you nuts? Most storied franchise, and easily more well known then all the rest if not top 3.

My travels alone have documented such facts.


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## Jonimaus

Khal Drogo said:


> Are you nuts? Most storied franchise, and easily more well known then all the rest if not top 3.
> 
> My travels alone have documented such facts.




Tell us about your travels. Considering a country such as Sweden which appriciates hockey, Montreal is one of the least known teams, I would find it odd that other countries would have it well known.


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## obskyr

Acallabeth said:


> Pittsburgh is the most popular team in Russia even with good old Red Wings memories and recent Washington hype.
> Philadelphia is also widely loved (as much as it's possible in Russia of course).



All three teams are pretty close, it's really hard to say. But the Wings sure have more older fans.

The number of the Flyers fans on the Runet is quite bizarre indeed, I just don't get it.


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## General Zodd

Oxenstierna said:


> ...Canada gets zip, zero, nada, 0 spotlight time in Sweden - if it's ever mentioned its something about Toronto because of Sundin/Salming. Has Ottawa been mentioned at all during the last 500 years?




LOL. I don't mean to be rude and I like Sweden a lot but it would seem that you'd be in for a real shock when I tell you that it would almost identical here in Canada. Sweden gets absolutely ZERO coverage of anything whatsoever in this country. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything remotely close the word Sweden mentioned or published in any media-outlet here. You're a tiny country which sadly bears no news-relevance here in Canada.


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## Ilves Tampere

While working at South America for 14 years:

Most popular teams: 
1--> Red Wings/Habs/Rangers
2--> Pens/ Avalanche / Stars
3--> Ducks (talk to them, clearly we can see they like the team because the old logo / the disney movie, don't have any knowledge...

Surprisingly the Stars and Wings fans new a lot about the sport, their traditions and past players. One started to talk about Slava Kozlov and didn't stopped till I walked away.


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## ToewsGretzky*

I think you could add Canada in this discussion, sure we have our own NHL teams but for the areas without, there are many Penguins fans in Nova Scotia for example because of Crosby, loads of Bruins fans in the Maritimes too along with Leafs and Habs fans. Other than that the most popular NHL teams in Canada apart from our own would be the rest of the American original 6 teams.


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## Dosing

St.louis getting alot of love in swedish media atm. No suprise, after all they do have the new sundin 

Plus, swedish colors! 

pretty pretty


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## Jonimaus

Dosing said:


> St.louis getting alot of love in swedish media atm. No suprise, after all they do have the new sundin
> 
> Plus, swedish colors!
> 
> pretty pretty




It does? Where?


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## Dosing

Jonimaus said:


> It does? Where?




SVT, tv4, expressen and a few days ago i believe DN had something.


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## Devils Army

Czech Republic has to be Devils right now, we basically have all the top Czech players


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## DrunkElkCZ

Devils Army said:


> Czech Republic has to be Devils right now, we basically have all the top Czech players




NJ Devils was always very popular team in the Czech Rep. from what I know. Along with Colorado and Pittsburgh


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## Toffu

In Sweden, Detroit? In Norway, Rangers?


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## mattihp

I see at least as many Vancouver caps and Toronto jerseys as I see Detroit merch in sweden.


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## doug88

In the french part of Switzerland, almost everybody is rooting for the Habs (something like 20 people in my family) because I guess they feel like they're a small part of the country that speaks french just like in Montreal. Otherwise in the german-speaking part, I'm not even sure they know NHL exists maybe they do in Zurich.. Medias tend to focus on the NLA and don't pay attention to what's happening elsewhere.


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## Rekin

In Poland NHL in itself isn't really popular even among hockey fans, so there hardly is such a thing. Although Mariusz Czerkawski is a national celebrity and many people know Wojtek Wolski, no one could name any of their NHL teams.


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## SashaSemin28

England - One of Toronto or Vancouver.


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## DrewUKisles

Propane Nightmares said:


> I've never seen an Islanders jersey, ever  Leafs was one I forgot to mention





there are a few of us lurking  know of at least 2 other isles fans who are sporting NYI shirts/jerseys at the capital FM arena regularly watching the panthers...

theres apparantly a few NYI fans up in sheffield too? from what their fans have told me anyway..


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## Phil Parent

doug88 said:


> In the french part of Switzerland, almost everybody is rooting for the Habs (something like 20 people in my family) because I guess they feel like they're a small part of the country that speaks french just like in Montreal. Otherwise in the german-speaking part, I'm not even sure they know NHL exists maybe they do in Zurich.. Medias tend to focus on the NLA and don't pay attention to what's happening elsewhere.




I would be thinking the Habs would be popular in the german part too, if only because they gave Mark Streit his shot at the bigs.


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## The Noot

doug88 said:


> In the french part of Switzerland, almost everybody is rooting for the Habs (something like 20 people in my family) because I guess they feel like they're a small part of the country that speaks french just like in Montreal. *Otherwise in the german-speaking part, I'm not even sure they know NHL exists maybe they do in Zurich.. Medias tend to focus on the NLA and don't pay attention to what's happening elsewhere.*




That's so ridiculously misinformed I don't even know why I'm responding to this.

NHL hockey is pretty big in both Zurich and GraubÃ¼nden, the two cantons I actually can judge.

The general trend is always that people follow the players more than the teams themselves. I know a lot of dedicated NHL fans in both cantons though.


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## alex716

I cheer on my national team, but that's it. When they put on the swedish jersey, they represent me, but otherwise, I don't care where they're from. If you're cheering on a team because they have a player from your country, then you're not a real fan.
If you end up sticking with the team, then it's different.


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## Jakub1904

alex716 said:


> I cheer on my national team, but that's it. When they put on the swedish jersey, they represent me, but otherwise, I don't care where they're from. If you're cheering on a team because they have a player from your country, then you're not a real fan.
> If you end up sticking with the team, then it's different.




Why wouldnÂ´t I be a real fan? I am a fan of Chicago Blackhawks and Slovan Bratislava, just as I am a fan of Slovak national team. I cheer for every Slovak player on any team, if he isnÂ´t playing against one of my teams.


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## Jonimaus

I enjoy it when the swedish players in other teams (I've been cheering for the rangers since my parents got me a rangers poster when I was like 6) play good because it means hopefully they'll be good later in the national team. Couldn't give less of a crap if Detroit or Vancouver wins the cup.


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## Exarz

I cheer for the Habs because I really like Quebec and the French language, plus the team has a rich history.

I also cheer for the Flyers because that was the first NHL-team I saw live and my favourite Swedish goalie of all time, Pelle Lindbergh, played for the Flyers.


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## jason9090spezza

I saw a Kings jersey, Bruins jersey, and the Leafs jersey in Tokyo before.

There was a famous drama in Japan years ago that was about ice hockey, and the main character got drafted by the Canucks.

And thats about it lol. In Japan, its baseball and soccer. Some older ages like to watch sumo and golf. Japan sucks at basketball but is popular in juniors, which is very weird IMO.

I can't see any Japanese (or asians) coming to NHL any time soon. There was a news that somebody from Japan got drafted in the KHL, so there are the minorities in northern regions that are still playing.

Yutaka Fukufuji is still playing in Tokyo I believe. Was in a CM few years ago.


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## mattihp

jason9090spezza said:


> There was a famous drama in Japan years ago that was about ice hockey, and the main character got drafted by the Canucks.




Are you talking about... PRIDE?


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## Habs76

DrunkElkCZ said:


> Agree, I think that most people from Czech Republic tend to be a fan of a team where some Czech player/s play.
> It is a bit bitter for me as a Leafs fan but at least I can choose a team I'll be cheering for in the Playoffs since early 2000's.
> This year its of course Flyers but I think I would be cheering for them anyway cause I really like those players there.




MTL has 2 Czechs

Jiri Sekac
Tomas Plekanec


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## DougieSmash

Montreal in Bulgaria.


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## welshrangersfan

doug88 said:


> In the french part of Switzerland, almost everybody is rooting for the Habs (something like 20 people in my family) because I guess they feel like they're a small part of the country that speaks french just like in Montreal. Otherwise in the german-speaking part, I'm not even sure they know NHL exists maybe they do in Zurich.. Medias tend to focus on the NLA and don't pay attention to what's happening elsewhere.




I was sat in Zurich train station about a month ago and was surprised at the amount of hockey gear I saw people wearing. Saw multiple New York Rangers hats/t shirts, multiple Blackhawks hats, and even a guy in an Oilers hoodie.


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## aonb

Penguins in Poland.. bleh

Blackhawks optionally


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## doug88

welshrangersfan said:


> I was sat in Zurich train station about a month ago and was surprised at the amount of hockey gear I saw people wearing. Saw multiple New York Rangers hats/t shirts, multiple Blackhawks hats, and even a guy in an Oilers hoodie.




Ya, in Geneva it isn't rare to see people wearing NHL stuff. Yesterday there was a dude wearing a Gaborik jersey on the bus. What kind of person wears a jersey on the streets


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## Hammer15

In Denmark i think it's Islanders. Frans Nielsen became the first Danish NHL-player some years ago, and got a lot of media-attention. Many Danish hockey fans didnt follow the NHL untill Nielsen became a key player for the Islanders, and then they started to follow that team.

Pittsburg, Detroit and Rangers are very popular aswell.


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## NICKtheGREEK

There definitely isn't a big hockey community in Greece, mostly Canadians who moved back to Greece. The people who are fans, or know something about the game, all seem to worship Chris Chelios as some kind of Greek hockey God. So most of the fans root for either Montreal, Detroit, Chicago because of Chelios. Those cities have a big Greek Canadian/American presence, so that is a factor. Ive even seen Maple Leafs paraphernalia in a photo printing shop in Karpathos, Greece.


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## legionista

aonb said:


> Penguins in Poland.. bleh
> 
> Blackhawks optionally




Agree with mostly Penguin fans in Poland, not sure why. Krzysztof Oliwa had a short stint in Pittsburgh, but I don't think that's really why. 

I would also add Islanders (Czerkawski), Devils, Hawks, and Leafs. Common denominator being a large Polish community in each of those cities.


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## jka*

Penguins and Caps for Russia. But soon history in Caps theres "Ovie" playing. And he go to KHL before next Olympics. Dynamo Moscow are right destany.


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## Hemsky001

Wherever Jagr is. For Czechs.


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## Hyzer

Believe it or not, Australians really love the Canucks


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## bobbeaver

Colorado for Croatians lol. Joe Sakic GM and Borna Rendulic first Croatian born NHLer.


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## PrimroseandBlue

Totally unscientific, but down my local rink (Basingstoke), the most popular jerseys in the crowd are almost all Leafs or Habs. But when I play, it seems to be Kings, Penguins, and Bruins. I'm keeping up the good fight in my Nordiques jersey.


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