Tonight's Picks
BUF 2 DET 0 CAR 0 WSH 2 CBJ 2 MTL 1 EDM 1 DAL 2 OTT 0 FLA 2 SJ 2 CHI 0 VAN 2 LAK 0 WPG 2 NYI 0
Every few years or so I have asked this question.
Who is your second favorite NHL Team?
If I've learned anything from my decade-plus of writing a daily hockey blog it is that Hockey fans are incredibly loyal to one team. There are of course a few people who call themselves "fans of the sport" and say they don't really have a particular team they follow, but those people are generally lying.
Even journalists who cover the game, who are paid to be impartial, have a team they secretly hold closest to their heart. The ones who are TRULY completely void of being a fan have become so jaded by their job that they probably shouldn't be covering a sport. Writing about sports for a living doesn't mean you no longer enjoy what makes sports the great escape they are. In private almost every writer I know will admit they have a team they still pull for. The difference I have found is the more teams you cover the more teams you don't hate. I grew up HATING the Rangers, Islanders, and Devils. Hated them! However, over the years, when you work personally with those organizations, you can't help but meet good people with those teams and you simply can't hate a team once you have friends connected to that team.
So I am a Flyers fan. Sorry to shock you all with that one.
However, my second favorite team growing up was the Montreal Canadiens...for many reasons. I love the whole "Habs" thing. The passing of the torch. The bilingual announcements. The City of Montreal is, in my opinion, the greatest city in the world. I love everything about it.
Beyond the Canadiens I have a soft spot for the San Jose Sharks. My wife, before we were married, lived in Sunnyvale California and I spent a lot of time there during the Teemu Selanne Sharks days. I loved those teams and I loved the teal uniforms...the whole deal.
And then, 12 years ago I fell in love with the Nashville Predators. There is nothing like that team in that city. After seeing a game in Montreal, which still is the gold standard of hockey experiences, the Nashville experience is a close second. And I have been saying that FOREVER. It doesn't hurt that the Preds organization is just the absolute best to deal with. I love the Preds so much that I once spent two days answering phones and helping them sell season tickets when it looked like Jim Balsillie may be attempting a hostile take-over.
So at this point I would have to say the Predators are my second favorite team...with the Habs as 1A.
How about you?
Tell me your favorite team and your second favorite. Why are they your second favorite? Maybe you lived somewhere else, or your father had a favorite... What's your story? I will have a prize for the best story.
Include your favorite team in the comments.
I will be adding the NEW PROJECTED STANDINGS and TONIGHT'S PICKS later on today...
Listen to the HockeyBuzzcast w/@Eklund @sportsology & @MikeInBuffalo on iTunes (https://t.co/yXakLaiyRy) & Tune In (https://t.co/O3Em8BtZ6W)
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) August 2, 2017