I take a break from the Rangers' post-mortem (still very painful just to write that) and look ahead to the future to pose the following question:
Will you watch the Stanley Cup Final?
Seems like a simple question, which on the face of it, it is, but it comes with a twist, only because the question is so easy. The purpose of that question is more so due to an emotional attachment rather than just asking the question. It really gets into not if you will watch the Finals as a casual fan or fan of hockey, but gets into the depth of your rooting interest.
Of course, if you are a Blackhawks or Lightning fan, you will watch, because you are emotionally invested. However, that question is geared to the non-Chi and TB fan, especially for example if you are a fan of the Rangers or Ducks. Is the loss to Chi or TB so painful and disheartening, especially coming in a Game 7, win and in scenario, that you can't bear to watch the Finals because it would mean you are seeing another team other than your own in the Finals? For example, for me, I doubt if I watch all of the first few games as the disappointment from losing in the Conference Finals is still so raw. I will tune in here and there only to see what's going on and watch players that I like, for example like Toews and Kane and Keith in Chicago as well as the Triplets and Stamkos and Hedman (yes, I purposely left off the names of the ex-Rangers), but for now, I don't know if I could sit and watch a full game. As the series wears on, especially if it's a good one, like many expect, I may find myself migrating to watching more and more, but my view overall might change once I turn on the game.
What about if you are a fan of one of the teams that lost in either the conference semis or quarters? Would you be more likely to watch since you have had some time to digest your team's absence? Do you have a rooting interest to say you lost to eventual chamipons or does that matter little? Would it matter if your team missed the playoffs completely? If you are a huge fan or hockey, you likely will watch, but if just a casual one, maybe not.
What say you? Does your rooting interest impact whether you will watch the Stanley Cup Final?