how many BL fans also watch/follow NHL?

[afgrijselijkheid]

just wondering how many check out the NHL... i know it's on the premiere sport package - if so, is it mainly for german players (hecht, etc.) or have you come to pull for a certain team?

[F96]

I love the NHL. I check the scores every day and have about 100 hockey sites bockmarked!

I am a far bigger hockey than soccer fan.
It's just that soccer is so popular here that makes me a fan, it's more like patriotism for my city when 96 plays or for my country when Germany plays.

I have always loved hockey, for almost 9 years I am a season ticket holder for my local hockey team.

I would love hockey to be the number one sport in this country but unfortunately it won't ever happen.

I should move to Canada.
Thank god I have a friend in Toronto who I will visit next year, he is good friends wit Tucker and Stajan.

But that doesn't mean I like the Leafs, never;)

Of course I want the German players to be successful so I root for San José, Buffalo and the Flyers when they are in the lineup.

I also like Vancouver and Calgary, all the clubs from Canada (exept the Leafs) and the teams from those cities where hockey is big like Boston, Minnessota. I also kinda like the Kings and root for the Thrasher(I'm sure after the Snyder tragedy a lot of people want them to have success).

It's sad that Seidenberg broke his leg just as he was getting back into the team, I don't like the Flyers that much, hope they don't do so well without Dennis in the lineup for the rest of the season!

I want Näslund to be the first European captain to lead his team to a stanley cup!

[afgrijselijkheid]

i wish the BLUES did not trade hecht, he was a good player for us (of course we had to in order to get doug weight)

[Catfish]

Got into hockey and the NHL back in 93...lots of people in my dorm were huge NHL fans. We had people from Detroit, St. Louis, Toronto, and Chicago. So I just paid attention and it grew on me. My former nextdoor neighbor for the past 2 years was a Canadian from B.C., BIG Canucks and Montreal fan. We used to watch lots of NHL games and drink lots of LaBatt Blue....YUMMY!

I love the Blackhawks, but we SUCK! Our our owner (Wirtz) is evil.... he NEVER televises the home games on TV and the away games are only on cable. And to make things worse, the Hawks are the most expensive sporting event in Chicago, they don't spend any $$$$ on the team, AND they have sucked for over 10 years!!! ARGH!

BTW, I like Oleg Kolzig.

[F96]

But have have Ruutu now!

Okay, he's not really tearing it up right now but I think he will be a very special player when he's back to normal form.

He always plays physical and is a nice guy!

[olafgb]

I check the scores every morning, but for me hockey is clear no.2 behind soccer.

I’m mainly focusing on what the Germans are doing (Caps and Isles additionally to the franchises HannoverGirl listed), otherwise there are some teams I like in general (Vancouver, Ottawa, San Jose, St Louis) and others I don’t like (Detroit, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia without Seidenberg), but it’s not going so far that I could name a real favourite team.

Didn’t even know about Seidenberg breaking his leg, just saw that he didn’t play in the last games despite of not being sent back to the Phantoms.

Hecht is really astonishing this season. He has an awful shot% (5.0), but good assists (17 in 30 games) and +/- (team high +11) since he returned from injury. He wasn’t exactly happy when he had to leave St Louis as he felt comfortable there. I guess Seidenberg and Schubert (Sens’ farm team) wouldn’t mind a trade…


@HannoverGirl: are you rooting for the Scorpions or the Indians?

[CanuckFan]

It's in my blood. I can't say that I am overly impressed with the NHL over the last 10-15 years but certainly grew up as a big hockey fan. I actually saw the Montreal Canadien Oldtimers play IN GERMANY in 1967 at the current home of the EHC Zweibruecken Hornets and also played against the Toronto Maple Leaf Oldtimers as a teenager in 1971 in Lahr (Schwarzwald).
I also keep an eye on the young German players coming up.

[wolfsburgh]

Having grown up in Philadelphia, I'm a Flyers fan, but it's a hard life rooting for that team (two words: Bobby Clarke; two more words: ineptitude personified; nine more words: Ed Snyder/Comcast, wake up and smell the coffee), and I can certainly appreciate the fact that people dislike the team immensely. Living now in Pittsburgh, I follow the Pens, too, but they are truly a wretched hockey team. Olaf, why don't you like the Pens? Given their commitment since the late 1980s, save for this year, to playing offensive hockey (offensive in a good way, as opposed to the offensive hockey they've played this year :) ), I would think they'd be a fan favorite. Oh, and for the Blackhawks fan among us, they have the best sweaters in the league, IMHO.

[F96]

Originally posted by olafgb

@HannoverGirl: are you rooting for the Scorpions or the Indians?

Scorpions, but only because I grew up in the Wedemark, where hockey is really huge.
I already watched Wedemark games when they weren't in the DEL.
Those were the best times!

The situation right now is certainly difficult
I think people from Hannover should support the Indians because they are Hannover's team but of course the Scorpions are forced to play in Hannover otherwise they have to go back playing Bundesliga (which I wouldn't mind).
I don't like the Preussag Arena, I call it a "Leichenhalle", absolutely no atmosphere, haven't been there this season.

I believe that Hannover is not abe to support two hockey teams, one team is going to fold, I'm not sure which one.

[olafgb]

Actually I like the Scorpions, but without Preussag Arena I don't think they'll have a future. The arena situation is really awful in DEL. Köln Arena and Color Line Arena are the best arenas by far and Preussag Arena - although not having the best atmosphere - is already the third best IMO. Some are upgrading their old stadiums but to ridiculous sizes. For competitive hockey the league (as all indoor sports) need better arenas, but it's a dead topic in most cities.

[Alex_K]

(Ice) Hockey is probably my second favorite sport (Go Eislöwen Braunschweig !), but this doesn't say much as i don't follow it very closely.

I kinda liked the Scorpions (before they put Hannover into their name of course ;)).

[aloisius]

Why isn’t there a genuine European hockey competition? I read somewhere that it could be started in 2005 with the participation of teams from all the top leagues. Anyone know something about this?

[olafgb]

Originally posted by wolfsburgh
Living now in Pittsburgh, I follow the Pens, too, but they are truly a wretched hockey team. Olaf, why don't you like the Pens?

Can't give you a real answer. Maybe it's because of the odd arena, the yellow-black dress combination... no clue, there's just no sympathy. This could change though, if I watched games daily.


Didn't hear about an European League. There's an European competition next to the national leagues, but that's pretty ridiculous.


Kölzig today announced in "Die Welt" that he'll probably be back with Team Germany at the World Championships and the World Cup this year.

[F96]

Originally posted by olafgb
Kölzig today announced in "Die Welt" that he'll probably be back with Team Germany at the World Championships and the World Cup this year.

Wow, that's definitly a surprise for me!
He's such a nice guy, many German hockey fans were kind of mad at him cause he always had an excuse not to be part of the team but I think he was right and just very diplomatic.

When I watched an interview with him a few years ago I was surprised how good his German is!

Btw, now that Philly has Markov I think it's almost impossible for Seidenberg to get back into the team when everyone is healthy again.

[wolfsburgh]

Originally posted by Hannover96Girl
Btw, now that Philly has Markov I think it's almost impossible for Seidenberg to get back into the team when everyone is healthy again.

Seidenberg, as I understand it, is out for the season, so Markov's acquisition has no affect on him in the coming months. At the end of this season, Therien (32 years old) and Weinrich (37) are out of contract. The speculation in Philly is that Markov, aside from being viewed as a stop-gap measure for this season, is being viewed as a long-term replacement for Therien or Weinrich or both beginning next season. While I don't profess to know about Seidenberg's status for next season, the acquisition of Markov should not have a significant affect on his chances for next season (if there is a next seasonin the NHL).

[CyphaPSU]

Originally posted by Hannover96Girl

Of course I want the German players to be successful so I root for San José, Buffalo and the Flyers when they are in the lineup.


It's sad that Seidenberg broke his leg just as he was getting back into the team, I don't like the Flyers that much, hope they don't do so well without Dennis in the lineup for the rest of the season!



I'm a big Flyers supporter since they are my local club. I was saddened when I found out that Seidenberg broke his leg...that kid has potential. The only thing is that he's spent most of the season with the Philadelphia Phantoms (the Flyers' top minor league team--or "reserve" team).

I was excited last year when I found out the Flyers signed the German Olympic player. It's great to see German players in the league...I believe someday Germany will become a pretty good hockey nation at the international level.

Now, why do you dislike the Flyers in general!?!? They have German colors, haha. At least you don't like the Leafs....

[F96]

Originally posted by CyphaPSU

Now, why do you dislike the Flyers in general!?!? They have German colors, haha. At least you don't like the Leafs....

I don't know, I have no idea!

Since I live in Germany I have no deep sympathies for any team, it can change daily, right now I like the flyers more because of Markov, I think he is a great player but I don't want them to succeed without Seidenberg because that would mean that they don't need him.

I even kind of like the philly attitude, the broadstreetbullies, old time hockey (well I know the current team is rather soft) but it' funny for an outsider like me to see them find new ways of losing each year and reading the message boards after losses.

And one team I really don't like even though I like Brenden Morrow is the Dallas Stars, hope they don't make the playoffs.

[Mattbro]

Hockey used to be my favorite sport. I was a big fan of the Quebec Nordiques, which was the closest team to where I grew up in Maine. Anyway, you all know what happened to the Nordiques. I was unable to develop any affection for the Colorado Avalanche, so I embraced the Hartford Whalers as my new team - only to be dealt another cruel blow by fate! That's when I said fukc it and lost interest in the NHL. That same year I moved to Europe anyway and became a full-time fan of soccer, which had been my second-favorite sport until then.

I have a passing interest in the DEL and actually went to quite a few Kölner Haie games when I lived in Leverkusen.

[CyphaPSU]

Originally posted by Hannover96Girl

but it' funny for an outsider like me to see them find new ways of losing each year and reading the message boards after losses.


Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Please don't remind me of their playoff woes...

(By the way, that statement also describes all of Philadelphia's major sports teams) :(

[nyrmetros]

New York Rangers for life !

Any German Rangers fans here>?

Is there a german NYR supporters club ?