Greatest Hockey City

[The Sultan of Swank]

My question to you is, what city do you consider to be the greatest hockey city of all time.

I don't mean by attendance, or who plays for them or how many Cups they've won. I mean by what city is the most hockey mad, which one is a larger part of the team then the players. Things like that.

Sorry about the spelling on the cities, if I got any wrong oops.

So I chose Montreal. In Montreal, everywhere you go downtown, there is something about hockey. Be it the framed team photos in Mr. Steer, or the old Windsor station. Everything in that city breathes Montreal Canadiens. From Decarie hotdog, to the Canadiens merch stores that dot the island.

Montreal > you.

[Ananas]

Toronto. When Vince Carter won the Slam Dunk competition and the Leafs lost their game, it was the Leafs on the front cover of the newspaper. If the Leafs ever win a cup, they'll just stop reporting anything else. The fact that we continue to support our team so strongly despite the constant underperformance is proof that Toronto is the strongest hockey city in the world.

[The Sultan of Swank]

The year Toronto wins another cup is the year I hang myself.

You can quote me. In my lifetime, Toronto will not win another cup. ever.

[apsham]

I will have to go with Montreal also, for the reasons stated. I also feel that it HAS to be a Canadian city.

[DMN in the House]

Los Angeles.

I mean, really... Gretzky... the Miracle on Manchester... the only successful sun belt team that didn't MOVE to its city.

We are the best.

[Clawson]

The year Toronto wins another cup is the year I hang myself.

You can quote me. In my lifetime, Toronto will not win another cup. ever.

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[VerbalPuke]

It's hard to go against Detroit when it's my hometown. Of course this isn't a hasty decision either, as the people in this town are in love with their Red Wings. During the playoffs pretty much every business has some sort of slogan supporting the wings, cars are consistently seen with Red Wings flags hanging on the window, and hell they even dubbed Detroit "Hockey Town" (which would offend me if I was from another city). Yeah, this city is really in love with their Wings, everybody but me of course.

[oldskool]

Toronto.

When you have to make up new rules to try to keep Toronto fans out of Ottawa's arena (I believe they made mandatory food bank donations; as well as not selling tickets over the phone to anyone in Toronto's area code), that's hardcore.

When the Toronto fans show up anyway...yeah. Hockeytown right there.

[CKN]

It's hard to go against Detroit when it's my hometown. Of course this isn't a hasty decision either, as the people in this town are in love with their Red Wings. During the playoffs pretty much every business has some sort of slogan supporting the wings, cars are consistently seen with Red Wings flags hanging on the window, and hell they even dubbed Detroit "Hockey Town" (which would offend me if I was from another city). Yeah, this city is really in love with their Wings, everybody but me of course.

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Edited February 26, 2005 by cn650

[SeanDMan]

Hartford? Fucking Hartford? Yeah Hartford and Quebec are so awesome that their franchises, only years removed from Stanley Cup runs, couldn't draw enough fans to keep a team.

Where is Minnesota? Winnipeg? Anywhere outside of North America? Why is Hart fucking ford up there?

[Lowerdeck]

Hell, Hartford gets average attendance for AHL games. Think about that for a second.

New York ... nah. Only diehards give a shit about the Rangers. And there's not that many.

I'd say Toronto, although I've never been to Montreal or Detroit. Toronto is pretty fuckin obsessive about the Leafs. I went there while last year's playoffs were going on, the city was shut down. I could hear cheering from the street every time the Leafs did something good.

Is it also me, or does the old Maple Leaf Gardens look like a dump?

[oldskool]

Comparing the Gardens to the relatively new ACC isn't really fair...it's a ton older, and it isn't being used anymore. Of course it's going to look like a dump, but damnit it was OUR dump!

[Lowerdeck]

Comparing the Gardens to the relatively new ACC isn't really fair...it's a ton older, and it isn't being used anymore. Of course it's going to look like a dump, but damnit it was OUR dump!

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I'm not going to question that, I honestly know that's the truth.

[Ananas]

I wouldn't call the Gardens a dump. It was better kept than Fenway and Yankee Stadium, but I don't hear people calling those dumps. It was "aged".

[Lowerdeck]

Fenway is really old and needs to get fixed up big time, I'll admit it.

[maddog]

Lincoln, Rhode Island

Okay, first off: I know it doesn't have a professional team but it has a High School team that the city worships. This city follows hockey and if their team loses, they're depressed until the next game.

[SeanDMan]

...let's not talk about bumfuck cities with school teams. There are tons of those.

[Guest Wrestling_Man]

Washington, D.C. is the best hockey town. Even though the Capitals hadn't been around as long as say Toronto or Boston or Montreal, our fans are second to none. C A P S CAPS CAPS CAPS!!

[VerbalPuke]

It's hard to go against Detroit when it's my hometown. Of course this isn't a hasty decision either, as the people in this town are in love with their Red Wings. During the playoffs pretty much every business has some sort of slogan supporting the wings, cars are consistently seen with Red Wings flags hanging on the window, and hell they even dubbed Detroit "Hockey Town" (which would offend me if I was from another city). Yeah, this city is really in love with their Wings, everybody but me of course.

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Is that why when you see a detroit home game on tv you see the whole lower level start to clear out with like 10 minutes to go in the third period?

I will have to say Montreal....the city is pretty hardcore when it comes to hockey. And even though you said not including attendance they keep having the best attendance in all the NHL

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I wouldn't know, I don't watch hockey. This is based on the atmosphere created in the state when the actual season is in progress. Just out of curiosity, how many Wings games have you seen when they were in the Joe? Were the games blow outs?

[Guest sabresfan11]

Toronto

I'm not a fan of the Leafs being from Buffalo but when I got to the games here against the Leafs their fans out number the Sabres fans. Its something they change "lets go buffalo" to "go leafs go" those are hardcore fans.