As you peer through the list, you may think, what? No San Jose? No Anaheim? No Dallas? Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think you can really be a hockey fan and want to live in a city where there is no such thing as winter, hence, the cities below, do have winter and great hockey to watch.
10. New York City
There are practically three NHL teams in the city with the Rangers (who made the playoffs), the Islanders (who did not), and the New Jersey Devils (who did, as well). I mean the Devils play in Newark, which is a whole 10 miles away. The New York Football Giants and the Jets don't even play in New York State, they're in East Rutherford, NJ, so not much difference between cheering for the Devils or the Giants. So, however unlikely it seems, New York City would be a good place for a winter hockey vacation.
9. Calgary
The Flames had a good year this year and if Miikka Kiprusoff can keep up the good work in net, and Jarome Iginla puts up the numbers he did this past year (50 goals, 48 assists, and 9 game-winners), the Flames are going to be a great team for many years to come.
8. Montreal
While the Canadiens blew it this season, there is a rich tradition in Montreal that exists very few places in other NHL cities. Very few of those other cities are in as good of shape currently as Montreal. With the veteran presence of Alex Kovalev and the up-and-coming talent of Tomas Plekanec, the Canadiens could put on a pretty good show in the next few years.
7. Denver
The Avalanche are an exciting team to watch. With wile veterans like Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic, the Avs always have a chance to win and there is a very extensive fan base rocking the Pepsi Center every night they get the chance. Denver is also home to Denver Pioneers hockey, who were third in the WCHA this season. The WCHA regular season champion, the Colorado College Tigers, are located in Colorado Springs, just south of Denver. Two great college hockey programs and a solid NHL team put Denver at number seven.
6. Buffalo
The Outdoor Hockey Classic would be enough to put Buffalo in the top 10. But people in Buffalo are not just Sabres fans. They are hockey fans. I saw a report that showed in last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Buffalo area gave the game higher ratings than either network that was in the game (Anaheim and Ottawa). That is just ridiculous. There must be some amazing hockey bar scenes perhaps worth a look in Buffalo.
5. Boston
While there is so much noise about the Patriots, the Red Sox, and the Celtics, the Bruins get lost a bit in there. They're a good hockey team who unfortunately gets ignored by the over-stimulated Boston sports fans. Also, Boston College won the NCAA men's hockey championship this year, so there's a lot of goodness going on in Boston. Since all the other sports fans are distracted by baseball, football, and basketball, it should be easy for hockey fans to enjoy their successful hockey programs with like-minded hockey fanatics.
4. Detroit
I think the Penguins will top the Red Wings this season, but the Wings have been consistently amazing for the past 15 seasons. They're in the playoffs and often favored to win it all, and have in 2001-02, 1997-98, and 1996-97.
The reason "Hockeytown, USA" isn't any higher on this list is due to the city's struggle to sell-out regular season games. While that could be good for hockey fans to see as many games as they want, with a slightly lower demand. A sold-out stadium of hardcore fans is much more enjoyable than a stadium of nearly full, not quite as hardcore fans.
The Red Wings are a great hockey team and the college hockey in the area isn't so bad, either. This past year, both the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans were among the top teams in all of college hockey. While Michigan Tech (a no-name in any other sport) is also a close-by Division I competitor.
3. Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers aren't the NHL's most prized Canadian team, but they are generally contenders in the playoff hunt. What makes Edmonton so great is that they have the best team in the most underrated and virtually unknown college hockey league in the world. The University of Alberta Golden Bears have won the University Cup (awarded to the Canadian Inter-University Sports Hockey Champion) five times in the past 10 years. Every season, this team plays the rookies from the Edmonton Oilers and they won every year from 2001-2005. There is some good hockey to be seen up in Edmonton.
2. Pittsburgh
While I believe the Penguins will go on to win Lord Stanley's Cup, that is not the only reason to be in Pittsburgh as a hockey fan. Sidney Crosby could very well be the NHL's savior.
In April SC's Sean Crowe wrote an article entitled "Why the NHL is Dead" in which he rates hockey as number six among sports that the average sports fan will watch — after NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, and the PGA. I do not disagree with Crowe on this point. The average sports fan is missing out on the gloriousness that is hockey and one can only hope the Crosby will be a path to show a new generation how amazing hockey is.
I know hockey fans know how amazing Crosby is. When I wanted to get tickets for the Penguins at Wild game in October, prices on Craigslist were triple or more that of any other game. Crosby already is an amazing player and I can only hope that he can lead the NHL out of its poor standing in the minds of the average sports fan, and to be in Pittsburgh to see it would be quite the treat.
1. Saint Paul
While the Wild are not a perennial powerhouse as of yet, they are a team of growing young talent with one of the NHL's most underrated, exciting players in Marian Gaborik. They also have one of the best, if not the best hockey arena in the NHL. The Xcel Energy Center is an absolutely amazing place to watch hockey and the fans know their hockey.
Beyond the NHL, the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey teams have been toward the top of the WCHA for many years. Then there are the other four Minnesota schools in the WCHA who are no slouches themselves (exception: Bemidji), Bemidji State (women's only); University of Minnesota-Duluth; Saint Cloud State; and Minnesota State University, Mankato. So if you grew up in Mankato, Bemidji, Duluth or Saint Cloud, and just happen to live in the Twin Cities, it's very easy to catch a game of your favorite college team.
But what really puts Saint Paul over the top of any other city is the attitude of the whole state toward hockey. Hockey is not just a professional sport or even a college-pro tandem. Hockey is a way of life for many Minnesotans and it starts at a very young age. In 2006, the Minnesota State high school boys' hockey tournament averaged over 18,000 fans per contest, all but selling out the Xcel Energy Center. That type of commitment to and passion for hockey is not found anywhere else. Minnesota truly is the "State of Hockey" and Saint Paul is where the action is at its best.
May 27, 2008
Dave:
Michigan Tech a “close by” D-I competitor to Detrout? It’s only 558 miles from Joe Louis Arena to Michigan Tech’s John J MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Alabama-Huntsville is only 90 miles further from Detroit than Houghton is. In fact there are more than a dozen closer teams than the Huskies, including RPI, Robert Morris, Wisconsin and Mercyhurst.
May 27, 2008
Gil Gamesh:
Good call on those Penguins winning the Cup.
As for Wings fans apparent weak support of the team during the regular season, ever consider that maybe it’s because they’re spoiled by all the playoff appearances? Who goes as nuts as they do during the postseason and the ensuing celebration, octopi and all?
Then when you rate M-SP so far over Detroit, your credibility disintegrates altogether. Care to share where your bias comes from?
Nice try, though.
May 27, 2008
Andrew Jones:
Because a team makes the playoffs so often, their fans are desensitized so they don’t buy regular season tickets. I did consider that, and I find it to be a lazy excuse. I am a hockey fan, whether my team makes the playoffs or not. It doesn’t sound like the Red Wings will have a fan base if they don’t make the playoffs. That makes it a worse place to live than Saint Paul to me.
As a hockey fan, I’d much rather have a base strong enough to fill the arena every night.
When the state of Michigan packs in 18,000 + fans into the Joe Louis Arena for high school hockey instead of the puny Compuware Arena, then you can talk about a city where hockey fans should live.
May 28, 2008
Dave:
I’m from Michigan. I’m a Wings fan. But I’ve gotta agree on Detroit’s drop in the rankings. Detroit used to be “Hockeytown.” But you can’t call yourself Hockeytown if playoff tickets are easy to get, and you can’t put up a decent crowd for the CCHA tourney, even with the likes of Michigan and Notre Dame playing. As for the high school part, what they do in St Paul is simply amazing. Now add to that the number of places you can go for food and drink within walking distance of the Xcel before and after the game, and the condition of the arena itself, and the hockey fan experience in St Paul beats Detroit by a long shot. And to top it off, it’s 190 miles closer to Michigan Tech than Detroit is!
May 28, 2008
exileondaytonstreet:
If you had to choose an American city to be #1, you chose the right one. In my eyes, Boston and Buffalo are the only other ones you could seriously consider to be close to the top.
But having only three Canadian cities? NONE in Ontario? The amazing hockey culture that exists in the Twin Cities rightfully puts it in the upper tier… but why not throw Canadian cities that high for the same reason? Shoot, one might think that Toronto and Montreal would be top 3 no sweat based on culture alone.
With all due respect to NYC, the Devils and the Islanders are consistently among the poorest attended teams in the NHL, regardless of performance. The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team has gotten better attendance than the Islanders two of the last three seasons (in a smaller building) There are towns with only college or junior teams (Grand Forks ND, Madison WI, Durham NH, Orono ME, London ON, Peterborough ON, Hamilton ON, Halifax NX, Quebec City QC, Rimouski, QC) that are more deserving.
May 30, 2008
Reg Dunlop:
So Mr Jones, just how close to Detroit is Michigan Tech? By my calculations, if you drive from Tech to Alabama Huntsville through Detroit, Detroit is about the halfway point.
May 31, 2008
reg:
What I see here is someone who has no clue trying to write about hockey. Andrew, please defend yourself against your lack of knowledge of hockey geography,
July 16, 2008
RedWingsDynasty:
Reg Dunlop, my sister goes to Michigan Tech. Michigan Tech is an 11 hour drive (averaging 85 mph for the better part of the drive) from my house which is a half hour North of the Joe Lou.
Pittsburgh #2? Are you serious? Where did all these fans come from…Cindy Crosby’s ass? I didn’t see any support between 1994 and 2007. What other hockey do they have besides the Penguins? What kind of high school prep, junior, college and minor hockey do they have in Pittsburgh? There are more hockey fans, college, minor, high school, and pro alike, in metropolitan Detroit than there are residents in Pittsburgh.
September 27, 2008
MikeC:
Montreal #8? No Toronto? Worst list ever.
December 18, 2008
pucknut:
I’m a Wild fan but well I’m disappointed that you didn’t put Montreal in first place cuz that’s what the NHL players would have picked if there was a poll - actually there was a poll in which NHL players were to vote for the best hockey city (WITHOUT voting for the city where they play in) and Montreal came out on top with 35% of the vote… Minnesota was a distant second with 13%.
March 31, 2009
Mark:
pittsburgh shouldnt even be on this list, they are the biggest bandwagon city in the nhl. by the way, where are the GOOD hockey cities?
toronto?
philadelphia?
vancouver?
terrible list man
December 18, 2009
scott williams:
this is total bull, i have no problem with this list here, these r all great hockey cities, but #1 goes to toronto and im not saying this cuz im a leafs fan. im saying this bcuz; u know u deserve the #1 spot when u have sold out ur old building for every single game from march of 1948 until it closed, and then when u move into a new building, u keep selling out every game u have been their. may i repeat toronto has sold out every single game for the past 61 years. and also they have the 2nd most cups…if i were the dumbass who created this list, i would put it (from #1 to #10): toronto, montreal, detroit, boston, new york, chicago, calgary, philadelphia, pittsburgh, and either st paul or vancouver
April 22, 2010
Flim Flam:
I am glad Boston made this list from the outside it may seem we do not care about the Bruins but with the amount of hockey players that live in New England people love the bruins and the BC eagles hockey. Even now when the bruins are an ok team. Also i was at a playoff game last night and it was soo loud and crowded this list should have Toronto and not pittsburgh. Who liked hockey in Pennslyvania before the penguins were good. Philidelphia isnt a hockey town either.
November 21, 2010
Michael Mamzic:
@Flim Flam:
Philadelphia isn’t a hockey town? hahahaha.
Player survey reveals Philadelphia is the toughest place to play. We flipped over a Canadians reporter’s car over during the playoffs. We have a fan who fought Ti Domi in the box, and we are most knowledgeable about the game. Flyers fans are easily the best fans. no no Philadelphia is the best sports city in the USA. If you don’t believe that live here for a year.
May 4, 2011
Carlos Rado:
I’ve lived in Vancouver, Edmonton and San Jose and been to Winnipeg, Calgary and Los Angeles many times. So far it seems like Edmonton has lost faith in their team - I see most of my friends there watching the NBA now. Calgary definitely should make the list but NOT before Vancouver. It seems like in San Jose people like the Sharks because its something that represents them as a city but not so much due to the sport itself.
I can’t say so much for the Eastern team’s besides that I know for a fact Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Montreal in my eyes have a huge fan base throughout the entire continent (I’ve seen many fans in Vancouver). Toronto is known to be one of the hardest teams to get tickets to see - regardless of how bad the team can be.
For Ottawa Senator fan’s I can say you are all very genuine, I’ve have yet to meet a bandwagoning Sen’s fan - good for you guys.
Phoenix - what a joke. Go back to Winnipeg - they got more people and a new stadium there…oh and snow, lots of it.
LA and Anaheim: considering that one million Canadian immigrants live in Los Angeles, and your cute Mighty Ducks movie. You got some loyals down there too, but most of them from there would focus more on the Dodgers or a Lakers game for sure.
As for my hometown, shit. Vancouver is one buck wild city. Please comment about your hometown and tell me that after just the first round of playoffs you have thousands of people crowding the streets miles throughout the city setting off fireworks. Tell me that your city had a major riot when your team made it to the Stanley Cup. I’m in San Jose right now laughing at these Sharks fan when they claim to be the biggest fans while they’re watching a Golden State Warriors game recap when their hockey team is playing.
June 17, 2011
jordan:
Toronto is easily the hockey capital of the world. The best minor hockey programs for aaa hockey are located there where these players are drafted into the highest caliber of junior hockey (OHL) Toronto has the biggest market for NHL hokcey teams… Ticket prices are rediculous because of the demand for them. The maple leaf network owns basically everything in Toronto for you not even mentioning them really bothers me… This list actually pissed me off….