New Study Names NHL's Most Aggressive, Kindest Fanbases And Some Results Will Surprise
Going to see your team play on the road is a cool experience, but let's face it, some fan bases are a little more welcoming than others. Well, a new survey has done some research to determine which NHL fanbases are "colder" than others and some of the findings might surprise, while others… well, they won't.
Casino.org surveyed several thousand fans and cooked up a methodology that clearly had a lot of thought put into it, with different actions carrying different weights toward a final score.
Those weighted actions are:
- Participated in physical fights – 25%
- Cheers for injuries – 15%
- Engages in poor behaviors (trash-talking, taunting, etc.) – 15%
- Doesn’t regret poor behaviors – 15%
- Lacks empathy for the opposing team’s loss (I don't know about you but I'd score a big ol' goose egg in this department) – 15%
- High booing frequency – 5%
- Trash-talks on the opposing team’s social media accounts – 5%
- Self-rated sportsmanship ranking – 5%
Hell, yeah. Science.
The methodology checks out to me — especially making fights carry a lot of weight; we've seen plenty of those — so, who came out on top (or at the bottom, depending on how you want to look at it?
Well, here are the 5 teams whose fans were rated "the coldest":
- Chicago Blackhawks - Score: 96.9 (You'd be quick-tempered too with how bad the team is right now)
- Colorado Avalanche - Score: 94.0 (They just won a Cup two years ago, in the words of Ilya Bryzgalov, "Why you heff to be mad?"
- New York Rangers - Score: 82.8 (I've been on the receiving end of this one before, can confirm)
- Carolina Hurricanes - Score 78.6 (Beer sticks and an inability to get the job done in the postseason are a volatile combination)
- Boston Bruins - Score 73.7 (Go to a game at TD Garden and there's a higher than average chance you'll get into an argument with a dude named "Sully")
Alright, so I had a hypothesis that the most aggressive fans would cheer for competitive teams and that mostly checks out, but the grease fire that is the Chicago Blackhawks (Connord Bedard excluded) topping the list makes my hypothesis look foolish.
Other stunners on the list were the Flyers only making the list in the No. 9 spot behind the Los Angeles Kings and ahead of the San Jose Sharks (and I say that as a Flyers fan; I don't think Kings fans throw batteries at people), and the most aggressive Canadian fans belonging to the Montreal Canadiens.
I mean, I can kind of see it with the Habs, but I would've bet the proverbial farm on the Canucks a team that leads all Canadian franchises in rioting.
Casino.org's study found that the Vegas Golden Knights have a top-five fanbase when it comes to kindness. (Photo by Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images)
Other Teams Fans Kill 'Em With Kindness
Now, at the other end of the spectrum, the teams that were at the bottom of this list were deemed "kindest." Those teams are.
- Ottawa Senators - Score: 5.5 (There's a case to be made that it's not kindness, it's apathy)
- New York Islanders - Score: 8.3 (John Tavares likely disagrees with this)
- Washington Capitals - Score 10.6 (This one stunned me from personal experiences)
- Vegas Golden Knights - Score 15.0 (You'd be kind too if you haven't had to face decades of suffering before winning a Cup)
- Detroit Red Wings - Score 18.2 (I'd love to eat some Detroit-style pizza and chuck an octopus onto the ice with these folks)
Congratulations to those teams' fans. If you're a conflict-averse fan wanting to catch your team on the road, maybe check out those arenas.
That was a fun study, and you can see the full list here. Let me know what you think by sending an email to mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com.