If the Blues were to move...

[dmiles2186]

...what would you do?

All of this stuff going on with the Rams makes me wonder how I would react if the Blues were to move. The NHL is a more regional sport than the NFL. It's easier to follow your favorite football team if they move, it would appear.

I say that knowing there are some people on here halfway across the country and some halfway across the world. Clearly there's a dedication it takes to do so.

On the other hand, even if you don't mind the dedication required to follow elsewhere, would ownership ripping them out of it's home market bother you too much to stick with them? That's more of a question for those of us around here, I'd say.

Would you stick with the Blues wherever they go?

Would you pick a new team to follow?

Would you quit watching hockey all together?

[glen a richter]

As an out of town fan, I wouldn't really be affected if the Blues moved to Timbuktu, Saskatoon or Seattle. I've been to exactly one Blues home game in my entire life and for the forseeable future until my kids are old enough to care I probably won't be going again. So no matter where they moved, I'd remain a Blues fan. I'd imagine everyone here would be loyal enough to do the same until at least whenever another team replaced them.

The closest I could ever conceivably have to this problem would be if the Mets were to move which I highly, highly doubt would ever happen. In that event, I'm sure I'd stay a fan. In baseball it's a bit different for me because while the Mets are my team, I also have an AL team (Houston) who I've followed closely since the days of the Killer B's. I don't really have an Eastern Conference team in the NHL. I liked Florida when they first started out because I was a big Dave Lowry fan, but these days I'm lukewarm, at best, on all the EC teams.

[goon attack]

I'd probably just quit watching hockey. Not kidding.

[Fradi]

As an out of continent fan, i'd say it depends on what other changes are made to the identity of the club.

[cprice12]

It's hard to say exactly how I would react.
Everyone is different, but here is how it is for me...or at least this is how I think it might go...
I am a St. Louis fan. I'm not just rooting for the team, I am rooting for the city. It's our team...that's a huge part of it.
I'd have a hard time rooting for another city's team like I root for the Blues because the team would no longer be our team.

If the franchise were to move and also change names, I think the team will have lost it's identity for me. They aren't in St. Louis and they aren't the Blues... and then if we get a new team that is again called the Blues...then what?

I don't like this topic.

[glen a richter]

It would be interesting to hear from fans who've actually lost their teams before. How do Quebecers feel about the Avalanche, how do Hartfordians feel about the Hurricanes? I'd be curious how many Coyotes fans there were in Winnipeg before they got the Jets back, and how many Jets and Flames fans live in Atlanta.

[theohall]

Growing up following the NFL St Louis Cardinals, I've been through this with an NFL team. Also been around for the multiple times Blues owners were selling the team and suitors from Canada came calling.

When the Cardinals moved, I followed the KC Chiefs until the Rams moved to St Louis. If the Rams move, (it's turned into an if with Kroenke buying 200 acres in Earth City), I'd follow the Jaguars since I'm in Jacksonville now.

Had the Blues moved, I would have probably followed Montreal. Always liked them as a kid. If the Blues were to move now, I'd probably follow the Lightning until St Louis re-acquired a team.

It's more about supporting the St Louis team, having been born and raised there.

[dmiles2186]

I'm like Curt, I'm a St. Louis fan through and through (though, since there is no NBA team, I've sort of started following the Pacers. They're the same distance to the East as STL is to the West for me). The reason I brought this topic up is because, if I had to pick another team to root for if the Blues moved, it would probably be the Sabres.

They're very similar to the Blues, no Cups, similar color scheme, and die hard fans. It would depend where the Blues ended up and how the break was made, though. If STL didn't step up to the plate (like they didn't w/ the football Cardinals), I can't fault the team for leaving. But if it's the owner being a complete douche (like Senor Stan Kroenke), then I'm not sure I can follow that owner in the new location.

[glen a richter]

If I were forced to pick a different NHL team, under duress, I would probably go with Florida as I followed them from their start in the league up until their rapid demise. I also think they're going to start trending in the right direction with some of the player personnel they have. But I don't know, I'm so vested in my dedication to the Blues, it's the reason I don't play fantasy hockey. I could never imagine rooting for a guy on any other team under any circumstance. Do I know having Patrick Kane or Henrik Lundqvist on my team would help me win a fantasy league? Absolutely. Would I be happy when they performed well? No way.

[cprice12]

If I was forced to root for another team...man, that's hard. I have spent my entire life building up hate or severe dislike for other organizations for one reason or another.

Buffalo is a good one. They have a rich history...love the logo and the color scheme.

I want to say I would like the Lightning, but I'm just not feeling it there.

Maybe the Oilers?

I always find myself rooting for the Maple Leafs for some reason...maybe because I feel sorry for them. I'd love to live in Toronto and be a Leafs fan with all of their coverage in a hockey crazy city...would be pretty cool.

I used to be a pretty big Bruins fan as my secondary team back in the Bourque and Neely days. But that kind of fell off with my distain for Boston sports over the past 12 years or so.

[dmiles2186]

The Bruins are another good one. As much as I despise Boston sports, I've never hated the Bruins because they play such a similar style.

I think one of the criteria I look at is titles. I'm going through this with the Rams right now where if I 'transfer' my fandom, I want to go to a team with the same (or fewer) titles because I don't want to feel like I've missed out on any history.

It's another reason why Buffalo is a good fit.

And in terms of eliminating teams, most of the Western Conference would be gone because I've despised some of them for so long. Only the Jets and maybe the Coyotes would remain. Possibly the Flames, but they have a Cup.

The East: Obviously the Red Wings, Leafs, Canadiens (too many Cups), Rangers, Devils, Penguins, Flyers...would be gone. I'm sure there are other missing, but that would be how I'd start things off probably.

[glen a richter]

Going on the criteria of the same number of titles, or fewer, that gives us a few teams to pick from. Ignoring specifically which teams we plainly despise, we can pick from Florida, San Jose, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Ottawa, Buffalo, Washington, Columbus, Minnesota and Nashville. A little over a third of the league has never won a Cup.

From that list, my least hated teams are Florida, Ottawa and Buffalo. From a purely "hey, hockey is a Canadian sport!" standpoint I'd pick Ottawa. As a native New Yorker, I may lean towards Buffalo, but again I do have a soft spot for Florida. All the other teams are out.

[Robb_K]

I'm an off-the-continent fan, and have followed The Blues since their start(when I lived in Chicago). I'd stick with The Blues unless they'd move to the desert or subtropics like southern USA. I'm from Winnipeg, and live there about 2 months per year. So, the new Jets would then become my favourite NHL team. I was a an old Jets' fan (despite my leaving Winnipeg before they started. But, I haven't rooted for them in Phoenix. I don't want any team there.

[cardsfan04]

I have no idea what I would do, but I'm sure it would depend on the circumstances. Take what Kroenke's doing, for example. I have a hard time thinking that I will follow the Rams if they move. Part of that is Kroenke being a major asshole. But, the other part is that Rams have only been here 20 years and have sucked for 15 of them.

Blues and Cardinals are different though. If an owner moved one of those 2 teams away, I would never forgive him. They belong in St. Louis and nowhere else. But, I don't think I could stop cheering for either team if they moved. I think I would just be supporting a team whose owner I despise.

There's nothing in sports I want to see more than a Blues Stanley Cup. If they moved and won the next year, I'm sure it would be bittersweet, but I would still be ecstatic that they won. So, I don't think I would move on to a new team.

[glen a richter]

There's nothing in sports I want to see more than a Blues Stanley Cup. If they moved and won the next year, I'm sure it would be bittersweet, but I would still be ecstatic that they won. So, I don't think I would move on to a new team.

Hey, it worked for Quebec/Colorado.

[abc789987]

The only way I would still be a Blues fan if they left St. Louis is if they moved to Indianapolis since I'm only an hour away... Other than that I'd be so pissed off. I might be like goon and not even be a hockey fan... I'd probably cry myself to sleep for a long time

[glen a richter]

Correct me if I'm wrong because I wasn't alive in the 60's (or the 70's for that matter) but didn't the NHL originally want to put a team in Baltimore rather than St. Louis and something fell through that led to the Blues being awarded instead? Of course the geographical void was basically filled later on with the Capitals, so I assume that if St. Louis didn't get a team in 67 then it would have happened in 1974.

[ecbm]

Correct me if I'm wrong because I wasn't alive in the 60's (or the 70's for that matter) but didn't the NHL originally want to put a team in Baltimore rather than St. Louis and something fell through that led to the Blues being awarded instead? Of course the geographical void was basically filled later on with the Capitals, so I assume that if St. Louis didn't get a team in 67 then it would have happened in 1974.

Yes. Wirtz-yeah, that one, Blackhawks owner-owned the Arena and wanted to park a team there. He used his influence to get the team awarded to StL when there were probably a couple of better candidates. Was Baltimore the other city? I never remember that part.

It would be interesting to hear from fans who've actually lost their teams before.

I still despise the Arizona Cardinals and wish for them to fail each and every season. F them.

Anyway, I couldn't replace the Blues with another team. I like the Avalanche, I like the Canadiens and I've developed a soft spot for the Hurricanes because of my Carolinian family's endearing attempts to figure out hockey but it's not at all the same. I'd probably still watch the NHL-unless the process with the move is shady as it looks to be with the Rams-but I'd probably also start watching other hockey (lower leagues, Europe) more. Mainly, I'd be very very sad.

[Kerfuffle]

The problem with following a team after they move is that you may have a conflict later on if your city receives another franchise down the road. Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas so if a Minnesota native followed them then what did they do when Minnesota was awarded another franchise in the Wild. Do you still follow the Dallas Stars at that point or do you follow the Minnesota Wild? I think my allegiance would be tied to the city first.

[Kerfuffle]

I always find myself rooting for the Maple Leafs for some reason...maybe because I feel sorry for them.

Not me - the Maple Leafs have the second highest number of Stanley Cup wins. They could go winless for the next 100 years and still probably hold that position. I also don't feel sorry for Edmonton - they had 5 cups in 7 years and had the Great One on their team. So if never win again I'm fine with it.