Getting into the NHL is tough, I totally get it. Compared to the other major sports leagues in North America, The best way to get long term fans is to allow for fans to get to know players, and in that regard, the NHL probably has the greatest headwinds against it. It doesn't have the same level of exposure as the NFL. The roster size is significantly smaller than the NBA, and there are half as many games (all while competing against other winter sports) as there are in baseball. In soccer, players are running around without headwear masking their identity at all times.
Even the WNBA is an example of the challenge of the NHL in garnering new fans. It's exploding because new fans have been able to watch players develop throughout college before setting foot in the WNBA. The draft and college sports are a big deal in the NBA and football as well. Players are developed through an organized minor league baseball circuit and watched for years in Major League Baseball. In the MLS, at least players are generally from the same country the team plays in. Even Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and CD Montreal are populated mostly by Canadians.
In the NHL, it's almost as if players emerge from the ether. Not only are junior leagues spread across North America, and extremely local but for American teams, almost all of the players are from another country. Unless you are from a hockey hotbed, getting invested in a team takes some time, and some serious effort on the part of the prospective fan,
All this is to say, give the Florida Panthers fans credit. You might say it's easy to be a fan of a team that is now on it's way to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final, but maintaining that level of interest over the full regular season requires real fans, and by one measure, attendance, the Panthers have real fans. They averaged over 18,000 a night in South Florida, a state where they are constantly overshadowed by the Lightning. A lot of us will talk about the Oilers and their stars finally reaching the pinnacle, as an earned event for the fans in Alberta. Give a thought to the Panthers, and their real fans for a moment as well.
Before the season last year, I tapped the Panthers as my pick to win the Eastern Conference. Sure, they ended up making it to the playoffs as the 2nd Wild Card, but they earned their way to a date with Vegas, defeating the juggernaut Bruins, then coasting past Toronto and Carolina. Since the end of that season, the Panthers focused on one thing to get them back to where they are now.
Stability.
Looking at the lines ahead of their series with the Oilers, the biggest additions have been to their depth. The top 5 are all the same, with Evan Rodrigues the only new face in a top 2 forward line. The rest of the new names are in their bottom pairing defensemen, and throughout their checking lines. The players on the posters outside the arena, however, have remained the same.
Well, not quite the same. Now with another season under their belt together, Sam Reinhart has become a 57 goal scoring superstar, while Matthew Tkachuk has seen his burden lifted. His point production has been reduced, but is able to play a more complete game because the offense doesn't necessarily need to flow through him. The Panthers have grown together at the top, and shored up their depth.
The Florida Panthers' steady and committed fan base can appreciate this the most. The players they have gotten to know over the last couple of years are once again able cheer for them on the NHL's biggest stage.
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