As you may have heard, the Washington Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the New York Rangers. It took four games. We wrote about it quite a bit.
I asked Caps fans on X, the social media platform still universally known as Twitter, which teams they’ll be rooting for now that the Capitals are out. 700 people responded before we stopped taking votes. Here now, from least popular to most popular, are your new bandwagon teams.
Absolutely Not Tier
Less than one percent of responses
- New York Islanders 🎣
- Tampa Bay Lightning ⚡️
I think these are the least popular options not because these teams are reviled by Caps fans, but rather because no one thinks about them all that much.
One respondent, Scott, defended his choice of the Bolts: “May or may not live next to the arena.” A convenient excuse.
I Would Prefer Not Tier
One to three percent
- Los Angeles Kings 👑
- Vegas Golden Knights ♞
- Toronto Maple Leafs 🍁
- New York Rangers 🏙️
- Nashville Predators 🐯
- Winnipeg Jets ✈
A bunch of these choices concern where the respondents live. Josh and Bill live in LA and choose the Kings. William and Zak live in Vegas and choose the Knights.
Two people who are rooting for the Leafs, Peter and Joshua, cite Steve Dangle as the reason why, so I hope he feels guilty about that.
And while I can see how it might be alarming to see the Rangers this high, please consider that it’s still just one in forty responses. Eric and Kyle note family reasons for backing the Rags. Meanwhile, Matthew says it is “because Matt Rempe is 99% owner of our team😔,” Okay, Matthew.
Defending his backing of Winnipeg, Jason says, “Always go with Canada when your team is out.” I guess Jason wants to lose twice this postseason.
Fringe Tier
Three to ten percent
- Boston Bruins 🐻
- Dallas Stars ⭐
- Colorado Avalanche ❄
- Vancouver Canucks 🐋
Lots of New Englanders chose the Bruins, but Shea and Zach both say they like rooting for the villain.
Dallas, Colorado, and Vancouver all seemed to benefit from an “anyone not in the Eastern Conference” effect. Dallas, my pick, had a handful of fans of Jason Robertson, including Gene and Bleenis. Niko likes the Avs because “it’s fun watching Nathan MacKinnon lose his mind, also they have a guy named after produce.” Lee likes the Canucks because “Elias Pettersson has been a nephew in my heart since I first glimpsed his bitchy little face his rookie season and sensed a Backstrom within.”
I Could Get Down With That Tier
Ten to fifteen percent
- Florida Panthers 🐱
- No one 🤷♀️
In addition to snowbirds backing the Cats, we had some ardent Aleksander Barkov fans in the responses. “I like the way they play, how they’re built. Fans are due.” That comment comes from a respondent named F U Peter. I think that’s Finnish?
The people who choose to root for no one were the angriest people of all. “F— ’em all, that’s why,” says Tom. “Because f— ’em,” says Yam. “None deserve my support,” says Troy. I respect the passion.
All Aboard Tier
Nineteen percent and above
- Carolina Hurricanes 🌀
- Edmonton Oilers 🛢
For drastically different reasons.
Carolina fans overwhelmingly cited Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov as the reasons why. “I want nothing but good things for Kuzy and Orlov,” says Daniel. “Because Kuzy winning the Cup this year is the funniest outcome,” says Sharon. Sharon is correct.
Edmonton benefits from the “please no one from the Eastern Conference” effect, but there’s also a strong Connor McDavid contingent. “The second best Connor Mc will guide me to salvation,” says Brandon. “2nd best Connor McM in the league,” says Ameer. “The 2nd best Connor Mc in the league is pretty darn fun to watch,” says Ryan. “Want to see the second best Connor Mc get a Stanley,” says Kyle. We need new jokes.
The Tampa Bay Lightning could join the Capitals in elimination before the night is up, which will be devastating for four people who could see their preferred teams knocked out on consecutive nights. For everyone else, good luck to you in your repugnant state of betrayal against the Caps.
