Well, really, being a fan of one team when you see most of your games in another location.
So, some background. I am a hockey fan. I also grew up in Ontario in the 70s and 80s, where the Toronto Maple Leafs are practically a religion. I had stint as a fan as a child, but I've mostly gained appreciation for the sport as an adult. Due to the culture of my childhood I have become a hard core Leafs fan.
However my fandom with hockey as an adult happened while I was (and still am) living in the great state of North Carolina. So 90% of my live NHL hockey experience has been in Raleigh with the Carolina Hurricanes as the home team. At first attending Canes games was just a convenience as it was the closest available NHL level hockey, however over the years I've come to appreciate the Canes as being a super talented, often under-rated team, and their arena experience is amazing (I've seen NHL hockey in 8 of the 32 arenas, and the Canes are, by far, the most enthusiastic crowd of the bunch, especially in those mid-season games where there isn't much on the line but a point or two in the standings). As a result, I have come to be a low-key fan of the Canes as well.
(I'd probably be more of a fan, but due to the silly way the NHL has doled out their television rights, its almost impossible to get the Canes games locally without subscribing to cable TV, so I tend to only see Canes games in person - I do, however, watch every single Leafs games I can stream).
So last night the Leafs were in Raleigh to face off with the Canes. Normally when I see a Canes game I cheer for the Canes, and am decked out in my Canes hockey jersey... but, this is the Leafs we're talking about... so I showed up wearing a bright blue Leafs jersey with Marner 16 proudly emblazoned on the back.
As the game started I found it awkward to be a fan. Of course I cheered when the Leafs made an excellent play, and especially when they scored. However I also wanted to cheer when the Canes did the same thing (and as it turned out, they had way more to cheer about than the Leafs did that particular game). It just felt super odd cheering for the team that wasn't the one represented by the jersey I was literally wearing. I was by myself so I didn't have someone beside me to celebrate the Leafs accomplishments with... so, it was a little "yeah, um... I'm kinda ok with everything right now, I guess? trust me..... I may be in blue, but I don't bite - promise!"
I, in short, felt awkward.
However, it turned out to be one of the better decisions I made. Because of my obvious Leafdom, many of the "locals" asked me where I was from, and all that sort of hockey-fandom related small talk, which is something I don't get when I am decked out in Canes gear. For example, the young lady two seats to my right had her first game that night, and I would not have gotten a chance to welcome her to the great state of hockey fandom if she didn't ask me about my Leafs jersey (her cousin is also a Leafs fan apparently). I ended up sharing with her the joys that is Steve Dangle and his uber-exuberant Youtube channels as a result (you're welcome Steve!).
Another example stemmed from the fact I happened to get shown on the jumbo-tron as the guy behind me was dancing, and I was in the shot. . Because of that I was recognized by a couple of guys while waiting in line for the mens restroom during first intermission (it helps that I have a distinctive beard). We ended up talking about the game, and about hockey in general for several minutes.
The game started out with the Leafs besting the Canes, and the score was soon 2-0 Leafs, but as the game went on it was clear the Canes got their swagger back, and they ended up dominating the Leafs 6-3. However I found I didn't really care that much that my beloved Leafs were losing - because the game itself was still full of action and exciting moments, and at one point I counted 6 likely future hall of famers on the ice at one time.
So of course I cheered when Nylander (Leafs) scored on his (third!) breakaway of the first period. I cheered again when Matthews (Leafs) made an awesome goal while making a mid-air dive. However I also cheered when Jordan Staal (Canes) scored a hat trick, Blake (Canes) scored his first ever NHL goal, an Kochetkov(Canes) made some absolutely stunning saves in net - even tho all of these were against my beloved Leafs. (I spent half the game texting my wife saying things like: "On one hand, I just saw [awesome thing], on the other hand, it was against the Leafs")
By the end I was perfectly comfortable being a fan of the game. I stopped really caring which team did the amazing thing that deserved recognition from my applause. When it comes down to it, thats all this is. NHL teams are basically "My Canadians and Scandinavians vs Your Canadian and Scandinavians", and those players move around a lot anyway. Heck, the person in front of me had a Canes jersey with Bunting on the back - Bunting has spent most of his career as a Leaf, and was traded to Carolina last year (and has since been re-traded to the Penguins).
Excellence is excellence, no matter whose jersey is being worn at the time. Picking a team can be fun when watching a gam, but ultimately hockey is about individual moments. Thats what makes it so awesome to watch live. S I am learning to celebrate the excellence in the things all NHL players are capable of, and just enjoy watching hockey regardless of whose winning.
Having said that, Go Leafs Go!
