What kind of hockey town is Washington?

[ffknight918]

I'd say it's more than a modest following. I see Caps gear everywhere. It's even all over Baltimore. No way are the Wizards bigger than the Caps. The Wizards can't come close to filling the arena. The Caps have one of the longest sell out streaks in the entire NHL. I can't find a current number but found an article written in late December saying they were at 124 consecutive sell outs. At this point they should be well over 150. Not many teams in any sport can say that.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by sobo16

The Caps have a modest following, but DC is definitely not a hockey town. I worked in DC for a few years, and no one in the workplace talked about hockey. I would only see Caps gear and t-shirts on game days on the metro. The bars and restaurants near the Verizon Center would be filled with Caps fans, but in general, the area wasn't that big into hockey.

I live in Boston now and the Bruins are everywhere. Hockey is huge here; it's talked about in the workplace, and I see people in Bruins gear all the time. It actually seems that I see more people wearing Bruins stuff than I do Red Sox, Patriots, or Celtics stuff. I did not expect that. The other sports are still big here, but hockey seems to be a big deal.

Not exactly apples to apples. And I'm surprised you were surprised at what you found in Boston. First ever NHL game played in U.S. was in Boston. Bruins have won 6 Stanley Cups. They've been around 50 more years than the Caps. The New England region is only rivaled by the state of Minnesota for hockey popularity at all levels. Less regional competition. Less transient of a place.

The Caps have had a nice 5 year regular season run, as they did a decade ago etc...without the playoff carryover success. The lack of playoff success is a bit of a factor. See the Wizards. Only twice since the Finals team and title team of the late 70's have the Wizards made it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The Redskins of course have a great success in multiple periods in their history, going back many more decades. Football is aso the most popular sport in America today. As time ticks by, without success, the more restless and or apathetic their fans will get. But past success has helped maintain their popularity, and, as mentioned, football is the most popular sport in America today.

The Nationals will build its following over time as long as they remain competitive. They have a nice accessible park. Competition is high rwgionally for the baseball sports dollar.