What is it why you're a fan of this team?

[newfy 695]

Minus some of the douchiness of guys like Perry, I wholeheartedly agree. I would love for the Wings to be more like the Ducks were. The year the Ducks won the Cup, I'm pretty sure they also had the most penalties in the league. I'd love to watch a Wings team that beat you as they beat you.

Meh Perry is a ****** but its magnified against the wings because noone ever does anything about it. I would take an 80 point guy like Perry who pisses people off and will hit and fight over someone who goes through the motions and puts up that many points.

We don't get high enough picks to get these types of players.

[MissyLKS8 6]

Yea, we had our share, no one is perfect and most of that is one person at a time and not a whole roster. This is all just my opinion. Plus I feel there's a place and a time to be a jerk on the ice. By the way, I still hate Bertuzzi.

Also, yes, location. I feel with the Wings and Tigers since I grew up here. I do understand that blue-collar thing. In fact, the radio talk about how Draper fits that-- little rough around the edges but a hard worker who has something to prove. I think that's it. I like that about our team. We got guys who come to Detroit with a stereotype to prove wrong and I like that. They underestimate Detroit... okay, maybe not the Red Wings team but I hope you get what I'm saying.

I like are rich history. An original six team with a "few" legends and then we became the "dead-Wings" to the generation(s) to now. We had to dig ourselves out of a hole which says a lot. Nothing was handed to us.

Meh Perry is a ****** but its magnified against the wings because noone ever does anything about it. I would take an 80 point guy like Perry who pisses people off and will hit and fight over someone who goes through the motions and puts up that many points.

Good, I can't stand Perry. Pronger's gone but I still want to punch Perry's ugly face when the camera goes over him.

[lookalive07 251]

I was wrapped in a Red Wings blanket when I was born. This is a fact. Abandoning that would likely call for my father disowning me as not just his only son, but as a human being.

[MissyLKS8 6]

I was wrapped in a Red Wings blanket when I was born. This is a fact. Abandoning that would likely call for my father disowning me as not just his only son, but as a human being.

Feel you. It's a little different but my mother has mentioned numerous times if I cheered on an other baseball team, she would disown me. And if I cheered on the Yankees, she would put a pillow over my face...

Edited June 28, 2010 by MissyLKS8

[F2B&G 15]

Regarding the whole "I wouldn't want us to be like Anahiem" thing. It's good to have a team that plays with an edge, stirs things up every now and then, etc. What I really meant, and I should've been more specific, is that I don't want to see a Detroit team with one line of legit talent and three lines of moronic Sean Avery clones. It's fine to have a few good talkers/thugs on a team, they have their place in the NHL, but I wouldn't want to watch a whole squad of cheap arseclowns.

[newfy 695]

Regarding the whole "I wouldn't want us to be like Anahiem" thing. It's good to have a team that plays with an edge, stirs things up every now and then, etc. What I really meant, and I should've been more specific, is that I don't want to see a Detroit team with one line of legit talent and three lines of moronic Sean Avery clones. It's fine to have a few good talkers/thugs on a team, they have their place in the NHL, but I wouldn't want to watch a whole squad of cheap arseclowns.

It would be hard to be a fan of a team that just always loses and has a bunch of goons. But it would be better then just being a bad team that is soft as well. The leafs are an entertaining team to watch but they suck. I would however rather watch them then a team like Carolina who sucks just as bad pretty much and is soft too.

[55fan 5,133]

Armageddon.

[McAwesome 754]

I cannot in good conscience vote for any of the options in the poll, nothing could possibly make me become a fan of another team or stop cheering for the Red Wings. While I was a little too young to have been through the Dead Things era, I remember the teams of the late 80's when it was Yzerman and a bunch of goons and nobodies, I grew up listening to games on the radio and eventually on TV, my parents moved away from Detroit before I was in high school, but as soon as we landed in South Carolina I begged then to get cable so I could still follow hockey and the Wings, I broke my foot on the coffee table in '95, I almost broke my hand the next year, I literaly ran laps around my neighborhood in my Yzerman sweater when we won in '97 (still haven't been able to get the sweat stains out, it's freaking hot in Charleston in June), I have lived and died Red Wings hockey (figuratively) for as long as I can remember, and nothing imaginable could get me to change.

Edited June 28, 2010 by McAwesome

[Finnish Wing 110]

I'm with the general consensus here: If they moved I would cheer for another team probably. I wouldn't be cheering for the Las Vegas Red wings or anythingl ike that, thats for sure.

At the same time I'm surprised to see people here say they wouldn't be a fan if this team became a team like the ducks. If they are still a very good team(ducks are despite what a lot of ppl think)no matter if they play puck possession or goon hockey how could you not be fans.

You guys must not have been around in the 80's or 90's and somewhat early 2000's I'm guessing and then starting liking them as they took up the style they have now?

There are tons of fans who have no connection to Detroit itself. I think many of those fans "chose" the Detroit Red Wings because of what kinda style and identity they have. At least for me it had an effect. I never even though about the Flyers for example.

I'd say if three of staff members, players, identity and success changed I doubt I'd be following them this strongly anymore. It may sound rough, but you also need to understand that this isn't like the Ilves to me. I've never even been in USA, as I said.

But it may be hard for you to understand, because you have lived in NA and you already have the best league in the world right there. I haven't seen a lot of North American's who have a "second" team playing in Swedish league for example.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Finnish Wing

[vladdy16 2,154]

If they moved, I'd probably watch them until the roster changed considerably, and then I'd abandon ship. The question is, who to switch allegiance to? Never the Hawks. God help me, never Nashville. (Although they'd probably move before Detroit) It's hurts my head to think about.

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

As a Michigan native growing up a fan of the team, I'm with them unless they leave Michigan

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

There are tons of fans who have no connection to Detroit itself

A lot of people without a connection to the team would dump them if we sucked no matter what they claim. But not all. I switched from the Lions to the Redskins in 1981. I did live in the DC area then, so I guess it's not "no" connection, but I'm still a solid Wing, Piston, Tiger and Wolverine fan. Then again, none of those are the Lions. No one in my family ever actually questioned me about that, why would I dump the Lions? But I've never waivered in being a Skins fan even though I haven't lived in the DC area for almost 15 years and the Skins have sucked for a while. So there are permanent switches.

[newfy 695]

There are tons of fans who have no connection to Detroit itself. I think many of those fans "chose" the Detroit Red Wings because of what kinda style and identity they have. At least for me it had an effect. I never even though about the Flyers for example.

I'd say if three of staff members, players, identity and success changed I doubt I'd be following them this strongly anymore. It may sound rough, but you also need to understand that this isn't like the Ilves to me. I've never even been in USA, as I said.

But it may be hard for you to understand, because you have lived in NA and you already have the best league in the world right there. I haven't seen a lot of North American's who have a "second" team playing in Swedish league for example.

Yeah it makes sense. Being this far away and having a lot of Scandinavians on the team would be a good reason too like them. I could see if they just had a bunch of Canadians why they wouldn't be appealing to someone in Europe.

[Electrophile 3,554]

Why am I a fan? Well, initially I started rooting for the Red Wings to piss my dad off since he's die-hard Blackhawks fan #1, as most of you are probably by now well aware. My rooting for his most hated rival certainly made him spit nails and it was funny watching him get pissed when the two teams would play each other and I'd cheer every Detroit goal. However much to his consternation, it was not just a phase. I actually started enjoying watching them and found myself seeking out info about the team and the players and making myself move from "casual fan" to "hardcore fan". Now, it's Wings or bust.

What would make me stop watching them? I don't know. Probably if management drove the team into the ground and sabotaged any chances the team would have to be successful. I'm not talking about just plain bad seasons, we've all sat through a few of those. I'm talking about a concerted effort on the part of all involved to make the team into the laughingstock of the NHL. Knowing what we know about the history and legacy of the team, seeing them have to go through something like that because of an incompetent front office would probably be too much to take.

[zettie85 106]

I was thinking about this last week actually. I began to think about football teams in England and Spain that have had terrible ownership and the spending gets out of control to the point where they can not pay back their debts and file for administration. Leeds United and Valencia come to mind in particular. It seems as though ownership that runs the club into the ground is one that thing I don't think I could support.

I highly doubt we ever have to worry about such a thing but it would be irresponsible to support a team in those financial troubles. I'm not talking about Phoenix either, that is the NHL's fault not the Coyotes.

[Guest Shoreline]

In my case it's quite simple. My dad (from Livonia) died in 1993. I didn't even know about hockey as I was really into football and basketball. Went to visit family in Michigan that same year (Redford, Dearborn), particularly family closest to my dad, and they showed me hockey, additionally, Sega Genesis games such as NHL 93 and 94, which aided in my becoming interested in hockey. And that's that.

As for the "I wouldn't be a fan of this team anymore if..." -- obviously if this team moved I'd have to re-consider, but that won't happen in my lifetime. The only other reason I can think of is if the Red Wings organization pulled a Chicago Bulls in the late 90s (Jordan, Pippin, Jackson, etc. getting ousted and discredited by the higher ups) and completely took a s*** all over their team, staff, and fans. In this case, they'd definitely lose my loyalty as loyalty between player->team and fans->team is supposed to be reciprocated, and I don't believe in one-sided relationships.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Shoreline

[xtrememachine1 795]

I chose the Wings because of Yzerman. The first game I ever watched was Pens vs Wings at the Joe in like 1986 or 87. I thought Stevie was a fun player to watch like Lemieux. Over the years, being the only Wings fan in town, they became MY Wings. After 20+ years of being a fan, I friggin love this team to death. More than any other team in sports. I even gave my son the middle name "Yzerman". They're a class act organization with exciting, talented and likable players.

If they left Detroit or changed the team name and the organization top to bottom, they wouldn't be the Wings anymore. All that would I would need to happen for me not to cheer for this franchise anymore.

Edited June 28, 2010 by xtrememachine1

[dat's sick 1,002]

Well I guess if:

* They became the Kansas City Dragons

* Holland retired and was replaced by oh, I don't know, Claude Lemiuex?

* Babcock was fired and replaced by Michel Therrien

* Håkan Andersson and most of the other key staff/management moved to other teams

* Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Kronwall, Helm etc. were traded

* If they stopped playing fun hockey and started playing like Minnesota used to to, TRAP TRAP TRAP, without many skilled players

* If they became terrible year after year, like the Islanders

* If they started having 99% north-american players

then I would stop being a fan. And I'm talking all of the above happening. I could probably take a couple of those things happening and still be a fan..for example, since I'm not from Detroit it would take more than them moving to another city for me to switch teams.

[jollymania 162]

I grew up in MI

[HankthaTank 1,100]

Born and raised in southeast MI and still here to this day. Have always and will always love the Red Wings. It is very tough to even think of a single reason that would make not like them anymore. There may be only one and thats if the team just all of a sudden disappeared off the face of the earth. And that's even a stretch.

[seeinred 1,488]

I'm pretty sure I'd be a fan forever, no matter what happened. They could move to Little Rock and be the worst team in the league and I'd still love them. I think, anyway..

[Carman 387]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

That is a persuasive argument...

[Finnish Wing 110]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

Really? Even if all of the above happened. I mean what would there be left to be a fan of?

It may be hard to imagine at the moment (hopefully in the future as well) not being a fan of one of the best organizations in the world, where everything's done professionally and everyone seems to know what they're doing. I mean once a team moves from one place to another and changes it name etc., change players, change staff and lose the identity it once had are you still a fan?

Basically everything mentioned above with the exception of moving and changing name and with the addition of sucking year after year has happened to Ilves here in Finland. I'm a fan of the team, but I'm angered to most the people working in the organization and the way they handle things. If they somehow decided to move (although that rarely happens in Finland) it would be enough for me and many many else.

For some people saying they would be fans no matter what happened: think about it, maybe that's not the way it is after all. Although it may be hard to even imagine what the flip side of the coin looks like when being a fan of an organization like this, but things can change. I by no means hope anything like that, but Ilves is the most successful club in the history of FEL and now they seem more like a bad joke. So, I ask to be honest.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Finnish Wing

[Guest Heaten]

If Wings moved from Michigan and changed their logo I don't know what I would do. I would still be a fan of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Fanzen, Howard, Helm, Lidstrom, Abby, Holmstrom, Kronwall, Ericsson, Filppula and Holland and Co. But my heart would be ripped out.

I would probably follow them as much as Tampa Bay because I love Yzerman as much as this team. I might even move to Tampa to be closer to the club, I dunno. I don't like Michigan now but one factor why I have not moved yet is because I want to stay close to my team.

My wife says that I am obsessed with this team. I think she is right.