RALEIGH, NC -- I've long thought about making a post like this, and even though it's not directly Blackhawks-related, I thought it'd be a fun off-season little blog, and could maybe help people find more teams to enjoy. I'm a firm believer that you don't have to just like one team--you can like half the league, like I do!
Since I'll likely have a lot to say here, and we don't need to be redundant, I decided to take Western Conference teams and pick their Eastern Conference counterparts--I also tried to make sure not to pick rival teams, for obvious reasons. We're breaking this up into two posts, just so that it's easier to digest and largely easier for me to write. Today will be the first eight teams of the Western Conference, and this weekend's post will feature the last seven.
Additionally, I only selected one team for each team (aside from the Edmonton Oilers, who are special and get two since there are 16 EC teams but only 15 WC teams), but if you have any other suggestions, definitely sound off in the comments below or send me a tweet--I'm definitely open to talking about this topic.
Anyways, without too much fanfare, let's get into it!
If you like the Anaheim Ducks, you might like... the Florida Panthers!
- I feel like these two teams make sense together. They always seem to hang out just on the cusp of being really, really good, but can't quite reach it and haven't reached it for some time. I genuinely think both teams can turn things around if they shore up their team/coaching staff a little, and we've already seen Florida do that with hiring head coach (and Blackhawks legend) Joel Quenneville. I feel like both teams also harbor some underrated players, like Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov for the Panthers, and Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg for the Ducks. Plus, both teams are by the beach and in non-traditional markets, which is always kind of fun. Who doesn't love going to the beach in the morning and a hockey game at night?
If you like the Arizona Coyotes, you might like... the Detroit Red Wings!
- I think this one might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. Both teams have young guns that are ready to fire on all cylinders--I think the Coyotes are closer to playoff contention than the Red Wings. But, Detroit seems to be following the same ebb and flow pattern that the Coyotes took to get to where they are, and I think with guys like Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou, the Red Wings can be a threat in the near future if they add a couple more pieces. Even though the Coyotes are a much younger organization than the Red Wings, they already have a couple of legendary players (like Shane Doan and Keith Tkachuk) that made their marks on the franchise.
If you like the Calgary Flames, you might like... the Washington Capitals!
- These two teams feel similar for a kind of intangible reason. And, no, it's not because both of their jerseys are red (they're different reds, anyways). I think a large part of it is the way each team seems to be set up. They have a veteran captain in Mark Giordano (Flames) and Alex Ovechkin (Capitals), and both teams have goaltending that can be streaky but is, more often than not, great. Defense is definitely favored in each of these organizations, with both boasting a strong D-core that acts as a fantastic first defense to their already usually great goaltending. Honestly, you could really compare Johnny Gaudreau (Flames) to Nicklas Backstrom--they're both incredibly quick and (in my opinion) borderline-underrated forwards and if you let them slip by you, you're going to regret it deeply.
If you like the Chicago Blackhawks, you might like... the Toronto Maple Leafs!
- Before you say this is a cop-out, it's not, I promise. The other options were the Bruins (which is, in my mind, a strong rivalry) or the Penguins (which... no), so this was the best option I could find. And when you look at the two teams closely, I think you'll see what I mean. Both teams have a solid core unit that has proven they can win--granted, the Leafs have not won a Cup with their core, but I really don't think it's too far in the future that they do--and that core seems to know the recipe to win hockey games, no matter what. Additionally, I think both teams produce incredibly exciting games--I don't think I've watched a game that featured either team and I was bored. To really drive this home for you, just look at the two stars of each team. You have Americans Patrick Kane (Hawks) and Auston Matthews (Leafs), then you have Canadians Jonathan Toews (Hawks) and Mitch Marner (Leafs). What more could you ask for in an Eastern Conference counterpart?
If you like the Colorado Avalanche, you might like... the Carolina Hurricanes!
- This one is probably my favorite, mostly because it features my hometown boys, the Canes. Both of these teams are just meme-central, and I love that about both teams--they're not afraid to be a little weird, a little outside the box, and do what they want. For example, while the Hurricanes do their Storm Surges after games, the Avalanche have a power play tradition--when they're on a penalty kill, as soon as their player gets back on the ice, they play the Super Mario level up noise, which is great. Both teams are active on social media and love interacting with fans, and per the Dallas Stars this playoffs season, both teams are a part of the wonderful 'Wild Card Chaos Squad' (someone put that on a shirt, please). On the ice, though, both teams are high-energy, fast-paced teams that rely on skill rather than grit to win games, and I would venture to say that both goalie tandems are underrated in the NHL. Like I said, I think these two might be my favorite counterparts, and a Stanley Cup Finals featuring these two teams would be stellar.
If you like the Dallas Stars, you might like... the Tampa Bay Lightning!
- Maybe this should be flipped around so Lightning fans can find another team to cheer for in the playoffs this season... Kidding, kidding. In all seriousness, there are a lot of striking similarities between these two teams. I think the stark one is the goaltending. It's been outstanding for both teams this season, and I don't think Dallas would be as far as they are without Ben Bishop or Anton Khudobin. The Lightning also have quite the pair in Andrei Vasilievsky and Louis Domingue, and though Vasilievsky didn't prove himself in round one, I think he's still the leading candidate for the Vezina--so if you like strong, borderline insanely good goaltending, these two teams are definitely for you. Both teams also have some star power up front in Tyler Seguin/Jamie Benn/Alexander Radulov/Mats Zuccarello for the Stars and Nikita Kucherov/Steven Stamkos/Brayden Point/Victor Hedman for the Lightning. Both teams tend to have either quiet or explosive games, so it's kind of fun to not know if you're going to get a quietly dominant game or a really insane, dominant game.
If you like the Edmonton Oilers, you might like... the Ottawa Senators or New Jersey Devils!
- And, finally for this round, we've reached Edmonton. It's been some time since they've been consistently good, and the same can be said for both Ottawa and New Jersey. I think all three teams with their rosters at the beginning of the year could've been good--before Ottawa cleaned house, Edmonton made some dumb (but semi-typical) moves and signings, and the Devils lost Taylor Hall. All three teams are also in rebuild limbo, where they can't really decide if they're in a rebuild or not, which can be frustrating but also a little exciting since the future could be good for all three. The Oilers have Connor McDavid, the Devils have Taylor Hall and likely Jack Hughes, and well... the Senators might have another shot at the first round pick next season? Either way, all three sound eerily similar on paper, so maybe if you like one of the three, you can find some solace in the other two, knowing that you're not alone in your misery.
And that closes out the first installment! I'll have part two up over the weekend.
Obviously, this isn't a definitive list, and I certainly had more trouble with some over others, but I think it at least gives you a bit of a baseline if you want to explore other teams in the league that are similar to yours. Hopefully you enjoyed this one, and be sure to drop a comment or send me a tweet with your suggestions!
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