by Cleveland hockey guide
For a Cleveland sports fan it is easy to pick your team in most sports. The Browns, Guardians, Cavs, and Ohio State have a strong hold on Cleveland sports fans. One thing is missing in this list of teams, a pro hockey team.
Cleveland has the Monsters; they are a minor league team with the smallest following out of all the other teams. This guide will go through majority of teams that are worth following, things like location, team prestige, and competitiveness (are they competing now) will be ranked out of five so you (the fans) can determine who they want to follow for the remainder of the season.
There will be three tiers, tier 1 will be the best teams to follow in the area mainly due to location. Tier 2 will be teams that are a little bit of a drive but possible to see live. Tier 3 this will be mainly based on play, if you want to see them play it will be on tv. Not every team will be included in this guide.
Tier 1
The Pittsburgh Penguins
Location: 4/5
Prestige: 4/5
Competitiveness: 5/5
Location is ideal due to the team being just a 3-hour drive away from Cleveland making it easy to see the team in person. The downside is that the team is in a rival town. A Browns fan might have trouble becoming a fan of any Pittsburgh team due to the rivalry in other sports. The Pens have a solid history, they have championships in 1991,1992,2009,2016, and 2017. The Penguins have had ownership problems in past, the team threatened to move twice due to the ownership group losing money. The team is in safe hands now with the Fenway sports group, this ensures that the Pens will not be leaving Pittsburgh anytime soon as they look to stay dominate for years to come.
The Columbus Blue Jackets
Location: 5/5
Prestige:1/5
Competitiveness: 3/5
The Blue Jackets are a young team with a very short team history. Columbus is in a great spot in the state of Ohio, Columbus is in the middle of the state and a growing college town. Fans from Cleveland and Canton will have about a two-hour drive. The Blue Jackets are also the only team in the State of Ohio. The Blue Jackets have only one playoff series win in the franchise’s history. They are a borderline playoff team that contends for a wildcard spot almost every year. The team has a bright future ahead as they try to build a championship roster. A big plus for the Jackets is that they will be playing on your local sports network, so no ESPN+ needed.
Detroit Red Wings
Location: 4/5
Prestige 5/5
Competitiveness: 2/5
The Red Wings might be a mess right now, but they used to be one of the best teams every year. Detroit is in a rivalry state if you are Buckeye fan, if you are willing to ignore that, the red wings are a good choice of a team based on where they are located and the team history. The Red Wings are one of the original six NHL teams making them one of the oldest franchises in the sport. With 11 cups to their name the red wings seem like a solid team for any new fan. The team has struggled through the 2010s after a cup win and cup appearance in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009. The team entered scandals before the start of this season as they are looking at the playoff race from the outside.
Buffalo Sabers
Location:4/5
Prestige: 1/5
Competitiveness: 1/5
The Sabers were founded in 1970 when the league expanded to 14 teams to grow the league. The Sabers have been in the league longer than most teams and fail to be competitive. The Sabers have no cups with only three appearances all before the 21st century. They are close to Cleveland being near 3 hours out making them easy to go watch. They also play every team that has been named thus far making it easier for any fan to see the Sabers play live.
Tier 2
Chicago Blackhawks
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 5/5
Competitiveness: 3/5
The Blackhawks are just a few hours away from being in tier 1, the only reason this team isn’t due to the commute from Cleveland to Chicago. Chicago has one of the deepest histories of any team in the NHL. They are one of the original six teams and they have six rings to go with it. They had a dynasty in the early 2010’s thanks to former number one pick and winger Patrick Kane. He’s had a down year so far this year but is still a legend in the eyes of many Blackhawk fans. Due keep in mind, the Blackhawks have had off the ice issues.
Boston Bruins
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 4/5
Competitiveness: 5/5
The Boston Bruins are a near lock to compete for the cup every single year. With six cups and the most recent being in 2011 the Bruins are a great pick for any new fan. Before cheering for the Bruins just know that just about every other team in the league hates the Bruins for multiple different reasons, so prepare to argue with other fans.
Montreal Canadians
Location: 2/5
Prestige: 5/5
Competitiveness: 3/5
You can’t talk about hockey without talking about the Habs (nickname for the team), the Habs are like the Yankees of hockey. They have won the Stanley Cup 24 times, last title was in 1993, last title appearance was just last year. The team is having a down year after having a surprise playoff run, they will most likely be back to playing well next season. With the return of star goalie Carey Price and a top ten pick the Habs should be back. One thing to consider when being a fan of this team is that they do play in Canada, a passport will be necessary to see this team play.
Toronto Maple Leaf’s
Location: 2/5
Prestige: 4/5
Competitiveness: 4/5
The Maple Leaf’s are another original six team with a deep history within the game of hockey. The Leaf’s have 13 titles, the last one was in 1967 giving the Leaf’s one of the longest championship droughts in the league. The Leaf’s usually make the playoffs, especially the last few years but they fail to make it past the first round. Auston Matthews is the star of this Leaf’s team as he is one of the young stars in todays NHL, being a fan of the Maple Leaf’s is like being a Dallas Cowboys fan, great history, lack of recent success. One thing to consider when being a fan of this team is that they do play in Canada, a passport will be necessary to see this team play.
Washington Capitals
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 3/5
Competitiveness: 5/5
As much as it pains me to say it, the Capitals are a great choice for a team due to its recent success. The Capitals knocked on the door for years and finally kicked it down when they won the cup in 2018. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a direct rival with the districts team, they had some of the best matchups in recent playoff history. This team started in 1974 and has only won one cup, they had multiple teams that could make it but would come up short in the playoffs. Being a fan of this team means you’ll be a fan of one of the best to do it Alex Ovechkin.
Philadelphia Flyers
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 3/5
Competitiveness: 3/5
The Flyers are on of the original six in the NHL, this gives the Flyers a rich history in the league. They only have two Stanley cups to their name, as you could guess the Flyers have been in a drought since 1975. They are usually competitive as they are no stranger to the playoffs, they do sit behind the Capitals and Penguins in the division as one of those two teams knock them out almost every year. This year they have struggled as they are sitting on the bottom of the league.
New Jersey Devils
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 3/5
Competitiveness: 1/5
The Devils were an expansion team in the 70s called the Kansas City Scouts before they moved to New Jersey. They have three cups in 1995, 2000, and 2003, after that the Devils have struggled to regain their former glory. They did return to the finals years after but have struggled to win a fourth. The Devils have been very bad the last few years, watching them might be hard for the next few years as they are in a middle of a rebuild.
New York Rangers
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 4/5
Competitiveness: 3/5
The Rangers are another member of the original six as they have four Stanley Cup in there history. The Rangers won these titles in 1928, 1933, 1940, and 1994. They tried making a run in the 2010s but failed to finish as they fell short multiple times in the decade. The Rangers are a great team to start following, with a young core on their team they plan on being in the cup conversation for years to come. They have put together a strong campaign this year as they are currently behind the Penguins and Capitals in the division.
New York Islanders
Location: 3/5
Prestige: 3/5
Competitiveness: 3/5
The Islanders were an expansion team in the 70’s winning four Stanley cups to match their same town foes. 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. They were the premiere team in the 1980s as all their titles came in the decade. They have struggled to make it make to the cup finals considering their last appearance was in 1984. The Isle’s are a good pick as they made runs in the playoffs the past few years but have failed so far this season as they are on the outside looking in on the playoff race.
Tier 3
Tampa Bay Lighting
Location: 1/5
Prestige: 4/5
Competitiveness: 5/5
The Lighting are forming the first dynasty of the decade as they won the past two cups. They have dominated the league in every aspect as they continue to build on their already stacked roster to continue their championship run. The Lighting are a young franchise winning three championships in 2004, 2020, and 2021. If you want to root for a competitive team the Lighting are a great team to watch. They dominate the Atlantic division even though they trail their Florida counterpart in the Florida Panthers by just one point. Considering the division, they play it’s going to be extremely difficult to watch them play considering they only play one team that I put into tier 1. This means travel will be necessary to see them play in person.
Vegas Golden Nights
Location: 1/5
Prestige: N/A
Competitiveness: 5/5
Vegas is an expansion team that has seen a large amount of success in their first few years being in the league. They went to the Cup finals losing to the Capitals In 2018 in just their first year of existing. I put the prestige at N/A due to the youth of the franchise, they haven’t had the ups and downs that an older franchise experiences. Vegas is fun to watch, and they are young, it’s a perfect time to join the fan base before they start calling new fans bandwagons.
Edmonton Oilers
Location: 1/5
Prestige: 4/5
Competitiveness: 4/5
If you are looking for a team with a great history and a solid future the Oilers are the team for you. The Oilers have won five titles in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Four of these titles are thanks to the great one Wayne Gretzky. Conner McDavid is a young star in Edmonton who looks to bring back the glory days of the franchise, the only problem is that they continue to struggle building a team around the young star.
Seattle Kraken
Location: 1/5
Prestige: N/A
Competitiveness: 1/5
Yes, I know this is not what you are expecting but they are a young franchise with everything in front of them. They are struggling as of now as they are one of if not the worst team in the league. They have a good fanbase, new stadium, and a sick logo uniform combo. You can’t go wrong following an expansion team in its first few years. They may struggle for a long time while this franchise gets its feet underneath themselves as they look to one day compete for the cup.
This concludes my list; all the teams feel like great options for a new fan of the game of hockey. Some may question why I left off a few teams off this list, but you are free to look up those teams and find if you like them or not.
The teams left off are the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, and finally the Arizona Coyotes.
These teams have been left off mainly due to location, lack of success, or not being relevant on a national stage. If you are a fan of these teams that’s great, but for someone in the Cleveland there are better options in my mind.
