re: Choosing an NHL team to follow (STL Blues, it is - questions on pg. 7)

Believe it or not, you can enjoy watching the NHL without having a favorite team.

I have been a VERY casual fan of the league, off and on, for 30 years. In the 80's and 90's, the only time you ever saw a hockey game on tv in New Orleans was on ESPN, and that brief period in the 90's when Fox showed some games with the "glowing puck".

Aside from ESPN, until the internet came out, it was almost impossible to get into hockey, because the local sports news channels did not give the nightly scores, nor did the Times Picayune regularly print the scores and standings. It was an effort to keep up, pre-internet.

I've never had a "team", although I've been to see the Lightning about 10 times since the late 90's when visiting Florida. I've been to a game or two in some other places- Nashville, Phoenix, Columbus, etc. over the years too. I mainly like to watch the playoffs- that's when I really get into it.