So yes, a team is important! If you’re just getting started it might be a good idea to choose a playoff team since you’ll get to watch them right now. If you’re patient though, wait till the regular season! I personally chose my team, the New York Rangers, because of their style of play. Some people choose it on how good looking the team is or on how many cups they’ve won or on what stars a team has.

No matter how you choose your team, it’s just important to have one. Your options range from perrenial playoff teams like Chicago, dumpster fire teams in the rebuilding stage like Buffalo (which I’ll make a case for) or just straight up dumpster fire teams like Toronto! Okay, I’m kidding, Toronto isn’t that bad but they’re bad. The allure is that they’re a huge hockey market and have wicked talent. The reason to follow teams like Buffalo though is that you get to build and grow with the team. You get extremely attached to the players and see them develop over the years. It’s an incredible thing and if you have the patience for it, it’s well worth it.

Head on over to the NHL Teams page and find which one is close to you!

The teams currently in the playoffs though are the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Okay, so now you have a team. Let’s get you ready for the playoffs.