Who are the most hated teams in the NHL?
I feel like if you’d asked that question at most points during the last few seasons, you’d get three main answers. The Blackhawks, both due to their off-ice issues and their continuing overexposure. The Maple Leafs, because they’re the Leafs. And the Golden Knights, due to the perception that they’ve had too much success too soon, much of it due to alleged salary-cap shenanigans.
At various points, you’d have probably put the Penguins in there somewhere, but based on their second-half implosion, it feels like their own fans have that covered. And yes, of course, there’s your favorite team’s rival, who is dirty and mean, even though nobody sees it but you. But mostly, it’s the big three.
Is there room for a new contender, though? After all, the Hawks are in Year 4 of being terrible. The Leafs keep flopping in the playoffs, and as much fun as that is for some of you, you can’t be Thanos if your pants fall down every time you try to snap. As for Vegas, well, it’s possible that resistance is futile.
I think we have room for a new NHL villain, one that can unite us all in hatred, or at least mild annoyance. And as we discussed a few weeks ago on the new pod (now featuring 100 percent more Seans), there’s a strong candidate emerging: The Florida Panthers.
It’s been a bit of a journey to get here. Just two years ago, the Panthers were my easy pick as the league’s most bandwagon-able playoff team. But since then, they’ve been pulling off a slow-burn heel turn, a real masterclass in long-term booking that’s led us here. Not convinced? Here are five reasons I think the Panthers may be the league’s best villain.
Bonus five: Reasons the Panthers could be the NHL’s new love-to-hate team
5. They’re really good — Let’s start here, since it’s no fun to hate a team that’s struggling. That just feels like picking on someone who can’t defend themselves. “Oh, I can’t stand the Sharks.” Yeah, neither can Sharks fans, join the club. You can’t be a super-villain unless you’ve got the “super” part down pat, and right now the Panthers do. They may be the best team in the league.
4. They’ve been really good for a while now — It’s been uneven, granted, but we’re essentially now into Year 3 of the Panthers kicking in teeth. In 2021-22, they had 122 points and won the Presidents’ Trophy before winning their first playoff series in 26 years. Last year, they started slow but then caught fire, eventually rolling all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. This year, they might be better than both of those teams. The point here is that a few years ago, the Panthers were lovable underdogs. We can debate the lovable part, but they’ve clearly left the underdog half of the equation far behind.
3. The Nick Cousins factor — This would be factor No. 1 for a lot of people these days, as Cousins has firmly established himself as the league’s most hateable player. That’s true for his fellow players, who all want to punch him. It’s true for the media, or at least some of them. And it’s clearly true for fans, too, especially after nonsense like this.
Nick Cousins just respawned pic.twitter.com/ye1WVEdVwu
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 28, 2024
2. The league is rigged for them! — Hey, you can’t hate a team without a good conspiracy to back it all up. And sure enough, if you squint just right, you can find one for the Panthers. They’re second in the league in penalties taken, which proves they’re dirty. But they’re also first in penalties drawn by a wide margin, which proves the refs are in their pocket. Wouldn’t want Paul Maurice to have to hold up his fingers again, would we?
Besides, all real fans know the Panthers are yet another one of Gary Bettman’s southern charity cases. After all, they had low attendance for a few seasons and once put a piece of plywood up to replace some broken glass 10 years ago, so shouldn’t this…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .