Hockey may be the singular greatest sport in the world. At least, it is to those who watch the game and develop a passion for it, who see it and instantly fall in love. The hockey community is one that can envelop a person, but it is also a place that embraces the casual fans, who tune in for some games but aren’t going to make it appointment television.

One of the reasons this sport is so great is because of the sheer speed of play – the Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, upped the ante on this play, using their speed to eliminate everyone in their path. Another reason is that sometimes a good defense can simply shut down this speed – watch the Blackhawks this year, because if anyone figures out a solution to the Penguins early on it will be the franchise with two of the greatest head coaches ever – Scotty Bowman and Joel Quenneville – on their payroll.

There is no one style of play in hockey. No one method of winning. The last three champions – the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Los Angeles Kings, won with three different methods – LA with their gritty defense and tough forwards, Chicago with their depth and elite talent on their first two lines and an excellent top four defense, perhaps topping the league, and the Penguins with their sheer speed and blistering forecheck which made up for a complete lack of defense besides Kris Letang.

Learning about hockey seems difficult at first, but it can also become increasingly easy, as getting hooked can be as simple as watching a game and falling in love. If there is a love at first sight sport, it is this one.

So why (and how) should you be a fan? Well, don’t you want to watch the beauty of seeing a puck flying through the air, past the goalie’s mitt, and entering your opponents net? Don’t you want to be stunned in awe by a gorgeous passing play leading to a goal that looks easy? In this sport, even the gut wrench of defeat can be ecstasy, because you can always believe that your team will be back, unless you’re a fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Then you’re doomed. So don’t be a fan of the Oilers. That’s point number zero. Unless you have a time machine. Then go back to the 80’s and watch Wayne Gretzky. Then go save JFK and kill baby Hitler.

Watching the Game

There is no more important thing than getting accustomed to the game itself, with or without a team. In fact, going in without a team at first might be more fun, because goals against aren’t a thing yet and you can truly enjoy every goal. But if you’re a person like me, you’ll find yourself subconsciously pulling for one side or the other, and this may be the start of your fandom.

There are complicated rules to be aware of before watching your first game. Offsides happens when a player skates past the furthest blue line before the puck crosses it. Icing happens when a player hits the puck past three lines, including the red center line. Both of these can happen at the most inopportune times, and when committed against your team, they’re both bullshit calls.

Choosing a Team

This can be a matter of where you are geographically. There will usually be a team either in your state or a state away. If you’re in New York/California, you get the option of three teams, all great options options, with their own benefits and their own unique history, but they also have their own drawbacks, like the Rangers currently don’t have a bright future, and Buffalo doesn’t have a great past.

Fandom can also be a question of playing a video game and really liking a player or just enjoying a high rating franchise, but beware of those, if a team has won the Stanley Cup within the last five years, you may be accused of being a bandwagon fan. Nothing sucks more and at the same time matters less. If you enjoy the sweaters (aka jerseys) of the Blackhawks, or the colors of the old Anaheim Ducks (that eggplant/teal combo), or just really like looking at Henrik Lundqvist, you do you.

There is many ways to be a fan, and really none of them are wrong, but since you’re on Brightside, and we have a Blackhawks bias, just please don’t be a fan of the St. Louis Blues. Those types of fans suck. But the other 29 (30 if you want to get on board with Vegas early on) are perfectly fine teams with great fans. Again, just not the St. Louis Blues. Fuck the St. Louis Blues.

Choosing a Player

If you’re the type of person who really like individuals over groups, who focuses on the details instead of the big picture, choosing a favorite player can be a big part of fandom. In nearly every sport, losing said favorite player can make you question your relationship with your team and go through heartbreak like no other. I haven’t truly cried for a year, or I hadn’t, before my favorite player Andrew Shaw was made a Canadien.

It’s perfectly fine if you’re more of a player fan than a team fan. Bouncing around the league brings new perspectives and new opportunities, and any fans who question you on it can be told off by mentioning the travelling Jagrs, a group of fans who have become friends following one of the greatest talents in the league. You’re more likely to know what winning a Stanley Cup feels like if your player becomes a Blackhawk, a Penguin, or a Shark than if they’re traded to say… Montreal. In those situations you’re not a bandwagon fan, you’re loyal to your player.

However, if you like to stay a fan of your team, you will develop more favorites, whether through their own style of play, their off ice personality, or their necessity to your team. All of these are possible, because every player has their own unique take on the game, there is more players in this sport that give back to their community and show themselves to be good people than in any other sport, and every team has a core group of players, less likely to leave than other players.

I recommend becoming a fan of a core player if you hate heartbreak. Usually this is a team’s first line center, best defenseman, and goaltender. If you’re the Florida Panthers, it’s whoever’s oldest.

Learning your History

Every team has their own history, their own past of winning or losing, heartbreak and celebration, star players and controversy. If you become a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, your fandom is all history.

Learning about how your franchise has reached this point is an important part of becoming a better fan. Learning who the best players are from your franchise twenty, thirty, sometimes up to seventy years ago is also important because it puts into context your current stars. In the 24 hour sports cycle, where everything is a discussion of legacy and Mt. Rushmores, it’s important to have a grasp on the franchise’s actual legacy and Mt. Rushmore (four best players).

Knowledge is never bad, and it helps you recognize what’s important and if you’re in the midst of a Cup window (the time span in which a Stanley Cup is a feasible goal) it helps you realize to take advantage of the moment, and if your team does win the Stanley Cup that it’s a moment to celebrate and remember, because no team wins the cup every year, and there hasn’t been a repeat since the 90’s.

Hating your Rivals

Knowledge of your team also helps understand your team’s rivalries, aka who you hate more than anything. Sometimes your biggest rival is a more recent development, such as when your team goes on good streaks and one team always seems to end those streaks, sometimes it’s more about history. Sometimes rivalries end, but history of hatred between your franchises means you’re never going to like a team, even if you don’t hate them. There will be other teams for your team to hate, unless you’re Carolina. Nobody hates Carolina, we just pity them.

Rivalries include many things, but most notably they include tough games, insults, brawls, and in most rivalries there is an element of playoff defeat or success. There is also an element of brevity, which allows for friendships/relationships/families that include rivalries and for jokes on each other’s expense.

So you should hate your rival, but you shouldn’t detest your rivals.

Blaming Bettman

This is a league surrounded by controversy, and most of it seems to stem from one area: the man in charge. Gary Bettman has done a good job in a few areas – expansion and growth of the league. What he hasn’t done is build the fan bases in the areas that need it. He’s not a good marketer. He’s also not a good negotiator, and his weakness in this area has led to two lockouts so far in his tenure, and it is beginning to look more and more like there will be a third. It is for this reason we boo this man when he presents the Stanley Cup. It is not because of the team that won it, it is not because of the trophy itself, the singular greatest in sports, it is because of the man presenting it.

When you see this man, you boo him. Them’s the rules.

The sad part is, until Adam Silver, sweet, sweet Adam Silver, came along, Bettman may have been the best big 4 commissioner.

Understanding Controversy

If you’re a die hard fan, you need to understand your teams past. Most teams have, at some point in their long existences, had moments of controversy, whether it be calls that affected the Stanley Cup Game 7, awful human beings who have played for your organization, or hiring and trading for the wrong people at the wrong times, you need to understand what went down and take a side on it. And then argue your side like it’s the only right option, we exist in a black and white league, just look at the logo.

Being a Casual Fan

Of course, if you’re just in hockey as a third or fourth sport, if you’re just learning and experiencing the game, you’re perfectly fine as well. Watch some games, watch how fast these players can skate, watch the gorgeous goals that are produced in every game, get a favorite player, get a good jersey for your team, and cheer when you win. That’s the important things. If you remember that, it’s easy.