The fog horn blares as the Anaheim Ducks slam against the boards in celebration. Fans cheer, while others put their heads in their hands, disappointed for the New Jersey Devils.
The Nation Hockey League (NHL) founded its first four teams in 1917—Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Arenas. However, many hockey fans don’t note most of these teams as the originals, claiming that the “Original Six” teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
None of these teams are on the West Coast, or even close to it.
The LA Kings were the first team founded in the Pacific Division. Founded in 1966, they played their first season in 1967. However, they didn’t gain popularity until the late 1980s.
Wayne Gretzky joined the NHL in 1979 with another Pacific division team, the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories before being traded to the LA Kings in 1987. Gretzky’s transition increased West Coast hockey’s popularity because of his record-breaking skills.
Today, the LA Kings rank third in the Pacific Division and have gained the hearts of many adoring fans over the years.
“I’ve probably been a King’s fan for 15 years,” ASL teacher Alicia Stoffers said.
The Kings weren’t the only reason West Coast hockey gained popularity.
In 1992, Disney released “The Mighty Ducks,” a movie about a hockey team. The following year, Disney endorsed an Anaheim hockey team in the NHL and named them “The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.” However, in 2005, Disney sold the team, and the team was then renamed the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks have had minimal success in the league—winning the Stanley Cup only once in 2007. However, Ducks fan loyalty hasn’t wavered despite the lack of winning.
The final California NHL team is the San Jose Sharks. They’ve never won a Stanley Cup, and have only advanced once in 2016. Early in the 2023-2024 season, they nearly became the worst team in NHL history—giving up ten goals in two games. They didn’t turn the season around, only collecting 40 points in the season, and getting eliminated from the postseason. To put that in perspective, Wayne Greztky had 215 points by himself in 1986-1987.
However, like the Ducks, the loyal Sharks fans still admit their allegiance to the fandom.
“My favorite team is the San Jose Sharks,” Ryder Horton (‘26) said. “The atmosphere in [SAP Center] is super fun.”
While there are fans of the West Coast hockey teams, there is still hesitation on the sport, with people claiming that football or baseball interests more people. However, hockey fans feel different.
“The athleticism is unparalleled to other sports,” Stoffers said. “[The players] are sprinting on very thin pieces of metal up and down the ice.”
Hockey offers more than just running and doing something with a ball. It is a complex sport that involves aspects like ice, among other things.
“There are more aspects to [hockey] than other sports,” Ben Harrison (‘26) said. “You’ve got skating [and] puck-handling.”
Horton plays hockey and agrees that hockey is more complex than other sports. However, he claims those aren’t the reasons he prefers to play hockey over other sports.
“[One of my favorite things about playing hockey is the] hitting part of it,” Horton said. “It’s a pretty big part of my play style.”
Hockey players aren’t only wearing skates and trying to sprint down ice, but they are also trying to not get hit. If they do end up getting hit, they have to try to attempt to stay upright.
While hockey fans love watching the player’s skills, the big reason they love hockey is the fandom.
“[All the hockey fans are] excited—whether they win or lose,” Stoffers said. “There’s a big sense of camaraderie amongst hockey fans in general, whether you root for different teams or not.”
Horton has been playing hockey since he was seven and feels the togetherness felt by fans with his team.
“I like the team camaraderie, where everyone is friends on the team,” Horton said. “We all know each other [because we] have been playing [together] for a while.”
Hockey brings different types of people together, who bond over their love for the game. The sport’s inclusivity makes it one of the more welcoming fanbases, and should invite more people on the West Coast to celebrate that.
