There’s a growing trend among hockey fans—and it’s a bad one:
Check the standings.
Do some quick math.
Decide tonight’s game doesn’t matter.
Out of a playoff spot?
Not a contender?
Burned too many times in past Aprils?
Conclusion: “This is a meaningless game. This team stinks. Fire the coach. Fire the GM. Maybe then I’ll watch again. In the meantime, I’m picking a new favourite team.”
For many fans, their “Stanley Cup or bust” obsession is ruining the experience. There are 32 NHL teams. Only one wins the Stanley Cup. If lifting the Cup—or even coming close—is the only thing that offers real value, then you’ve just turned 82 events into must-miss-viewing every year.
We prefer to argue that every NHL hockey game is its own entity and has its own value, regardless of what preceded it or what calamities might follow. Game 68 out of an 82-game schedule is not something that needs to be cynically mocked. It’s a night out. Or an interesting night at home on the couch. It’s an event that stands on its own. It’s a live show. A show capable of delivering the unexpected.
Game 68 isn’t just about “points percentage” or “wild card pace.” Something unique will likely unfold that night—and never the same way again. You might see a ridiculous end-to-end scoring play, a goalie “standing on his head,” a blown call that riles the entire home team and its fans, a wild night of fisticuffs, or a late goal that flips the script suddenly. We’re talking about chaos, drama, big moments, funny situations, moments of frustration, and more.
That’s the deal. That’s the product.
You don’t walk into a movie and say, “Yeah, but this probably won’t win Best Picture, so I’m out.” You don’t leave a concert because the band “isn’t in its prime” anymore. But somehow, hockey fans convince themselves a random March game has “no value” because it won’t impact June. Or it has no value because of what happened last season or last month.
This, of course, is ridiculous.
Even bad teams give you something: Young players figuring it out. Veterans you soon won’t see ever again. Spoiler games that derail another team’s situation. A hilarious or weird play that won’t likely recur for another decade or so. You’ll experience the crowd’s energy rising and falling. A player having one of those special, unexpected nights. Rivalries that don’t care about the standings. And occasionally, your struggling team provides a dazzling victory that makes you forget the standings entirely. That’s not meaningless. That’s entertainment.
The season isn’t just a destination—it’s 82 separate experiences. Each game has its own story. Its own energy. Its own payoff. The bottom line is: not every team is a contender. Not every season ends well. But every game still has value. It’s an event unto itself.
Unless, of course, you’re stuck on the “Stanley Cup or bust” approach. In which case, all you’re doing is tracking an outcome. With 32 teams—and more to come—you’ll likely be switching your allegiances and stuffing your closet full of different jerseys on a never-ending basis.
Criticize your favourite team?
By all means.
Abandon them completely?
Never.
