So I had ESPN on in the background as I was obsessively following the free agency live blogging on TSN and Canes Country (someone take this computer away from me now before I hurt myself), and Sportscenter was running this bit about ESPN The Magazine's annual Ultimate Franchises fan poll.
Wait a minute...What did he just say?
Under the category "fan experience" the Carolina Hurricanes come in at #1 out of 122 professional sports franchises? Sweet. I gotta check out this list.
So I go online, and though navigating the whole list is a bit wonky, I find that the Canes are ranked #2 over all in this year's survey. Wow! That's a move up from #17 last year. We are second only to the LA Angels of Anaheim. If my math is correct, that makes the Canes the #1 ranked franchise in the NHL. Other NHL teams in the top 10 - Detroit Red Wings at #4 and Washington Capitals at #6. The survey criteria includes affordability, quality of coaching, fan relations, commitment of ownership, stadium or arena experience, team success and "bang for the buck." So there.
#122 on the list? You guessed it...the LA Clippers.
Normally I could not care less what ESPN says, especially when it comes to their coverage of hockey in general (all kudos to Barry Melrose, who I respect a lot, and appreciate the 3-5 minutes of air time he gets once or twice a week during the season), or more specifically their coverage (natch) of the Hurricanes, but this fan vote in The Magazine makes me proud.
Of course we all know that the Canes are #1, but to see this sort of national recognition, well, it leaves me a bit...flumoxed??
Go Canes!
You can read the full survey recap on the Canes HERE.
Have fun searching for your favorite team(s).
I'll probably spend a few hours geeking out over this once I'm through with geeking out over free agency. Heck I might even have to buy a copy of the magazine. Yikes!
-m
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