"Oh... you like the Sharks? Can you even name five players?"
Every time I open an online space, I see people complaining about San Jose Sharks fans. Whether it's an issue about gender, sexuality, or age, people find something to grab onto in an attempt to ostracise these fans even further. Never mind the fact that simply existing as a young, queer female is challenging enough as is; they find a way to exclude you from a sport that brings you joy and connection.
When I first got into the world of hockey, the vast majority of my timeline were other teenagers who had latched onto the Sharks. I could see myself in both the fans and the players — a team with such a young core was bound to attract people of similar ages. In the tumult of the real world, I found a place of escapism, somewhere I could chat to others and just be a teenager. It didn't matter that I was on a different continent; I could bond with others about players and feel the dread of trades as well. It became a space where I could discuss hockey with a silly tone and have a bit of fun.
The simple act of being a new fan brings hockey purists to your mentions, asking when, how, why, and where your interest began — God help you if you mention Heated Rivalry. Of course, I wasn't going to be a Vegas Golden Knights fan. I could count on one hand the number of fan accounts I've seen for certain teams. If there is no coverage, no place where I can feel connected to the fans, it is not viable for me to choose such a team. I cannot go to meet-ups or events, but I can live through the online world and gain a semblance of the experience that other fans get.
I feel as if I have to know everyone who has ever played to be taken seriously. The concept of being a casual fan has been thrown to the dogs, it seems. I feel the same joy everyone else does when our team wins, the same sorrow after a tough loss. Some supporters found out about the existence of ice hockey two months ago, while others have been raised on legendary stories and have had the privilege of watching players like the Sedins, Crosby, and Ovechkin in their prime. Do you not think that I long to have had that historical connection to the team I've grown to love? I won't get to experience the growth of the game the same way as old fans, but I'm here for the future. When I look back in a couple of years, I'd have viewed the prime players of today — Celebrini, Bedard, and soon to be McKenna — and I'll be able to discuss them in the same way I see people talking about players I'd never heard of before then. You will not catch me making fun of, and dismissing new fans for not knowing how free agency or trade deadlines work, because I've lived through it. I was not raised in a country with hockey at its very soul, I've never been to a game, and likely won't ever see my team play in person. This does not inhibit me from enjoying the sport.
In a sport where classism, politics, and cover-ups lie in its deep core, new fans should be welcomed rather than shunned. The sport is ultimately dying, with global interest decreasing annually. Many players come from wealthy families, as it only proves feasible to continue with a sport as expensive as hockey when it isn't directly affecting your ability to put food on the table. People have every right to be pulling away from the sport in light of recent allegations, which I have no interest in discussing here. It is no secret that the NHL is not a progressive league, a fact which goes against the modernity of the world we currently live in. There is no practicable way to believe that your favourite player is 100% "woke", or whatever word you try to push onto their identity, without true and undeniable proof of their support.
I find that many people who think of themselves as "true" Sharks fans have an issue with being grouped in with the fans that came in from Heated Rivalry. They want others to believe that they were here before the show, that they weren’t brought in by trends, and so they find ways to demean the new supporters. But in the end, we are all fans of the same team. We are all rooting for the ultimate success of a Stanley Cup for the Sharks, no matter where our interest began. All fan spaces go through tough times, but how can you find a way to complain when the Sharks are benefiting from this? The jerseys and tickets being bought are bringing a new market into the world of hockey, one that could help in reviving the sport. If the fans that came from TV shows are willing to learn, I say we let them in!
For clarity, I am not implying that no one watches hockey anymore, and I don't want my words to be twisted into something I would never say. With the help of the Olympics, viewership for regular season games increased by over 40% this year, and they had the best regular-season average in 14 seasons. A portion of these new views have certainly come in from Heated Rivalry and Off Campus, with even Bettman agreeing.
In saying all of this, it would be foolish to pretend as if there aren't certain spaces online where players are treated as if there were not real people. This is a fact that has proven to come to life in all corners of fandom, however. There is no way to rid the internet of parasocial fans, and there will always exist people who you find unbearable. The best thing to do is ignore them and move on — and under no circumstances do you post screenshots from aforementioned online spaces on Twitter! Strive to keep the players unaware of these areas, for their own good.
If this does nothing to change your opinion on new fans, take a step back and press the block button. It's there for a reason.
Sources:
https://www.sportcal.com/media/nhl-rebounds-from-poor-2025-with-viewership-growth-across-espn-tnt-in-26/?cf-view&cf-closedhttps://leadersgroup-sbj-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/Articles/2026/04/21/nhl-scores-best-average-viewership-on-tv-in-14-seasons/https://youtu.be/z9cz9sgIZ-c?is=DTmOIqnq2nF2weYs
