I don’t know about y’all, but when I think about the sports climate in the South, hockey isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. I say that as somebody who grew up about 20 miles outside of Nashville in a family that cultivated a love of the game from a young age; hockey just isn’t part of the southern identity, at least not in a broader sense. Not yet.
Still, it’s not like hockey isn’t talked about or beloved by a sect of people in this part of the country. Many fans (including yours truly) will openly admit that our sport of choice is niche, but will point out that it commands a die-hard following unlike the other members of the “big four” North American sports.