Becca72,

I grew up as a Maple Leafs Fan, long suffering under the evil Harold Ballard. After one more year of barely making the playoffs then selling the young talent. I cut myself adrift, looking to cheer for teams who wanted to build champions. When the Islanders dropped the Leafs in the first round, I cheered for them. Went through a few years of underacheiving by them then they won the cup four times. I thought, its time to move on. Mario Lemeiux caught my eye, I went through pretty much the same process. Then I moved to Ottawa. The disappointment ratio in Ottawa has been tremendous. But in the past few years, at least they have really tied to win. On the other hand. Its not satisfying only being able to see your team a couple of times a year, including playoffs.

If I start following Carolina, I'll be able to see them on TV a lot and maybe a time or two live and I can really get to know the players. So, I feel, that I must force myself to cheer for the defending Cup champions. Because of the salary Cap. They start this year worse off than they finished last year. It will be interesting to see if they can sustain their success.