alex, the red wings have a GREAT fan base. im not a wings fan, but these people are still friends and family, and brothers. its home. so i get slightly offended when i hear this stuff. i know its just a joke, but still. the red wings fan base is in the NHL elite. maybe not the way it was in the 90s, but its still top 3 american fan bases. i ask for the same respect for my home as you ask from everyone not from western new york. i think thats fair. even if it does poke fun at the team i grew up hating.

also, the seats empty are still accounted for and sold. those are all corporate seats.

modano, what a great player he was. good for him to toss on a wings jersey his last season.

oh i know. but people dont like it when outsiders even make jokes at buffalo, im the same way about metro detroit/flint. very proud of my home.

alex, the red wings have a GREAT fan base. im not a wings fan, but these people are still friends and family, and brothers. its home. so i get slightly offended when i hear this stuff. i know its just a joke, but still. the red wings fan base is in the NHL elite. maybe not the way it was in the 90s, but its still top 3 american fan bases. i ask for the same respect for my home as you ask from everyone not from western new york. i think thats fair. even if it does poke fun at the team i grew up hating.

also, the seats empty are still accounted for and sold. those are all corporate seats.

modano, what a great player he was. good for him to toss on a wings jersey his last season.

alex, the red wings have a GREAT fan base. im not a wings fan, but these people are still friends and family, and brothers. its home. so i get slightly offended when i hear this stuff. i know its just a joke, but still. the red wings fan base is in the NHL elite. maybe not the way it was in the 90s, but its still top 3 american fan bases. i ask for the same respect for my home as you ask from everyone not from western new york. i think thats fair. even if it does poke fun at the team i grew up hating.

also, the seats empty are still accounted for and sold. those are all corporate seats.

modano, what a great player he was. good for him to toss on a wings jersey his last season.

I didn't make fun of Detroit. I made fun of the Red Wings because they're less likable than SARS and they put me to sleep.

So we're not allowed to pick on or criticize Detroit, but it's perfectly ok to rip on Raleigh and Carolina fans? That's not how it works. Everyone is fair game.

I have to agree with Alex here. So what if a seat is sold and accounted for? In other cities, people actually show up and sit there. What does it say about a fan base that has a corporate seat that nobody sits in?

Chicago and Philly have higher raw attendance than Detroit, with smaller arenas. Buffalo is just behind Detroit with an even SMALLER building.

Buffalo and Pittsburgh are consistently the top US TV markets for TV ratings. Over the last couple years, Buffalo has been 3rd in Cup Finals ratings repeatedly, right behind the two teams actually playing.

Tell me again how Detroit has some magical unicorn fanbase that shits rainbows? They have a good fanbase, and I have nothing against them, aside from that bullshit 'Hockeytown' marketing nonsense. However, saying they're the best US fanbase is just flat out not true.

I disagree. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterburg are two of the most exciting players to watch. I love watching Red Wings games.