The official 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs "It would be cool if they won" rankings

Everyone has a rooting interest this time of year.

For most hockey fans, it's a question of whether their favourite team wins the whole thing. Fair enough, that's what you watch for all year.

But even the most widely supported team has a backing that pales in comparison with the number of people that would like literally anyone else to win. Or for fans of the 16 teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs, it's probably some combination, "I guess I don't care much either way," and "I hope it's not them." The "them" there is amorphous – for Calgary Flames fans, they gotta be rooting against the Edmonton Oilers; for Montréal Canadiens fans, it's probably both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins – but often you see these kinds of feelings grow over the course of the postseason. Alle