Detroit Red Wings rank at No. 220 on FanSided 250

Despite coming off of a record-worst season, the Detroit Red Wings still ranked in FanSided’s 250.

It’s a shame to think that an original six team, with such a rich history of success, ranks just eleventh out of the NHL teams, 220th overall in FanSided’s 250.  But it just goes to show a person how well-traveled this Detroit Red Wings fan base is considering it’s a franchise coming off a historically bad season, yet still manages to maintain a rock-solid following.

That being said, I am quite disappointed how far the Detroit Red Wings have fallen off nationally.  A city that once called themself ‘Hockeytown’ to fall from a respectable playoff-bound, often Stanley Cup contender to barely making the list is quite humbling.

It seemed when the organization removed the ‘Hockeytown’ logo from it’s center-ice in recent years to much despair; the franchises’ brass understood they’d struggle to live up to the same highly-regarded expectations during what is expected to be a lengthy rebuild in the years to come.

According to FanSided’s rankings, the currently clipped Wings still maintain a whopping 3.8 million social follows along with earning a search score of 38.7 and a solid 43.2 fan vote with all things considered.

It shouldn’t be just Red Wings fans displeased with their overall fandom ranking; the Montreal Canadiens came in at 248 overall, 20th in the NHL.  That seems odd knowing the franchises’ history and league-leading Stanley Cup Championships.  The New York Rangers, another original-six unit, ranked 17th in the division with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins all edging the Detroit Red Wings.

If you were looking for a little insult to injury, here it is.  According to FanSided, the team Steve Yzerman built, the Tampa Bay Lightning led the NHL teams’ coming in 98th.  Maybe the Detroit Red Wings will land the top spot once again after Yzerman’s vision for the franchise comes to fruition.