Sports loyalty is unlike any other kind of devotion. Fans invest time, energy and wads of cash into their team. And for many, loyalty is inherited -- I know because I was born into a 
Maple Leafs family. We lived halfway between Toronto and Detroit, but we were ride or die with the blue and white.
Along with Chevy pickups and red tractors. Our neighbour was a Montreal fan, drove a Ford and had green tractors. The rivalry was real. My father is probably rolling in his grave knowing I'm cheering for the bleu, blanc et rouge right now…
Before we dig in, I recommend you check out the current Stanley Cup odds before you put action on any team in your favorite betting app. Unless you're betting as a fan, which I do not recommend. But hey -- we're talking about loyalty, aren't we?
On the flip side, make time for our piece on the most hated NHL team in every state for 2026 as well.
Methodology
After the 2025- 26 NHL regular season, RotoWire.com wanted to find out which fanbases are the most loyal in the NHL. We factored in average arena capacity, X followers, and team record between 2021-2026 seasons to produce an NHL Fan Loyalty Score (0-100).
The Loyalty Score is a composite metric designed to measure fan commitment independent of how often a franchise wins. A loyal fanbase fills the building, follows the team online, and shows up regardless of where the team sits in the standings. To capture that, three factors were combined and weighted equally.
The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967 — the longest active drought in the NHL — yet they sit at #1 with an 80.61 score. That gap between performance and loyalty is the entire point: Scotiabank Arena sells out night after night, and the team commands the largest X following in the league. Boston, the Rangers, and Pittsburgh round out the top four on similar foundations — massive Original Six or long-tenured fanbases that show up regardless of standings.
At the other end, San Jose (10.11) sits more than 70 points below Toronto. A combination of recent rebuild years, a smaller social footprint, and softer attendance numbers landed the Sharks at #32. Anaheim, Columbus, and Buffalo round out the bottom four — all franchises that have struggled with both on-ice results and consistent gate-filling over the measured window.
Which NHL Fanbases Are The Most Loyal?
It will surprise no-one that the Toronto Maple Leafs (80.61) have the most loyal fanbase in the NHL. Membership in Leafs Nation transcends time and place, and is characterized by a mix of optimism, delusion and emotional eating. They haven't seen a Cup parade since 1967 but cling to hope every season. And they drop coin on their team -- the Leafs are filthy rich, the only NHL team with a market valuation north of $4 million ($4.3; 2025-26).
Bruins Faithful lift Boston to second on RotoWire.com's list with a 77.05 score. Those spoked-B jerseys are sharp, and so are the epic elongated cheers -- remember Tuuuuuuukaaaa for the great Tuukka Rask? The 
Bruins also own Eastern Canadian fans, and they're universally loud.
New York Rangers fans are unlike any others in the NHL, and maybe sport overall. They'll boo loudly if the power play struggles but rip your head off in Penn Station if you bad-talk their team. Blueshirts Faithful lift their team to third on this list (70.48). The Rangers are the NHL's second-most valuable franchise ($3.8 billion).
Pittsburgh fans bleed black-and-gold. They're fourth on the loyalty list with a 69.94 score. Those Loyal to the Oil are fifth with a score of 69.84. Pittsburgh and Edmonton are tied for second in the most Stanley Cup wins (five) since expansion (1967), so these ratings are well-rooted in success.
Final-Four Loyalty Surprise
Avs Nation pushes Colorado into seventh with a score of 66.24. The Caniacs have Carolina eighth overall (63.77). The Golden Misfits are next, putting Vegas in 12th with 61.31. But the big surprise is the strangely low finish of the NHL's oldest franchise. Les Glorieux will be furious with Montreal's 57.33 score (14th), especially after their goal cheers in games six and seven of Round 2 registered on the Richter scale. You can't make this stuff up. They belong higher.
You're Going To Need A Bigger Boat
Shark Nation is rising fast, courtesy of Macklin Celebrini and the Jaws crew. But their sorry history put them last with an almost incomprehensible 10.11 points -- that's 17.81 below Anaheim at 27.92 (31st). The Finatics keep Celebrini's number 71 jerseys in the league's top-10 best sellers, and sometimes in the top-five. Get a bigger boat. Fast.
