It’s a Wednesday night in October. Your hometown team is on a power play. They’re down by one with five minutes left. You’re on the couch, jersey on, yelling at the TV like it owes you money. But then… your fantasy goalie is in the crease.
Now what?
Welcome to the beautiful, twisted world of fantasy hockey — where your heart pulls one way, and your fantasy roster tugs the other.
🫡 The Loyalist
These are the die-hards. The ones who won’t draft a single rival player out of sheer principle. Doesn’t matter if that winger drops 100 points — if he’s on your team’s hated rival, he’s not touching their fantasy roster.
When their goalie gives up a late goal, they take the fantasy L with pride. “I’d rather lose my week than cheer for them,” they mutter, fists clenched.
Loyalists are the backbone of hockey fandom. But they’re also usually 2–8 halfway through the fantasy season.
📈 The Stat-Chaser
Then there’s the Stat-Chaser. The person who drafts like a GM and roots like a spreadsheet.
If their team is up 3–2 but their fantasy opponent has the opposing defenseman? They’re low-key hoping for overtime so they can rack up those sweet, sweet points.
They’ll tell you, “It’s just business,” while secretly fist-pumping when their real team’s goalie gets shelled — because that means their fantasy captain is lighting the lamp.
⚔️ The Torn Fan
Most of us live in this grey zone.
You want your team to win. But… you also need your fantasy team to hold the line. So you find yourself in weird emotional standoffs:
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Cheering for your team to score — but only if it’s your fantasy player.
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Rooting for your goalie to get a shutout, except he’s playing against your team.
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Hoping your team wins 5–4 in a shootout so everyone scores but nobody loses.
It’s hockey fandom with an existential twist.
📝 The Takeaway
Fantasy hockey has made us all a little more conflicted… and a lot more engaged.
We know players on teams we never used to care about. We check box scores like it’s tax season. And sometimes, just sometimes, we find ourselves in that late-game moment where we whisper:
“Please score… but make it my guy who scores.”
🧊 Your Move
So where do you land — Loyalist, Stat-Chaser, or Torn Fan?
Drop a comment and let us know how you navigate the emotional rollercoaster of rooting for your team vs. your fantasy lineup.
And no judgment… unless you’re cheering for your rival to beat your team. Then we might have to talk.
