標籤: hated

The Montreal Canadiens have managed to instantly transform a last-place team into a club ready to battle the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

As a result, many other franchises are beginning to look to Montreal as a model worth emulating. Toronto Maple Leafs president Keith Pelley admitted that he underestimated the Canadiens, and was one of the driving forces behind Toronto’s decision to fire their general manager and head coach.

However, not every organization is a fan of what’s happening in Montreal.

According to Rotowire, the Canadiens are the most hated team in the United States, with several northeastern states leading the way.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire are the states that Canadians hate the most, although there’s a good chance that some other states rank second or third.

Such is life when your fan base is much larger than everyone else’s.

nhl results

The Vegas Golden Knights were the most hated team in the NHL, with 11 states within their jurisdiction. The Colorado Avalanche finished second with eight states, while the Pittsburgh Penguins joined the Habs in third place with five states.

To be completely honest, the methodology is a bit strange. Rotowire didn’t ask real fans about their most hated rival. Instead, they based results on the most popular team in the area, proximity to other teams, and a few other factors.

The states Canadians list as ‘hating’ are Boston Bruins strongholds.

“We first identified the dominant fan base in each state based on market proximity, broadcast reach and where the real hockey culture lives. From there, we chose the team that draws the most condemnation using divisional rivalries, recent playoff history (2020 to 2025), the Original Six tradition and the universal-villain narratives that follow expansion success and dynasty fatigue. We ran this for all 50 states because hockey hatred in pro sports varies most regionally, and the answer says as much about hockey culture as it does the standings.“

The last time anyone actually polled fans, the Toronto Maple Leafs finished as the most hated organization by a wide margin, while the Canadiens were third.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Recently, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made headlines by publicly staking his claim for the league MVP award following his team’s win over the Miami Heat. It was another dominant performance for the Spurs in their win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday evening.

Vembanyama’s public plea caused a stir in the NBA social media world, and most recently, the Golden State Warriors power forward weighed in on the controversy.

X, formerly on Twitter According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Green said, “I hate it… and I love it.”

Green also spoke on Wembanyama’s proclamation regarding his impact on the defensive end of the floor.

“Wemby said, ‘Defense is 50% of the game,’ and it was like, oh, nobody realized that?” Green said. “Has no one realized that 50% of the game we play happens on that end of the floor?”

Wembanyama became one of the best defenders in the league the moment he stepped onto an NBA floor and has continued to expand that part of his game since then.

While his block numbers remain specific, Wembanyama also prevents players from attempting shots that they could have made against another team on a nightly basis.

Meanwhile, on offense, Vembanyama is having the best season of his career in 2025-26, cutting down on three-point attempts and terrorizing opponents around the basket, while maintaining solid efficiency from the field, and improving his facilitation skills.

All of this, combined with the Spurs’ elite record, is leading some to wonder whether Wembanyama would have emerged as a true MVP candidate in his third season, and it appears that other players, including Green, have mixed feelings on Wembanyama’s advocacy for themselves.