Anacurt's FanShot linked to a somewhat interesting article by Eklund. In the article Eklund touches on something I have pondered many times...

 

"But this just sucks. If the Isles leave the Island I wonder what would become of those fans? I know they wouldn't become Rangers fans....who would they root for?"

I'm defining "moved" as relocating out of the tri-state area, changing name, uni, etc. 

I'm venturing a guess that he is correct about the fact that we won't be pulling for the Rags, at least 99.9% of us probably will not.

Personally, I think I would stop watching hockey on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, I would still try to catch good match-ups and the playoffs if they were aired by my cable provider. This probably sounds extreme to some but I couldn't bring myself to watch the Rangers or Devils on a regular basis, never mind root for them. I think I would lose a lot of my passion for watching the sport. In the interest of transparency I'll admit I play hockey a couple of times a week and I believe that has something to do with my answer. I will still be getting a hockey fix and I've always enjoyed playing sports (of any kind) more than watching. 

I'm curious what others think...