NHL fans unite to hate the Vegas Golden Knights in the latest survey... to nobody's surprise

Let's be honest for a second. People hate the Vegas Golden Knights for various reasons. It could be that Jack Eichel allegedly kicks puppies for sport or it could be that Mark Stone is a devious devil who rips his spleen apart to save Kelly McCrimmon a buck. Regardless, people aren't too keen on the Golden Knights' mere existence.

The latest fan survey from JFresh highlights this as the Golden Knights were labeled as the most hated team in the NHL. More villified than the Toronto Maple Leafs. More hated than the Florida Panthers and their older players. The Golden Knights received 27% of the possible points, finishing seven points ahead of the Panthers.

Vegas received 17% of the first-place votes (most in the NHL by five percentage points), along with 13% of the second-place votes (most in the NHL by two percentage points) and 11% of the third-place votes (most in the NHL by one percentage point). That's right, folks. The Golden Knights pulled a Thanos and got every Infinity Stone of hate from the NHL universe.

The least hated team consisted of a five-way tie between the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Seattle Kraken, Utah Mammoth and the Winnipeg Jets. All five teams received an overall percentage of 0%. Either these teams aren't well-known, just started in the NHL, or are beloved underdogs.

Anyway, the Golden Knights get the dubious distinction of being the most villified team in the NHL. However, this type of hatred is vastly different reasons. They're not featured in literally every prime time slot because Bill Foley isn't in bed with prominent sports networks. Here's why the Golden Knights get so much hate.

Why are the Vegas Golden Knights the most hated team in the NHL?

I always pick on the Dallas Cowboys because their team gets a ton of attention. They're constantly featured on the oasis known as Netflix and are the wealthiest franchise in North America. Yet, there's a minor problem: They don't win.

When was the last time that Dallas made the NFC Championship? It's been three decades or more since that happened, which has brought fans together. In fact, Cowboys elimination day has become a de facto holiday for the rest of America.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have been one of the NHL's most successful franchises since 2017. They've made the playoffs in every season except one (2021-22, which was a winning season). They also made the Stanley Cup three times (including the inaugural season) and won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

These accomplishments alone should stir some feelings up in opposing hockey fans. But it's also how the Golden Knights operate that caused plenty of controversy. It doesn't matter if it's Mark Stone's spine getting beaten with a baseball bat or if Alex Pietrangelo got new hips from Temu. The allegations will flow like it's monsoon season in Las Vegas.

Add in some rivals from San Jose, Edmonton, and Toronto and things get even more fun. The Golden Knights have developed a reputation as a team that constantly wins and riles people up with winning moves. That'll certainly be the story line as Vegas moves towards yet another Stanley Cup Final appearance.

As Jack Eichel once said, "People hate a winner, I guess."

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