The 2011 Stanley Cup champs ranked 24th on the list with a fan difficulty index of negative-4.294. It's no doubt that the Bruins' recent Stanley Cup victory aided the team — after all, On Numbers used a win-heavy formula. The formula took into account each team's performance over the last 10 years, earning points for accomplishments such as winning a Stanley Cup, making it to the Final, semifinals and quarterfinals.
The formula also looked at each team's most recent quarterfinal and title round appearance, and the team's most recent Stanley Cup victory. This score accounted for 50 percent of the rankings, lowering the Bruins' fan difficulty index considerably.
According to the index, the easiest team to root for is the Detroit Red Wings. Joining the Red Wings and the Bruins as the easiest teams to root for are the Penguins, Ducks, Hurricanes, Devils, Blackhawks, Lightning, Avalanche and Flyers. The only team on that list who hasn't won a Stanley Cup in the past decade is the Flyers.
The Phoenix Coyotes are the hardest team to root for, along with the Islanders and Blues. The Rangers and Capitals also made it in the top 10 of the index as some of the harder teams to root for.
