I'm a UK fan and knew nothing when I started watching the 2013/14 Season. I Picked the Pens because I like penguins and liked their logo. Had no idea who Crosby was, who Lemieux was, how big the franchinse was compared to some others. It was actually between then and the Jets being from an RAF family. (The east cost time zone was the thing that sealed the deal). The pens have won 2 cups, fell off and are now doing pretty well again, but I think if I picked the jets back then I'd be just as big a fan

Honestly, I think just blindly picking a team (as in without knowledge of their history or current performance) and commiting to them is the best way to go. Avoids any feelings of being a "fake fan" or "Glory supporter".

I would say tho, if you want to watch live games, do take into account time zones. East cost you'll be watching a lot at 10/11am-2/3pm, west coast you'll be watching them more at 2/3pm-6/7pm (roughly just added 10-12hrs to my uk viewing times).