When it comes to rooting for his favorite hockey team, Tom Jaconette of Carrollton says his heart and head aren't always in the same place.

A North Texan for 12 years, the lifelong hockey fan admits cheering for the Dallas Stars – except when they play his beloved Detroit Red Wings.

"I'll go to the pub to watch the [Western Conference] series wearing a Stars cap and a Red Wings sweatshirt," Mr. Jaconette said. "That's because my head is for the Stars, but my heart is for the Red Wings."

His willingness to even consider another team on occasion makes him something of a rarity among the many thousands of Michiganders who've immigrated to Dallas – including almost 3,000 from Mr. Jaconette's alma mater, the University of Michigan.

Most would never acknowledge cheering for anyone but the Red Wings, no matter how long they're here.

"I watch the Stars. I like hockey. I like the game," said Red Wings fan Tim Glass, a transplant to Dallas about a year ago.

"But do I feel any affection for the Stars? Except for the fact that they knocked Anaheim and San Jose out of the playoffs, I'd say affection is probably too strong a word."

To some, Detroit fans are known as the "Red Army." Others favor the slightly disparaging "U-Haul Army," for the Detroit diaspora that carried Michiganders east, west and south when troubled times hit the region's auto manufacturers.

Maybe that scattering is the reason Red Wings fans remain so true to the home team. Only a few groups – like the rabid fans of the New York Yankees and Green Bay Packers – can match this unwavering dedication. Packers fans travel in such numbers that they can make a game at Texas Stadium feel like a trip to the frozen tundra.

"Being a Detroit Red Wings fan means you are just passionate about that team, no matter what," Mr. Jaconette said. "You find a way to watch a game, no matter what, whether you're in an airport or a sports bar in Dallas or Philly or New York.

"If they don't have the game on TV, you ask them to change the channel."

And don't take that Stars cap to mean that Mr. Jaconette has divided loyalties in the current Stars-Red Wings series, which moves south from Detroit to American Airlines Center tonight.

"There isn't a doubt. It isn't even a thought," he said. "I want the Red Wings to win. It's that simple."

In Dallas, hockey is something that must be learned. But in Detroit and throughout Michigan, it's part of the collective DNA.

"The writing on the ice at The Joe says it all," Mr. Jaconette said of Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings' home. "It says 'Hockeytown,' and it could probably say 'Hockey State.' Hockey is very, very big in Michigan."

"I compare it very much to the way people down here feel about football," said Steve Zaidel of Richardson, a native of suburban Detroit and another UM grad.

"A lot of it has to do with the weather. There are a lot more ice rinks up there. Here it's more football and baseball."

Sure, people around Detroit love their other teams, too. With baseball's Tigers and basketball's Pistons doing well in recent years, both have strong followings. And no matter how woeful the Lions' recent performance might be, they remain a favorite.

"It's mostly a blue-collar town, and they like the blue-collar sports," Mr. Zaidel said.

And they love the Red Wings.

But then, what's not to love?

The Red Wings have made it to the NHL playoffs each of the past 17 seasons, playing in seven Western Conference finals and skating home with three Stanley Cups in that span.

In all, the Red Wings have won 10 Stanley Cups, trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 13, and the Montreal Canadiens, with 24. But the Red Wings are unmatched in their recent dominance.

Even transplants to Michigan are seemingly infected with affection for the team.

When Steve Mawbey left England at 18 to attend the University of Michigan and to be close to his dad in Detroit, his father was already a dyed-in-the-wool Red Wings fan.

"He loved them and we'd watch them together," said Mr. Mawbey, of Plano. "For me, the Red Wings are kind of a connection with my dad.

"And as I followed the team and watched the players, I grew to be a fan, too."

Mr. Mawbey said the local UM Alumni Club serves as his link to other Red Wings fans. But particularly during the playoffs, the Red Army is everywhere, especially at the other team's arena.

Those aren't always welcoming places, especially for fans who wear their team pride so overtly.

But compared with many cities, Dallas is reasonably friendly, the Red Wings fans say.

"I've been to games here in my Red Wings jersey," Mr. Mawbey said, "and there's a bit of friendly ribbing, but the fans have always been nice to me."

Mr. Glass says there is a camaraderie among hockey fans that mostly transcends team differences.

"To some degree, hockey is the little brother of the big sports world, so there's a bond. You're either a hard-core fan or not a fan at all," he said. "Of course, if you're especially obnoxious, you could get your fair share of attention."

Some of the northern transplants, like Mr. Jaconette, say that while they truly and passionately want the Red Wings to win another Stanley Cup, a win by the Stars wouldn't be the end of the world.

Maybe. But to fans like Mr. Zaidel, a Red Wings win is the only one that matters.

"I'm a bad example – I'm really about my sports teams in Michigan and I don't cheer for anyone else," he said.

"Some people feel an obligation to adopt the local team, but I'm not one of those."