There's a disturbing trend I'm starting to see on a few of the blogs and among the message board posters around CapsNation, and I'm curious as to the thought process behind it. Maybe someone can enlighten me because I'm completely confused.
We all know that when the Penguins come to town, at least in the last two years, their fans take great pleasure in packing our arena. It's some sort of sick, twisted game to them - they jam the ticket outlets the first day tickets go on sale, scour eBay and Craig's List and Stub Hub, and organize bus tours from the Pitt to DC.
They nudge each other in the ribs with laughing smiles. Ha ha, they say; the Caps can't even sell out their own arena, they mock.
Never mind the fact that of course there are seats available when they first go on sale, or the fact that they're basically helping us to pay off the rest of Jagr's contract. Or the fact that no Caps fan in their right mind would claim that attendance has been good in the last decade. (Pens fans, we get it - DC is a town made up of about 50% expatriates from other places and 50% of people who like to see a winning sports team. It's just the way it is...time to find a new joke.)
But that's not the disturbing trend. What disturbs me is the note of defeat I'm hearing among Caps fans who have the time, money and ability to get to the game - and don't. There's a sense of there being no point. Why should we subject ourselves to the evil hordes of invading Pens fans when we can enjoy the game from the comfort of our recliners and couches? We're probably not going to win anyways, so why bother?
People. Please. You don't combat an invasion by staying home - you go out and fight it. If every person who decided not to go because the idea of sitting with Pens fans was too much had actually bought seats, that's a chunk of tickets not going into the hands of the yellow and black. See how that works?
One of the eternal jokes about our franchise is that there's no passion here, but I disagree. There's plenty of passion...the problem is it's tempered with a lot of broken hearts and defeatist attitudes that prevent us from being a truly great hockey city.
Last night there were probably about 4-5,000 Penguins fans in attendance and if you read Penguins blogs their loyal fans are convinced that the "Let's Go Pens" chant was louder than the "Let's Go Caps". I disagree - not that it would have been out of the ordinary in the past, but last night was not a Penguins game of the past.
Try yelling "Let's Go Caps" over that other horrible chant and see if you can hear the difference between 'Pens' and 'Caps' - you can't. It all becomes one big blur of sound. If Pens fans have some super secret hearing ability, great, but if not they heard what I did and they're all lying. There were far more Caps fans in the house last night than at any of the Penguins games last year and they were loud. Maybe not when the game ended, and maybe it wasn't even louder than the "Let's Go Pens" chants. All I know is from my vantage point it sounded very different than it has in recent years.
The point is this: if you're waiting for a game where the Pittsburgh influx is absent, you'll be waiting a long time. Along with the normal assorted jackasses they've also got a great deal of very devoted, passionate, intelligent fans who love their team, many of whom live in the area. But the Caps are getting better and are worth supporting regardless - annoyance with the flightless fowl is not a good enough reason, not if you're a true fan.
So all of you who don't have an excuse for not being at the game other than the fact that you just couldn't be bothered, shame on you. You want to bitch about the Penguins fans, fine - be my guest. I certainly do my fair share. But I was there and thousands of others were, too, lending our voices to the cheers that filled the arena for the first time in a long time. Where were you?
March 9. I expect to see you all there.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Don't Just Sit There
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Give Peace a Scoring Chance
We all know that hockey fans are extremely passionate, devoted people. Those of us who place hockey above all other sports in our hearts and minds are arguably among the most loyal fans of any league in the country. No matter what the team affiliation, there is something that bonds all of us together in a sort of secret club that only we have entrance to - we have our own language, our own heroes and villains, our own dress code and our own holy grail.
Because of our membership in this secret club one would think that we all are able to somehow coexist peacefully - but as so many of us have seen before and as a recent piece in the NY Post's NHL blog points out, this is increasingly not the case.
Says the author,There is a profound lack of respect and decorum pervading areas far beyond arenas and blogs. The lack of intelligent discourse between fans of rival teams is disheartening. It underscores the devolution of interpersonal communication, which has declined to the point where monosyllabic epithets are the highest - or at least most preferred - form of expression.
It's one of those things that you read and just slowly nod your head because you know - you've seen - that this is true.
Ask any member of the Caps faithful who the worst fans in the league are and you can bet without even a second thought they will say one of four teams: Penguins, Flyers, Sabres or Rangers. There is a level of vitriol towards these groups that is unmatched for any other team in the NHL, and it's not just because of historic rivalries between their teams and ours. It's there because we have been subjected to too many years of invading hordes who quickly become the worst kind of fan, and it only seems to happen with those four teams.
There's something very wrong when fistfights are breaking out in the stands and trash-talking dissolves into personal attacks - that's not sports. That's not fun. That's being obnoxious for no other reason than to be obnoxious, and frankly I'm tired of it.
For that matter, true fans of each of these teams should also be tired of it. I know that the majority of fans who support Pittsburgh or Buffalo, Philly or New York are actually intelligent, sane people. They truly know and love the game of hockey and are capable of carrying on a civil conversation with someone who maybe disagrees with them. I've seen it with my own eyes. I've sat next to them at games. I've read their blogs. They really do exist.
Yet night after night a small but vocal minority is out there giving these true fans a bad name.
When you come into another team's building it's perfectly fine to stand up and cheer for your own team, to support them by wearing their colors, to celebrate when they score. But to buy a ticket with the soul purpose of getting as drunk and belligerent as possible, to come into our arena and boo our star, to rile up the locals and engage in violent activity over something as trivial as a game - that's not being a fan. That's being classless, tasteless and over the top, the exact opposite of what being a fan is supposed to be all about.
And so I'm putting out two general pleas, with the knowledge and understanding that they will in all likelihood fall on deaf ears.
The first is to the Caps fans who are traveling to Buffalo this weekend, either with the fan club or on their own. Remember that you are there not only to support our team but also to serve as an ambassador for Caps fans everywhere. Cheer for the Caps. Do it loudly and often. Let those of us at home hear you on TV, because our boys deserve nothing less. But more importantly, don't antagonize the locals or rise to the bait of a "fan" who calls you out. You are there to root the Caps on to victory - everything else is beneath you.
The second and more likely to be ignored plea is one to Penguins fans planning on coming out to the game on October 20th. I know you'll be there en masse as always and I'm happy to welcome you into my building. (Well, okay, maybe happy isn't the word but I won't block the door or anything...)
You have a good young team stacked with potential and promise; what you've accomplished and what you've built over the past few years is inspiring and you have every right to be proud of your club. Don't be a detriment to what you have there. Don't let your passion for the team be overthrown by the mob mentality that seems to permeate your numbers when you come to town. I can handle good-natured ribbing or a little trash-talking, but couch it in a smile that tells me you're a hockey fan, not a jackass.
We're all there for the same reason - to see our team come out victorious. So show us that you can be what you seem to be when in your own arena; passionate, loud, fun-loving fans. The Caps-Pens rivalry is going to be exciting for years to come and there's no reason why we can't enjoy that in a friendly, peaceful, blood-free environment.
I know you have it in you.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Damn Dirty Birds
Usually I can wake up the morning after a loss and start looking at the positive things, the silver lining – that is, after all, my specialty. The most painful losses become learning experiences with the fresh eyes of dawn.
Not today.
No, my friends, today I choose bitterness and anger. Because that wasn’t just a loss to the Penguins...it wasn’t even just a loss to the Penguins with 8-9,000 of their closest friends in our building. It was a loss to the Penguins with 8-9,000 of their closest friends in our building on national television after dominating for the first half and jumping out to a 4 goal lead before losing...in a shootout.
I think the most frustrating part of last night’s result is the fact that the Caps actually dominated for the first half of the game and didn’t really play all that badly for the remaining half. They even managed to essentially shut down both Crosby and Malkin for the majority of the game. Forget the fact that each of them had a goal and an assist – every other time they had the puck it seemed like a Caps defenseman was on them immediately, making a great poke check or disrupting a pass.
That damn second period, though – it even started out okay, with the Caps scoring 2 quick goals for a seemingly unbeatable 4-0 lead. Unbeatable unless you’re playing the Caps, that is. Suddenly it’s 4-1...then 4-2, 4-3. Olie looks much smaller in net and Caps fans are starting to get nervous. That of course results in Penguins fans acting like themselves, getting bolder and more obnoxious with each goal.
Which brings me to my favorite and least favorite topic all wrapped up in one - mulleted, ugly-jersey wearing, jams-sporting, beer-drinking Penguins fans. You think it’s a stereotype, but then you see them and you know it barely begins to describe this phenomenon. And what is it about all fans from Pennsylvania that they can’t seem to figure out what sport they’re watching? I’m sorry, but if I have to hear “Let’s Go Steelers” or “E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!” at another hockey or baseball game I’m going to lose it.
By the way, why is it that when the other team’s fans start chanting we can’t seem to be able to out yell them? When fans start a “Let’s Go Pens” chant, the best thing to do is yell “Let’s Go Caps” as loud as possible, drown them out...but there we were, my sister, my roommate and I, yelling like morons – and people were staring at us like we were, well, morons. It’s a hockey game, people, not a symphony. You don’t have to wait for the organ to prompt you, or Goat or the Horn Guy; you are allowed to cheer on your own. Sheesh.
But I digress.
Back to last night – my section was pretty evenly split between Caps fans and Penguins fans, which is nothing unusual. All of a sudden a fight breaks out right there in the seats, and as quickly as that one is broken up it erupts again. Security comes in, people are ejected...and yet another fight starts a few rows back. Luckily everything cooled down and someone even texted a message to the screen between periods 2 and 3 that you might have seen: "Section 417 Can't we all just get along". I'll admit it though; I was nervous for a while – because as much as I love seeing fights on the ice, fights in the stands terrify me. It doesn’t happen all that often, especially at Caps games, but that’s the effect of evil Penguins fans in our building. They make otherwise mild-mannered Caps fans act like idiots. And I’m not excusing the action of the Caps fans, because they were there too; but when was the last time that happened against the Thrashers? Anyone?
Now that I’ve ranted and rambled a bit I feel I am finally able to end this on a positive note. After all, there was some good in all of this. Sure, they blew a lead...again. And Olie maybe wasn’t as sharp as he’s been these past few weeks. But the Caps managed to get a point and remain ahead of the Penguins in the standings, moving into 7th place. Clark put together an excellent game, with 2 goals and an assist. Ovie got 2 assists and finally, finally scored a shootout goal and you could see the relief in his celebration. Gordon played what I thought was one of his best games of the season, as did Laich – so close to the Gordie Howe hat trick, by the way; just missing that helper.
So we are humbled just a bit and we move on. Another evil team waits for us in the wings and the Caps have a nice long rest to think about what needs to change before they make their way to big bad Atlanta. The Caps and Penguins don’t meet until February, and the Pens don’t return to Verizon until March.
I think we’ll be ready for them.
