Those who know me know that I'm not the biggest hockey fan. In fact, I can only stand to watch about ten minutes of any game at one time. During my years in Pittsburgh I went to a few Penguins games, but only when someone gave me free tickets. But I never bought into the old standby that hockey is better when you see it live. Every sport is better when you see it live, except NFL football. Even finding hockey on television is a chore. It's either on Versus in between hunting and beach volleyball, or NBC when the network feels like it. In fact NBC agreed to cram games one and two in this weekend. Apparently the weeknights are taken. The network can't wait to debut, I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
So here's what I have to say. I hope the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in The Stanley Cup Finals. Not because I don't like hockey or the Penguins. It's for two other reasons. First, I don't like Penguins fans. Not all of them mind you, just the most serious ones. To me they come across the same way Pitt football fans do. Whiners with an inferiority complex, that take the team way too seriously. To me the Penguins fan is personified by the grown man I saw on the verge of tears at PNC Park years ago. All because my friend called the team the Kansas City Penguins.
Then there are the bandwagon fans. People who could not have cared less when the team was struggling, and was on the verge of leaving town. But they took notice once the team won the top spot in the lottery that got them Sidney Crosby. After that came success, and the bandwagon filled up past capacity.
The second and biggest reason I want to see the Penguins lose is that I want to see Marian Hossa succeed. The man that has been demonized among Penguins fans for taking less money so he could take a job with a team that he felt gave him a better chance to win a title. Let's take off the black and gold colored glasses for a second and admire that. In a day and age when it's all about money this guy essentially said keep the cash, I want a title. Penguins fans labled Hossa a traitor and made up lame nicknames for him. Never mind that he joined the team in a trade on February 26th 2008 and then signed with Detroit on July 2nd. That's not even five months on the team. It's not like he was homegrown talent that turned his back on a fanbase who spent years supporting him.
So, I hope Hossa achieves his goal. It took guts to publicly say why he chose to jump to the Red Wings and anger an entire fan base. And that's first thing releated to hockey I've been able to appreciate in a long time. And if Penguins fans want to punish me for it I have good news for them. I'm a die-hard Pirates fan so I get my punishment every day.
Think about it. It could be taken two different ways. It could mean last years finals, where we went down two games to none. We eventually lost in six to these same Detroit Redwings. It could also be referring to the Conference Semifinals against the Washington Capitals this year, where we ended up ahead three games to two and eventually won the series in seven games. What do you think? I have my opinion, and I think I am right.
ReplyDeleteRead more » http://www.everythingpittsburgh.net/blogs/EP.php/2009/05/31/deja-vu#more145
I want to mention two things here, #1: why we hate Hossa, and #2: why you are wrong about the fans.
ReplyDelete#1: Hossa, played all the management from Pittsburgh, asking them for a bunch of money and a long term deal, when they offered it to him, he acted like he liked it and didn't ask to negotiate anymore. We were forced to lose out on a couple of free agents as well as a few players we really wanted to keep. Then he turns around and signs with Detroit for less time and less money. This is the kind of deal we originally wanted to give him so we could put a better team on the ice. If he doesn't leave, and he takes the same deal from Pittsburgh that he got from Detroit, they don't even make the Finals and we are facing Chicago or Anaheim. Yes, we made it to the Finals, but the game wouldn't be as difficult as it is right now. I still have no doubt we can still win it, but I guess that is my point. It wouldn't be 2-0 them, it would be 2-0 us.
#2: Like all fans, you have passionate ones. You have fairweather ones. You have whiny ones. To stereotype all fans in that category is just like all the Philly and Washington fans that box all of us up into one category.
For you to wish any Pittsburgh team to lose based on what you have said, then you aren't a true Pittsburgher.
Toad
ReplyDeleteI didn't sterotype all fans. I guess you missed this part...
"First, I don't like Penguins fans. Not all of them mind you, just the most serious ones."
But you're right. I'm not a "True Pittsburgher". I was born in State College right down the street from Beaver Stadium. But when I lived in Pittsburgh (North Hills actually), I worked with a guy who was born on the North Side, married a girl from North Side, lived there and had kids, and is now retired on the North Side. Yet, he had no love for any of the local teams. In fact he couldn't stand the Steelers because they weren't very good neighbors. I guess by your definition he isn't a "True Pittsburgher" either.
I agree with both of you crackheads.
ReplyDeleteToad's right in that there're bandwagon assclown fans for every sport.
Vegas is right in his assessment of the Hossa situation. I don't fault him either, I never fault someone for going somewhere that they think they can do better. He was a FA, plain and simple.
We have been here before and will be here again. We are down, but not out. We were beaten, but not defeated. We lost a couple battles, but not the war. Pick any cliche you like, they are all true. It is officially us against the world. According to them we are down and out. According to them, we have already lost. According to them, we can't. We are finally coming home to a hostile crowd, thirsty for a taste of what is to come, eager to prove that we can!
ReplyDeleteRead more » http://www.everythingpittsburgh.net/blo gs/EP.php/2009/06/02 /this-is-old-hat-for -us#more150