Rite of Spring '15: exhume our idols! bury our friends!

[Sport]

Tonight's the night. For obvious reasons I'm more tempered than I was last year, but this is still the best playoff in sports.

Here we go

and here's the not nearly as good one from last year that was buried for months because Lars is still mad at Napster

[The Six]

It's no surprise a lot of people are picking the Jets to win. They're the hockey hipster darlings, and the NHL has been so much better since they came back, and look their fans wear white!, and I hear Winnipeg has a museum or two so you know the city is really cultured. All we need is for the Lightning to dress themselves up as the Whalers and play the Jets in the Final, then the bandwagon of rooting for teams that nobody cared about the first time they existed (which is why they moved) would be complete.

[The_Admiral]

But most people seem to be picking the Ducks. I picked the Ducks. I outlined a hypothetical scenario in which the Jets could win, but I don't think they will.

And man, lol at the Predators. Small market, small minds.

[Lee.]

We don't want other fans coming and being louder then our fans so we'll ban other fans because our fans aren't as good or as loud as those fans and also Jesus and America.

[Sodboy13]

And also, this atrocity, which is barely a step above "Hockey is a sport played on a frozen surface by players on ice skates who carry sticks."

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2015/04/14/time-blackhawks-eat-biscuits/25759489/

17 years in the city, and the Goober Gazette still sees fit to publish "Hey, y'all heard of this hockey thang?" above the fold on its front page. Move 'em to Atlanta.

[FGM13]

We don't want other fans coming and being louder then our fans so we'll ban other fans because our fans aren't as good or as loud as those fans and also Jesus and America.

And apple pie!

[Still MIGHTY]

And also, this atrocity, which is barely a step above "Hockey is a sport played on a frozen surface by players on ice skates who carry sticks."

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2015/04/14/time-blackhawks-eat-biscuits/25759489/

17 years in the city, and the Goober Gazette still sees fit to publish "Hey, y'all heard of this hockey thang?" above the fold on its front page. Move 'em to Atlanta.

That's also from a paper that fired its Perds beat writer before the season so it could allocate funds better to college football. (That writer, Josh Cooper, was always highly regarded and has been doing excellent work on Puck Daddy this season.)

Re: the article itself - What a bunch of hot garbage. For the nice bit of fanbase the Perds have actually amassed, that's insulting.

---

EDIT: Here's a much better column from the same paper:

Since the first-round playoff matchup was finalized, Nashville Predators officials have obsessed over how to make Chicago Blackhawks fans as unwelcome as possible at Bridgestone Arena....

Go ahead and knock yourselves out, guys. But you know how you really make Blackhawks fans feel unwelcome on Lower Broadway?

Win.

Novel idea, that.

LINK

[IceCap]

It's no surprise a lot of people are picking the Jets to win. They're the hockey hipster darlings, and the NHL has been so much better since they came back, and look their fans wear white!, and I hear Winnipeg has a museum or two so you know the city is really cultured. All we need is for the Lightning to dress themselves up as the Whalers and play the Jets in the Final, then the bandwagon of rooting for teams that nobody cared about the first time they existed (which is why they moved) would be complete.

You're confusing the Jets 1.0 with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Also I'm not picking them to win. I'd like them to, but I don't see them getting more then two over the Ducks. Really? I just want them to win a game.

EDIT- Also the Perds are hilarious. The thin skin of Sunbelt fanbases never ceases to amaze me.

[Sodboy13]

(That writer, Josh Cooper, was always highly regarded and has been doing excellent work on Puck Daddy this season.)

See, we're going to disagree very strongly here. Josh Cooper has demonstrated that it was his editor doing the heavy lifting during his time in Nashville. It's not that he's a frequent hot-takist or espouser of Bad Hockey Ideas (although, "McDavid to Arizona or Carolina needs to happen for the good of the league," Christ Almighty), it's that he is a genuinely poor writer.

[The_Admiral]

Perds fans in particualr have a weird duality where they pride themselves on being loud and intense but at the same time become delicate hothouse flowers in the face of anyone else's loud intensity. It's supposed to be so impressive that they all chant "you suck" together, but if someone should call Mike Ribeiro a jackass? Call security! Daddy, daddy, the mean man said a swear!

[The_Admiral]

See, we're going to disagree very strongly here. Josh Cooper has demonstrated that it was his editor doing the heavy lifting during his time in Nashville. It's not that he's a frequent hot-takist or espouser of Bad Hockey Ideas (although, "McDavid to Arizona or Carolina needs to happen for the good of the league," Christ Almighty), it's that he is a genuinely poor writer.

Par for the course with Puck Daddy. No editing. Every other Lambert column is more or less "Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?"

[Still MIGHTY]

(That writer, Josh Cooper, was always highly regarded and has been doing excellent work on Puck Daddy this season.)

See, we're going to disagree very strongly here. Josh Cooper has demonstrated that it was his editor doing the heavy lifting during his time in Nashville. It's not that he's a frequent hot-takist or espouser of Bad Hockey Ideas (although, "McDavid to Arizona or Carolina needs to happen for the good of the league," Christ Almighty), it's that he is a genuinely poor writer.

Yeah, the McDavid/Arizona/Carolina thing was pretty dumb.

I dunno. Maybe I've enjoyed him because he moved to LA midseason and was pretty decent in covering the demise of the LA Kings. What exactly about his writing do you consider poor?

[Alex Houston]

Here's a larf. Why don't we just skip the anthems all together since they're, y'know, kind of pointless.

[The_Admiral]

And also, this atrocity, which is barely a step above "Hockey is a sport played on a frozen surface by players on ice skates who carry sticks."

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2015/04/14/time-blackhawks-eat-biscuits/25759489/

17 years in the city, and the Goober Gazette still sees fit to publish "Hey, y'all heard of this hockey thang?" above the fold on its front page. Move 'em to Atlanta.

That's also from a paper that fired its Perds beat writer before the season so it could allocate funds better to college football. (That writer, Josh Cooper, was always highly regarded and has been doing excellent work on Puck Daddy this season.)

Oh my god, that guy is a FOOD CRITIC. He normally writes about food but they had to have him write about hockey because they got rid of the hockey beat to hire more college football writers. This is like if the Trib took Blair Kamin off architecture and had him cover the Hawks. "Patrick Kane may not recognize a flying buttress, but the way he flies up the ice certainly buttresses his team's chances of victory." Hooterville indeed.

[monkeypower]

"His stickwork and hands rival those of Emeril Lagasse."

"His performance was as flat as Mama Pizza's flatbread pepperoni ($7)."

[Still MIGHTY]

Also, we're jumping down Nashville's throat about this, but Tampa Bay is doing similar.

First, the Lightning have restricted ticket sales to those with Florida addresses. And since that's obviously not a huge deterrent to the Red Wings fans that live there, the Lightning won't let fans wearing opposing jerseys or logos into its club/lounge areas.

Chase Club and Lexus Lounge ticket holders – please note that for all 2015 NHL Playoff Games at Amalie Arena, only Tampa Bay Lightning team logos will be permitted in these areas. Fans wearing visiting team logos will be asked to remove them while in the Chase Club and Lexus Lounge areas.

[Sport]

Here's a larf. Why don't we just skip the anthems all together since they're, y'know, kind of pointless.

I'm not the most patriotic guy, but I love the build up they create. I don't think they're pointless.

In Columbus Leo Welsh comes out, everybody yells "LEO!", the place gets dark, and he sings his heart out (he's also an OU Bobcat so I like him). I like the ritual of the whole thing. The game wouldn't have the same feeling if they were just like "okay we're gonna start now".

[ninersdd]

Reminds me of how the Diamondbacks don't like having opposing fans behind home plate and they give you D-Backs clothes to wear.

[youcan'tseeme]

Wild over Blues

Hawks over Perds

Ducks over Jets

Flames over Canucks

Rangers over Pens

Islanders over Caps

Sens over Canadiens

Lightning over Red Wings

Hawks over Wild

Ducks over Flames

Rangers over Islanders

Lightning over Sens

Ducks over Hawks

Rangers over Lightning

Rangers over Ducks

[IceCap]

Also, we're jumping down Nashville's throat about this, but Tampa Bay is doing similar.

First, the Lightning have restricted ticket sales to those with Florida addresses. And since that's obviously not a huge deterrent to the Red Wings fans that live there, the Lightning won't let fans wearing opposing jerseys or logos into its club/lounge areas.

Chase Club and Lexus Lounge ticket holders – please note that for all 2015 NHL Playoff Games at Amalie Arena, only Tampa Bay Lightning team logos will be permitted in these areas. Fans wearing visiting team logos will be asked to remove them while in the Chase Club and Lexus Lounge areas.

Is that even allowed? Seems kind of sketchy.

Perds fans in particualr have a weird duality where they pride themselves on being loud and intense but at the same time become delicate hothouse flowers in the face of anyone else's loud intensity. It's supposed to be so impressive that they all chant "you suck" together, but if someone should call Mike Ribeiro a jackass? Call security! Daddy, daddy, the mean man said a swear!

It's an attitude I see in Subelt fans in general. The American South prides itself on being brash, loud, in your face, and being very un-pc. Make a joke about low ticket prices or wear a Red Wings cap into the club section? Suddenly their sensibilities are offended.