Rite of Spring 2019: The Chase for the Stanley Cup

[El Diablo]

Honestly, I'm still just happy to have a home team. I grew up playing pick up games in a church parking lot because hockey's just not a thing where I come from. The nearest team was Dallas, and that was still six, seven hours away. I'm not sure if it's just the natural dislike of Texas all Oklahomans are born with or that at the time they seemed like a bunch of chumps that still managed to win but I never liked the Stars. 

 

Now that I've moved here and the Blue Jackets are just a day trip away I actually think I've enjoyed hockey more. I definitely don't feel as alone in my fandom anymore.

 

I've changed my mind. I like the Blues and Bruins in the final, with the Blues winning in six. The Bruins will drop a couple games they shouldn't and the Blues take advantage.

[Sport]

7 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

 

I'm sure they mostly are fans of all the area teams. But they're still different teams to me. I don't have a Boston fatigue the way some of you do, but I do have Patriots fatigue. Also, there are no such things as turns when it comes to championships. Nothing describes the fortunes of sports teams better than this quote from Unforgiven.

 

 

Sure there is. It's just that sports doesn't follow who's turn it is and doesn't deliver championships equitably. it would be lame if it did. 

 

It is 100% not Boston's turn. That doesn't mean those people won't get another one. 

 

[Red Wolf]

10 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

 

Sure there is. It's just that sports doesn't follow who's turn it is and doesn't deliver championships equitably. it would be lame if it did. 

 

It is 100% not Boston's turn. That doesn't mean those people won't get another one. 

 

 

It really sounds like you agree that there are no turns.

[Sport]

1 minute ago, Red Wolf said:

 

It really sounds like you agree that there are no turns.

No, I don't. When examining who I'd prefer to win most of the time it comes down to which team won most recently. Out of these four teams Boston won most recently, which means it's not their turn. They might still win anyways because sports. 

 

How's that not make sense? 

[Red Wolf]

10 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

No, I don't. When examining who I'd prefer to win most of the time it comes down to which team won most recently. Out of these four teams Boston won most recently, which means it's not their turn. They might still win anyways because sports. 

 

How's that not make sense? 

 

Probably the part where we had different ideas of the core concept of turns and whether they really matter.

 

Anyway, go whichever team, it barely matters to me. I'd prefer Sharks, then Blues, then Canes, and then Bruins, but I won't be upset by any of the outcomes.

[The_Admiral]

At least with the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics, you can be annoyed that the teams seem to either brute-force outspend everyone (Red Sox) or outmaneuver everyone in ways that shouldn't be possible in a fair and just world (the Red Sox' reliable farm system, the Patriots making stars out of nobodies, the buy-in on the Patriots' sociopathic organizational culture, the Patriots actually cheating, every trade in Boston Celtics history). The Bruins don't seem to exist on another plane the way the other teams do. If anything, they're dumber than the average team. Anything they've done since 2013 has been a small handful of supernatural guys willing a bunch of dopes, both on the ice and in the front office, to modest success in spite of themselves. They're owned by the real-life Mr. Burns who everyone at least has the good sense to hate instead of doing the ~MISTAH~ Kraft garbage that Pats fans do.

 

Let me guess: that just makes them worse!

[Sport]

55 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

 

Probably the part where we had different ideas of the core concept of turns and whether they really matter.

 

 

It's a figure of speech. Obviously it doesn't matter whose turn it is, but for myself most of the time I'm going to pull for the teams and fans who haven't won as recently because it's their turn. The Bruins have won most recently so it's not their turn. 

 

 

24 minutes ago, the admiral said:

At least with the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics, you can be annoyed that the teams seem to either brute-force outspend everyone (Red Sox) or outmaneuver everyone in ways that shouldn't be possible in a fair and just world (the Red Sox' reliable farm system, the Patriots making stars out of nobodies, the buy-in on the Patriots' sociopathic organizational culture, the Patriots actually cheating, every trade in Boston Celtics history). The Bruins don't seem to exist on another plane the way the other teams do. If anything, they're dumber than the average team. Anything they've done since 2013 has been a small handful of supernatural guys willing a bunch of dopes, both on the ice and in the front office, to modest success in spite of themselves. They're owned by the real-life Mr. Burns who everyone at least has the good sense to hate instead of doing the ~MISTAH~ Kraft garbage that Pats fans do.

 

Let me guess: that just makes them worse!

 

A. An average Bruins fan picked out of a crowd in Boston is most likely going to be a Pats fan in the fall and a Red Sox fan in the summer. They are mostly the same people. I know there's Bruins fans in Boston who only care about the Bruins and if they happen to catch heat in the collateral damage of Boston hate then, sorry, but I also don't feel that bad because 2011 is more recent than never. 

 

B. yes, being owned by Jeremy Jacobs make them more unlikable. I forgot about him. 

[The_Admiral]

Look, I'm pissed that Columbus lost too, but if anyone's going to beat the meme team and shut up their awful mouthy fans, it's going to be the one with two virtually unanimous Hall of Famers, so at least there's that.

[IceCap]

20 minutes ago, the admiral said:

Look, I'm pissed that Columbus lost too, but if anyone's going to beat the meme team and shut up their awful mouthy fans, it's going to be the one with two virtually unanimous Hall of Famers, so at least there's that.

 the Bruins, go West. The East can go die in a fire this year. 

[Glover]

Carolina still hasn't announced who will be starting in goal tonight. I would think Mrazek would be the guy if he is healthy. 

[habsfan1]

And just like that, the Bruins are steamrolling over the Hurricanes.

[Glover]

Carolina committing alot of completely unnecessary penalties in this third period. We’re not going to beat Boston if we’re giving them PP opportunities like this. 

[habsfan1]

27 minutes ago, habsfan1 said:

And just like that, the Bruins are steamrolling over the Hurricanes.

 

Total humiliation. 

[speedy]

20 hours ago, McCarthy said:

 

A. It's a figure of speech. Obviously it doesn't matter whose turn it is, but for myself most of the time I'm going to pull for the teams and fans who haven't won as recently because it's their turn. The Bruins have won most recently so it's not their turn. 

 

B. yes, being owned by Jeremy Jacobs make them more unlikable. I forgot about him. 

 

A. I think the majority of us do this, unless of course there's an underlying hatred of a team. Now in this situation who are you rooting for? Discarding the Bruins already, the remaining 3 have all had levels of success in every major sport over the last decade+, there's no real city in need of a championship.

 

B. Yeah, Jacobs is an a-hole of the highest order.

[Sport]

1 minute ago, speedy said:

 

A. I think the majority of us do this, unless of course there's an underlying hatred of a team. Now in this situation who are you rooting for? Discarding the Bruins already, the remaining 3 have all had levels of success in every major sport over the last decade+, there's no real city in need of a championship.

 

B. Yeah, Jacobs is an a-hole of the highest order.

 

Overall I’m pulling for Joe Thornton. I watched the game last night and found myself pulling for the Bruins because the Hurricanes irk me for reasons that have nothing to do with Don Cherry or the storm surge stuff. 

[speedy]

7 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

 

Overall I’m pulling for Joe Thornton. I watched the game last night and found myself pulling for the Bruins because the Hurricanes irk me for reasons that have nothing to do with Don Cherry or the storm surge stuff. 

 

Yeah, it's tough not to root for Joe.

 

What is it about Carolina? This has nothing to do with the fact that the Bruins are playing them, but I can't stand them either. I think for me it's the narrative that Raleigh and the Carolinas actually give 2 craps about this franchise - NBC is really pushing it. It's also Dougie Hamilton's face, it's just so punchable.

[SFGiants58]

10 minutes ago, speedy said:

 

Yeah, it's tough not to root for Joe.

 

It’s easy. He’s a low-key dirty player who has built up a bit of a reputation (ask @the admiral).

[speedy]

1 minute ago, SFGiants58 said:

 

It’s easy. He’s a low-key dirty player who has built up a bit of a reputation (ask @the admiral).

 

At the end of the day 90% of this league is low-key dirty. Anyone who's played 20 years in a league without winning a championship should be rooted for unless you're Marty McSorley levels of dirt.

[Crabcake]

33 minutes ago, speedy said:

What is it about Carolina? This has nothing to do with the fact that the Bruins are playing them, but I can't stand them either. I think for me it's the narrative that Raleigh and the Carolinas actually give 2 craps about this franchise - NBC is really pushing it.

I found myself getting really irritated by the Canes too at the end of the first round. All of the sudden their home ice advantage looked unstoppable, it was jet-engine levels of loud, but they can’t pull in decent attendance for the regular season? Of course an arena will be louder during the playoffs - but this is the same time whose lack of attendance has put them front and center of any and all relocation talks for as long as I’ve been a hockey fan (2011). It’s almost like the whole town is bandwagon fans. 

[Glover]

Admittedly, Raleigh is no different than any other southern hockey market. The fans show up when the team is good, and they show up big. I've lived in Nashville for the last five years, so I was here when the Predators made their run to the Finals. Before 2017 I was able to buy lower level tickets for $35. Now it is difficult to find nosebleeds for less than $100. You didn't see anyone wearing Preds gear when you went out. Now you see just as much Preds gear as you do Vols. Raleigh was the same way from what I remember living in that area as a kid.