Official NHL playoff thread

[CC97]

I, like many Canadians, don't take you "fans" seriously.

Please don't speak on our behalf

[Fred T. Jane]

I can't wait for the day the Sharks win the Stanley Cup. It might even happen this year. Hell, the way this team is built, I feel that just one Stanley Cup out of this bunch wouldn't be enough. When it finally happens though, it will be a vindication for our fanbase and our city from all the low-brow taunting from fans of teams with "history".

Just like the Panthers in 1996, Stars in 1999, Hurricanes in 2002, Mighty Ducks in 2003, Lightning in 2004. All large bandwagons in the sunbelt. I, like many Canadians, don't take you "fans" seriously.

And you seem to be jumping ahead of yourself, don't you think?

Sweet, so just because I was born and raised in Louisiana means I can't be a hockey fan? Nevermind I've been a Sens fan since the 10-70-4 inaugural campaign and can discuss the history of the game at a level that would embarass the average Canadian fans, but I'm just a bandwagon jumper because I'm from the Great White North, right?

Besides, if you're looking for bandwagon jumpers, look no further than the Red Mile in Calgary in 2004. Of course, all of the people there after Flames games were there to discuss the vagaries of the penalty kill and better ways to break through San Jose and Tampa's neutral zone defences, right?

[HatManTC]

FWIW, I don't resent San Jose being in the league. It's cities like Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, Phoenix, and Nashville that I wish weren't hosting teams.

why? because the league was trying to better themself and provide entertainment for viable markets? if the NHL didnt move to these citys, that would just be bad business.

[Neon_Matrix]

Hey Fred T. Jane

We all know the only reason there are some hockey fans in Louisiana is because the original settlers came from Canada. Go Acadians!!!!

Joking aside, it took success from those teams to draw interest from those who never had it in that sport before and most have stayed interested since. Sure there are alot of bandwaggoners, but EVERY TEAM GETS THEM WHEN THEY HAVE SOME SUCCESS! Fred T. Jane, you can tell this last bit wasn't directed at you, but its intended to support your argument. I'm sure you know alot about hockey, but your choice of team is questionable. BTW, im interested to know what exactly you know history wise about hockey, if its Sens specific or not.

[The_Admiral]

FWIW, I don't resent San Jose being in the league. It's cities like Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, Phoenix, and Nashville that I wish weren't hosting teams.

why? because the league was trying to better themself and provide entertainment for viable markets? if the NHL didnt move to these citys, that would just be bad business.

Hey, if you look at the first four years of your Carolina Hurricanes, it certainly looks like bad business.

[Fred T. Jane]

Hey Fred T. Jane

We all know the only reason there are some hockey fans in Louisiana is because the original settlers came from Canada. Go Acadians!!!!

Joking aside, it took success from those teams to draw interest from those who never had it in that sport before and most have stayed interested since. Sure there are alot of bandwaggoners, but EVERY TEAM GETS THEM WHEN THEY HAVE SOME SUCCESS! Fred T. Jane, you can tell this last bit wasn't directed at you, but its intended to support your argument. I'm sure you know alot about hockey, but your choice of team is questionable. BTW, im interested to know what exactly you know history wise about hockey, if its Sens specific or not.

Not Sens-specific, though digging for the history of the original Senators is what got em going. When I should have been getting Inter-Library Loan books for my projects in college, I was getting the Ottawa Citizen on Microfilm. I lapped up every book around here when I was in grade school about hockey B.I. (Before the IceGators came to Lafayette), but afterward, it was pretty easy to get info since everyone else was looking for somethign about hockey. Twas cool to be 14 at the IceGators' first home game, and tell the drunken fans around me what exactly icing was, and why the IceGators should be shooting to knock off the Richmond Renegades, who won the Riley Cup (now Kelly Cup) the year before.

Though for serious hockey history stuff, I'm scrounging up teacher-money (ha! we make no money!) to become a member of the Society for Ice Hockey Research. I've got a backlog of books I've been wanting to read from these guys, especially the new book entitled "Lords of the Rink," which is supposed to show how hockey always had commercial appeal, but it was the lads who ran the NHL in its early years that made it the Canadian version of baseball. Should be interesting.

[HatManTC]

FWIW, I don't resent San Jose being in the league. It's cities like Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, Phoenix, and Nashville that I wish weren't hosting teams.

why? because the league was trying to better themself and provide entertainment for viable markets? if the NHL didnt move to these citys, that would just be bad business.

Hey, if you look at the first four years of your Carolina Hurricanes, it certainly looks like bad business.

actually i was there 1st hand. i worked in that building for the 1st 2 years in raleigh.

sure there were times were the opponents(devils,Flyers and Rangers) sweaters out numbered Canes sweaters in the halls. but it takes time to build a fan base. you just cant sit something in front of someone and say "like this" it takes time a bit of trail and error before someone will say "hmm this isnt so bad".

the 1st 2 years they were in Greensboro, in a Minor league type facility without much publicity. plus the one star that they had at the Keith Primeau refused to play for the team and sat out until he got traded.

[FiddySicks]

FWIW, I don't resent San Jose being in the league. It's cities like Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, Phoenix, and Nashville that I wish weren't hosting teams.

So what? Are you gonna toss out praises to the "Hockey Gods" any time soon?

[Shane Does Art]

The Devils are out, Canes beat them in 5.

I think the sabres can beat them if Carolina plays as clueless as Ottawa did.

[jkrdevil]

That series was frustrating to watch as a Devils fan. They scored the first goal in games 2-5 and lost 3 out of those 4 games. Tonights game was just awful. The day after beating the team 5-1 the Devils don't even show up for game 5. They got a quick goal and then played a very sloppy final 59 minutes of the game.

Congrats to Carolina they played a great series. Buffalo-Carolina should be a great series. Let's Go Sabres!

[Neon_Matrix]

Ok I'm a little upset right now. Appearently during the playing of the National Anthems at the beginning of Game 5 between San Jose and Edmonton, the San Jose fans booed the playing of the Canadian Anthem. While I will not say we (Canadians) have not booed the playing of the American Anthem on occasion, I will say I am a little shocked to be hearing about this in a series like this. If the fans think the booing is just booing the visiting team they are wrong, most of their players, and more importantly the fan favorites on that team are Canadian and I'm sure they dont appreciate hearing boo's raining down from the crowd. I REALLY hope the people in Edmonton don't retaliate next game, because that would be in poor, poor taste. I'm sad to hear of booing happen again, but I hope this will be the last time for the next while.

[HatManTC]

Ok I'm a little upset right now. Appearently during the playing of the National Anthems at the beginning of Game 5 between San Jose and Edmonton, the San Jose fans booed the playing of the Canadian Anthem. While I will not say we (Canadians) have not booed the playing of the American Anthem on occasion, I will say I am a little shocked to be hearing about this in a series like this. If the fans think the booing is just booing the visiting team they are wrong, most of their players, and more importantly the fan favorites on that team are Canadian and I'm sure they dont appreciate hearing boo's raining down from the crowd. I REALLY hope the people in Edmonton don't retaliate next game, because that would be in poor, poor taste. I'm sad to hear of booing happen again, but I hope this will be the last time for the next while.

i agree that was in very poor taste.

[lilgump]

I would have to agree, booing anyones national anthem is just not classy at all.

[zer0dotcom]

ugh, here we go again with the booing of the anthems...didn't we learn anything from the Montreal vs. Long Island garbage froma few years ago? I hope the Oilers fans stay classy and are silent during the anthems in the next game.

Ottawa didn't choke, but Alfreddson did. This guy had how many points during the regular season? and he only scored two goals in the playoffs? Thats a piss poor performance, especially when you're the team captain. Buffalo is a scary as team, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the Finals

Didn't catch any of Carolina vs. New jersey, didn't really care. Edmonton vs. San Jose is a hell of a series, if either of these teams win, it will be well deserved.

Just going to respond quickly to all this bandwagon BS. The whoel reason why Canadians jump from team to team as they are eliminated is because Canadian teams, all Canadian teams are underdogs in the NHL. Like it or not, agree with it or not, it's true, Canadian teams aren't supposed to succeed, at least not in the old NHL. We don't have the money, or the civic environment to appeal to those who didn't grow up here. Most talent has to be homegrown because many teams can't woo high class free agents.

When one Canadian team makes it far, the whole country gets excited because it means that the Cup could be coming back into Canada. Montreal in 1993 was the last time the Cup was won by a Canadian team. In terms of population %, there is a much greater ration of hockey fans in the Canadian population than there are in the US. Not to say any fans are better than others, hockey is the major sport for Canadians, just like how Football and College Sports are so huge in the States. Canadian kids grow up wanting the Stanley Cup, so to watch the Cup come home means that much more, even if it isn't your team, you want to see a Canadian team succeed.

It's nothign against the Sharks, or the Sabres, or teh Hurricanes or the Ducks, we just want to see our teams succeed. It's 6 Canadian teams against 24 American teams. We've lost Quebec City and Winnipeg in the past 10 years, while Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus and Minni got teams. Please exsuce if some fans are alittle defensive about cheering for a winning Canadian team. there are more than enough American teams to go around.

so, San Jose just tied things up, this is going to be a hell of a finish to this series

EDIT: and Edmonton scores right after...sometimes I really like this game

[HedleyLamarr]

Well, they could win it this year. You never know.

As for this arguement, I am not obilged to give respect to the older teams, or any team for that matter, unless they earn it. Also, those in warmer cilmate cities have just as knowledgable hockey fans as those up north. To say that San Jose doesn't deserve respect is far beyond stupid. It's down right retarded.

If San Jose takes the next two against Edmonton, they'll be playing in the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. I don't care if it's the Sharks or if it's the freaking Blue Jackets, a team who can reach the NHL's Final Four has earned my respect (That, and they use teal. Teal is cool).

Are the Sharks good? Yes. And if they manage to win the Stanley Cup they will have earned respect. However as of NOW how many Cups do they have? How many Confernce titles do they have? Zero on both counts. They have history. Hell, a brand new team that plays one period has history. It is tradition that they don't have. And it's tradition that earns respect. The Sharks can have the greatest hockey team ever, but if they don't win at least a Confrence title, they don't have tradition. Tell me why I should respect the San Jose Sharks, who have never even been to the Stanley Cup finals, just as much as the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs, who have won 24 and 13 Cups respectivly. Tell me, 'cause I want to know.

Brings me right into my next point:

To tell me, as a fan of a newer franchise in a warmer climate location, that I am "obligated" to respect these "older" teams when all I hear from the fans of these teams is how we are not a "cultured" enough fanbase and how we "have no history", is pompous and downright demeaning.

You know what you sound like? You sound like an ungreatful child, who's grandfather and father worked their asses off so you could have a better life.

If it wasn't for the Montreal Canadiens' 24 Stanley Cups, if it wasn't for the Toronto Maple Leafs being the first team to win the Cup back to back, if it wasn't for the Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wing playing OT well into the next morning for Lord Stanley's Cup, then you wouldn't have a team in San Jose, LA, Tampa Bay, Miami, or any other "unconventional" hockey market. The Original Six, the teams that came before, and most of the teams that came after during the 60's and 70's DESERVE your respect, because without those teams playing night in and night out, and without their loyal fans supporting them through thick and thin, there would be no San Jose Sharks.

As for your point about fans in newer markets not being cultered, well take it from someone who's been there. I havn't been to a Sharks game in SJ, so I'm not going to comment on your fan base. But I have been to Lightning games in TB, and I have been to Panthers games in Miami. Most of the fans that go to those games are either:

A)Looking for an excuse to drink

or

B)Bandwagon jumpers (mostly in Tampa Bay)

Either way, they both have one thing in common, most fans who go to those games have no clue about the game of hockey. Sure there are those fans who care for the game, but for the most part the fans are ill-informed. If SJ has a knowledgable fan base, and popular opinion seems to indicate that they do (despite a certin fan's sign during the '04 Western Confernce Finals against Calgary), then congradulations for learning and caring for the game. Trust me though, you are exception, not the rule.

And before anyone else tries to paint me as someone who never wants a southern team to win the cup, take note, 'cause if Edmonton is eliminated I'm throwing my support behind Carolina.

The important thing is that the series is tied 2-2 and picks back up tonight in SJ. Lets get ready for some really good hockey.

I agree. The Sharks/Oilers series has been the only one so far that's really captivating. Can't wait for more great hockey from these teams.

Might I interject....

Icecap, no one deserves respect right off the bat. Respect is earned, not a birthright.

I respect the fans of Canadian NHL teams because they stick with their teams through thick and, for the past 13 years, the thin. The only thing that gripes me about many Canadian fans is that they feel their teams are more deserving of the Cup than some Sun Belt team just because of their teams' locations. Hell, I have a friend in Toronto, and she tells me that a lot of folks up there wouldn't watch a Ducks or Sharks vs. Hurricanes Cup Final just because it's two teams that reside well south of the border.

But do these same Canadian fans that think they deserve respect give the same respect to US teams? The Sharks have always drawn well. Minnesota and Columbus have sold out most, if not all, of their games since they came into the league. Teams like Atlanta, Nashville, Tampa Bay, and Carolina have had attendance rise this season. Not to mention the US teams that have always drawn well.

There are a lot of hockey markets in the US. It just takes time for them to grow a fanbase that cheers for the home team instead of another team they grew up watching. Give teams at least 10 seasons before you declare some market a bust for the NHL.

[HedleyLamarr]

FWIW, I don't resent San Jose being in the league. It's cities like Atlanta, Raleigh, Miami, Phoenix, and Nashville that I wish weren't hosting teams.

Do explain why there shouldn't be NHL hockey in Atlanta. We have a lot of transplanted Yanquis, and our attendance has risen each of the past two seasons, drawing well over 15,000 people per game this season while competing with the NFL, college football and college basketball, the NBA, and decent weather during the weather months.

[Roger Clemente]

To tell me, as a fan of a newer franchise in a warmer climate location, that I am "obligated" to respect these "older" teams when all I hear from the fans of these teams is how we are not a "cultured" enough fanbase and how we "have no history", is pompous and downright demeaning.

You know what you sound like? You sound like an ungreatful child, who's grandfather and father worked their asses off so you could have a better life.

Point: ICS. If someone chooses to show no respect to somebody, they have no right to any respect from the other person, no matter how much clout or tenure they may have.

Just because someone chooses to be a die-hard and knowledgable fan of a team that may seemingly have a mostly fair-weather fanbase gives NOBODY the right to disrespect them or their choice. It's like saying Carolina had no chance in the playoffs because their fanbase is small and uneducated. I don't think that's true at all, but even if the fans are uneducated about the game does not mean the team was a fluke.

I root for the Ducks. Have since June 1993. Never wavered, even though it was quite hard to follow them up until about five years ago. I show off my loyalty with pride. People ask me all the time "Why don't you root for a Canadian team?" But then I realize that half of Canada is going to instinctually not root for Toronto or Montreal no matter what, so it's a bit hypocritical. "You can't root for a Canadian team, but don't root for Toronto/Montreal. Their fans are morons." This actually applies to every Canadian team based on regional rivalry.

A cup parade lasts a day, a banner is a piece of cloth. The amount of time the Cup spends in Canada is amount to the number of Canadian players on the team. And the team with the most Canadian players on it is.....Anaheim!

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[J.R.]

I, like many Canadians, don't take you "fans" seriously.

Please don't speak on our behalf

Chris, how do you like this?

Sharks fans boo 'O Canada' before Game 5 vs. Oilers

Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Sharks fans loudly booed the Canadian national anthem Sunday night before Game 5 of their team's second-round playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.

The vociferous booing started from the opening notes of singer Annmarie Martin's rendition of "O Canada." While other fans attempted to drown it out by singing along, the boos were audible until the final notes.

Pregame anthem booing was a hot-button issue in sports shortly after the beginning of the war in Iraq, with fans in Chicago's Wrigley Field, Montreal's Bell Centre and other arenas booing their neighbors' anthem from 2002-04.

There was no apparent political motive for the booing in San Jose -- just a questionable expression of the fans' dislike of the Oilers, who won the last two games in Edmonton to tie the series at two games apiece.

The Shark Tank fans didn't boo "O Canada" before the first two games, and fans in Edmonton didn't boo "The Star-Spangled Banner" last week.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2006...tory?id=2445206

Thanks, San Jose.

OILists will stay classy in game six and loudly cheer the American anthem!

[Neon_Matrix]

I, like many Canadians, don't take you "fans" seriously.

Please don't speak on our behalf

OILists will stay classy in game six and loudly cheer the American anthem!

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. You DON'T know how they will react, and in my opinion, it will be anthem booing retaliation.

[Roger Clemente]

I, like many Canadians, don't take you "fans" seriously.

Please don't speak on our behalf

Chris, how do you like this?

Sharks fans boo 'O Canada' before Game 5 vs. Oilers

Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Sharks fans loudly booed the Canadian national anthem Sunday night before Game 5 of their team's second-round playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.

The vociferous booing started from the opening notes of singer Annmarie Martin's rendition of "O Canada." While other fans attempted to drown it out by singing along, the boos were audible until the final notes.

Pregame anthem booing was a hot-button issue in sports shortly after the beginning of the war in Iraq, with fans in Chicago's Wrigley Field, Montreal's Bell Centre and other arenas booing their neighbors' anthem from 2002-04.

There was no apparent political motive for the booing in San Jose -- just a questionable expression of the fans' dislike of the Oilers, who won the last two games in Edmonton to tie the series at two games apiece.

The Shark Tank fans didn't boo "O Canada" before the first two games, and fans in Edmonton didn't boo "The Star-Spangled Banner" last week.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2006...tory?id=2445206

Thanks, San Jose.

OILists will stay classy in game six and loudly cheer the American anthem!

Did you even read the last ten posts? This booing was already discussed. And your behavior is still not how we Canadians would like to be represented. We would like to be known as peaceful, non-discriminating people who aren't apt to continue to pick fights and fuel fires.

Those fans that booed our anthem, we can be above them. I would like to think we are. At the same time though, you can not guarentee that we will be at the next Oilers game.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

P.S. Don't even think about rubbing in Game 5 now.