Official NHL playoff thread

[FiddySicks]

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.

So your worried that a group of American fans Booed the Canadian National Anthem eh? Did ya happen top catch any of the 2004 Western Conference Finals when San Jose was in Calgary? EXACT same thing. So dont even start on Canadian fans being more classy than American fans.

[Neon_Matrix]

Now the question will be rasied: Will Nabakov be given the start in game 6?

[BCBoy]

Now the question will be rasied: Will Nabakov be given the start in game 6?

Being a Nabokov fan, I think they shoulda gone him since the start of the playoffs, but really he hasn't been the starter for quite some time.

[ninersdd]

The Sharks are just choking the series away(lost 6-3)

[FiddySicks]

You should all feel lucky that Curty is on hiatus.

[NJTank]

Now the question will be rasied: Will Nabakov be given the start in game 6?

Being a Nabokov fan, I think they shoulda gone him since the start of the playoffs, but really he hasn't been the starter for quite some time.

I think I would have started Nabokov in Game 5

[Neon_Matrix]

Now the question will be rasied: Will Nabakov be given the start in game 6?

Being a Nabokov fan, I think they shoulda gone him since the start of the playoffs, but really he hasn't been the starter for quite some time.

I think I would have started Nabokov in Game 5

Now he may have a chance to save the drowning sharks or sign his papers out of San Jose.

[Puckguy14]

I've been trying to stay quiet but this is getting out of control. As the unofficial fan ambassador to the Sharks, I would like to sincerely apologize for the idiots who wore teal and black this evening in San Jose. Like the article said, the booing wasn't as much down the line as many fans started singing, at least in my section. For me personally, I have the respect for the country who invented this game. I mean shoot, if you go onto my MySpace, one of my pics is of me in a Canada hat that Mr. Creamer himself sent to me. While we don't appreciate the booing of our anthem in Edmonton or wherever and its political point that it tend to be. I find it interesting though that while Canadians have boo'd the american anthem, but now that Americans boo'd O Canada, it's turned into a controversey. Nonetheless, I again apologize. I mean come on a majority of the players who play for Team Teal are from the Great White North.

That said, we respect teams, by all means we as fans of the Sharks do. Granted we certainly can't stand some teams (i.e. Dallas, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Detroit.) or players (Ed Belfour, Theoren Fluery, Chris Pronger to a name a few.) But we never dissrespect them. And I'm certainly not going to rehash two years ago of which cities deserve an NHL franchise. The league put them there because their feeling was that the game would be vastly popular. Yes we are knowledgable in San Jose. This city LOVES the game, the NHL, and importantly the Sharks. Many state while silicon chips might have grown San Jose, it was the Sharks who put it on the map. Yes we don't have the years, no we don't have conference or cup banners in the rafters, no we don't have the tradition of the original six or the Canadian teams, however no matter what, if you don't respect San Jose or the Sharks, why would you ask for respect back?

As for the shots taken at us, as a fan of Team Teal, I'm very disappointed. I have been on many Oiler boards, and have seen nothing but classiness all along, almost to the effect of thinking "will this get ugly?" Judging by what I've seen on here, it has. Most of which I think is to get a member of the boards riled up. A reminder to those who have and who will attempt to bait. This is a moderated forum, although us moderators tend to let things go as much as possible. At least on my part. However, what I've seen on this thread alone makes me sick. Yes trash talking is allowed and understandable, but there are things that IMO are uncalled for, and the mods are watching. Consider this your friendly warning reminder.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

i personally don't understand why fans find it necissary to boo national anthems.

its one thing to boo a player or team, but to take it to next level and boo the national anthem thats sacred to ones nation, thats where i draw the line. on the same note, i don't like words like "stars" shouted during the national anthem. I remember back in when I was staying in Dallas for a week back in 2000, I think it was opening night, i don't remember, but I went to a stars game mainly to watch a former Islander player thats was on the team at the time that was a personal favorite of mine. During the national anthem, everytime the singer would get to "stars" the fans would yell "stars" I personally was a bit uncomfortable by this and not because i was an islander fan in stars country, i actually was more of a stars fan for a moment mainly because a) certain player that was on the team, sadly this player decided to disappear from the NHL and hockey all together and b] the isles were a f'n joke. I felt it was a bit inappropriate for my tastes but thats how i was raised. so take that with a grain of salt, pepper, or mesa.

as for booing, when i see fans boo the national anthem, i get nearly violent when fans on both sides of the border want to boo each others anthem. in fact during the 2002-2004 stretch when fans were booing the national anthems because of the Iraq War, the booing from both sides of the border envoked so much rage in me that during one of the games I tossed a tv down the stairs. I remember when the Leafs/Isles series was getting pretty hot, I actually stopped watching it. mainly because I didn't want to fork over money for another tv, and two my wife didn't want me to drop dead from a heart attack or a stroke a la' John Q. Adams during a heated HOR speech. to think i'm by in large a mild tempered perosn that likes listen to slow and boring music, and watch mostly non-violent dramas and early jim carrey comedies.

[Mac the Knife]

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.

But if you look at 2005-06, its a whole different story.

Karmanos said 05-06 will be the first year of his ownership of the franchise that it will make money. In Raleigh. With attendance slightly off from where everyone thought it would be.

And should the team reach the cup final again, win or lose, Raleigh'll look like one helluva hockey market.

[Jigga]

You should all feel lucky that Curty is on hiatus.

He's the lucky one...lucky that it's just a 'hiatus' instead of something a little more permanent.

[CC97]

I find it interesting though that while Canadians have boo'd the american anthem, but now that Americans boo'd O Canada, it's turned into a controversey.

That's not true... it's always been news and a controversy no matter where it's happened.

Hell at the last Expos game fans cheered the u.s. anthem and the media chose to focus all over the 20 idiots who booed it (Jack McKeon's quote about wanting to pull his players off the field for the canadian anthem did not help)

[Braden]

But Chris, the difference is that you're supposed to cheer.

The Canadians booed the American anthem as early as the World Junior Championships in Vancouver in January. I've seen it happen way too many times before, especially since the War in Iraq started.

This is the one time we see the booing happen the other way.

You know what? I'll bet anyone that Oilers fans will boo the American anthem next game. And it's a damn shame.

I wish some of our idiots had some class.

[CC97]

This is the one time we see the booing happen the other way.

Wrong my friend, both nations have booed each others anthems their fair amount of times.

While Montreal is a consistant culprit, fans in most canadian hockey cities have done booing at least once... while i can specifically recall the canadian anthem being booed on long island, and in detroit (nba playoffs) and now san jose... i'm sure i'm missing some.

the conclusion here is that there are idiots everywhere in north america

[Neon_Matrix]

But Chris, the difference is that you're supposed to cheer.

The Canadians booed the American anthem as early as the World Junior Championships in Vancouver in January. I've seen it happen way too many times before, especially since the War in Iraq started.

This is the one time we see the booing happen the other way.

You know what? I'll bet anyone that Oilers fans will boo the American anthem next game. And it's a damn shame.

I wish some of our idiots had some class.

I've seen the Canadian anthem booed many, many times.

Isles/Leafs - 4 years ago during the season - the season after the Leafs eliminated the Isles from the playoffs the Leafs while in New York had their Anthem booed.

I'll try to think of some other examples while I nap. All I can say is I know that we aren't perfect, but hell, this is the first time this season I've heard of Anthem booing and I had hoped it wouldn't have started. I really hope there isnt retaliation in Edmonton at the next game...

[Neon_Matrix]

This is the one time we see the booing happen the other way.

Wrong my friend, both nations have booed each others anthems their fair amount of times.

While Montreal is a consistant culprit, fans in most canadian hockey cities have done booing at least once... while i can specifically recall the canadian anthem being booed on long island, and in detroit (nba playoffs) and now san jose... i'm sure i'm missing some.

the conclusion here is that there are idiots everywhere in north america

I think I may be wrong, but wasn't our anthem booed during the last World Juniors in the States?

[HatCityEnforcer]

This is the one time we see the booing happen the other way.

Wrong my friend, both nations have booed each others anthems their fair amount of times.

While Montreal is a consistant culprit, fans in most canadian hockey cities have done booing at least once... while i can specifically recall the canadian anthem being booed on long island, and in detroit (nba playoffs) and now san jose... i'm sure i'm missing some.

the conclusion here is that there are idiots everywhere in north america

Agreed...

Idiots are idiots, be they or ..and we sure do got a lot of em on both sides of the border...

Booing O Canada or The Star Spangled Banner just smacks of idiocy no matter how ya cut it. Yeah, there might be some things in the world we don't see eye to eye on, but sheesh, a little respect is kinda in order when you play someone's anthem.

The folks that thought it'd be a good idea to do that last night at the Shark Tank are morons, plain and simple...and if the Oilers fans stoop to that level before Game 6, then I'd be highly disappointed in them.

At least the SJ fans didn't stoop to the level of some of the world class idiots that frequent Nassau Coliseum by burning a Canadian flag in the parking lot....

[Puckguy14]

From FSN Bay Area:

http://members.aol.com/puckguy14/Game4Anthems.mp3

[enjoyincubus122]

so um uh, how bout them playoffs

[ninersdd]

Now the question will be rasied: Will Nabakov be given the start in game 6?

Being a Nabokov fan, I think they shoulda gone him since the start of the playoffs, but really he hasn't been the starter for quite some time.

I think I would have started Nabokov in Game 5

Here the problem with Nabokov:inconsistency

One very good example. in mid January he made 40 saves and blanked Ottawa, the best team in the east. Then he goes out and allows 6 goals in the 2nd period against Montreal, an ok team.

The Sharks problem last night is they are getting way too many of their shots blocked, sometimes it seem as if they were aiming their shots directly at Oilers