2010-11 NHL Season Thread

[crashcarson15]

Tonight's game was the tipping point for me. There isn't a worse fanbase in all of sports than fans from Pittsburgh. You're at a hockey game, leave the terrible towels at home, act like adults, drop the jackassy behavior and stop encouraging it in your kids. You're allowed to be excited for a good game, but buffoonery shouldn't be tolerated let alone encouraged. The Penguins fans at Nationwide embarrassed themselves tonight. The Detroit fans a week ago were a delight compared to the Pittsburgh faithful that showed up tonight.

I have to been to multiple games against the Red Wings and Blackhawks. The Sabres and Maple Leafs also bring in a bunch of fans, but the Pittsburgh Penguins fans were by far the worst most boorish people I've ever seen in a road team's jersey. I'm swear I'm not just saying that because I happen to have a personal vendetta against that particular city. My mom and sister who were also at the game said the same thing and they aren't sports fans at all.

I've long wanted the Blue Jackets to get bumped to the Eastern Conference, but if it means we get invaded by these dimwits more than once a year then I'm going to rethink that desire.

I'm not going to challenge the fact that there were probably some really annoying Pittsburgh fans there, you'll get that when 2/3 of the crowd are cheering for the visitors, but please don't make blanket statements about entire fan bases. My family has had Pens season tickets for over 20 years and I got to know some really intelligent, interesting fans. I think what we have going on is a bit of the "pink hat" effect that teams like the Red Sox have also experienced. I wouldn't call these people bandwagoners per se, as they always followed the team to a certain extent, but during the good times they become more vocal and don't know how to act at away games.

I haven't lived in Pittsburgh for about 4 years now and due to my wife's aversion to cold weather I probably won't be moving back anytime soon, but I love that town. I try to act as an ambassador when talking to fans at their home stadiums and I know other Pittsburgh fans do the same, unfortunately people likes to focus on that 5% of Steelers fans that wear Zoobas, swill I.C. Light like it's going out of style and call everybody "jagoff".

There are awful fans from every fanbase, don't let that form your opinion about an entire town. And if I am ever in Pittsburgh the same time as you I would be happy to take you around and show you the real side of Pittsburgh that I love.

It was about 50/50, maybe 60/40 they were just more vocal because they had more to cheer for. BTW.

I've been to Pittsburgh, I know it's a cool place, but I'm just saying I've never had a more unpleasant experience with visiting fans at Nationwide. I really am trying to avoid making a blanket statement there (and perhaps I shouldn't have said "there isn't a worse fanbase in all of sports" but that was anger talking from last night) and talk specifically about what I witnessed in-arena last night and what other fans have told me about their experiences from last night. From everything I saw and heard was that the Penguins fans there last night were the worst visiting fans anyone has ever had to deal with. That comes from a friend of mine who works at R-Bar and a few of the people I know who work in the team store. I'm not making this stuff up just because I hate the Steelers.

My theory is that what we saw were a lot of Penguins fans who don't live in the Pittsburgh area getting their one chance of the year to see the Penguins. They only get to see them once a year so when they do they over-compensate and behave in a completely disrespectful manner, drink too much, act with the utmost buffoonery, and behave like general imbeciles. We'll call it the "transplanted fan" phenomenon.

In ten years of going to Blue Jackets games that was easily the worst game I've ever been to. Only about half of that was because of the absurd amount of Penguins fans. We got blown out on home ice, while outnumbered by visiting fans, while playing with literally zero heart. It sucked and I'd like to deliver one of these (holds fist) to the faces of Steve Mason and even though he didn't play last night, Anton Stralman.

I, too, was at that game last night. Please don't include all of us in one group. My brother and I, while leaving Nationwide, were silently begging our fellow fans to, as I put it, "Just shut the up."

I respect you guys for still being a hell of a place to see a game. All three times I've gone so far, the respectfulness and friendliness of the employees and fans I've come across has been great.

I have to ask - how would you compare the Consol Energy Center to Nationwide?

[Still MIGHTY]

McCarthy, you make a good point about the Pens fans that live in Columbus, you can see the same thing happen anytime the Yankees are playing down here in Tampa Bay. Easily some of the most annoying fans I have ever come across, but my visits to Yankee Stadium have been nothing but pleasant. Transplanted Fan Phenomenon - I like it.

This.

I had the same experience of Yankee fans. At the Big A, largest group of douches on the planet. In Yankee Stadium, actually very welcoming and fans of the game.

In hockey, besides Kings fans, the fans I hate the most are Red Wings fans that invade the Pond, and even the ones out here in Phoenix. But in my one visit to Detroit, the fans weren't even comparable. The fans in Detroit were pretty nice, respectful, and just there for a good time. There was a little trash talk, sure, but it was in good fun. Detroit fans in Anaheim or Phoenix, unbearable snots.

[maz]

Tonight's game was the tipping point for me. There isn't a worse fanbase in all of sports than fans from Pittsburgh. You're at a hockey game, leave the terrible towels at home, act like adults, drop the jackassy behavior and stop encouraging it in your kids. You're allowed to be excited for a good game, but buffoonery shouldn't be tolerated let alone encouraged. The Penguins fans at Nationwide embarrassed themselves tonight. The Detroit fans a week ago were a delight compared to the Pittsburgh faithful that showed up tonight.

I have to been to multiple games against the Red Wings and Blackhawks. The Sabres and Maple Leafs also bring in a bunch of fans, but the Pittsburgh Penguins fans were by far the worst most boorish people I've ever seen in a road team's jersey. I'm swear I'm not just saying that because I happen to have a personal vendetta against that particular city. My mom and sister who were also at the game said the same thing and they aren't sports fans at all.

I've long wanted the Blue Jackets to get bumped to the Eastern Conference, but if it means we get invaded by these dimwits more than once a year then I'm going to rethink that desire.

I'm not going to challenge the fact that there were probably some really annoying Pittsburgh fans there, you'll get that when 2/3 of the crowd are cheering for the visitors, but please don't make blanket statements about entire fan bases. My family has had Pens season tickets for over 20 years and I got to know some really intelligent, interesting fans. I think what we have going on is a bit of the "pink hat" effect that teams like the Red Sox have also experienced. I wouldn't call these people bandwagoners per se, as they always followed the team to a certain extent, but during the good times they become more vocal and don't know how to act at away games.

I haven't lived in Pittsburgh for about 4 years now and due to my wife's aversion to cold weather I probably won't be moving back anytime soon, but I love that town. I try to act as an ambassador when talking to fans at their home stadiums and I know other Pittsburgh fans do the same, unfortunately people likes to focus on that 5% of Steelers fans that wear Zoobas, swill I.C. Light like it's going out of style and call everybody "jagoff".

There are awful fans from every fanbase, don't let that form your opinion about an entire town. And if I am ever in Pittsburgh the same time as you I would be happy to take you around and show you the real side of Pittsburgh that I love.

It was about 50/50, maybe 60/40 they were just more vocal because they had more to cheer for. BTW.

I've been to Pittsburgh, I know it's a cool place, but I'm just saying I've never had a more unpleasant experience with visiting fans at Nationwide. I really am trying to avoid making a blanket statement there (and perhaps I shouldn't have said "there isn't a worse fanbase in all of sports" but that was anger talking from last night) and talk specifically about what I witnessed in-arena last night and what other fans have told me about their experiences from last night. From everything I saw and heard was that the Penguins fans there last night were the worst visiting fans anyone has ever had to deal with. That comes from a friend of mine who works at R-Bar and a few of the people I know who work in the team store. I'm not making this stuff up just because I hate the Steelers.

My theory is that what we saw were a lot of Penguins fans who don't live in the Pittsburgh area getting their one chance of the year to see the Penguins. They only get to see them once a year so when they do they over-compensate and behave in a completely disrespectful manner, drink too much, act with the utmost buffoonery, and behave like general imbeciles. We'll call it the "transplanted fan" phenomenon.

In ten years of going to Blue Jackets games that was easily the worst game I've ever been to. Only about half of that was because of the absurd amount of Penguins fans. We got blown out on home ice, while outnumbered by visiting fans, while playing with literally zero heart. It sucked and I'd like to deliver one of these (holds fist) to the faces of Steve Mason and even though he didn't play last night, Anton Stralman.

I, too, was at that game last night. Please don't include all of us in one group. My brother and I, while leaving Nationwide, were silently begging our fellow fans to, as I put it, "Just shut the up."

I respect you guys for still being a hell of a place to see a game. All three times I've gone so far, the respectfulness and friendliness of the employees and fans I've come across has been great.

I have to ask - how would you compare the Consol Energy Center to Nationwide?

As objectively as I can look at it I think Consol is better than Nationwide, but it's really really close.

Consol seems laid out alot better. Nationwide seems to be really asymmetrical all throughout. Consol isn't perfect in that respect, but it makes sense in its asymmetry. If that makes sense. Consol, obviously, is newer, so there are alot of little things that are going to be better. The architecture, layout, aesthetics, and such is better in Consol, I think. But Nationwide has been around a while and has a lived-in feeling to it. I like that. Thats why I like PNC Park alot more now than I did a few years ago. The employees at Nationwide are super friendly. Consol has an edge technologically. The way the game is "presented" is better at Consol with the frivolity off the ice such as music and games and graphics and such. Both arenas are pretty similar in some ways, and really different, but I prefer Consol. But I say again, it's really close. I could go on for a while comparing, but shortly, thats it.

[Sport]

I'd certainly hope it's better being ten years newer and all. I'm going to try to go to the cbj game there later in the year despite what happened last night.

[ElwoodCuse]

Where were the douchebags with terrible towels, I was in 121 and people were loud but cool. No vulgarities, no taunting or insults, no alcohol-fueled idiocy.

[oddball]

Whining about other fans cheering for their team? Really? Wow! I prefer the animated obnoxious fan, even the half-drunk fan. That's what makes the game fun. It's great to be in arena when the opponent has half the seats and you have passionate fans and your team beats them. I don't run smack, but it's the greatest thing to hear these fans of the opposition go quite when your team scores. I've been to games with Chicago fans (in both baseball and hockey), Canadien fans, and Saturday night, Red Wings fans and I prefer them over Duck fans who are just bland. But to rip on other fans because they are passionate and bring rally towels, how about getting a better team and beating them! That would solve your problem. I've never had problem with rowdy fans from other teams as I want them there. At least they care about their team and you know they do and it makes the game better when you beat their team.

[Sport]

I've thought about this today and I think the issue when you get a large group of visitors together in a road building they feel like they have to show off the fact that they're the visitors. When they're at home they can relax and stop trying to incite emotion from the home crowd. Combine that with the previously discussed "transplanted fan" theory and you get what happened last night.

Where were the douchebags with terrible towels, I was in 121 and people were loud but cool. No vulgarities, no taunting or insults, no alcohol-fueled idiocy.

Flipping everywhere, but there was a cluster of them next to and behind the Penalty box. One guy who was wearing a Gretzky kings jersey (WTF?) with a Penguins hat was kicked out in the third period. I'm not sure why, but from the way he handled it and behaved on his way out, I didn't have a problem with it.

Whining about other fans cheering for their team? Really? Wow! I prefer the animated obnoxious fan, even the half-drunk fan. That's what makes the game fun. It's great to be in arena when the opponent has half the seats and you have passionate fans and your team beats them. I don't run smack, but it's the greatest thing to hear these fans of the opposition go quite when your team scores. I've been to games with Chicago fans (in both baseball and hockey), Canadien fans, and Saturday night, Red Wings fans and I prefer them over Duck fans who are just bland. But to rip on other fans because they are passionate and bring rally towels, how about getting a better team and beating them! That would solve your problem. I've never had problem with rowdy fans from other teams as I want them there. At least they care about their team and you know they do and it makes the game better when you beat their team.

I'm going to address each one of the points you crammed into that paragraph one at a time.

I know what you're saying about silencing the road majority. I was at a game last year when we beat Detroit 1-0 in overtime. It was awesome because their fans had nothing to cheer about for an entire game. I've been to enough games to experience that side.

I Never whined about the Penguins fans cheering for their team. I expect that and would feel weird if they didn't. I complained about their behavior and boorish actions all around the arena and compared to other visitors I've seen they were by far the worst I've ever dealt with. Again, I'm not talking about in a game action sense, I'm talking about pure behavior as people and adults. There are 4 teams in the NHL that I haven't seen at Nationwide (Capitals, Senators, Canadiens, and Devils in case you were wondering) so I have a large sample size to draw from, and of all the visiting fans, Pittsburgh was the first where the visiting fans even affected me. I was at a game last year with quite a few Maple Leafs fans and the Leafs won 6-1. Didn't have any problems with the several thousand leafs fans in attendance.

I didn't rip on Penguins fans for being passionate about their team. I expect that. I ripped on them for bringing Terrible Towels because they're primarily an item of the Steelers. I would never wear a Bengals jersey to a Reds game (and I seriously hate people who do that). Just saying... I view my teams as separate entities that I cheer for separately of one another. Pittsburgh it seems tends to mix their allegiances. Saw lots of Pirates hats, lots of steelers shirts/jackets/hats. My guess is that it's because they're all the same colors, but you're at a hockey game first and foremost so support that team first.

and what am I supposed to do about getting a better team so we can beat them? I don't have any control of the front office or any input into team matters whatsoever. If you have an answer please enlighten me so we can try because it's been ten years and we got nothing. The last two years the two teams have traded shootout losses. There really was no reason to believe that something like that wouldn't happen again. Instead, the Blue Jackets didn't show up, which is beyond my control.

[ElwoodCuse]

Rest assured that true non-jagoff Penguins fans hate the terrible towel/steeler overlap fans just as much as you do.

[charger77]

Bill Guerin has retired:

[IceCap]

The Leafs score three in the third to force OT against the Caps. Fantastic

EDIT- Toronto wins in a shoot-out. Nice to root for the team coming back from a third period deficit for once.

[Don]

Someone should have reminded the Caps that hockey games are 3 periods long. Not 2. Ugh.

[Sport]

The losing streak is over! Blue Jackets tied the Stars at 19:04 in the third to force OT and won in the shootout. I really hate the way this team is playing right now, but I'll take it, especially after the weekend they just had.

[IceCap]

The losing streak is over! Blue Jackets tied the Stars at 19:04 in the third to force OT and won in the shootout. I really hate the way this team is playing right now, but I'll take it, especially after the weekend they just had.

In their primary sweaters no less

[Sport]

The losing streak is over! Blue Jackets tied the Stars at 19:04 in the third to force OT and won in the shootout. I really hate the way this team is playing right now, but I'll take it, especially after the weekend they just had.

In their primary sweaters no less

More proof. Lol. It took some convincing, but I'm on your side, those sweaters need to go. It'd be nice if they kept the pants though. I think they'd look better with the regular jerseys/socks than the current red pants do, even with what would be a mismatching white (sorry "vintage white") stripe.

The regular uniforms are just so much better. They've worn them since 2007 and I'm not tired of them. They've worn the new ones for 4 games and I'm already bored.

[habsfan1]

I find it too bad when a team loses it's drive after fighting their way up from the bottom. They were on a role for a while and they might not bounce back that well.

It was nice too see Mathieu Garon, another former Habs goalie, still having some strong play after not hearing a thing from him for the last 2-3 years.

[ElwoodCuse]

ahem I believe you mean STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Mathieu Garon

[oddball]

ahem I believe you mean STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Mathieu Garon

So, you're predicting that Garon is traded to the Flyers or the Caps? I can see that happening. He's stronger than what either of those two teams have.

[Sproullie03]

ahem I believe you mean STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Mathieu Garon

So, you're predicting that Garon is traded to the Flyers or the Caps? I can see that happening. He's stronger than what either of those two teams have.

Pretty sure he is refering to Mathieu Garon the backup to Marc-Andre Flurey in 2009

[NEW.ERA]

In which he won Game 5 if I'm not mistaken.

[charger77]

Pittsburgh lost game 5 of the 2009 SCF.