Edie Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I understand Cowboy Poet about fans not suffering with the team. But to me, that is not too important. but sure, i get annoyed by fans who only cheer for winning teams. Those are fair-weather fans. I only pay attention to winning teams, or those that interest me due to their being "up and coming" or being on the verge of really doing well. But when I pay attention, I watch nearly every game. And when I don't pay attention, I watch virtually none of them. I would always "cheer" for them (i.e. don't cheer for opponents). Great case in point -- for a 3 or 4 year stretch from 2003-2007, I watched nearly every White Sox game. Last year I watched exactly zero. Mediocrity = boring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevan Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I only pay attention to winning teams, or those that interest me due to their being "up and coming" or being on the verge of really doing well. But when I pay attention, I watch nearly every game. And when I don't pay attention, I watch virtually none of them. I would always "cheer" for them (i.e. don't cheer for opponents). Great case in point -- for a 3 or 4 year stretch from 2003-2007, I watched nearly every White Sox game. Last year I watched exactly zero. Mediocrity = boring. I love this; why are so many sports fans blind to nuance? (not that anyone here is, just in general) Why can't one be a fan in the way described above? Or in any number of other 'ways' without having to explain AND lose the respect (which you can keep, by the way) of FANS? I've taken to calling myself an enthusiast, more often than not, just to avoid being pigeonholed as a 'fan' of a team or city, etc, and get all the BS that comes with that.. Case in point, I'm a HUGE Minnesota Viking fan - live and die with them, but I also like the Packers and Bears. Tell that to your typical sports 'fan' and they don't understand, they think it's crazy, they think fan-dom requires mutual exclusivity. It drives me nuts! Also, I think that sports 'fans', or what have you, who watch every game (not counting football, where it's easy to watch every game) of bad teams just don't have anything better to do. I've also been a life-long Twins fan, and I think I suffered through the 90's enough by rooting for a hopeless franchise. I went to a few games, watched a few others, but I mainly read box scores and caught highlights. Why would I sit there 3-hours a day to watch a bad team get beaten repeatedly? I found better things to do with my time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I love this; why are so many sports fans blind to nuance? cause they're stupid Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stagerug Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I sort of feel like the broad brush has been pulled out here. Yes there are plenty of new fans being drawn to the Blackhawks by the great work of John McDunough and his marketing campaign, and the talent of the team. If you run a good program you should always be attracting new fans, and that is the case again, considering the large market. HOWEVER... MUCH of the immediacy of the flooding back of the fan base, is not due to bandwagoners, but (at the sake of sounding over-dramatic) a healing of wounds, and the righting of so many wrongs dumped on the Hawks alumni and fans. If you don't live here, you can't possibly understand how the fans were alienated for SO many years. Bill Wirtz believed that WINNING THE STANLEY CUP WOULD COST TOO MUCH MONEY. He traded away all of the fan favorites and stars for financial reasons, didn't honor or recognize the great players of the past of this franchise, generally wouldn't pay for a coach with a resume, but settled for former players like Dirk Graham and Denis Savard (no offense, fellas, love ya), FIRED PAT FOLEY, blacked out home games, gouged for beer at the Stadium that HE distributed himself (the Wirtz family is a huge liquor distributing family, along with the Jacksons (see Jesse))...the list goes on and on and on. There is no coincidence that as soon as the old man died, the franchise did an IMMEDIATE 180. This cannot be all new fans. In fact, I was the biggest Blackhawks fan on the planet... really. I grew up working at the "home" golf course of the Blackhawks of the late 80's and early 90's (I know, good for me. But write this for context). I knew So many of them Larmer, Goulet, Pang, Savard, Presley, Peluso, etc., and went to 10-20 games per year at the old Stadium. But after they traded Roenick and Belfour, I was done. I vowed to NEVER watch a game or pay for another ticket until old man Wirtz was dead. And I didn't. I'm glad to be back! And I know I'm not alone. Many of the old guard have returned. Seems that if any fan base has paid their dues it IS the Blackhawks fans. There has been a lot of emotional equity invested in the Blackhawks by the fans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Stagerug -- you nailed it. Thank you. It is great to see Bobby Hull and other former Hawk players in the skyboxes where they should be -- appreciated and loved. Bobby Hull (along with many other Hawk alumni) was reviled by Bill Wirtz and would not have set foot in the UC, unless he had paid for a ticket. Hats off to Rocky. He generally sits with the fans -- you gotta love that. Edit -- I am just happy that people are talking about hockey. It took all season to get to the still not respectable 17 pages we are at now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Go Habs Go! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lynch Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Go Habs Go! Being stuck on evening shift sucks this time of year. I am thinking about calling in sick for game 7 on Wednesday......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
petemoss Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Whether or not you hate the habs, or even if they lose game seven 7-0, the habs have been the biggest story so far in the playoffs.Unbelievable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 It is a testament to how a hot goalie can carry a playoff team. I am also proud of Scott Gomez, who didn't really set the world on fire as a Ranger, but put his glove in Crosby's face. Since French Canadian DNA holds a plurality in my genome, I cannot help but root for the Canadiens, even though as a Ranger fan I am supposed to hate them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smokestack Joe Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 The Coyotes could perhaps be moving BACK to Winnipeg Winnipeg? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Steve Yzerman is rumored to be the front runner for the GM spot in Tampa. I'd be sad if he gets the job. He deserves to be with a better team than them. C'mon Stevie - hold out and wait until a better job opens up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevan Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Steve Yzerman is rumored to be the front runner for the GM spot in Tampa. I'd be sad if he gets the job. He deserves to be with a better team than them. C'mon Stevie - hold out and wait until a better job opens up. I'd be shocked. Shocked! I cannot see it happening. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lodestar Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Steve Yzerman is rumored to be the front runner for the GM spot in Tampa. I'd be sad if he gets the job. He deserves to be with a better team than them. C'mon Stevie - hold out and wait until a better job opens up. The Tampa market aside, is it really that bad a gig? He'd have franchise cornerstones in Stamkos and Hedman, a star veteran in St. Louis who appears to have a few good years left, and a plethora of options when it comes to what to do with Lecavalier. Yzerman's not dumb, so if he's considering the job it's with good reason. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 The Tampa market aside, is it really that bad a gig? He'd have franchise cornerstones in Stamkos and Hedman, a star veteran in St. Louis who appears to have a few good years left, and a plethora of options when it comes to what to do with Lecavalier. Yzerman's not dumb, so if he's considering the job it's with good reason.They're a sideshow in Tampa. I'd rather him go to a city that loves hockey. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevan Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 They're a sideshow in Tampa. I'd rather him go to a city that loves hockey. Circus sideshow. Yzerman has earned more respect in hockey communities than Tampa's entire franchise, collectively. It'd be like the Pope coming to your local Catholic Elementary school for Easter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
D-Dogg Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Circus sideshow. Yzerman has earned more respect in hockey communities than Tampa's entire franchise, collectively. It'd be like the Pope coming to your local Catholic Elementary school for Easter. Best analogy ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Shaving off almost a months worth of playoff beard is hard, even if the beard wasn't that impressive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smokestack Joe Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Darn, I like the Blackhawks but I was hoping the Canucks could take it to them. Great season, playoffs, love watching the Canucks....Hopefully they keep Kesler. EDIT: oops, sorry, bad me. Kesler stays! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lodestar Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Great season, playoffs, love watching the Canucks....Hopefully they keep Kesler. They signed him to a big extension this season, so he's a Canuck for a good long while. As hard as that series was to watch, and as bad as I think they need toughness up front and more discipline on the back end, I do really like the nucleus Mike Gillis has secured in Vancouver. The Sedins, Kesler, Burrows and Samuelsson are all signed with good cap hits for the next several years; Raymond, Hodgson, Grabner and Schroeder provide more young scoring talent than Vancouver has had in a long time; Edler and Ehrhoff are a pair of defensemen I really like; and as disappointing as Luongo has been all season, I'm still extremely happy to have him on the lifetime contract he just signed. I do think serious thought needs to be given to taking Roberto's captaincy away, and it'd be ideal if he just gave it away himself. He has too many mental demons to overcome already, without the pressure of being the league's only goaltender captain. I really hope Kesler wears the C next season. The defense is definitely the biggest area to address in the offseason. Mitchell looks to be on his way out, Salo is declining, and Bieksa has been absolutely awful for too long now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Shaving off almost a months worth of playoff beard is hard, even if the beard wasn't that impressive.Misery loves company. Cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 They signed him to a big extension this season, so he's a Canuck for a good long while. As hard as that series was to watch, and as bad as I think they need toughness up front and more discipline on the back end, I do really like the nucleus Mike Gillis has secured in Vancouver. The Sedins, Kesler, Burrows and Samuelsson are all signed with good cap hits for the next several years; Raymond, Hodgson, Grabner and Schroeder provide more young scoring talent than Vancouver has had in a long time; Edler and Ehrhoff are a pair of defensemen I really like; and as disappointing as Luongo has been all season, I'm still extremely happy to have him on the lifetime contract he just signed. I do think serious thought needs to be given to taking Roberto's captaincy away, and it'd be ideal if he just gave it away himself. He has too many mental demons to overcome already, without the pressure of being the league's only goaltender captain. I really hope Kesler wears the C next season. The defense is definitely the biggest area to address in the offseason. Mitchell looks to be on his way out, Salo is declining, and Bieksa has been absolutely awful for too long now.Agreed... Bieksa had a good season three years ago... and a few good games every now and then but he needs to go. Honestly, he looks like a third line winger to me... which is disappointing because there was a time when he looked like he could have been a top-pairing d-man. Canucks need a new captain... either Henrik or Kesler, Luongo is a great player, a great team guy, but that series made it obvious that a goalie can't be a captain. Some new fourth liners would help too. And a big mix up on defense. Acquiring Ehrhoff was a great step, now we just need to do that a few more times. I hope they sign Hamhuis, he's look great on the blueline. Replace Wellwood with one of either Hodgson or Schroeder. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Just happy it's over. Sushi anyone?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
W(TF) Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Happy to see Chicago put the Canucks away too. I like Vancouver, but the Hawks are a better team, and more fun to watch. (Van has the Sedins, who make lousy defences look really lousy....it just gets old after awhile) And we're one step closer to a CHI-MTL final...Oh how sweet that would be, sorry but if that happens I'll be cheering for the Habs all the way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stagerug Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Just happy it's over. Sushi anyone?? Save me some unagi and a Sapporo Dry! Edit: Le Habitants are up 3-0 in the second!! Whhhaaaa??? Go Habs! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted May 13, 2010 Author Share Posted May 13, 2010 This might just be the craziest fucking thing I've ever seen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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