I am presently watching the Rangers make us look worse than usual. 3-0 with around 3 minutes left in the 2nd. This fits in perfectly with where I’m going here. See, I love the Leafs. There, I said it. Not like it was a secret before. I could be considered ‘part of the problem’ since I go to games no matter how bad they play or how many years in a row they’ve missed the playoffs or how depressing it gets (very). I have a ton of pictures from the last two games in my NHL Hockey set on Flickr.
Here’s a perfect stereotypical and, sadly, absolutely true example. I was at the Tuesday game. It was the most boring ‘contest’ I’ve ever seen between two NHL teams. And I even watch the Oilers and Wild play each other. And Jersey in their ‘let’s trap for 59 minutes’ heyday. We had nosebleed seats, 3 rows from the back wall, and I brought a friend who is really not much of a hockey fan and doesn’t know a lot about the rules. Case in point, he cheers for the Sens. This game was not helping me convert him. He said he had fun but it’s likely that enjoyment came from me beating my head against the railing in front of me in an attempt to stay awake. The best part of the game was before it and it’s too bad I didn’t take a picture. I finally remembered that I wanted to try Burkie’s Dog House hot dogs and they did not disappoint! It was $31-something for a bacon wrapped dog, a maple dog, a beer, and a pop but that’s to be expected in the ACC.
• Maple Hot Dog – hot dog simmered in maple syrup , topped with French baked beans
• Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog – maple mustard sautéed onions and cheddar cheese
The maple dog was DELICIOUS. Oh, and it came with back bacon, of course! The rest of the evening was downhill from there. YET I came home and what did I do? I bought a new Leafs jersey and hat. Ok, so I didn’t buy it, it was kind of a gift, but it still happened as soon as I got home that night. I <3 practice jerseys since I don't like wearing someone else's number and I've loved the practice uniforms since forever. I always get the blue instead of the other colours; go blue! If you saw a few seconds of the video up above then you can see how my old one has been worn almost down to nothing. Heck, I used to play on the ice with it!
On the previous Saturday I was surprised with platinum seats for the Bruins game and at least there were some great moments and a sweet view to smooth over the OT loss. TV does not do Chara justice. The man is a giant. I’m elevated rows back from the glass and he still towers over us all. Crazy. 6′ 9″ + skates = omgwow. How did he end up in hockey and not basketball?? There are so many tall people coming into the draft this year, too.
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Go Flames!..wait…
“Case in point, he cheers for the Sens.”
Cheap shot! Well done, Leaf lover.
Enjoy the golf, eh?
Honestly? Lose Alfredsson and I could even cheer for the Sens myself! He’s the only one I hate but brings down the team with him :(
Nothing wrong with golf! Get out of the first round and I will be impressed. That said, I will still cheer for an American team against the Sens though you have a decent shot at schooling the Pens. With their utter lack of a defensive system right now and the slump they are in it’ll be lame to lose to them.
I know WHY Leaf fans hate Alfredsson, but it still strikes me as the world’s longest-running knee jerk reaction to a fluky sequence of events. (i.e. bad hit on Tucker, followed by game winning goal seconds later).
Logically though he’s one of the most gentlemanly players in the NHL, has an amazing charity record, and is nearly a point per game player over his career (991 pts, 1000 games) with no track record of being a dirty player.
Or maybe I’m just a Sens homer…. whichever. =)
No worries about cheering for an American team against the Sens… I do the same with the Leafs – I’d rather see a team in a city that doesn’t appreciate hockey – like Phoenix – win the Cup than the Leafs.
It makes for a good rivalry. There is nothing more fun that attending a Sens/Leafs game in Ottawa and trashtalking with the enemy throughout an entire game. =)
I never, never got into trashtalking. Not as a player and certainly not as a fan. It’s easy to say stuff like, “Nice you made it to the playoffs, maybe you’ll even win a game this time!” but it’s just weaksauce. I guess I leave it to others. Ottawa fans have always been respectful in person but I stopped going to Habs fans because I was tired of the drunken near-fights around little kids in the stands. Makes me too damn angry!!
He hit Tucker? You should have been cheered in Toronto for that ;) I like Sens/Leafs games since the crowd and players get up for them and it’s a good show.
Otherwise, however, no class. That shot pushed me from ‘dislike’ to ‘instant hate’ for me. Not that I like his target much but you just don’t do that! He’s had an incredible career, stats-wise, with the odd clutch moment, but I don’t like him. There are many players across the NHL I don’t like the same way, even on the Leafs (Colton Orr, I’m looking at you), so it’s not only the sole Senator I don’t like.
My favourite Sen right now? Brian Elliott. He’s done an incredible job energizing the team. Sheesh, look at me go on and on here.
Trash-talking is a pile of fun, assuming people are doing it in jest, which is how it usually is in Ottawa when the teams meet. (It can get out of hand, and then it’s a different beast entirely.) Of course, I also love trash talking while playing ultimate …. again, all in good fun and the point isn’t to insult but rather to tease. You need to be willing to take as much as you give though – it can’t be a one way street.
Here’s the Tucker hit that is the source of most of the boos Alfie gets from Toronto fans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHbj53fZx2Y
I’d forgotten about that Neidermayer shot – it’s incredibly out of character for the man though. Captured in a Youtube video like that will never tell the whole story – something HAD to have provoked such a stupid reaction from an otherwise great player. I can’t fault you for having your opinion coloured by the incident though, especially as someone who plays as well as watches hockey.
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