Update and random fan news!

While perusing the recaps from the Penguins faithful, I went (after reading the gut-wrenching recap by the Pensblog. Nobody does the angry, die-hard Penguins fan, with by the balls recaps like the Pensblog does) to Empty Netters and was delighted to see that our dear HLOG sisters Pookie and Schnookie were featured for a lovely email they wrote about their trip to the Igloo for the game. Way to go, ladies, and I'm glad to hear that the Pens fans were respectful! Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.

On a slightly related note, I went to Toronto this past week to visit my friend, Beth, and go see the Pens play the Leafs on Saturday night. Now, a quick recap of the game basically consisted of me looking, and failing to find, any Pennsylvania plates on the 401, crying over the unfairness of life and the world in general when they called Sabourin in net, and being one of about twenty Penguins fans in attendance, and therefore being subjected to many the odd look and whispered mutterings.

I have never been to the ACC before, and although I have been to Mellon when the Leafs came to visit (and boy, did they ever visit), the Leafs fans have always been a bunch of good-natured, if loud and boisterous, group. Perhaps this is because I usually attend Leafs games in the company of Beth, who has been a Leafs fan for some time (rumor has it 'Go Leafs Go' were the words she greeted the doctor with, fresh from the womb), but they have never given me much trouble aside from the random cat-call and rowdy challenge towards the Pens.

Well, this changes north of the border.

I had a good time, and the fans were mostly polite, but I thought that a fan clapping when Armstrong got a puck to the chops, and (perhaps the same fan) a call of 'that's what you get for Eric Cole!' in the dead silence that followed Orpik's nasty hit into the boards, was uncalled for. Yes, we've all done that one cheer, that one ribbing, that we wish we could take back, but I have never been happy about someone being injured on the ice. Joke about it after? Maybe. Do I really want someone to get hurt? No. I don't know these people from Jack, and aside from pissing off the dejected Penguins fan in me, they have done nothing wrong to me personally other than being good at their job. Not even Sean Avery deserves that.

On the whole, I enjoy Leafs fans. They are rowdy, they cat-call, but they always bring a good time to their games (if sometimes a bit too much of a good time). On my final word on this subject, I will illustrate probably one of the most amusing, and insulting, interactions I've ever had with opposing team's fans:

Beth and I were walking outside the ACC down the side of the building, post-game. I walked proud and tall in my Malkin jersey, ignoring the looks from the bitter Leafs fans along the sides while Beth, I am sure, contemplated feeding me to the homeless bum across the street. As we walked, we passed a group of about 4 or 5 teenage Leafs fans. They immediately lit into me, calling out ribs and jokes about my team, but in a funny, teasing way. I smiled and walked by, then turned around and said, 'Wait,' they stopped, like the polite Ontarians they were, 'who won the game?' I then smiled and turned around to the laughter of the surrounding Leafs fans, who obviously could take a clean joke. The boys started right back up again, calling and saying so many things I couldn't understand them, only the general 'Pens suck' tone of it.

Now, during this time, Beth and I walked up, and back, a total of about 5 to 7 minutes...and they kept at it the entire time. I was impressed, really, but as we were walking back by (to shouts of, 'hey miss, miss! Burn that jersey!') they apparently hit a low blow:

They shouted at me to name three players on my team.

Now, this isn't a big deal, normally, but what gets my goat is that they were labeling me as a female fan who didn't know her hockey, just because I was wearing the sweater of a popular team (and presumably not responding to their earlier taunts). I did not hear them do this, I was informed about it hours after by Beth, who was surprised I didn't kill them. If I had heard them, I just might have. I would ask, 'Is this something common? Do people really stereotype when they see a girl in a Penguins, or any other team's, jersey?' which of course, the answer would be yes. I do it. Beth does it. Hell, I bet Sidney Crosby does it (and he has reason to be afraid of the girls in the sweaters, I'm sure), but that doesn't mean I have to like it, or think it's a good thing to do. I try to combat the urge to shake my head at the pretty girl in the Crosby shirt, but it's a hard thing to do when wearing 87 is more of a fashion statement than a team support method.

My favorite part of this? Beth's response to those pimply blue and white lovers, 'Oh yeah? Name three of yours.'

---

Moo-stache count for Talbot: 4 goals in 5 games. Go Max!


And, of course, go Pens.


EDIT: Forgot to mention that I added some new links to the sidebar now that I'm catching up on blogging. Does anyone else find that there are more and more solid, reliable, and interesting blogs out there than there were last season?