18 October 2007

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?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Damn, I probably would have turned around and yelled the entire freakin' roster at them. Working hard enough at it, I bet I could have gotten down to some of the WB-S boys too... (okay, at least to Deryk Engelland, if nobody else)

(And okay, offer only stands if they don't make me attach number to each name.. I'm trying to catch up on the n00bs number-wise)

Elly said...

If I could go back and do it over, I would have yelled, 'Let's see....Talbot, Christensen, and Crosby. Those would be three players that scored on you tonight. Want me to name the other one?' I could have done a few of the Baby Pens, but I'm still not so hot on the AHL rosters.

Steph said...

I bet you know one Baby Pen :D

Elly said...

Right, that one I would like NOT to know.

Anonymous said...

(For Teka ;)
3-Eaton
4-Scuderi
5-Sydor
8-Rex
10-GR
11-Gronk
12-Malone
16-Crusher
17-Sykora
18-A.Hall *grin*
19-Whitney
20-Some jobber
25-Talbot
27-Laraque
29-MAF
30-Sabourin
32-Nas
37-Ruutu
44-Orpik
55-Gonchar
71-Geno
87-I have to think about this one...

(Sorry about the spam, Elly! I was at the game too; would've been nice to have another Pens fan to yell with...)

I didn't think the Leaf fans were too bad; they did clap when Orpik got up. Of course, I was with my dad, so that may have limited sh*t being thrown my way...

There were more than twenty Pens fans there though. I could only get within about 5 rows of the glass for skate-around...

Anonymous said...

Yeah, and um, you might need to realize that I've recently been promoted to Brigadier General of Army's Army, so ah, "some jobber" is PROBABLY not the best way to put it, at least in reference for me.

Anonymous said...

no, really?

I was kidding...for the record, I like Army. I just figured you KNEW who #20 was. Next time, I'll put down 87 as the jobber. Sheesh.

Steph said...

Crying into his helmet full of Duck ramen, you know.

Anonymous said...

Hey, just covering my bases. Army's ineherent need to flatten people in questionably legal ways sort of puts all his fans on InstaDefensoryAlert at the sound of his name.

No foul :-)

Elly said...

DS: Really? It would have been great to have the backup! I'm glad to hear there were more than I saw, though, I definitely felt like the lone goldfish in the sea of sharks (or maybe the lone Penguin in the ice filled with a pod of Killer Whales?). I do give the Leafs fans credit, it was just that one jerkface who was booing Orpik and Army. One bad apple...

And please, spam with Penguins things any time you please. :)

Steph: On that random note, I looked for hours in the little ramen area in the supermarket in TO for duck ramen.

Teka: Does this mean I need to salute and call you 'ma'am'?