Hockey Talk - 2007-2008 Season

[AdmiralGarak]

With the team safely rooted in Pittsburgh for the first time in their existence, I think we'll be looking at a stronger fanbase than the Pens have ever had before.

Every game day at least 50 percent of people i see on the street are wearing some sort of penguins gear. To think people made fun of me wearing my customized jersey a few years back.

Whoa... I've never been made fun of for wearing Pens stuff. It wasn't a Jagr jersey, was it? Those will get you jeered at.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Here's hoping the Stars take the Red Wings 7 games, although I'm not sure it matters, the penguins have the momentum of a freight train.

BTW, Pittsburgh is going crazy right now. Every game day at least 50 percent of people i see on the street are wearing some sort of penguins gear. To think people made fun of me wearing my customized jersey a few years back. I see some of these people now fully decked out in hockey gear. FAIR WEATHER FANS!

There were people wearing Penguins jerseys today surrounded by Flyers fans watching the game in Camden. Sounds like they had a death wish to me

Absolutely abysmal performance by the Flyers. If they get healthy, they'll be better next year, but the Penguins clearly were a better team this year.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

did I hear correctly on the broadcast that the Pens fans were also chanting "Go Home Flyers"?

The announcers never said anything about it but that's what it sounded like

If the Wings put the Stars away, I am firmly on the Pens bandwagon

 

[Ariadne]

If the Wings put the Stars away, I am firmly on the Pens bandwagon

Me too. But if the Stars pull of a miracle, I am so cheering for them.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

did I hear correctly on the broadcast that the Pens fans were also chanting "Go Home Flyers"?

That's just great. I hate how everyone talks about how classless Flyers fans are. Penguins fans obviously don't like Flyers fans and vise versa, but the idea that they are some innocent noble fans while Flyers fans are the scum of the earth pisses me off. I like that the Penguins managed to stay in Pittsburgh and, considering how little I like the Red Wings, I might have rooted for them in the finals. But that's definitely not happening any more. At this point, there's no way I can root for them this year (or hell, probably as long as Malkin and Crosby play for them).

I do like that the Flyers-Penguins rivalry is strong, though. Outside of hockey, this in-state rivalry is basically non-existent. I always enjoy a good rivalry.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

did I hear correctly on the broadcast that the Pens fans were also chanting "Go Home Flyers"?

That's just great. I hate how everyone talks about how classless Flyers fans are. Penguins fans obviously don't like Flyers fans and vise versa, but the idea that they are some innocent noble fans while Flyers fans are the scum of the earth pisses me off. I like that the Penguins managed to stay in Pittsburgh and, considering how little I like the Red Wings, I might have rooted for them in the finals. But that's definitely not happening any more. At this point, there's no way I can root for them this year (or hell, probably as long as Malkin and Crosby play for them).

I do like that the Flyers-Penguins rivalry is strong, though. Outside of hockey, this in-state rivalry is basically non-existent. I always enjoy a good rivalry.

Seem like Pennsylvania has it's own "Battle of Alberta" rivalry

as for the classlessness (is this a word? )of the fans it like that anywere
Leaf fans are deemed classless by others ( including a few Leaf fans I work with)
Hab fans are deemed classless by others, as are Flames fans, Canuck fans, Oiler Fans, Ranger & Islander fans etc, etc, etc.
we just have to live with it it part of ALL Sports.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

did I hear correctly on the broadcast that the Pens fans were also chanting "Go Home Flyers"?

That's just great. I hate how everyone talks about how classless Flyers fans are. Penguins fans obviously don't like Flyers fans and vise versa, but the idea that they are some innocent noble fans while Flyers fans are the scum of the earth pisses me off. I like that the Penguins managed to stay in Pittsburgh and, considering how little I like the Red Wings, I might have rooted for them in the finals. But that's definitely not happening any more. At this point, there's no way I can root for them this year (or hell, probably as long as Malkin and Crosby play for them).

I do like that the Flyers-Penguins rivalry is strong, though. Outside of hockey, this in-state rivalry is basically non-existent. I always enjoy a good rivalry.

Pittsburghers despise Philly. Period. It just doesn't show too much in other sports because the Still'rs are the big cheese in the city, and their rivals are "the mistake on the lake".

The Pens fans just jeer the Flyers fans, like you would expect from a normal rivalry. Singing "Go home Flyers" is all in good fun. Some Flyers fans (certainly a minority of them) take it too far. Some of them threw beer on my 66 year old mother at Game 5, hitting an elderly Flyers season ticket holder (also female) in the process. She told my mother, "Yeah, that always happens here." Pittsburgh (and most other teams) wouldn't put up with that crap, and would have ejected those people from the arena.

 

[warriorsfan]

Detroit will win the Stanley Cup in 6 games.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Pittsburghers despise Philly.

Well, obviously

Seriously, though, it's very alien to me. In Philadelphia, it's New York that is the asshole neighbor you hate. Pittsburgh's more like your cousin who you rarely get to see. Hockey's the exception (but, even if hockey, there were years where the Penguins weren't good, so the Flyers' focus was on the Devils).

The Pens fans just jeer the Flyers fans, like you would expect from a normal rivalry. Singing "Go home Flyers" is all in good fun. Some Flyers fans (certainly a minority of them) take it too far. Some of them threw beer on my 66 year old mother at Game 5, hitting an elderly Flyers season ticket holder (also female) in the process. She told my mother, "Yeah, that always happens here." Pittsburgh (and most other teams) wouldn't put up with that crap, and would have ejected those people from the arena.

Yeah, there are definitely asshole fans on both sides (and I'm definitely not blaming the Penguins fans for saying that). I think I was more pissed off at national media hypocrisy than anything else. Well, that and I'm bitter about how painful the ending of the series was, but it always has to be painful for one team (it just would have been a lot less painful if we hadn't been missing three great players for most of the series).

 

[James Bond]

Detroit will win the Stanley Cup in 6 games.

Pens in 7.

 

[BigFoot]

^ Guys, post your predictions in the predictions thread.

 

[James Bond]

^ Guys, post your predictions in the predictions thread.

In all fairness, I didn't know there was a prediction thread.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[BigFoot]

^ You're welcome.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

Seriously, though, it's very alien to me. In Philadelphia, it's New York that is the asshole neighbor you hate. Pittsburgh's more like your cousin who you rarely get to see. Hockey's the exception (but, even if hockey, there were years where the Penguins weren't good, so the Flyers' focus was on the Devils).

The Pens fans are fast moving on to hating the Rangers. I don't think Pens fans have ever enjoyed hating a player as much as Jaromir Jagr. (Though, to be fair, they still cheer Straka at the beginning of Rangers games.)

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Hating Jaromir Jagr can be something we have in common (although you guys have a legitimate reason, I just hate him because he's a prettyboy hockey player).

 

[Wonderlust King]

I don't hate Philadelphia, but i seem to be in the strong minority. Half of my dad's side of the family was from there so it was always like a friendly rivalry kind of thing. I always root for the Eagles if the Steelers are out of it, and the same goes for the Phillies every year when the Pirates are inevitably out of it.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

Well, poop.

I figured that the Pens would not be prepared to face Detroit in Game 1-- a team immeasurably superior to the ones they eliminated on the way to the cup. I didn't expect their offense to be so completely shut-down, though.

Mellon Arena had $5 charity admission to watch the game. Quite a fun experience, with a very different crowd and atmosphere than the typical games. I'd highly recommend that anyone in the Pittsburgh area should consider watching Game 2 there.

 

[warriorsfan]

The Wings have been underestimated since the start of the playoffs. But that's fine, I like it that way. Everyone should keep underestimating the Wings and that way they can eat crow when the Wings kick everyone's ass and win it all. The Penguins may be the team of the future, but right here right now, the Red Wings are far and away the best team in the NHL. No one can hope to top the Wings, at least not right now. Let the Pens come back in two or three years when they have the talent AND the experience to win the Cup.

Wings in 6.

 

[tomalak301]

The NHL should be happy we have a series like this with the most traditional team in the league against one of the up and comings with the leagues darling star. They have that, and the ratings for Game 1 was the highest it's been in 6 years, which if I do the math correctly puts us sometime before the lockout. I still wish it wasn't on versus (It needs to get back to ESPN or maybe the Fox affiliates can give it another go round) but they do do a good job with coverage.

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP)—The Detroit Red Wings’ victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals opener was the highest-rated and most-watched cable telecast of the championship round in six years.
The Red Wings’ 4-0 win on Saturday night had a 1.8 national rating—drawing over 2.3 million viewers. The rating was the highest for an NHL game on Versus, topping the audience that watched the Penguins’ Game 2 victory over Philadelphia in this year’s Eastern Conference finals.
Only Lance Armstrong’s final ride in the 2005 Tour de France had a higher rating in Versus history (2.1).
Versus will show Game 2 of the finals on Monday night before the series shifts to NBC for the remaining games.
The Game 1 rating is a 157 percent increase over last year’s opener and a 100 percent rise from two years ago.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-stanleycup-ratings&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[Vampire Kirk]

The Wings have been underestimated since the start of the playoffs. But that's fine, I like it that way. Everyone should keep underestimating the Wings and that way they can eat crow when the Wings kick everyone's ass and win it all. The Penguins may be the team of the future, but right here right now, the Red Wings are far and away the best team in the NHL. No one can hope to top the Wings, at least not right now. Let the Pens come back in two or three years when they have the talent AND the experience to win the Cup.

Wings in 6.

You, my friend, speak the truth.