Rangers fans

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

JP1995, welcome to the forums. I have a funny feeling you and your dad probably bring a little of the unwanted attention from Ranger fans unto yourselves...just a hunch.

I usually avoid MSG Devil-Ranger games. For one, I don't find very many Ranger fans fun to talk to. For another, the ONLY fight I ever got into was in an MSG bathroom, during a Devil-Ranger game.

I've told this one before, but to sum up:

I was taking a whizz and a Ranger fan told me to go into the ladies' room with the other Devils' fans. He sounded like he was kidding in a jovial way, so I coughed back "Make the playoffs!" (It was 1999).

He got out of his place in line and gave me a slap on the back of the head (not hard, but hard enough to be annoying)...keep in mind I wasn't done pissing yet. "fvcking fa**ot Devils fan!"

Me: "C'mon man, I was kidding with you. I'm not looking for trouble."

Another whack to the back of the head, harder than the last. "C'mon, say something now tough guy, fvcking fa**ot Devils fan."

I turn and make eye contact with him. I have to admit, the guy was scary...I'll never forget his eyes. He has psycho eyes for sure. All I said was "Don't do that again."

He did it again. Really hard this time.

I lost it.

"You fvcker!" I punched him right in the face and he lost his balance and fell back into a wall. I pinned him up with my elbow and popped him in the face another six times or so. Then I just lost it, saying things like "You piece of sh!t mother fvcker, you see what you made me do? Why couldn't you just walk away?" The weird thing was that the bathroom was fairly crowded, but no one did anything to break it up. No security, which was a blessing for me.

I stayed for the rest of the game (Devils won 4-2 I think), but I really didn't enjoy it. The fight kind of left me feeling shaken and bummed out...some people enjoy that stuff and go looking for it, but I don't. I just wanted to watch a hockey game.

[JacobPaul1995]

holy crap man. interrupting a man while his pissing is breaking the guy code. but yeah i think i might bring in a little unwanted attention, but hey its my fault i admit it. i have a goal to walk through NYC in my Devils jersey and just say things like Rangers Suck and 1994 and see what happens. ditto with Philly. see what Rags and Floppers fans do to someone still in high school.

 

also thanks for the welcome.

[Devils Pride 26]

holy crap man. interrupting a man while his pissing is breaking the guy code. but yeah i think i might bring in a little unwanted attention, but hey its my fault i admit it. i have a goal to walk through NYC in my Devils jersey and just say things like Rangers Suck and 1994 and see what happens. ditto with Philly. see what Rags and Floppers fans do to someone still in high school.

also thanks for the welcome.

Don't embarrass the fan base by going out and looking for trouble. One day you will see how immature this sounds

[JacobPaul1995]

come to think of it it is very retarded. i think ill stick with busting my dads ranger fan friends' chops.

Edited May 15, 2013 by JacobPaul1995

[losdiablos103]

i once went to a Devils-Rangers game at MSG with my dad when i was about 4, and the Devils kicked ass and won. everytime the devs would score i would jump up and cheer, and this DRUNK AS FU*K rangers fan (some lady) would yell "Shut that F**KING KID UP!" or "tell that little bastard to shut up!" and once she said "What kind of parent raises their kid to be a DEVILS FAN?"

 

another time my dad went to a Devils-Rangers game at MSG in 1997 where the Devils won, and when we scored, a Rags fan behind him would spill a little beer down my dads back. the first time my dad said "woah watch your beer there!" and the guy was all like "oh sorry man my bad!" second time: "hey careful with the beer!" "oh crap sorry buddy" third time: "watch your damn beer!" the guy takes a swing at my dad and they start fighting in the seats. my dads friend (rags fan) was yelling "oh sh!t" the whole time. NYC police had to escort my dad to the metro station and they bought him a ticket back to NJ and said "its for your own safety, sir" pops just says "because im a Devils fan?"

 

heres the kicker story:

i was 10 and me and my dad went to game 2 of the 2006 Eastern Quarterfinals where we swept the Rags. Devils are winning 2-0 entering the 3rd, so i ask if i can go watch the Rangers come out. i walk to the tunnel and as Weekes leads them out i just start lambasting the Rangers with insults and taunts, while the rest of Devils Army just stands there stunned! then some rangers player (cant remember who) looks up and starts to yell back, but when he sees its a 10 year old, the ENTIRE TEAM just bows their heads in shame and keep walking. Devils fans just start cheering me and high fiving me, it was a blast. then i come to realize my entire taunting episode was caught by a TV camera in the tunnel. I don't know where the footage went.

 

so yeah me and my dad have had a few clashes with Rags fans.

ATTA BOY!

 

During the 08 playoffs when we played the Rag$ in the first round, me and my father went to game 5.  I was a junior in high school and skipped school to get on line for $10($20 playoff) tickets because money was tight that year.  My dad met me in Newark after he got off work.  We both knew that even if we won game 5, it'd be a steep hill to climb to win that series, but we wanted to be there for what could have been the last game of the season, so we were excited to cheer the team to victory.  

This was when the Rag$ fans basically took over the arena.  That whole season where we couldn't beat them till the last game of the season, it was the same, the rock was painted blue and it made me sick.  My dad isn't a confrontational person when it comes to sports.  He goes to relax, be with his family and watch the game.  Me, I live and die with my teams.  So the more blue shirts bothered me before it bothered him.  

The Devils IIRC scored first in that game.  We were in section 233 or 216, don't remember, and we went nuts and cheered like normal.  There was a HUGE gentleman behind us with a bunch of friends (all rags fans) who was wearing a wayne gretzkey jersey with the sleeves cut at the bottom of the numbers and at the bottom of the S in Rangers.  He was a big fella.  He started talking sh!t and saying things like "the rangers still own this series" "we'll give ya one" and things of that sort.  Big deal, we didn't care or pay attention.  

A few minutes later, the Rag$ scored, and the same a$$hole started "whooooo-ing" at me and my dad behind our ears.  We didn't say anything or complain, but it was loud and obnoxious.  Then as the game went on and this fat fvck got more drunk, and the Rags scored more goals, he kept yelling in our ears and eventually put his hands on me trying to "excite" me for a "real team" as he put it.  My dad stood up and told the guy to shut the fvck up and not to touch me or there would be a problem.  I was ready to get into a fight with my dad with that fat fvck because his friends were all too drunk and passed out, being taken downstairs one by one basically.  The guy got in my dads face and my dad got more and more angry and stood his ground.  The fat guy didn't do sh!t when he saw my dad stand up and heard what my dad had to say.  Then another Devils fan, a season ticket holder called security and had that whole row of rags fans thrown out.  Needless to say those drunken bastards didn't go on their own powers.  They fought with security and the game ended and the Rag$ fans celebrated.  Wasn't a great experience watching the Devs be eliminated and I've seen then be eliminated a few times in my life, live at the game.  

 

Any chance I get when I actually go to a game vs the Rags, I taunt them when we win.  I went to MSG last regular season for the last meeting between us before the playoffs.  We lost, I got popcorn thrown at me leaving the garden.  They are just scummy, obnoxious people.  

[Colin226]

The outdoor game at Yankee Stadium will be insane.. Guaranteed to be lots of fights and trash talking in the stands.. I really hope we win so we can all taunt their fans out of the building

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

If a fan of the other team attacks you unprovoked, that's one thing.

If you're taunting them and talking smack (especially in their building), that's something else.

I keep to myself when I go to games and avoid the banter, because it seems like these things have a way of escalating very quickly these days, and often in unforeseen ways. The one thing I will say about Ranger fans is, even though quite a few of them go from 0-60 in a couple of seconds, most of them don't seem to go out their way to get violent without provocation (in my experience). Flyer fans seem to think they have the right to sucker-punch you simply for wearing another team's jersey, even if you do NOTHING at all to incite them. Don't know what it is about the cesspool called Philadelphia, but their sports fans have the violence thing down to a scary level.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Zubie#8]

I keep my mouth shut on the road. Thank god my record is 12-2 on the road. The team did the talking for me.

[DevsMan84]

If a fan of the other team attacks you unprovoked, that's one thing.

If you're taunting them and talking smack (especially in their building), that's something else.

I keep to myself when I go to games and avoid the banter, because it seems like these things have a way of escalating very quickly these days, and often in unforeseen ways. The one thing I will say about Ranger fans is, even though quite a few of them go from 0-60 in a couple of seconds, most of them don't seem to go out their way to get violent without provocation (in my experience). Flyer fans seem to think they have the right to sucker-punch you simply for wearing another team's jersey, even if you do NOTHING at all to incite them. Don't know what it is about the cesspool called Philadelphia, but their sports fans have the violence thing down to a scary level.

 

 

The bolded needs to be written at every entrance way at the Rock.

 

I like to believe and still think our fans are far more classier than Rags and Philly fans, but recently years have started me thinking otherwise.  Nothing is wrong with a few small words but not to the level that a lot of fans have been going lately.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

 

The bolded needs to be written at every entrance way at the Rock.

 

I like to believe and still think our fans are far more classier than Rags and Philly fans, but recently years have started me thinking otherwise.  Nothing is wrong with a few small words but not to the level that a lot of fans have been going lately.

I am all for making our building a tough place for Devils' opponents to come into, but not for opponents' fans, especially the ones who do nothing more than watch their team.

Sure, I've seen my share of other teams' fans (especially Flyer and Ranger fans) come into the Rock and try to start sh!t. I've also seen fans of those teams come into the Rock and do absolutely NOTHING wrong, and I've witnessed Devil fans start attacking and harrassing them in very mean-spirited fashion. Of course in a perfect world, the home crowd would always be 100% Devil fans, but that won't ever happen...so as long as opposing fans come in and are respectful and cheer when appropriate without going over the top (such as when their team scores), they should be able to enjoy their experience without getting abused.

 

Unfortunately, due to the whole "Broad Street Bullies" thing, there's a contingent of Flyer fans who think that that mentality/identity should spill into the stands, and that Flyer fans should physically hurt opposing fans who dare to set foot into "their" house. It's a pathetic joke with no punchline...just unprovoked sucker-punches.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Zubie#8]

Yeah I do not like it when I see our fans resort to Philly or Rags tactics. Some a$$hole behind me dumped a beer on a row of Kings fans in front of me after Game 1. It was a FAMILY, a very quiet and polite family of Kings fans with young children and this douche decides to drop a beer on them. I don't like that at all.

[Colin226]

The bolded needs to be written at every entrance way at the Rock.

I like to believe and still think our fans are far more classier than Rags and Philly fans, but recently years have started me thinking otherwise. Nothing is wrong with a few small words but not to the level that a lot of fans have been going lately.

Personally I'm enjoying seeing our building becoming a tougher place for away fans to come.. I can remember only a few years ago when I first became a STH we basically got walked all over in our building by Rags and Flyers fans.. They'd even say that it was basically their building because our fans just sat on their hands and took much of their verbal abuse.. It was so pleasant that they'd bus up loads of Flyers fan

Now that we have a younger crowd and are filling the building, it's been great to see the Rags and Flyers fans (hell, even Pens and Bruins fans too) feeling more intimidated in our building and as a result are much less rowdy

Sitting in 226, I see a lot of the riffraff but I really don't see Devils fans getting physical when unprovoked.. To me, that's the line (any unprovoked physicality), but some good heckling towards their fans (even if unprovoked, and assuming its not towards kids/families) is fine by me.. Want to come in our building? Make sure you have thick skin or gtfo.. Nothing wrong with that and it discourages them from invading us like they own the place

Edited May 15, 2013 by Colin226

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I hear ya Colin, and some parties CAN do some good-natured back and forth and it never escalates beyond that...just good fun. But there are days where it seems like so few people can do that, without it starting to get personal and/or physical.

[DevsMan84]

I have no problem with some good heckling, but when it gets to threatening other teams fans unprovoked then I have a major issue with it. I would like fit our fans to be the better person while also making it intimidating for other teams fans. There are many ways to do that without the fighting.

[DJ Eco]

I'm against seeing Devils fans heckle a (for example) Winnipeg Jets fan or Toronto Maple Leafs fan. A lot of those games end up being college nights or discounted nights and a lot of drunk kids show up to the arena. Absolutely hate seeing those kids start crap with polite fans of teams like the Jets, Leafs, Sabres, etc... Sometimes I've intervened. I mean, there's no rivalry to speak of, no need to get hostile like that.

 

As for Rangers and Flyers fans, GO TO TOWN. I'm sorry, but I've experienced way too many humiliating losses in our building several years ago that I'll take Devils fans' antagonism over having to sit on my hands and hear their garbage insults and say nothing, ANYDAY.

 

God how I was happy to see Rangers/Flyers girls leaving our arena last year crying because of the humiliation, and their douchebag boyfriends walking out with that universal stone-cold face of embarrassment. I even heard one girl cry to her boyfriend, "I don't ever want to come back here!" Should we feel bad? Hell no, she was probably taunting Devils fans earlier on before puckdrop, calling Marty "fatso", being obnoxious, doing what almost all Rangers fans do when they come to the Rock for their one or two live hockey games a year that they attend.

[Colin226]

Hahahaha kudos if one of you just called Francessa.. Flat out hilarious

"Hi Mike. I'm a Devils fan but I think Rangers in 4. They just have so many fans and their arena is so famous. They'll have the parade down the Canyon of Heroes and get a lot of media attention. They just have so many fans that I can't see them losing"

[lucifer91]

Hahahaha kudos if one of you just called Francessa.. Flat out hilarious

"Hi Mike. I'm a Devils fan but I think Rangers in 4. They just have so many fans and their arena is so famous. They'll have the parade down the Canyon of Heroes and get a lot of media attention. They just have so many fans that I can't see them losing"

 

That. Is. Priceless. 

 

What was Francessa's reaction?

[Steven M.]

JP1995, welcome to the forums. I have a funny feeling you and your dad probably bring a little of the unwanted attention from Ranger fans unto yourselves...just a hunch.

I usually avoid MSG Devil-Ranger games. For one, I don't find very many Ranger fans fun to talk to. For another, the ONLY fight I ever got into was in an MSG bathroom, during a Devil-Ranger game.

I've told this one before, but to sum up:

I was taking a whizz and a Ranger fan told me to go into the ladies' room with the other Devils' fans. He sounded like he was kidding in a jovial way, so I coughed back "Make the playoffs!" (It was 1999).

He got out of his place in line and gave me a slap on the back of the head (not hard, but hard enough to be annoying)...keep in mind I wasn't done pissing yet. "fvcking fa**ot Devils fan!"

Me: "C'mon man, I was kidding with you. I'm not looking for trouble."

Another whack to the back of the head, harder than the last. "C'mon, say something now tough guy, fvcking fa**ot Devils fan."

I turn and make eye contact with him. I have to admit, the guy was scary...I'll never forget his eyes. He has psycho eyes for sure. All I said was "Don't do that again."

He did it again. Really hard this time.

I lost it.

"You fvcker!" I punched him right in the face and he lost his balance and fell back into a wall. I pinned him up with my elbow and popped him in the face another six times or so. Then I just lost it, saying things like "You piece of sh!t mother fvcker, you see what you made me do? Why couldn't you just walk away?" The weird thing was that the bathroom was fairly crowded, but no one did anything to break it up. No security, which was a blessing for me.

I stayed for the rest of the game (Devils won 4-2 I think), but I really didn't enjoy it. The fight kind of left me feeling shaken and bummed out...some people enjoy that stuff and go looking for it, but I don't. I just wanted to watch a hockey game.

 

I could see how you didn't enjoy being there the rest of the game, but good on you for sticking up for yourself. The good thing about this too (I would hope) is that the ass who started that with you has probably never done that again...

[njdevsftw]

Haha, sounds awesome.

[Colin226]

Hahahaha kudos if one of you just called Francessa.. Flat out hilarious

"Hi Mike. I'm a Devils fan but I think Rangers in 4. They just have so many fans and their arena is so famous. They'll have the parade down the Canyon of Heroes and get a lot of media attention. They just have so many fans that I can't see them losing"

That. Is. Priceless.

What was Francessa's reaction?

Lol he shrugged it off but you could tell he was annoyed.. A successful trolling of Mike and all Rangers fans who say sh!t like that despite those things having nothing to do with hockey

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

 

I could see how you didn't enjoy being there the rest of the game, but good on you for sticking up for yourself. The good thing about this too (I would hope) is that the ass who started that with you has probably never done that again...

 

Sadly, there was no other way it was going to turn out...that guy was not going away until he got what he wanted (which didn't work out for him, to say the least). I have a funny way of looking at fistfighting, which is why I try to avoid such situations unless it's an absolute must.

An example: as you know, the fight took place in a bathroom, where the floor can be slippery. I punch him, he slips, cracks his head on the floor or somehow breaks his neck and dies. Now it's a potential manslaughter charge. Or maybe he slips and breaks his neck in a way that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down, or permanently brain-damaged. Now it could be a lawsuit. Obviously scenarios like this don't happen all of the time, but all it takes is for one of them to happen ONCE. No one who ever accidentally killed someone or left his opponent permanently incapacitated in what was supposed to be "just a fistfight" ever thought it would turn out that way.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

 

Lol he shrugged it off but you could tell he was annoyed.. A successful trolling of Mike and all Rangers fans who say sh!t like that despite those things having nothing to do with hockey

 

I heard a little bit of his interview with Pierre McGuire...with Fatso's inability to put together simple sentences, and his constant "uuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh"s, he sounds more like Butt Head every day.

[Steven M.]

  

Sadly, there was no other way it was going to turn out...that guy was not going away until he got what he wanted (which didn't work out for him, to say the least). I have a funny way of looking at fistfighting, which is why I try to avoid such situations unless it's an absolute must.

An example: as you know, the fight took place in a bathroom, where the floor can be slippery. I punch him, he slips, cracks his head on the floor or somehow breaks his neck and dies. Now it's a potential manslaughter charge. Or maybe he slips and breaks his neck in a way that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down, or permanently brain-damaged. Now it could be a lawsuit. Obviously scenarios like this don't happen all of the time, but all it takes is for one of them to happen ONCE. No one who ever accidentally killed someone or left his opponent permanently incapacitated in what was supposed to be "just a fistfight" ever thought it would turn out that way.

 

Completely agree with you. Personally, I've never been in a physical altercation. Just never been in that type of situation. I guess it helps that I'm 6' 4", 225, so no one really tries to start stuff with me... besides I'm not one to start with anyone either - however, at anytime something like what happened to you can happen to anyone... 

[ATLL765]

I'm against seeing Devils fans heckle a (for example) Winnipeg Jets fan or Toronto Maple Leafs fan. A lot of those games end up being college nights or discounted nights and a lot of drunk kids show up to the arena. Absolutely hate seeing those kids start crap with polite fans of teams like the Jets, Leafs, Sabres, etc... Sometimes I've intervened. I mean, there's no rivalry to speak of, no need to get hostile like that.

 

As for Rangers and Flyers fans, GO TO TOWN. I'm sorry, but I've experienced way too many humiliating losses in our building several years ago that I'll take Devils fans' antagonism over having to sit on my hands and hear their garbage insults and say nothing, ANYDAY.

 

God how I was happy to see Rangers/Flyers girls leaving our arena last year crying because of the humiliation, and their douchebag boyfriends walking out with that universal stone-cold face of embarrassment. I even heard one girl cry to her boyfriend, "I don't ever want to come back here!" Should we feel bad? Hell no, she was probably taunting Devils fans earlier on before puckdrop, calling Marty "fatso", being obnoxious, doing what almost all Rangers fans do when they come to the Rock for their one or two live hockey games a year that they attend.

Happened horrifically at the last college night game I went to.

Guy and his gf all night wouldn't shut up, yelling at this poor Carolina fan. All while we're losing. This guy would not shut up about how Carolina sucks dick, blah blah blah, I think he said the word pecker in one form or another about 50 times that game. There were children about 3 seats away from me. 3rd peroid rolled around, guys in front of me are high fiving the idiot heckling the Carolina fan and his gf.

Finally I just told him to shut up about his dick and let me watch the damn game. So then his gf proceeds to tell me I'm this that and the other for siding against a Devils fan, but had I engaged that, it would have been a sh!t storm. Just told them to keep drinking and then I sat down. Finally walking by at the end of the game, I think he became embarrassed by his gf, lol, because I said, "look, I'm just trying to watch the game man" and he had this dejected look on his face.

Keep in mind, the whole time the Carolina fan did nothing but watch the game, cheer, the occasional "check the scoreboard" taunt, but he was right and I probably would have not been as restrained had the idiot been yelling at me all game.

They were just too drunk and came to the game to be rowdy like that. It was obnoxious.

I have a few rules for heckling at a sporting event:

1. Insults must be related to hockey, geography or be pop culture related(Think of telling a Philly fan his city is trashy because they put statue Rocky in front of an art museum).

2. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT insult any women based on looks, weight, etc. If she's into the heckling, give it back, but nothing personal, that's the fast track to a fight.

3. Swearing is ok, but not every sentence and try not to use the F word if there's small children.

4. Don't yell the whole game, it's annoying and I actually enjoy watching hockey, not just yelling about it.

I mean, that's about it. If you can do that and someone starts a fight with you, they'll pretty much always look like the a$$hole.

[Devil Dan 56]

One of my favorite moments would be towards the end of Gretzky's run with the Rangers. He did a no-look behind the back pass to maybe Kovalev. It goes right to him, but bounces off his stick into the corner. From behind me I hear a Ranger fan yell "ugh, trade Gretzky! That bum! I could score his 9 goals!" At the time I believe Gretzky had something like 50 - 60 assists. I like to think the same guy was at the Garden a few weeks later for Gretzky's last game, cheering him like he spent 20 years playing there.

 

That and sometime in the late 90's when they had the kiss-cam, and at the end showed 2 male Ranger fans. Behind me, a guy says to his 6 year old "wouldn't be funny if dey was (slang term for homosexual) and dey kissed??"