I really am beginning to hate our fans.

[HellOnICE]

This season has confirmed it for me: The majority of our fans, and it is the majority, are fvcking morons. 

I'm so sick of the idiots who claim to support this team and bitch about every fvcking thing about the team, the players, the arena, the owners, the food in the building, the goal song, the announcements, the booing, everything sucks mentality...it just fvcking disgusts me. 

 

 

Just from the start of last night at the rink - the people booing DeBoer in the pregame announcements. Like get a fvcking life already. They have no ability to look at the roster and see that TIM SESTITO, JORDIN TOOTOO, STEPHEN GIONTA, MARTIN HAVLAT, MIKE SISLO are all in the same line up - and they are ranting and raving about ITS THE SYSTEM man! It's the system. Pete doesn't care. Doesn't change anything. He's not throwing benches on the ice like Ftorek - he shows no PASSION man. EVERY game for Pete, is arranging deck chairs. He's got no guns. You want to know why a team like Washington can manhandle us? They have first line players. We don't. It's that simple. Pete said it last night and he's right - "We needed someone to be our first star last night." They don't have one. In 82 games, you need stars to carry you. It's that simple, but no - the coach is the problem. The guy who's at least keeping this team somewhat competitive. 

 

One goal against last night and MORONS are chanting "We want Kinkaid" Go fvck yourselves. Idiots. "This team just plays better in front of Keith" they are saying...are you out of your minds? 

 

It's the same a$$holes who if the Devils scored last night to make it 3-1 - they'd be chanting YOU SUCK! A bunch of idiots. 

 

The bottom line is these idiots have no sense of context and they can't look up in the rafters and see an ARENA'S WIDTH of success hanging down with the majority of this greatness taking place in the 2000s. Aside from the Detroits - who's had it better for longer? I mean, the way people are acting - it's like we're the Oilers and Mets combined. Appreciate what you have here - a team that's struggling but has a great young goalie (and a capable backup) and a great young defense. Realize it's a work in progress and you can't just replace two mega stars like PArise and Kovalchuk with the snap of the finger. 

 

Oh it's Lou's fault. The guy lost it. He just built a Cup contender 3 years ago and the only reason we haven't won one since then, is because our dumb ass huckster owner at the time loved the team so much, he ran into the ground financially because he couldn't bear sell his baby until Bettman had to wrestle the team away from him. First he didn't want to give up any ownership, then he wanted to sell a minority stake (like potential investors were running at that fvcking idea) all while getting loans from the fvcking league - leaving our hall of fame general manager to sit there having no flexibility or ability to keep the Captain he traded up to get and build the team around. Lou had his team of the decade and it was ripped from him over sh!tty circumstance. Now what? He needs time to rebuild and retool.

 

Have some patience. 

 

People at the game, people on Facebook, people on HF talking about putting bags over their heads...saying how this team is like the Jets or the Mets? Go fvck yourselves. Put a bag over your heads. A plastic one. 

 

I'm sorry to take up a thread like this - but christ it's frustrating to be a fan of this team and not because of the team - it's because of the fans. I can see the bigger picture of the team on the ice and I'm fine with that. it stinks to go to games and they lose every one I've been to this season. But look at the bigger picture.

 

These guys work as hard as a team can do playing as many games in as many nights as they are. It's not an easy game and not an easy league. Understand how difficult it is and realize we have three Stanley Cups in my life time. The Rangers have won ONE in 74 YEARS. The Flyers haven't won since GERALD FORD was the President. The Blues, Sabres, CANUCKS have NEVER won anything at all. The Islanders have SUCKED for every year in my lifetime pretty much except for this one. Imagine being one of those fans and get off your goddamn high horse, sit in your fvcking seat with your jersey on, clap when they do something positive, clap when they score and take this season in stride. 

Edited December 21, 2014 by HellOnICE

[HellOnICE]

I separate myself because people like me, Tri, Dr33, cr76,sundstorm, DM, hasan, you and a slew of others can sit here like people - take our awful season, and act like adults while the majority of the people in the building last night and HF and FB (here less so, but even we have SD) act like babies. I'm ashamed to be a fan of this team and bring a friend to a game last night and have to explain to him the terrible behavior of most of the fans around us. If this post angers you, you're a part of the problem.

Edited December 21, 2014 by HellOnICE

[PWW]

So many generalizations. I have a strong dislike for DeBoer...guess I'm an idiot who can't realize that the team has other problems as well. Time to reevaluate my fandom I suppose.

[Zubie#8]

I agree with the OP. Even long time season ticket holders that are around me act this way, its infuriating.

[jagknife]

Losing brings out the absolute worst in everyone, myself included. Stupid things we collectively ignore when times are good are now magnified tenfold and pour salt in the open wounds that are created by the losing.

 

If we want to go into where things have gone wrong in the fan base, we could talk for days about it through DMs, believe me, I'd be glad to vent to a fellow fan without getting dumbfounded responses that have meaningless insults behind them.

 

Lame metaphor time: losing is the oil in our drinking water

[SterioDesign]

I also hate fans wearing blinders who cant admit Lou fvcked up and put all the blame on the owner to protect Lou. Its the owner who drafted all those bums and built the slowest oldest team in the league? There you want to single me out. Right back at ya.

Edited December 21, 2014 by SterioDesign

[mxm262]

I'm not far off from OP's sentiment. I'm not going to paint with a broad brush here, but I've seen some against the owners family friendly efforts translate to anti-family comments. Not here but other social media.

I've been a fan of this team for almost 30 years, safe to say longer than some of these commenters have been alive. It's not like there never were families at games. I have kids now and you make me out to be the enemy over some nonsense beef with the owners. It is possible to be a fan and not give a crap about it, I don't. No need to suggest I keep my kids home so you can yell about swallowing.

By the way, my kids love the kids club/zone this year, it's very well done and we're going to do a kids skate at some point because of it. But you you know, f the owners, I want to hear a pedo song after goals.

[Beezer34]

So many generalizations. I have a strong dislike for DeBoer...guess I'm an idiot who can't realize that the team has other problems as well.

If you're an idiot for feeling like that, than I guess I am too.

I believe the disdain fans feel for DeBoer stems from a genuine confusion on how he's still employed. Long-time fans are conditioned in witnessing how Lou handles these situations, and it has never been with such a long leash.

When MacLean was fired, he had just 9 wins over his first 33 games. The Devils were 15th in the East. DeBoer had 11 wins throughout the first 33 games this season, and the Devils were 15th in the East.

If there is a sincere reason(s) behind such a double-standard.. fans need to know. If the Devils are quietly tanking, then that's one thing. However.. Lou has never been one to just sit back and allow that.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

 

 

HOI, on one hand I definitely understand where you're coming from, and in a season like this, where it appears the Devils are finally out of smoke and mirrors, frustration is going to manifest itself in a lot of different ways, depending on the fan.  I understand the need to vent about that. 

 

On the other, your OP isn't going to do much more than get the different factions of the fanbase to start sniping at each other.  We know there's instant-grat types who think they're entitled to an endless array of successful Devils teams, but even they know deep-down that the party doesn't last forever, and that eventually we were bound to go through one of those fugly downturns...just like teams that seemed destined to be hapless forever (like the Islanders) finally see their fortunes change for the better.  We also know some fans are going to insist on finding parties to blame, and will want those parties to pay with their jobs.  Some fans will be annoying and hard-to-take because that's just the kind of fans they are.  And yeah, some fans aren't even worth debating topics with simply because they're just kind of dopey.  Some fanbases are probably cooler/mellower as a whole, but the cross-sections tend to have similarities from one base to another.

 

In the end, we're all in this together...we all root for the red and black.  Going to be ugly for a while, and that ugliness is going to bring out the worst in the uglier subdivisions of the fanbase.  Basically, we're going to have to deal with general ugliness on and off the ice.  Strap in.  

 

 

Beez, re:  PDB...I think it's nothing more than Lou feeling that changing the coach isn't going to make a difference.  I think he sees this team for what it is, and he's making that statement strictly by his actions (or rather, inactions).  In the past, I think he was willing to replace his coaches because he felt very strongly that changing the coach would get the team to improve. 

Edited December 21, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[HellOnICE]

I agree CR. But then again, I was annoyed in 2012 too during the run with all the You Suck crap - but that's neither here nor there.

[Marv4Life]

Yes many of them are idiots. But there are sensible people in the arena who are tired of having their intelligence insulted by mgmt and are letting it known. Here are the issues:

-In danger of missing the playoffs 4 out of 5 years

-Still keeping around a coach who has made the playoffs only once

-The same coach who has teams blowing leads like no tomorrow since his Florida days

-People paying these ticket prices(seasons or single games) for a lousy product that is NOT entertaining in the very least

-There have been clubs in pro sports with lousy ownership yet they've been able to put on a competitive, entertaining team. So to not put any blame on Lou is ignorant.

 

If you're going to tank fine. But tell the fans what's going on and how you plan to move forward. 

[MadDog2020]

I couldn't agree more with everything in this post. I saw a lot of the same on Friday night. Our fans are pretty fvcking stupid.

[Derlique]

Paying fans have every right to show their displeasure because...that's their right but they really do look stupid.

 

Devils had 20 years of crazy success. Did you really expect that to continue when we're picking in the late first round every year? We have new owners who saved us from bankruptcy, have significantly upgraded food options and a 7 year old building and yet, they get so much sh!t.  All because they are trying to make it better for families and corporate folks. I'm sorry, but we don't have enough fans to fill the building w/o the help of the aforementioned. This isn't a freaking charity, it's a god damn business. Does chanting "you suck" (not even originated in NJ) really add to your experience or are you just being a petty little *****? Opening night 2013 was the worst when a fair amount of fans were booing a Devils goal because they didn't like the new goal song. That was the lowest I've ever felt as a fan. Yes, even lower than Carolina 09, Colorado 01 and Rags 08. We have a lot of morons in our fanbase who seem to believe they are entitled to a winning product every single year. Sorry, but you're not

[devilsrule33]

HOI, obviously we agree mostly on everything. Context is key. And most people refuse to use any when discussing this team. I can't say it enough: When you watch a Devils game you are relying on a soon to be 43-year-old man and a player waived by the worst team in the NHL last season to be the key contributors up against Toews, Kane, Sharp, Tavares, Ovechkin, Backstrom, etc. It's ludicrous. And when the top guys aren't going, the other team's are relying on better secondary players and third line players than the Devils are.

 

I really don't want to get into an argument if Lou is to blame or not, as SD of course brought that up, but it's almost like Parise and Kovalchuk were massive losses and fans were gong through some compartmentalization to deal with their disappointment, saying "we'll be fine, we'll be fine", we are the Devils and we've survived so many losses before." Well it's not like that at all, and the same fans that despise Lou, and think his time is done, would probably kill the Owners for firing Lou. That I can guarantee.

 

What's next? Many fans can't accept losing. "We're the Devils, we don't accept losing, we don't accept tanking, we have to be good."  It's just a silly notion, that a team just can't be bad.That losing means the players have disappointed or the coaching has been bad. On a night like last or against Ottawa, no one disappointed me, no one underachieved, the team just lacked the talent to get it done. The Devils are not above the league, and as a fan of them, one shouldn't feel above the natural cycle of the league as well.

 

Sometimes you don't have the guns to compete, and the sooner many fans accept that, the better. As I said last night. Bad teams don't get booed every night by the home team after a loss. Fans shouldn't buy a ticket expecting the roster out there lately to be a good one. When you see the 12 forwards out there like last night, you cant even expect a goal. 

Edited December 21, 2014 by devilsrule33

[capo]

It's a good year to be bad.  Fans should cheer every loss.  Dumb asses!

[MadDog2020]

I mean, the thing that annoys me the most is that most of our fans (or at least a good majority of them) don't realize this roster is a dumpster fire. They think this is all the coach's fault. Anyone with two eyes and four active brain cells realizes this team just flat out isn't any good. It's really that simple.

[Devil Dan 56]

A lot of good points in this thread. The way I look at it, no matter how good you are the bottom with eventually fall out. It has for the Devils and now it's time to take our lumps like every other team in the league has.

Any team with top talent had to lose first, and now it's our turn. It's the natural cycle of sports.

PDB: I think he has a job because it doesn't matter who the coach is right now. I think management can tell he doesn't have much to work with at the moment.

Lou : He's done the best he could trying to duct tape the team together, but if you can't build through free agency and sooner or later winning will catch up with you. I'm sure if he had his way, he'd have signed Parise and Kovy would be an LA King.

Cory : one of the top goalies in the league the last few seasons and still an absolute steal. Let him back up an actual good team before we sell him down the river. And good for Kinkaid, I love him, but let's just give it 20 games before we annoint him.

I don't mind the losing. I think any long term fan of the league and hockey in general knew the bad days were coming as they do for all teams. I may voice some frustration from time to time, because losing sucks, but looking at the big picture it's what is best this year.

I think we have to remember that a lot of fans have never dealt with real losing. Others will never be happy so it doesn't matter. I get the OP's need to vent, though. I think a lot of us have had similar thoughts

[Neb00rs]

This thread is silly. This fanbase is no different than most others. That you would declare that you are starting to 'hate the fanbase' is a product of your own frustrations at the team, not theirs. We have great fans, and players have recognized that in the past.

We are losing. The fans place blame for losing. Every fanbase ever has done that, rational or not. Humans always blame someone and scapegoat for bad things that happen or underperformance. As I have been saying a lot lately: that this surprises you, surprises me. 

 

Keep in mind, more than anyone I have virulently defended Cory, and at times, Debo.

[coldply123]

Lou is not the GM to get the ship righted and I think a lot of fans can make cohesive arguments as to why it's time for him to go.

 

Is he to blame for Kovalchuk, Parise departures.  I think you could make arguments on both sides as to being part or privy to the confluence of events as well as having no internal options for years to help stem the tide.  

This is at least a 3 years or so turnaround in the making folks before we probably can even consider ourselves serious contenders.

 

I agree there's a lot of nasty and condescending fans out there, but every fan base has them, even in hockey-mad markets where they support the team even in really lean times, they can turn every bit as snarky, nasty, and unknowing.  I don't think you can knock fans who want change and frame the argument for change, and unfortunately your post as a few have mentioned, kind of just rolls up everybody who might not agree with what you think should be into that category.

 

However, there's also an increasingly large segment of snoots in this fanbase, including several who post on this forum who think they are somehow better or more knowledgeable than others.  They are no better.

[Triumph]

Lou is not the GM to get the ship righted and I think a lot of fans can make cohesive arguments as to why it's time for him to go.

 

Is he to blame for Kovalchuk, Parise departures.  I think you could make arguments on both sides as to being part or privy to the confluence of events as well as having no internal options for years to help stem the tide.  

This is at least a 3 years or so turnaround in the making folks before we probably can even consider ourselves serious contenders.

 

I agree there's a lot of nasty and condescending fans out there, but every fan base has them, even in hockey-mad markets where they support the team even in really lean times, they can turn every bit as snarky, nasty, and unknowing.  I don't think you can knock fans who want change and frame the argument for change, and unfortunately your post as a few have mentioned, kind of just rolls up everybody who might not agree with what you think should be into that category.

 

However, there's also an increasingly large segment of snoots in this fanbase, including several who post on this forum who think they are somehow better or more knowledgeable than others.  They are no better.

 

There are even some people who when they're disagreed with tell that person to fvck off.  This is really the lowest of the low behavior.

[coldply123]

Paying fans have every right to show their displeasure because...that's their right but they really do look stupid.

 

Devils had 20 years of crazy success. Did you really expect that to continue when we're picking in the late first round every year? We have new owners who saved us from bankruptcy, have significantly upgraded food options and a 7 year old building and yet, they get so much sh!t.  All because they are trying to make it better for families and corporate folks. I'm sorry, but we don't have enough fans to fill the building w/o the help of the aforementioned. This isn't a freaking charity, it's a god damn business. Does chanting "you suck" (not even originated in NJ) really add to your experience or are you just being a petty little *****? Opening night 2013 was the worst when a fair amount of fans were booing a Devils goal because they didn't like the new goal song. That was the lowest I've ever felt as a fan. Yes, even lower than Carolina 09, Colorado 01 and Rags 08. We have a lot of morons in our fanbase who seem to believe they are entitled to a winning product every single year. Sorry, but you're not

 

I don't think entitlement is what they are looking for.  I'm a paying fan and I want competitive and entertaining hockey that might lead to a winning season.  This also is not the first bad season.  They will now have missed the playoffs in 4 out of 5 years.  Even in the last playoffs they made before the SC run they got embarrassed in the 1st round by the Flyers.  The writing is on the wall for change.  The only way the organization can drown out the stupidity of some fans is to start making the necessary changes.

[coldply123]

There are even some people who when they're disagreed with tell that person to fvck off.  This is really the lowest of the low behavior.

 

Well when you indirectly attack posters with veiled shots at their intelligence. you deserve it.

[thecoffeecake]

What a self-righteous load of garbage this is. The team is bad, and there are reasons for it, and different fans place the blame differently. That's how losing works. We're somewhat lucky the media coverage isn't huge, otherwise these things would be blown up in the Star Ledger and APP every day.

I personally have accepted the fact that we've naturally cycled down due to some unfortunate circumstances and don't blame anyone in particular. This roster is trash, but what was Lou going to do? Were there dozens of stars the last couple off seasons he had to choose from? I don't agree with the patchwork plan necessarily, I'd like to see more kids play if we're gonna be losing. No one is winning anything with this group, not DeBoer, not Julien, not Jack Adams, not Lemaire or Larry Robinson or Pat Burns.

The only real blame can be put on drafting, which I don't think anyone thinks is an unfair criticism. But even then, this defensive corps they started growing when we had the fire power at forward is working out quite nicely.

This thing goes on in every city when a team is not playing well. Fans blame everybody, and it's because they're fans. Fans don't know sh!t. Everyone can be a fan, and anyone can post any dumb comment on Instagram or Facebook. I'm a know-nothing that has no future in hockey management, just like most of the millions of hockey fans. So yes, the guy that watches ten games a year and has a few drinks might cry for Marty, and that teenager who started following the team last year might yell for deboers head, I don't know why you thought we as a fan base were immune to the run of the mill idiot. I think the problem is the elitist types like you who complain about the fans of a losing team complaining.

[devlman]

This thread is silly. This fanbase is no different than most others. That you would declare that you are starting to 'hate the fanbase' is a product of your own frustrations at the team, not theirs. We have great fans, and players have recognized that in the past.

We are losing. The fans place blame for losing. Every fanbase ever has done that, rational or not. Humans always blame someone and scapegoat for bad things that happen or underperformance. As I have been saying a lot lately: that this surprises you, surprises me.

Keep in mind, more than anyone I have virulently defended Cory, and at times, Debo.

+1

[devlman]

This thing goes on in every city when a team is not playing well. Fans blame everybody, and it's because they're fans. Fans don't know sh!t. Everyone can be a fan, and anyone can post any dumb comment on Instagram or Facebook. I'm a know-nothing that has no future in hockey management, just like most of the millions of hockey fans. So yes, the guy that watches ten games a year and has a few drinks might cry for Marty, and that teenager who started following the team last year might yell for deboers head, I don't know why you thought we as a fan base were immune to the run of the mill idiot. I think the problem is the elitist types like you who complain about the fans of a losing team complaining.

Pretty much. I think this thread should be titled 'I don't understand how social media/the internet works' or 'who follows a team, how fervently and why'. It's all pretty naive. I'm half expecting a thread now on YouTube comments and how representative it is of the everyday man.