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Confronting the Nightmare - UPDATE: NIGHTMARE OVER, KINGS WIN!&#33


Neb00rs

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Does this really exist? I mean, how can you wear different apparel of teams that are bitter rivals? I can't fathom this at all. Do you actually know people like this, MD2020?

The fact that he is from NJ and jumps on the Rangers bandwagon is bad enough.

If so, I guess this is an underlying issue with the importance of hockey in that area where you can trade teams that easily from NJ to NY.

I know it's pretty far fetched sounding but yes it totally exists. I swear I have seen people in the last couple of weeks wear rags crap when two years ago they were wearing devils stuff during their run to the finals. These people justify it as "I'm just rooting for the local team" nonsense but I always reply "funny I thought the local team was the one with New Jersey in the name, you know the same state you are living and working in now."

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not everyone takes sports as seriously as most of us Devils fans do

Soooo many people just go with the flow and have a good time doing it....I wish I could, but....

 

For a lot of people, this is what professional sports represent.  A fun diversion that they don't really invest themselves into heavily.  These people aren't fanatics; they're casual observers who only stand up and take notice when something big is happening (like a deep playoff run). 

 

I can't get that worked up about that type of "observer" (to call them fans is an insult to real fans).  Now if someone I knew who'd been a Devil fan for years suddenly decided to switch allegiances to the Rangers because of what they've done this season...THAT person I'd have absolutely no use for as a sports fan.

 

What you hope for is that a percentage of these observer-types might decide to take the next step and slowly but surely educate themselves on the finer points of the game, choose a team, and stick with them instead of going with the hot hand.  But no matter what, there will always be observer, go with the lead-horse types. 

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It really doesn't happen often in the Stanley Cup Finals. Devils over Wings in 95, Pens over Wings in 09, maybe Bruins over Canucks in 2011.

 

I think the Rangers beating either team would be the biggest upset since Devils over Red Wings.

Agreed. You see the championship upsets happen more often in baseball.

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For a lot of people, this is what professional sports represent.  A fun diversion that they don't really invest themselves into heavily.  These people aren't fanatics; they're casual observers who only stand up and take notice when something big is happening (like a deep playoff run). 

 

I can't get that worked up about that type of "observer" (to call them fans is an insult to real fans).  Now if someone I knew who'd been a Devil fan for years suddenly decided to switch allegiances to the Rangers because of what they've done this season...THAT person I'd have absolutely no use for as a sports fan.

 

What you hope for is that a percentage of these observer-types might decide to take the next step and slowly but surely educate themselves on the finer points of the game, choose a team, and stick with them instead of going with the hot hand.  But no matter what, there will always be observer, go with the lead-horse types. 

 

I think you pretty much said what I have been trying to say in the other thread for the last few days.

 

NY is the biggest sports city in North America. A lot of successful teams and so many teams to keep you busy with. It's very easy to put one team on the back-burner and get caught up with the more successful teams or the ones that you can't escape with the media.  If the Rangers force millions of sports fans to take a little break from the Knicks/Yankees/Giants/Jets etc and start talking about hockey and the Rangers, well it's great for the NHL and very annoying for Devils fans that interact with those people. But, I'm not going to hate on those kind of people either.

 

If you are switching from the Devils to Rangers, yup that is not kosher at all.

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not everyone takes sports as seriously as most of us Devils fans do

Soooo many people just go with the flow and have a good time doing it....I wish I could, but....

this is very true and it actually really irks the hell out of me.. i mean i dont know how you can go from being a fan of one team and then just because theyre no longer in the spot light you turn your back on them and start being a fan of another team? that really grinds my gears right there
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this is very true and it actually really irks the hell out of me.. i mean i dont know how you can go from being a fan of one team and then just because theyre no longer in the spot light you turn your back on them and start being a fan of another team? that really grinds my gears right there

I am probably considered a hypocrite as I can't see people rooting for the Devils and the rags...BUT  as a Yankee fan, I'm fine with the Mets winning a world series, or as a Giant fan I'm cool with the Jets going all the way.

its a little different with our Devils and the rags because they're in the same division/conference..

It's mainly the "home team" factor with me...if you live in New Jersey...there's only ONE home team in hockey.

it's a little like this with Cowboy fans too, there's just too many of them in the metro area

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For a lot of people, this is what professional sports represent.  A fun diversion that they don't really invest themselves into heavily.  These people aren't fanatics; they're casual observers who only stand up and take notice when something big is happening (like a deep playoff run). 

 

I can't get that worked up about that type of "observer" (to call them fans is an insult to real fans).  Now if someone I knew who'd been a Devil fan for years suddenly decided to switch allegiances to the Rangers because of what they've done this season...THAT person I'd have absolutely no use for as a sports fan.

 

What you hope for is that a percentage of these observer-types might decide to take the next step and slowly but surely educate themselves on the finer points of the game, choose a team, and stick with them instead of going with the hot hand.  But no matter what, there will always be observer, go with the lead-horse types. 

 

The diehard fan lives and dies with their team. There have been more downs for my side since 20 years ago. We are the ones who endured miserable teams and embarrassing losses. Something you and the older Devil fan can relate to. As you stated in the part I bolded, there'll always be that casual fan who jumps on board. They'll buy the hat, t-shirt and support the team. It happens in every sport. A team has success and suddenly you see more people wearing jerseys, etc. I think Mike Vaccaro summed it up perfectly in his column. Appropriated entitled, Everybody hop aboard: Rangers bandwagon transcends hockey. Here is the part I identify with.

 

Look, the core Rangers fans will shake their heads at this, and it might bother them a bit, and there may even be cause for this to aggravate them a lot. Fans suffer far more often than they savor, they spill blood a lot more regularly than they sip champagne, and by rights that faith should be rewarded a hundred times over when a beautiful ride like this Rangers ride falls out of the sky for them.

 

And here’s the thing: They know who they are, and they can identify one another pretty easily, the ones who fight through the snow because they have upper-level tickets to see a Garden game in January, the ones who stay up past 1 a.m. on work nights to see overtime and the shootout from Calgary or Edmonton, the ones who knew enough to instantly embrace Martin St. Louis, the ones prescient enough to have added a Dominic Moore sweater to their collection even before Wednesday’s game-winner.

 

 

Is the bandwagon type annoying? Absolutely. I have been tagged in silly posts on Facebook with We Want The Cup. In the world of social media, it is what it is. I identify more with the fans on Twitter. Most of your hardcore fans are on there who love not just their team but enjoy the sport. They'll watch no matter what. They know how great the Blackhawks and Kings are and understand how challenging it'll be. The West is miles ahead of the East. In our conference, only one team was a favorite. The Bruins. The Canadiens knocked them out doing us a favor. That wouldn't have been a favorable match-up. Out of the top four in the East, three hailed from the poorly named Atlantic including the Lightning, who lost Bishop and any chance they had. Montreal made quick work of them. The Pens were a favorite only due to the big names. But anyone who saw them knew they were fragile. The Islanders pushed them last year and the Jackets did but didn't have enough experience to pull it off. Montreal was the second best team left. They were the toughest one the Rangers went through. They proved it despite losing Price. The Canadiens should be good for years.

 

DR brought up a good point about the SCF. There aren't many upsets. I didn't view the '95 Devils over the Wings as one because they had the experience of losing a classic ECF. Underdog? Yes. But shocking? No. I never understood why so many took Detroit without blinking an eye. They showed no respect for that Devil team. The Rangers will be a decided underdog. I'm fine with that. It's either the pulverizing Kings or the defending champion Hawks. The two last Cup winners. It's a big step up. They are great teams with super talent. Tonight's game is a pick 'em. On the point of a team coming out of nowhere to win, the 2012 Kings weren't expected to but it all came together following the trade for Carter. If you think about it, that SCF wasn't expected. How many had it? In terms of who the favorite was, I think it was LA.

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I am probably considered a hypocrite as I can't see people rooting for the Devils and the rags...BUT as a Yankee fan, I'm fine with the Mets winning a world series, or as a Giant fan I'm cool with the Jets going all the way.

its a little different with our Devils and the rags because they're in the same division/conference..

It's mainly the "home team" factor with me...if you live in New Jersey...there's only ONE home team in hockey.

it's a little like this with Cowboy fans too, there's just too many of them in the metro area

It's also different when you root for big brother (Yankees, Giants) as opposed to little brother (Jets, Mets).

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I am probably considered a hypocrite as I can't see people rooting for the Devils and the rags...BUT  as a Yankee fan, I'm fine with the Mets winning a world series, or as a Giant fan I'm cool with the Jets going all the way.

its a little different with our Devils and the rags because they're in the same division/conference..

It's mainly the "home team" factor with me...if you live in New Jersey...there's only ONE home team in hockey.

it's a little like this with Cowboy fans too, there's just too many of them in the metro area

 

But are you okay with the Eagles and Red Sox winning it all?

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But are you okay with the Eagles and Red Sox winning it all?

it wouldnt bother me

when the Sox won back in 04 I tipped my hat to them, they had a good team, even George Steinbrenner told the grounds crew at Yankee Stadium to leave the lights on and let them celebrate after coming back from 0-3 to beat the Yanks in that ALCS.....they deserved it

The Eagles or the Flyers for that matter wouldn't bother me (I wouldn't root for them, but if they win they win)

 

one reason it's OK for me to see another team win a championship is because I've seen all 3 of my teams win at least 3 championships EACH. Its easier to watch another (hated) team win because of that.

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it wouldnt bother me

when the Sox won back in 04 I tipped my hat to them, they had a good team, even George Steinbrenner told the grounds crew at Yankee Stadium to leave the lights on and let them celebrate after coming back from 0-3 to beat the Yanks in that ALCS.....they deserved it

The Eagles or the Flyers for that matter wouldn't bother me (I wouldn't root for them, but if they win they win)

 

one reason it's OK for me to see another team win a championship is because I've seen all 3 of my teams win at least 3 championships EACH. Its easier to watch another (hated) team win because of that.

 

Touche then. I have been in a rough patch with my sports teams for well over a decade now.

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I will throw myself out my window if the Rangers win.

Now let's have everybody play!

If the Rangers win the SCF, I will....

 

...organize a cult-like mass suicide at Dino BBQ the day before the Stanley Cup parade, so as to take away from their headlines.

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...organize a cult-like mass suicide at Dino BBQ the day before the Stanley Cup parade, so as to take away from their headlines.

 

Why Dino BBQ?  Are we supposed to throw ourselves into the pit and slowly cook for 12-16 hours to get ourselves nice and tender so our flesh falls right off the bone?

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Why Dino BBQ?  Are we supposed to throw ourselves into the pit and slowly cook for 12-16 hours to get ourselves nice and tender so our flesh falls right off the bone?

 

Nah I just want a good meal before I go. Wango Tango wings!

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