I really am beginning to hate our fans.

[RunninWithTheDevil]

These posts frustrate me.

1) why do you separate yourself from "the fans"? You aren't one of them?

2) every fan-base has morons. Going to FB and HF for fan comments doesnt do a lot of people in the fan-base justice. Go to a Walmart in any city- what you get is a collection of people you'd rather not be around but it CEETAINLY isn't a microcosm of the whole city. My girlfriend follows the team on instagram, and screenshotted a comment a few days ago that said something along the lines of "this team hasn't won anything since we traded Stevens bunch of chokers bring back Martie". You generalize the fanbase- but should I put a plastic bag on my head? Triumph? DM84? Anyone here (ok, not everyone, but the majority)?

Saying you hate the fan-base is stupid. I get the same reaction when people say "I hate traffic"... they don't realize that they themselves ARE the traffic. You hate the morons in our fanbase- the loud idiots chanting Marty's better in 233, the people on Facebook saying to fire "Paul Deberr". Don't make such sweeping generalizations, they're there for every fan base in every sport ever.

No he's right. And its mostly our generation. Younger fans who " treat winning 3 cups as a flipping birthright" as a wise man once said. Its these dumb kids coming to the game in Kovy jerseys still, chanting about Marty, booing deboer. It has nothing to do with the frustration of what's happening with this team, its simply young, post-pubescent, silly, spoiled, bratty bro-nation shenanigans. The first post of this thread is a PERFECT summation of the fanbase that ours has transformed into in the past 3 years. There's been a clear change, and not for the better.

[Neb00rs]

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.

 

[DevsMan84]

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.

It's now beyond comments on random, obscure or popular message boards/websites. You are hearing this nonsense now all over the arena from the people sitting to the left, right, behind you and in front of you.

Hell we have posters here (they know who they are) who are spewing the same crap as those people as well.

I can go on forever about this (and I have over the years here) but looks like increasingly I am not alone with this thinking.

Edited December 21, 2014 by DevsMan84

[bobilly45]

No he's right. And its mostly our generation. Younger fans who " treat winning 3 cups as a flipping birthright" as a wise man once said. Its these dumb kids coming to the game in Kovy jerseys still, chanting about Marty, booing deboer. It has nothing to do with the frustration of what's happening with this team, its simply young, post-pubescent, silly, spoiled, bratty bro-nation shenanigans. The first post of this thread is a PERFECT summation of the fanbase that ours has transformed into in the past 3 years. There's been a clear change, and not for the better.

agree 100% with this post.  

[jagknife]

agree 100% with this post.  

 

Okay, I know I'm opening a can of worms with this but..... I feel as though SOME of the generation of fans in question just carried the middle school/high school mentality but never let it go with age. If it had stopped with them, it'd be tolerable, but furthering the problem is the fact that some members of other generations see this, think back to their glory days, and join in. Coming out of college, I was definitely guilty of this. At some point, I just had had enough of doing it.

 

It sucks, but as I stated earlier, the annoyance is magnified due to the losing and already hostile emotions based on the on-ice performance.

[Sneax]

I'm more shocked people are still going to games with the way we are playing. I wouldn't go to games and boo my own team ever, but I am insanely dissatisfied with the team as of late. It's one thing to suck, it's another thing to suck without building towards the future.

[Satans Hockey]

I don't know why you even let certain fans bother you and there is no reason to act like the majority of fans act this way because my section doesn't.

That being said why should we ever accept losing? It's going to be no playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons. When should that ever be acceptable? Sure there was a finals run in there but thats a few years ago already. I never want to be a fan that just sits in my seat and accepts losing because we have won in the past.

The owners, gm, coaches and players should always be held accountable for losing. Us fans and especially season ticket holders spend a lot of money on this team. Sure we aren't going to make the playoffs every season but when there is no light at the end of the tunnel things need to be changed.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Satans Hockey

[Sneax]

I don't know why you even let certain fans bother you and there is no reason to act like the majority of fans act this way because my section doesn't.

That being said why should we ever accept losing? It's going to be no playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons. When should that ever be acceptable? Sure there was a finals run in there but thats a few years ago already. I never want to be a fan that just sits in my seat and accepts losing because we have won in the past.

The owners, gm, coaches and players should always be held accountable for losing. Us fans and especially season ticket holders spend a lot of money on this team. Sure we aren't going to make the playoffs every season but when there is no light at the end of the tunnel things need to be changed.

This x10000

[RunninWithTheDevil]

Okay, I know I'm opening a can of worms with this but..... I feel as though SOME of the generation of fans in question just carried the middle school/high school mentality but never let it go with age. If it had stopped with them, it'd be tolerable, but furthering the problem is the fact that some members of other generations see this, think back to their glory days, and join in. Coming out of college, I was definitely guilty of this. At some point, I just had had enough of doing it.

 

It sucks, but as I stated earlier, the annoyance is magnified due to the losing and already hostile emotions based on the on-ice performance.

 

i can agree with this.  This is something I've seen happening for a while though., But you're right, now that we suck we're (at least i am) more inclined to be vocal with our annoyances.

[MadDog2020]

No he's right. And its mostly our generation. Younger fans who " treat winning 3 cups as a flipping birthright" as a wise man once said. Its these dumb kids coming to the game in Kovy jerseys still, chanting about Marty, booing deboer. It has nothing to do with the frustration of what's happening with this team, its simply young, post-pubescent, silly, spoiled, bratty bro-nation shenanigans. The first post of this thread is a PERFECT summation of the fanbase that ours has transformed into in the past 3 years. There's been a clear change, and not for the better.

Absolutely correct. And that sh!t was on full display Friday when I was there. These types of fans are indescribably annoying.

[NJDevs4978]

I don't know why you even let certain fans bother you and there is no reason to act like the majority of fans act this way because my section doesn't.

That being said why should we ever accept losing? It's going to be no playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons. When should that ever be acceptable? Sure there was a finals run in there but thats a few years ago already. I never want to be a fan that just sits in my seat and accepts losing because we have won in the past.

The owners, gm, coaches and players should always be held accountable for losing. Us fans and especially season ticket holders spend a lot of money on this team. Sure we aren't going to make the playoffs every season but when there is no light at the end of the tunnel things need to be changed.

 

I agree with you and CR...there's a VAST difference between some of the fans referenced in the OP and fans who aren't entitled that still feel changes are neccesary and that management (and the players) need to be held accountable for a deteriorating product.

 

Wanting to trade Cory after three games of Kinkaid is silliness (as is holding it against him that he's not Marty, but that's not exclusive to Devil fans...how many 49er fans hated Steve Young for years because he wasn't Joe Montana?).  Saying Cory needs to start playing better is legitimate.  Blaming ALL the problems on Pete is silly.  Acknowledging he's a part of the problem and wanting to make a coaching change after three years of losing is a perfectly legitimate point of view no matter how much HOI may rant and rave that Pete has nothing to do with this.  

 

Unfortunately in times like this the line between legit criticism and stupidity gets blurred.  Especially when the honest-to-god stupidity multiplies.  The problem with me, HOI and other sth's is that we can't escape the stupidity AT the arena unless we don't go to games.  You can at least escape it in other avenues if need be (message board, Facebook, TG's comments section).

Edited December 21, 2014 by NJDevs4978

[Derek21]

Winning spoils you. Any success and it changes the outlook. Expectations increase and with it so does frustration when things don't go according to plan. The Rangers have turned it around. It's been nice. After all the years of suffering, it's good to go to games expecting a win. I can relate to what you're experiencing. It isn't easy. I hate losing as much as anyone. But last season taught me something. I lost patience and ripped Hank as did many. They wound up turning it around and made a great run. What I've learned is that you have to be more patient. This is also true in life. Nothing is handed to you. All the sh!t I've dealt with sucks. But it is part of life. It is what it is. You have to make the best of things and enjoy what you have because there's always people who don't have it as good. 

 

I guess what I'm saying is there's a parallel between the teams we root for and life. There are ups and downs. We must try to stay positive. Live for the moment. In regards to HOI's original point, there are fairweather fans in every fanbase. Sometimes, I can't stand the overreaction of our fans during and after losses. But I also do it. I'm trying to change. To be more calm. More rational. See the bigger picture. That's the only way to approach it.

 

The Devils aren't good. They lack top line talent. There are some building blocks in net and on the blueline. What they must do going forward is sell off vets and commit to a rebuild. A word that isn't in Lou's dictionary. But whatever prospects and draft picks they can recover will be worth it. If they do it right, it will turn around. It could take time. All the energy yelling and screaming is wasted. That's the hard part of being a fan. Our passion comes out. We fight each other. There is no right or wrong. HOI said it best. Be thankful for your three Cups and 5 SCF appearances. That is a great run. It goes in cycles. Hopefully, you'll be back soon.

[Satans Hockey]

The problem with me, HOI and other sth's is that we can't escape the stupidity AT the arena unless we don't go to games. You can at least escape it in other avenues if need be (message board, Facebook, TG's comments section).

I know not everyone can do this but is it possible for you move your seats? I actually sat downstairs for the first few seasons at the rock and I was surrounded by a bunch of miserable negative people who did nothing but bitch and moan all game, even when we were winning! So I finally reached my breaking point and moved my seats to the 100s. I'm now in the best section I have ever been in with the same people almost every game and I've had full season tickets since 02. Sure some of us get a bit more negative this season but overall it's been great.

I actually ended up saving a lot of money moving my seats too. Best thing I ever did and I am now in seats that will most likely be mine until I die.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Satans Hockey

[NJDevs4978]

I know not everyone can do this but is it possible for you move your seats? I actually sat downstairs for the first few seasons at the rock and I was surrounded by a bunch of miserable negative people who did nothing but bitch and moan all game, even when we were winning! So I finally reached my breaking point and moved my seats to the 100s. I'm now in the best section I have ever been in with the same people almost every game and I've had full season tickets since 02. Sure some of us get a bit more negative this season but overall it's been great.

I actually ended up saving a lot of money moving my seats too. Best thing I ever did and I am now in seats that will most likely be mine until I die.

 

I'm in 120 which can be pretty bad in terms of fan stupidity.  But I do like my location (behind the net, on the aisle) and there aren't too many sections with a lower price point.  Crappy seasons like this I could probably sneak into another section if I really needed to get away from the nonsense on a game-by-game basis, well after the 9th anyway cause the next few games should be pretty packed.

 

Part of me's secretly hoping this season cleans out some of the dreck there

Edited December 21, 2014 by NJDevs4978

[BostonNala370]

I sit at home with my sick 8 year old smooth haired collie who cares less about the game and bitch to myself.At least I am not wasting money on this crap.

[Devlin]

I'm sure there are quite a few of us devils fans who have gone through the birth, growing up and graduation of this team to multiple Stanley Cups...if it's one thing this team taught me through that period of time was patience! I can't even imagine some of today's fans having to go through that!

Gotta earn those fan stripes! !

Sent from my TAB2 using TapaTalk

[mfitz804]

If we are bad for a few more years, we'll lose some of the front runner type fans we picked up when we were good, and I suspect a lot of the rabble rousers are those type of fans, not the long time loyal fans.

Not saying ALL of the fans we picked up were front runners or are now problem causes, not at all.

[RunninWithTheDevil]

If we are bad for a few more years, we'll lose some of the front runner type fans we picked up when we were good, and I suspect a lot of the rabble rousers are those type of fans, not the long time loyal fans.

Not saying ALL of the fans we picked up were front runners or are now problem causes, not at all.

Yeah that's basically the demographic I was referring to

[NJDevils1214]

I went with my friend, who is a Sabres fan, to Buffalo for the weekend. We saw them play Colorado. The people are pretty nice up there, and the atmosphere is great for hockey even though the team isn't even winning. Also, at no point did anyone chant anything "sucks", "swallows", or "blows", or boo any player. Briere was playing as well and the mood was more, "Oh look its Briere", not "fvck that guy".

[mfitz804]

The whole sucks, swallows, blows thing is completely classless and juvenile. It makes us as a fan base look like complete trash.

I have no problem with booing the other team's star players, to a point. When it gets to a guy yelling "Crosby is a f*g" for 2 hours like the last Pens-Devils game I saw, that's again pretty classless.

Edited December 22, 2014 by mfitz804

[coldply123]

The whole sucks, swallows, blows thing is completely classless and juvenile. It makes us as a fan base look like complete trash.

I have no problem with booing the other team's star players, to a point. When it gets to a guy yelling "Crosby is a f*g" for 2 hours like the last Pens-Devils game I saw, that's again pretty classless.

 

Cant' disagree with this at all.  It has gotten much worse in all sports too.  NFL games can be bad too.  It's also why I don't like going to the Rangers-Devils or Flyers-Devils games at home.  Those are brutal to try and take a family or even just younger kids to.  I was at one a few years ago where a group of Devils fans and Rangers fans went at it saying some brutal stuff to one another and a couple families got in the cross-fire, including a beer that was lobbed.

[mfitz804]

Cant' disagree with this at all.  It has gotten much worse in all sports too.  NFL games can be bad too.  It's also why I don't like going to the Rangers-Devils or Flyers-Devils games at home.  Those are brutal to try and take a family or even just younger kids to.  I was at one a few years ago where a group of Devils fans and Rangers fans went at it saying some brutal stuff to one another and a couple families got in the cross-fire, including a beer that was lobbed.

Right. I took my then 6 year old last season and luckily my section wasn't especially obnoxious, but it's not a place you can bring your kids without having to explain a bunch of new words and why some people are so stupid, rude and obnoxious.

[Mike Brown]

Even if the roster is bad, it doesn't excuse the piss poor coaching.

 

The biggest issue for me with the team is blowing leads.  That is all on coaching.  The roster is good enough to put us in position to win games.  BUT IT'S THE COACHING THAT BLOWS THOSE LEADS.  If the roster wasn't good, we wouldn't jump out to multiple goal leads or have leads late in the 3rd.

 

I agree with the premise of your post.  We are a spoiled fanbase who bitches about every little thing wrong with this team.  If we don't play a perfect game, we might as well have lost by the way our fans react.  Every tiny mistake gets reamed out, and it gets frustrating.  This is our first bad stretch of years we've had since the mid 80's.  Not enough people have a dose of reality to realize that what we're going through is perfectly normal.  It's nothing to worry about and people want to blow up the organization.  It's ridiculous.  I do believe coaching is a big issue though.  We need a new identity and a new coach will help that.

[jagknife]

I went with my friend, who is a Sabres fan, to Buffalo for the weekend. We saw them play Colorado. The people are pretty nice up there, and the atmosphere is great for hockey even though the team isn't even winning. Also, at no point did anyone chant anything "sucks", "swallows", or "blows", or boo any player. Briere was playing as well and the mood was more, "Oh look its Briere", not "fvck that guy".

 

Only one time, in the 7 years I lived up there and went to each of the Devils' 2 visits, did I ever encounter issues while wearing a Devils' jersey up there. It was a bunch of kids from a rival college who chucked a pretzel at me cause we won in a shootout.

 

I've been long sick of the extensions added to the end of "Rangers suck" and it is a major part of that demographic we've been discussing.

 

I honestly think if they'd actually chant Let's go Devils for more than 3 iterations, it wouldn't piss me off as much as it does, but to an outsider, it sounds like we care more about insulting other teams than actually cheering for our own. Just my two cents, and I'm sure I'm about to get verbally flogged for putting them out there.

[vadvlfan]

I'm with HOI with his original post.  Their is never a time I can consider our fans as "classy" like in Montreal. Booing the coach with this group?  Are you kidding me.

 

Oh by the way- You can't COACH your way to hold a lead.  There needs to be execution by players my friend.  If they (the players) sh>t the bed, I don't care who's behind  the bench. What, does he come up with a new "strategy" for holding onto the lead?

 

Whatever, keep booing Deboer. I hope he gets extended.