So when we woke up yesterday morning, we had this article to read from Ron Cook. Penguins fans worst nightmare - Hossa and the Blackhawks vs. the Flyers.
Really?
Because we can think of a worse one. How about Flyers versus Red Wings? Or how about Canadiens versus the Canucks? Or oooh worse yet, the Capitals versus the Red Wings?
Those are worse.
Way, way worse than the Flyers versus Marian Hossa. What if Marian Hossa was a Flyer? Our careers as bloggers would be over.
That might have been the first time we have agreed wholeheartedly with Ron Cook. He makes some good points in the article.
There is a hatred between the fans and the players that might be the worst in sports.
When the Flyers and Penguins faced off in the playoffs last season, we thought that each city was going to explode.
We will never like the Flyers and we will never like their fans. (Except for like the three that we know who are awesome and we like them despite that flaw in their personality.)
You know a rivalry is bad when even the players hate each other. Penguins/Flyers games at Mellon Arena were ridiculous, raucous affairs where fans would beat each other up and players would just attack each other.
No self-respecting Penguins fan would root for the Flyers. And there are Penguins "fans" somewhere who are going all the way for the Flyers.
Why?
Well, Marian Hossa.
Oh, you mean the RENTAL Marian Hossa, the man that was supposed to be in Pittsburgh to HELP THEM WIN THE CUP? Not STAY WITH US FOREVER AND EVER OMGZ!
Because who did we trade for him? If you can't name who off the top of your head immediately then GTFO.
Yeah, he picked the Red Wings over the Penguins. Honestly, that stung. But he didn't owe us anything, he wasn't promised to us like an arranged marriage. He could leave if he wanted to.
And guess what? He got his. He lost the Cup AGAIN. He chose the wrong team. Well, that sucks. This is his third time in the Finals and we're rooting for him to win it.
Here's our issue with these "fans" way of thinking. If Hossa signed with the Penguins then where would the team be? There would be no Brooks Orpik as a Penguin. Fleury would not have been signed to an extension. Jordan Staal would be a Maple Leaf.
So as dedicated Penguins fans, we'll take a minor slight from a top-six forward to keep the players that will let us win a Cup.
Get over it. This isn't a grudge to keep. This is ridiculous.
Granted, Noodles has a huge influence in this blog and she loves the Hawks and Marian Hossa. But this is coming from all of us. We are disappointed in the thinking of other fans.
We thought that Pens fans were better than rooting for a cross-state rival because of one man.
Now it's your turn, what do you think? How do you feel about this whether you're a Pens fan or not?
We want to know.
And this is what LeTude had to say about this whole thing:
P.S. if you're a Pens fan, and are seriously rooting for the Flyers, you're not a Pens fan. Don't blame it on having a grudge for Hossa. Don't blame it on the Hawks personal lives. Grow up and get over it. Hossa is one man who was in Pittsburgh for 3 months. 21 year old boys will be 21 year old boys.
The Flyers have always been and will always be the Penguins most hated rivalry, no offense to Flyer's fans, we know you feel the same way :) Honestly just because we share a state doesn't mean we share teams. Get your minds right or get the fuck out.
11 comments:
I agree wholeheartedly with this argument.
Chances are, if you're a dedicated Pens fan, you hate the Flyers. End of story. It's hard to not get caught up in the rivalry when black and gold takes the ice against orange. It's a TEAM thing; you can like/dislike individual players on the opposing team, but you hate the Flyers as a whole.
So to not root for the Hawks because of one individual player (or two, if you wanna throw the Kane hate in there, too, or mix and match or whatever) is beyond a little ridiculous, IMHO. Blackhawks are my western team, chosen before Hossa came along. Sure, it's a little hard to cheer when he scores, but I cheer for teams, not players. It was two years ago, and he got his just desserts. Karma bit him in the ass, things came full circle, yadda yadda.... so I'm done with the Hossa hate. I don't care for him, but I don't hate him.
It's like when your parents tell you that they're "disappointed in you, not angry."
There are teams that I do not ever want to see win the Cup in my lifetime. Philly is one of them, because I am a die-hard Pens fan.
/rant
I applaud you. There is not one single thing in this post I don't agree with.
I cannot even begin to fathom how any person who puts on a black and Vegas gold jersey and cheers for the Pittsburgh Penguins could want to see Gary Bettman hand Lord Stanley to Mike Richards. No real Pens fan would ever cheer for the Flyers, no matter what the circumstances.
Why is it is so hard for people to understand that hockey, like every other professional sport, is a business? Marion Hossa did what he thought was best for him and his interests when he left Pittsburgh for a one-year deal and a "better chance at the Cup." Did I want to kick him in the junk for insinuating that Detroit was better than Pittsburgh? Of course I did, but I got all the satisfaction I needed when I saw his soul being crushed at the end of Game 7 last year. We got our Cup, he didn't. Why isn't that enough for some Pens fans? MOVE ON.
I'm still sad that we lost Colby Armstrong in the deal, but, the Thrashers wanted Max Talbot first, and Ray laughed. Where would we be without Max Talbot? We might not have a third Cup to speak of in Pittsburgh. Do I miss Colby? Of course I do, but I'd much rather have a third Stanley Cup than Colby Armstrong on our roster.
We also got Pascal Dupuis out of the deal, which I am more than happy about. Dupuis is a great role player, and I thank Mr. Hossa and his few months of service for bringing him here.
Maybe these new Flyers bandwagoners are just just mad because they invested money in Hossa shirts and jerseys. Well, that's not anyone's fault but their own.
If you're going to root for the Flyers to win the Cup, get off the Pens bandwagon and take your allegiances somewhere else, like Phoenix. They need all the fans they can get.
/endrant
Good Post Ladies...
As most of you know (and especially the girls that write the blog) I am a Flyers fan. I hate the Penguins. Period. It is a cross state rivalry and it's a given. Last year I was rooting for the Red Wings because of it. As much as I like some of the players on the team, I still can't root for the team.
So good soapbox rant. I know I don't want Penguins fans rooting for my team...especially if it has to do with Hossa. Get over it. Like Kylie says... it's a business, and most people are in it for the money...just like any other job in this life.
P.S. to the Junkies... thank you for not hating me. LOL
well i have to say i don't want the flyers to get their greasy hair streaks on our cup however i don't want cocky little brats to get it either. so i am trying to be fair and like my dad said hossa and the hawks are the lesser of two evils.
I really don't understand why people think the Hawks are cocky. They've worked hard to be where they are at. If you want to talk cocky, look at Washington. Chicago is nothing like them, at all.
A
Okay, so my "A" was cosmically intentional. :) EH?
@LeTude: Everybody's fucking jealous of the 'Hawks. How talented and young and studly and silly and dedicated they are. JAAAALLLLUUUUUS. So the team is being tagged by these surly types as "cocky bitches."
Whatever! I'm interested in accomplished, fun hockey and that's exactly what we're all gonna get come Saturday. Would have been crazy more fun if it was Pens v. 'Hawks, but the Pens had to make like a salad and lettuce leaf. Happens. Next year!
Meanwhile, lookie what I have to contend with, now:
Q (directed to Duncan Keith): Will you have to wear the full face shield in the Final?
Keith: "No, I don't think I need that. It's just the gums now."
Q: No mouth guard or anything?
Keith: "I had a mouth guard in there, but obviously a mouth guard's not going to do much when the puck's going that fast."
Cheeky Bitch!!! ;) Now I'm going to have to convince him I could have totally protected his smile. I swear. Nobody listens to me!
Completely agree. I live in Central PA, a place infested with with Flyer and Capital fans, so it isn't hard at all to get my Flyers hate on. In fact it is pretty much raging all the time. There are some opposing fans I am friends with and like, but ALL of them can be jerks. Most of them aren't even funny or clever with their insults either...
I am completely comitted to the Indian.
I'm sorry but if you got Hossa on the team, you're screwed.
But that's just my jilted Red Wings perspective :)
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