Which hockey fan habits annoy us the most?
The fans have been prominent so far in these Stanley Cup playoffs. That includes the endearing – like the Buffalo Sabres supporters getting riled up tackling the Cam Neely dummy – and the obnoxious – like the Colorado Avalanche fans who banged the glass behind the benches to the point it shattered.
So, Roundtable members: What hockey fan behavior grinds your gears the most? Your answer can include live in-game antics or generalized behavior.
MATT LARKIN: I can’t stand the “woe is us” habit of believing the refs specifically have it in for your team. Seriously – pretty much every fan base in the NHL is convinced that calls never go their way because of a conspiracy against them. I guess if everyone believes that about their franchise, the treatment must actually be pretty balanced? Sorry, Generic Hockey Fan, but the NHL isn’t slapping your team with ticky-tack calls to push the opponent through to the next round for TV ratings.
STEVEN ELLIS: Matt’s choice would be my pick, too. So I will go with another bit of low-hanging fruit: attacking players because of something that happened in a game. Most players don’t go into a game planning to injure somebody. Yeah, I imagine guys who make costly mistakes in playoff games probably don’t feel too good about it on their own. What does harassing them on social media achieve? We hear stories about it all the time. There used to be a time where players were a lot more open and fun on social media. That just doesn’t happen anymore because people can’t act like decent human beings.
PAUL PIDUTTI: Love this topic. The fan behavior that frustrates me most at games is Fan Who Stands Up During the Play. It’s soooo ignorant. I get that any good fan can get a little excited on a big play. But the second you stand up – whether it’s a breakaway or you’re sensing a key play or momentum building – it completely ruins the experience for those nearby. The couple of rows behind you can’t see a thing, and worse yet, it creates a ripple effect of more rows of fans standing up just to hope to see the action in time. Just sit down, please and thanks. Don’t ruin big moments for others. You can stand up *after* the play if you’re that fired up.
SCOTT: I’m in the same boat as Steven. As a fan, you’re allowed to have strong feelings about the team and, to some extent, you can voice them. You can boo at games, post about it online and even complain on a radio show if they still allow listeners. But what you shouldn’t do is attack the players themselves. Whether it’s on social media like what we saw with Kirby Dach this week, or threatening players at their own homes, like what Mitch Marner experienced before leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs, some fans can go too far. It’s a loud minority, but it ruins the experience for the rest of the fans and violates the players’ privacy and safety. And it’s just completely immature behavior as well, not something to expect from adults.
ANTHONY TRUDEAU: If there’s one specific genre of fan abuse that grinds my gears, it’s the outrage that seems to follow any use of trade protection. When Jacob Trouba was on the outs with the New York Rangers, their fans bemoaned his choice not to greenlight a rumored move to the Detroit Red Wings. When Colton Parayko nixed a poorly received trade to Buffalo, Sabres’ supporters simultaneously spiked the ball and taunted the long-time St. Louis Blue for what amounted to a decision to miss the playoffs. In both cases, the player is not at fault for using the leverage management handed him. Trade protection, for better or worse, is the going rate for an effective veteran operator. If a guy doesn’t want to uproot his life, and has earned the right not to, try putting yourself in his shoes. Too often, the millions of dollars these athletes pull in is used as an excuse to withhold even the lowest standard of empathy towards them.
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