East Semis: #1 Washington vs #5 Tampa Bay

[Mike Tython]

Originally Posted by Fatt Patt

Not trying to sound like an ass, but while they're may be transplant hockey fans. IMO all of these "fans" came out of the woodwork just for the playoffs and will fade into oblivion once this season is over.

So what? They're still donning black, blue, and white and filling the arena, and making it damn loud. Fans gotta start somewhere...might as well be now, while they're playing some of the best hockey in the league.

[D Y B FLYERS]

Originally Posted by caps05

Say what you want about the Caps, but Hershey was the two time defending Calder Cup champs before being ousted by Charlotte this year.

I am not talking bad about the Capitals because I dislike them, the team. I grew up in Hershey. I am talking bad about them because of the loser bandwagoners in Hershey who only like the Caps because of their affiliation. I knew the Bears as being affiliated with the Flyers up until the mid 90's. Due to the close proximity to Philly, and the affiliation, most people in the town of Hershey were Flyers fans. Then, the Bears moved on to becoming affiliated with the Avalanche. I stayed a Flyers fan. Bears fans left and went to Colorado. Then the Avs cut ties and affiliated with the Caps. Bears fans in the area talk ****, yet have no clue. Most Bears fans aren't really hockey fans, just fans because there is nothing else to do in Hershey. Most wear Ovechkin jerseys because: 1. They know nobody else on the Capitals. And 2: The Giant Center sells no other Caps jerseys. Again, I have no real issue with the Caps. My passion for hating them is fueled through hating Hershey.

[BondraDaBomb]

Not trying to sound like an ass, but while they're may be transplant hockey fans. IMO all of these "fans" came out of the woodwork just for the playoffs and will fade into oblivion once this season is over.

I got that feeling too. Teams with a solid hockey fanbase cheer for things like a good clear on a PK and that wasn't the case in Tampa. Only monster hits and goals.

[Fatt Patt]

Originally Posted by Mike Tython

So what? They're still donning black, blue, and white and filling the arena, and making it damn loud. Fans gotta start somewhere...might as well be now, while they're playing some of the best hockey in the league.

Well they won the Stanley Cup a few years back but clearly that didn't keep them interested for long. All I'm saying is it's easy to sell tickets come playoff time, and showing up for the playoffs does not make a fan-base loyal.

[BondraDaBomb]

Did the Caps underachieve or overachieve this year? I am starting to lean towards them being a team that overachieved in the regular season then got put in their rightful place in the playoffs. They were in the top two or three in terms of 1-goal games this year, alot of which went to OT. Maybe they shouldn't have won a bunch of those games but they did.

[mikebflorida]

Originally Posted by Fatt Patt

Not trying to sound like an ass, but while they're may be transplant hockey fans. IMO all of these "fans" came out of the woodwork just for the playoffs and will fade into oblivion once this season is over.

No, you just sound like an ass.

I've been a Lightning fan since they played in a focking barn at the Florida state fairgrounds and watched Rudy Poescheck and Paul Laus fight to the death every game, watched them lose, lose, lose and was one of 28,000 fans at what is now Tropicana Field when we set the attendance record for the NHL and stuck with them through all the douche bag owners, bad coaches, bad players, and here we are today. I was in the locker room after we won the Stanley Cup in 2004, pouring beer on Andre Roy and Pavel Kubina because all the champagne was already gone so go fock yourself.

I hate bitter douche bags who don't know what the fock their talking about.

The Lightning were clearly the better team, they didn't benefit from shoddy officiating, in fact, they had less power plays than the Caps, they simply outplayed, outcoached, and outhustled them and were the better team in every game.

On to the conference finals bitches!

[BondraDaBomb]

After alot of thinking, I change my stance.

[Fatt Patt]

Originally Posted by mikebflorida

No, you just sound like an ass.

I've been a Lightning fan since they played in a focking barn at the Florida state fairgrounds and watched Rudy Poescheck and Paul Laus fight to the death every game, watched them lose, lose, lose and was one of 28,000 fans at what is now Tropicana Field when we set the attendance record for the NHL and stuck with them through all the douche bag owners, bad coaches, bad players, and here we are today. I was in the locker room after we won the Stanley Cup in 2004, pouring beer on Andre Roy and Pavel Kubina because all the champagne was already gone so go fock yourself.

I hate bitter douche bags who don't know what the fock their talking about.

The Lightning were clearly the better team, they didn't benefit from shoddy officiating, in fact, they had less power plays than the Caps, they simply outplayed, outcoached, and outhustled them and were the better team in every game.

On to the conference finals bitches!

Let's see I wasn't referring to you or any other the other Lightning fans on this board for one. Can you really argue that the majority of Lighting fans are band-wagoners for the playoffs? A few years back they won the cup it was cool for that one year but then after that the interest in the team dissipated. If there is actually a strong fan-base where were they the first 41 home games?

Hell look at the Rays and Marlins for years they have had exciting competitive teams that have made title runs with the Marlins winning 2 but even then the attendance numbers were underwhelming at best. My point is that success doesn't always translate into long term fans.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by D Y B FLYERS

I am not talking bad about the Capitals because I dislike them, the team. I grew up in Hershey. I am talking bad about them because of the loser bandwagoners in Hershey who only like the Caps because of their affiliation. I knew the Bears as being affiliated with the Flyers up until the mid 90's. Due to the close proximity to Philly, and the affiliation, most people in the town of Hershey were Flyers fans. Then, the Bears moved on to becoming affiliated with the Avalanche. I stayed a Flyers fan. Bears fans left and went to Colorado. Then the Avs cut ties and affiliated with the Caps. Bears fans in the area talk ****, yet have no clue. Most Bears fans aren't really hockey fans, just fans because there is nothing else to do in Hershey. Most wear Ovechkin jerseys because: 1. They know nobody else on the Capitals. And 2: The Giant Center sells no other Caps jerseys. Again, I have no real issue with the Caps. My passion for hating them is fueled through hating Hershey.

Fair enough.

[illukka]

is it only me that thinks rolie the goalie was the thing caps lacked and who tipped the scale to bolts direction?

[dodge8954]

Lightning averaged 17,300 per game. which is 88% full and after the team was one of the worst in the league last year. so i'd say the fans have been there all year esp for a southern market. Some of them don't know much about hockey but who cares. They will learn the game. And yeah, they won the cup back in 04-05 but what you forget is then the lockout was the following season and that really hurt any sort of new fan base.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/sort/homePct

[bigty]

Why does a team have to have a "loyal" fan base? I don't care if I am the only one in the stadium, if the Bolts win the Bolts win.

Sure the fans in Boston or Philly probably are a little more "diehard", but in the end that really counts for ****, and the proof of that is the 70 some combined years those franchises have gone without Lord Stanley.

[mikebflorida]

Originally Posted by dodge8954

Lightning averaged 17,300 per game. which is 88% full and after the team was one of the worst in the league last year. so i'd say the fans have been there all year esp for a southern market. Some of them don't know much about hockey but who cares. They will learn the game. And yeah, they won the cup back in 04-05 but what you forget is then the lockout was the following season and that really hurt any sort of new fan base.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/sort/homePct

Thank you.

The guy is just being ignorant. If I had a nickel for every time someone doubted my word because I live in that "bastion of hockey knowledge-Florida" I'd be a wealthy man.

I always wondered why geography has anything to do with fan loyalty or knowledge of the sport but then again, there are those that are ignorant and have nothing better to do than to try and discredit the Lightning's total ass kicking of the Crapitals by saying their fans are "bandwagon" types. Pot calling the kettle black? Last i checked, DC has never had a great a following for hockey until Ovechkin got there. I can recall quite a few empty seats there back in the 80's and 90's but that's not that surprising as their ownership has never been the type to build a real winner anyway so why should the fans be loyal?

Baseball fans in Florida aren't loyal because the team does get good players and then they eventually leave because of finances. Baseball is broken, not baseball in Florida.

The Bucs? LOL Check the economy and ticket prices before you blab. Who can afford to go right now? TThe owners are butt faces who don't want to spend for a winner and somehow they went 10-6, over achieved for sure.

Hockey tickets aren't cheap either but as the quote says, 88% attendance this year after being a horrible team with a couple of clowns for owners who didn't do dick to attract anyone. The new owner, Vinnik, is awesome, is putting $35million into the building, and is building a winning, stable franchise and people have returned because of it.

Please educate yourself before mouthing off. This season for the Lightning and our fans was a huge success when they just made the playoffs! Beating Pitt and Washington, the league's poster boy teams, is all gravy. A victory over Boston and trip to the finals would be ridiculous, a win in the finals would be an outright miracle so I don't want to hear anyone's BS.

[Bruins29]

So...the Washington Ovechkin's choked again in the playoffs.

(Yawn)

[diablo]

I'm so glad i was wrong