After a week or so of playoff games there is one thing that I have to admit, I find very, very disturbing. Every time this thing happens I cringe and it threatens to remove me entirely from the game. Here it is: NHL crowds do not seem to understand the proper time to jeer the opposing goalie.
You cannot jeer a goalie when your team is putting on a lot of pressure but he's making all the saves.
You cannot jeer a goalie when your teams scores but is still losing.
You cannot jeer a goalie when your team scores but has merely tied up the game.
You cannot jeer a goalie when he's lying on the ice because one of your players ran him over, knocking over his helmet.
I might have been exaggerating a little bit in the opening paragraph but this really does bother me. Marty Brodeur made a string of excellent saves and even though the Rangers didn't manage to get a puck past him, they started chanting his name. Ummmm, guys? He just shut you down. When the Ducks scored their first goal in Game 2, they started chanting "Tur-co! Tur-co!" Hey, Ducks fans? You were still losing. And also, that was the FIRST GOAL YOU'D SCORED ON TURCO IN THE SERIES. Tonight the Senators poured the pressure on Fleury and even though he stonewalled them, they started chanting his name. When they actually scored later in the game? Nothing!
You jeer if the goalie gives up a softie.
You jeer if the goalie is getting destroyed.
You jeer if the goalie seems to be losing his temper or his composure.
It's not that hard, people. Let's straighten this out before the next round, okay?
(Hey, guess what? I'm going back to work tomorrow! That's right! The long national nightmare is over!)
(Oh, also, Mark and I are thinking about buying a house but we're in need of a realtor. If any of you are realtors or know a realtor you like enough to recommend, drop me a note at the email address to the right. We're particularly interested in the city so someone who's familiar with Buffalo would be nice.)
(One more thing. That Senator that came out on the ice before the Ottawa-Pittsburgh game tonight and gave his inspiring speech was the most awesomely hilarious thing I've seen this postseason. Thanks, Ottawa!)
6 comments:
I dunno, Heather, I was thinking about this (after being at the game Friday :D) and it seems to me that if the point of goalie-mocking is to rattle the cage, than more situations are appropriate. If your team is pressuring without scoring, it's like saying "But can you keep it up??"
I agree that chanting if your team is losing is a little dumb. But if you're still hoping for a collapse and a rally (were they mocking Hasek in Nashville tonight?) than you never know, do you?
Actually, it's too bad that Gerber was their best player. I really wanted to chant "Mur-ray!! MUR-RAYYYY! MURRRRR-RAAAAAAAY!! YOU SUCK!!!" but nobody picked it up. Disappointing.
I was amused when I noticed that they'd stopped booing Sid in Ottawa tonight. I then learned it was because people had left. :D Good times.
DS, I'm so glad you got to go to a game. That's awesome! I always enjoy seeing Pittsburgh fired up like that.
But I have to disagree with you. I think it's bad form AND bad karma to jeer a goalie who's playing well. I feel the Hockey Gods frown upon that kind of thing :-D I'm not much a booer/jeerer though so that might be coming into play as well.
I'm pretty sure I've told you this before but I hate the OV-ER-RA-TED chant (don't know if they do that in hockey). Why would you want to admit the team you're beating is overrated? Doesn't that mean you just beat a team that sucks and you have nothing to be proud of? If anything they should be praising the team they just beat so it sounds like an accomplishment.
Even though I agree with all of these rules, its still fun to do the Emery chant. For some reason, the arena seems extra loud when that chant is going on.
Hey, guess what? I'm going back to work tomorrow! That's right! The long national nightmare is over!
Whoo-Hoo! Your kids are going to be so stoked to see you back in the classroom.
Heather, Thank you for laying out these very important rules. I was watching the Sens game when they started jeering Fleury, and I kept telling my sister, "They're doing this ALL WRONG!!"
But I must agree with Amy. There is never a bad time to jeer Emery - it makes me smile now to think of those chants filling HSBC. I've only done it in person once, but I have to say it felt like a right of passage as a Sabres fan.
You cannot jeer a goalie when your team scores but has merely tied up the game.
But what if your team was down by 2 or 3 a few minutes ago and the momentum has swung back in your favor? I think a tying goal is worth a jeer or 2 there.
I have to side with you on jeering a goalie that's got that door firmly shut. It's tempting fate... a goalie playing well under pressure will probably play even better if you jeer him.
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