The fans of Philadelphia tend to get a bad rap. We are passionate, crazy, and, let’s be honest, often belligerent. We boo our own team and sometimes boo others at the wrong moments. We throw things, dump beers, and even have the balls to fight Tie freaking Domi (video). But for all the crap we take from the media and fanbases, never has our loyalty and resolve been called into question. We know our sports, not just the ones that win. To survive in this city, in this region, you are born and raised on frustration, hunger, and pride.
And I’d like to thank one of our most loyal followers, Alyssa, for bringing what I am about to pass forward to all of you to my attention as well as the beautiful image for this article that speaks volume about the rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
And let me make this clear right at the start. I’ve been around hockey most of my life. I’ve seen it all basically. Never in my life have a seen an organization in any sport that gets more credit for doing absolutely nothing and has more lunatic followers than the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yes, this is the same organization that before drafting Crosby was about to pack up its crap and move south where they might get more fans. Suddenly they draft Fleury, Crosby, Malkin, and Staal getting the 1st overall selection twice and the 2nd overall selection twice in a span of four years and suddenly everyone and their mother has been a Penguins’ fan since birth.
And that doesn’t even bother me all that much. I love hockey. It’s good for the sport of hockey. Hell, it gives the Flyers a rival for the next few years, and while we’re still making the playoffs years down the road they will undoubtably be tanking once again to get the next Lemeiux-Jagr/Crosby-Malkin combination to bring their organization back from the brink of economic collapse.
Enough with the insults though. Right now I’m just venting because of an article at ThePensBlog.com. For those of you following along remember that this is a very sore subject. Don’t continue reading this and don’t read the article if you’re going to get really upset over this. Click to read.
Like most of the Penguins’ fanbase it relies on shiny photoshopped images of rivals and people that cross their organization in order to keep people interested. There is very little content and far less in the way of quality analysis. The writer obviously knows nothing about hockey beyond a quick read of “The NHL for Dummies” so don’t get your hopes up if you’re looking for a relatively sturdy opinion from the other side of Pennsylvania. Anyway, here are some of the quotes (again read at your own risk):
“Seriously, if we had a terminal illness, we would get a gun
and just stand outside Wachovia Center, shooting people.”
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“Wachovia Center sings “America the Beautiful” ’cause Kate Smith thought
the Star Spangled Banner was a cheeseburger and ate it back in the ’70s.”
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“It gave the classless Flyer organist a chance to play to the crowd again,
playing a ditty that spurred the fans to say “Hey, ref, you suck.”
Just a classless organization from top to bottom.
The organist should take a note from Harry Kalas and just die.“
Beyond all the idiocy complaining about the refs not giving the Penguins the victory and the various homosexual banter about some relationship between Mike Richards and the NBC broadcasting crew it was that bolded statement that stood out. I don’t know about any of you, but the rest of the stuff I can just let go as another idiot given a voice on the internet; freedom of speech and all that. That comment about Harry Kalas though…in the same breath he calls us, the Flyers’ fans, classless.
Obviously this poor sport is bitter about the game today. He makes various comments about the refs not giving him what he wants to be there. Anyone with any knowledge about hockey, conspiracy or not, knows that the Penguins have had the better deal as far as officiating goes all series. The officiating even gave them game 2 on a “hooking” call against Jeff Carter that really should’ve been a holding-the-stick call on Jordan Staal. Of course reading through this idiot’s banter about game two makes no mention of the Penguins getting handed the game off a terrible call.
Constantly he mentions that the Penguins have outplayed the Flyers so he’s clearly reading the shot totals and not actually watching the game. Oh wait. He has a detailed description of every little thing that happened bad for the Penguins. It’s no wonder his entries have more pictures than words.
I’m just speechless that the Penguins fanbase has proved to be more classless than a couple of kids suspended from school for cursing at a teacher who failed them. Actually I’m not speechless, it’s expected… This is what happens when a fanbase cares about its team once or twice every two decades. They apparently make up for their lost time with disrespect and filth.
But the uneducated masses have spoken. They think it’s a joke that Harry Kalas has passed away. I just thought you all deserved to know what they thought of us on the other side of the state.
On a side note the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, the one that Gary Bettman called the “model” organization for the NHL joined the league the same year as the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers have made the playoffs 33 times if 40 played seasons for a playoff appearance percentage of 83%. In teams that have existed for more than 20 years they are 3rd behind Montreal and Saint Louis. In that same time the Penguins have made the playoffs 58% of the years they’ve suited up, just above the Los Angeles Kings and just under the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders. That puts the Penguins at 19th out of the 30 NHL teams. Real solid organization you guys got there. Not very good and not very classy, but by god you’re the first to jump into the conversation when you’ve tanked long enough to produce a winning team. I’m not in charge of Wednesday’s Worst here at Phinally Philly, but this classless blog of idiots who not only know nothing about hockey but also clearly have no regards for decency and human life, deserve worst of the decade. They, like their team have no shame when it comes to complaining about refs even when 75% of the calls help them, complaining about the broadcasts when it’s proven that the league pays broadcasters to talk highly of the Penguins at every opportunity to increase league revenue, and making disrespectful comments about a man who is unfortunately no longer around to defend himself.
I’ll leave you with this video:
I can honestly say if there is any justice the Penguins will not win another cup during this current generation of fans, players, or NHL regime. Everyone thinks Flyers fans have no class; the Penguins fans just one-upped us. Everyone thinks the Flyers players have no class; Sidney Crosby’s play along with that of his teammates tells a different story. Everyone thinks Philadelphia has no class when we are the most passionate and knowledgeable sports fans in all the free world. I think it’s time the sports world re-evaluated its definition of class.
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