GDT: #5 - 10/12/13 | New York Rangers @ St. Louis Blues | 8:00 PM - MSG

[Kakko]

A European soccer fan telling us we overreact when it comes to our sports team. Now I've seen everything.

Contrary to what you may think, we don't scream to "sell everyone and our team is ****", when we lose a few games

 

[Fitzy]

Let's avoid stereotyping and any further sociological analysis from here on in within this thread, if we could.

 

[Bluenote13]

I recently got interested in hockey. I come from Europe, where Football (Soccer) is a highly popular sport.

What surprises me about reading this board for the past ~2 years is the crazy cynicism and bad attitude towards your team. If something goes wrong, it's always some huge problem where everyone's at fault and no one is good enough to play for "your" team.

The way some of you guys talk about the Rangers looks to me like you somehow feel like the players owe you something.. Most of you seem to think you know exactly what's wrong and whose fault it is, and you're not shy to go about insulting every player and coach you feel doesn't live up to your expectations, like you're entitled to be a condescending jerk because it's, again, "your team".

Take the game day threads for example. If there's a goal against, it's never "Oh shucks, I guess we could have played that better". It's always: "OH MY GOD, ****ING DEL ZOTTO DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE ON THIS TEAM." "Why is Pyatt on this team? He's like _the_ worst player in the NHL" (read that in a young teenage girl voice).

Not to mention this GDT. Everyone "assumes" the rangers are going to lose. Everyone just "OH **** WE GUN LOSE, LET'S NOT WATCH".... Imagine if the players were actually reading this board. That would sure fill them with confidence that their fans got their backs...

Just get over it. Be supportive. Again, if the players were reading these boards,they wouldn't be inspired to play better. They'd be more inclined to get pissed off because they get very little support in here. It's your team. You shouldn't be proud of them only when they are playing well. They represent your city, your childhood or your identity - whatever it was that made you become fans in the first place. In European football, there are thousands of thousands of fans that turn up to the fourth division teams matches, not because they are good or even have a chance in hell of winning any major tournaments. They show up because it doesn't matter if their team loses 9-0 or gets relegated to playing in the worst league in the entire world. It's still their team and they are proud of it.

So be proud. Stop acting like the rangers owe you a perfect start to the season. Be patient. You can be upset, sure, but when you're only upset you're not a fan. You're a pissy little kid who needs to go take a time out.

First off, welcome aboard !

This place is not normal. My best advice is to ignore the extremists, they are all over the internet mucking it up with drivel, can't avoid it. They're ready to tare it all down after a few games. They will call this 'passion' but most of us know this as being obnoxious. Just like questioning everything from our all world goalie, to our Captain and the always predictable 'team toughness' issues. NONE of this teams problems begin and end with those elements. The problem is on a much larger scale and broader in terms, but that would take honesty and evaluation and some don't know or care to go through the process when its easier to place blame on goalie pads.

How's the weather up there on your high horse?

Seriously, this is a NYR hockey board. People on here spend alot of time following our prospects, roster transactions, FA signings, salary cap, etc. With that much time and energy poured into this, passions are bound to boil over when the team isn't doing well. And when they do, NYers are the last people in the world that are going to hold back. We still love our team, but we're emotional creatures, not robots. After 9-2 and 6-0 back to back losses, there are going to be comments, mostly made in jest and commiseration, about trading half the team and firing AV/Slats. The only one any of us are actually serious about is firing Slats...

Stop lumping me in with obnoxious NY'ers. We are all not like that. In fact, most NY'ers I know are way smarter and alot less obnoxious than you are making us out to be.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

After a solid 15-20 years of pent up failure to mediocrity people are going to lay their gripes out and it certainly is not always going to be pretty.

No matter what people say, most of them are always here. Watching and supporting at puck drop

This is what it ultimately comes down to.

All I want to see tonight is a sound defensive effort.

 

[Killem Dafoe]

Contrary to what you may think, we don't scream to "sell everyone and our team is ****", when we lose a few games

Come on Nils, Do you honestly think the people who say that are serious? Or just overreacting because they are passionate fans who happen to get angry because the team is outscored 15-2 in two games? I was at a Ranger game once when we were losing 6-0 and the guy next to me called his grandma and told her he hated her. Everyone overreacts when they're a fan of a sports team. All sports. Except golf.

Everyone should be able to cheer for this team how they want here. We're all fans. Be calm and collected or be crazy and greatly overreact, who cares, we're all here for the same thing and need to chill the **** out and just get along.

 

[Callagraves]

Just to defend myself: I honestly think Taylor Pyatt may be one of the very worst NHLers.

 

[trilobyte]

I think the team has to acquire a mindset that lets them remain composed. There have been instances of panic which made some veterans look like rookies in the way they played.
This is where the team aspect comes in. They have had a couple of days to regroup mentally, and I am counting on seeing a more composed game against one of the top 5 (3?) lineups in the league.

Lets Go Rangers!

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

If you're only here to complain, just don't watch the game. Go do something else if you're only able to support your team when they are doing well. Coming on an internet forum just to talk about how terrible someone is will just make your life miserable. Your team might not be good, but a true fan should act like a coach in the locker room between periods.

Yes, you can be angry. Yes you can blame single players, but when you create an atmosphere of hatred and negativity, you're just tooting your own horn, not doing anything to help the team or show that you care. You just look like an angry entitled brat.

You are entitled to your opinion but it is just that. The "true fan" BS that pops up from time to time is ridiculous. Who has given you such high authority to cast judgment on who or is not holding up to the "true fan" standard?

Fans are not coaches. Obviously, no coach worth his salt would say much of the things this board does. Fans get emotional, and if they're Ranger fans anger has been a big part of that spectrum for a long, long time. HF acts as a sounding board for that, for better or worse.

 

[Ail]

Well, most of the money in soccer are from sponsorships and advertisement. Ticket prices are only a small part of a clubs revenue. This is mostly true for big clubs though, but no organized team can survive without sponsorships.

And football riots are almost never about the performance of a team. It's almost always political or feud-based.

My point with the post is that there is too much negativity. I understand you're passionate about the team, but when 90% of the things being said is about how terrible someone is, or how you hate everything about the team, that's counter-productive. I figured the perspective of someone from outside the usual sphere of hockey and your usual conversational partners would be enlightening. If you came to f.example a Chelsea bar in the UK and the first thing you said when they lost 4-0 is "What the hell is he doing on the team!? We are going to lose the next game! OMG just fire the coach!", you'd have a better chance of getting your face punched than anything.

If you were at the stadium the hour before the game tonight, what would you be thinking? "Meh, we're gonna lose." and just shout against your team the entire night? The attitude I see here can only happen here. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be very popular at MSG if you could only talk about how terrible the team is the entire game.

If you're only here to complain, just don't watch the game. Go do something else if you're only able to support your team when they are doing well. Coming on an internet forum just to talk about how terrible someone is will just make your life miserable. Your team might not be good, but a true fan should act like a coach in the locker room between periods.

Yes, you can be angry. Yes you can blame single players, but when you create an atmosphere of hatred and negativity, you're just tooting your own horn, not doing anything to help the team or show that you care. You just look like an angry entitled brat.

I'm not trying to completely justify the stupidity that goes on here, because a lot of it is actually reactionary and unnecessary, but I do feel people have a right to complain and everyone has a different way of doing that. No two people are the same and while it's not my style to go on a crusade after every loss, or a string of them, I realize some others cope better that way and that's fine.

Honestly the "atmosphere of negativity" created here doesn't phase me even a little, so perhaps that's why I am not as concerned as others about it.

There is irrationality and stupidity everywhere you go. America, Canada, Europe, et al. Just because you don't see it as much doesn't mean it's not there.

 

[useref15]

I recently got interested in hockey. I come from Europe, where Football (Soccer) is a highly popular sport.

What surprises me about reading this board for the past ~2 years is the crazy cynicism and bad attitude towards your team. If something goes wrong, it's always some huge problem where everyone's at fault and no one is good enough to play for "your" team.

The way some of you guys talk about the Rangers looks to me like you somehow feel like the players owe you something.. Most of you seem to think you know exactly what's wrong and whose fault it is, and you're not shy to go about insulting every player and coach you feel doesn't live up to your expectations, like you're entitled to be a condescending jerk because it's, again, "your team".

Take the game day threads for example. If there's a goal against, it's never "Oh shucks, I guess we could have played that better". It's always: "OH MY GOD, ****ING DEL ZOTTO DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE ON THIS TEAM." "Why is Pyatt on this team? He's like _the_ worst player in the NHL" (read that in a young teenage girl voice).

Not to mention this GDT. Everyone "assumes" the rangers are going to lose. Everyone just "OH **** WE GUN LOSE, LET'S NOT WATCH".... Imagine if the players were actually reading this board. That would sure fill them with confidence that their fans got their backs...

Just get over it. Be supportive. Again, if the players were reading these boards,they wouldn't be inspired to play better. They'd be more inclined to get pissed off because they get very little support in here. It's your team. You shouldn't be proud of them only when they are playing well. They represent your city, your childhood or your identity - whatever it was that made you become fans in the first place. In European football, there are thousands of thousands of fans that turn up to the fourth division teams matches, not because they are good or even have a chance in hell of winning any major tournaments. They show up because it doesn't matter if their team loses 9-0 or gets relegated to playing in the worst league in the entire world. It's still their team and they are proud of it.

So be proud. Stop acting like the rangers owe you a perfect start to the season. Be patient. You can be upset, sure, but when you're only upset you're not a fan. You're a pissy little kid who needs to go take a time out.

A soccer fan from Europe telling hockey fans in America how to act....lol. Maybe we should start heckling players, start riots, and chant all game.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Just to defend myself: I honestly think Taylor Pyatt may be one of the very worst NHLers.

Besides the truly useless enforcer types out there, I agree with you. But at least goons have a defined role. Pyatt does nothing well. Even his boardwork, which is supposedly his best asset, isn't anything more than mediocre. He's slow, doesn't throw the body enough, doesn't fight, can't stickhandle, and has a meatball of a shot. He excels at nothing, and fits nowhere. It's hard to watch him play knowing we're wasting a roster spot on him. I would take Haley or Powe over him anyday, and I think Powe is borderline useless, as no team has a roster spot for a PK specialist with stone hands.

 

[New York RKY]

At this rate if they keep it under 10 goals I'll be happy.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Biron started last year against a red hot Tampa team on the road after the Bolts were the best team in the NHL and scoring 5 goals a game.

They won that game. This game? The only way they win is if St. Louis plays down to the turds they are playing.

 

[Kwayry]

You are entitled to your opinion but it is just that. The "true fan" BS that pops up from time to time is ridiculous. Who has given you such high authority to cast judgment on who or is not holding up to the "true fan" standard?

Fans are not coaches. Obviously, no coach worth his salt would say much of the things this board does. Fans get emotional, and if they're Ranger fans anger has been a big part of that spectrum for a long, long time. HF acts as a sounding board for that, for better or worse.

I agree somewhat, where I disagree is there is a point where fans stop being fans. Questioning tactics, drafting, roster decision ... are all ok in my book, but when fans openly cheer for the team to fail, they are not fans anymore.

 

[Overcast]

I feel like this is going to be one of those hard-fought, very close games until late in the 2nd..when St. Louis scores 2 quickies, the Rangers don't respond to any degree, and generally fold for the night. Hoping the exact opposite happens, as I think I'm going to torture myself and actually watch tonight. LGR

 

[kingnashty61*]

lol at birons GAA......

 

[chosen]

You know things have fallen apart when a 3-2 loss wouldn't be considered bad. That is cellar-dwelling thinking.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

You know things have fallen apart when a 3-2 loss wouldn't be considered bad. That is cellar-dwelling thinking.

Hahaha. True, but by the same token, it may be necessary as a stepping stone back towards a righted ship and success later in the season. Sometimes after a team has been obliterated a couple of times, the recovery process requires a few moral victories before the actual victories start to flow.

 

[Riverdale]

lol at birons GAA......

I'm really rooting for him tonight.

 

[Tawnos]

Hahaha. True, but by the same token, it may be necessary as a stepping stone back towards a righted ship and success later in the season. Sometimes after a team has been obliterated a couple of times, the recovery process requires a few moral victories before the actual victories start to flow.

Yeah, I remember in the 11-12 season, in the 9th game we played Ottawa. The previous 8 were mostly awful and we were 3-3-2. We were up 4-1 in the 3rd period and blew the lead, ending up losing in the shootout. I remember thinking after that game, "they finally figured out how they need to play, now they just need to do it for a full game." Then we won the next 6 games. That Ottawa game was, in a lot of ways, the turning point for how the team played that year. (Thorntons comments the next game also were a factor.) The point is that when you're struggling, you can only turn it around by doing positive things on the ice, even if you still lose.

 

[NYR94]

I think St. Louis could find themselves playing Chicago in the Western Conference Finals this year.

That being said, the Rangers can take a big step forward in righting the ship early on in this season by beating a very strong Blues team tonight.

 

[JohnC]

I feel bad for Marty. If this goes how things have been going the 5-hole jokes will be even more never ending and this place'll rip him to shreds

This is a suicide mission for him

 

[jsothi]

I have a sick good feeling for tonights game, dunno why. Magic will happen

LGR

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Yeah, I remember in the 11-12 season, in the 9th game we played Ottawa. The previous 8 were mostly awful and we were 3-3-2. We were up 4-1 in the 3rd period and blew the lead, ending up losing in the shootout. I remember thinking after that game, "they finally figured out how they need to play, now they just need to do it for a full game." Then we won the next 6 games. That Ottawa game was, in a lot of ways, the turning point for how the team played that year. (Thorntons comments the next game also were a factor.) The point is that when you're struggling, you can only turn it around by doing positive things on the ice, even if you still lose.

Great memory (that was right when the original "this is a bad hockey team" thread was going nuts, wasn't it?). A classic example of what I was referring to.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

St. Louis is awesome but you'll probably all be LOLing at the WCF/SCF predictions come playoffs. This team has 40 years of playoff failures in it's belt. It's pretty depressing, actually, sounds like the Rangers but at least they had 1st place seasons in the 2000s.