There have been several, yes. Feel free to track back in the thread and take a look.
In 10 pages, there have been
two posts from third party fans even suggesting it as a possibility. Of those two, one said it was a legit major penalty
even if he milked it (note phrasing).
Once again, the assertion that there have been “several” such posts is flat-out delusion. Perhaps you’ve been mistaking Devils fans for neutral fans?
But let's just stop here and acknowledge that you've now shifted by some measure from your original argument of some all-mighty power of suggestion by home town broadcasters, to now just general team bias. Truly earth-shattering stuff.
You'll have to teach us how Canes fans, players, and broadcasters have managed to stay immune, that's impressive.
Canes broadcast didn’t try to sell any narrative about it. They reviewed the penalty call itself, expressed relief that Necas wasn’t seriously injured, and moved on.
Devils broadcast spent the
entire rest of the game continuously grousing about it. Relating every other event back to it somehow. Making the entire outcome of the game (4 unanswered goals in the third period to blow a lead) all about one call.
The difference was striking, and speaks to the way group psychology works in a competitive environment. It’s no surprise that the same team’s coaches and players wanted to spend the postgame accusing an opponent of faking an obvious injury, rather than talking about their performance. It’s no surprise that the fanbase mobilized to talk about this topic instead of the game. It’s no surprise that they’re practically alone on the island where this narrative exists.
You know how you guys mocked Rangers fans for being disconnected from reality when it came to Trouba? You’re collectively exhibiting the same behavior now. It’s normal in the context of sports fandom, so no undue judgment on you for it, but it does make for a long and pointless thread.