... if you're a Wings fan.
That's Anaheim... last night... in case you're wondering, Gentle Reader. And yeah, you can be sarcastic about the emigration from a dying city, if'n ya wanna be. But it is what it is, when it comes to hockey fans. I've seen the phenomenon myself, in a sports bar in SFO during the 2002 playoffs when there were more Winged Wheel sweaters than any other variety (YrHmblScrb included, of course).
Gotta love it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oh, you know my take on this one, Buck. The BoSox of hockey. It's easy to get behind the momentum (recent presidential election rings a bell), and everyone wants to be part of the in-crowd. Were I a Wings fan, or Red Sox, or Patriots, or you pick the bandwagon driver, I might be leery of meeting other fans for fear of being ashamed of having a common interest with people who put no weight behind their allegiances.
ReplyDeleteBut I am grumpy beyond my years.
And the one big difference I give the Wings on this is that unlike the other fashionable favorites, I actually like the team, its players, and coaches.
I don't doubt there are bandwagoneers when it comes to the Wings, Andy, just as there are with any other successful team... as you mentioned. But the somewhat unique nature of the Wings' following is something I've noticed for well over 20 years, beginning with the chartered train cars that went to Toronto for home-and-home series back in the days of the Wings-Leafs rivalry. It really is something special.
ReplyDeleteMust be why they can't sell out the "Joe"....everybody has got the Hell out of Dodge(Detroit).
ReplyDelete:)
Buck, the thing I noticed that made an impression, all those red towels waved like mad even when the Ducks scored, which tells me that the people holding them were Hockey Purist. They were very well entertained. As was I.
ReplyDeleteBT: Jimmy T sends.
Pat: It's hard times in Detroit. Discretionary spending is the first thing to go...
ReplyDeleteJimmy: Either those towel-wavers are Purists or they don't have a clue! :D
I'd prefer to believe the former, too. But I sure as Hell didn't cheer when The Hated Ducks scored... That would be like you cheering for Crosby when they played the Flyers.