jbeeman85 wrote:As much as it pains me to say it, congratulations to the Blackhawks. Congrats to Howie and Kopfschuss, it's great when you get to experience your team winning it all, if only all Chicago fans were as respectful as you two. Now, I get to deal with even cockier Hawks fans when they come to Nashville. It wouldn't be so annoying if it wasn't for the whole cheering through the National Anthem, totally disrespectful in my opinion. But I have already vented on that issue several times in this forum. Hopefully one day my Preds will be hanging a banner of their own.
Man it's been a crappy start to 2013 in sports for me. The Blackhawks (NHL), Heat(NBA), Ravens(NFL), and Alabama (NCAAF) all champions. About the only way that list gets any worse for me is if you put the Gators in Bama's place. The countdown to football is on. Go Vols (University of Tennessee).
Thanks for the kind words Jeremy! That's very gracious of you. I was always taught to win (or lose) with class. Sure, I'm happy when my team wins and I'm devastated when they lose but in the end it's only a game and games are supposed to be fun. Even when I played sports (I still compete in frisbee golf!) I would always congratulate the other side no matter the outcome.
Sports to me are like a bridge. I can strike up a conversation with just about anybody, someone who otherwise would have nothing in common with me, and talk about sports. When I worked in restaurants I got to know the delivery guys who were mostly Mexican or Central American by talking about soccer.
There's no need to rub anything in anybody's face (except for Cowboys fans

), heck I could be in the reverse position next!
Good luck to your Preds next year. My brother married a Tennessee girl and they have lived in Nashville for several years and are season ticket holders so hopefully I will get to come down for a game at some point.
As far as cheering during the National Anthem goes I can tell you that I am uncomfortable with it. I've never been to a game in Chicago and was unaware that that happened. It was explained to me that it started after 9/11 maybe? That's one "tradition" that I wouldn't mind seeing retired. We used to have a minor league hockey team here in Richmond and when the line "O, say can you see?" was sung about half of the fans shouted "OH!" which I thought was completely inappropriate and disrespectful although some thought it was "cute".
Anyways, thanks to all for contributing to this thread. It is the longest one I have started (15 pages!). Who knew that there were so many pucks fans among the comic book nerds!
Good luck to all of your teams next year (with the exception of the Red Wings!

). Seriously though, that would be one heck of a Stanley Cup Finals.
Someone will have to start a College Football thread this Fall. Go Virginia Cavaliers! Wa-Hoo-Wah!!