Last night, the Philadelphia Flyers came into the Nassau
Coliseum looking to knock to the New York Islanders off of their high horse.
With the Islanders arguably being the hottest team in the NHL, it would not be
an easy task for the Orange & Black to accomplish. Although Steve Mason did
his part, recording 46 saves and recording a shutout, Philadelphia’s offense
was nowhere to be found which resulted in a shootout loss. As a fan of the
Flyers, or hockey in general, you have to feel bad for goaltender Steve Mason.
This is not the first time that he has put forth a stellar effort but received
little to no offensive support. I mean the Islanders were able to put up a
whopping 46 shots, and Mason turned away all of them. Ladies and gentlemen, that
is not an easy accomplishment by any means. On the other hand, the Flyers were
only able to 21 shots on goal. That is less than half of the amount the
Islanders put up!!!! To be in a game the entire time against a very good
opponent, and put up no goals at all is pretty flipping pathetic if you ask me.
Unlike most
nights, I was actually able to attend last night’s game. This is always an
enjoyable experience that occurs only once or twice a season. I am not the type
of fan that falls under the “obnoxious jerk” category. I do not heckle the
opposition or their fans under any circumstances. I am there for one reason, to
watch a sport and a team that I am very passionate about. I say this because
what I experienced last night shocked me and was completely uncalled for.
Before I go any further, I am 100% aware that I was in enemy territory last
night rooting for a team that is not well liked by other team’s fans. However,
I have been to many Flyers verses Islanders games at the Nassau Coliseum in the
past and never experienced any sort of hostility. Again, I state that I am a
quiet fan and completely get that if you run your mouth, you are most likely
going to get chewed apart. Last night, I was walking back to my seat during the
intermission when I heard someone behind me yell “nice jersey f*gg*t”. I looked
behind me to find a man (only in age), most likely in his mid-twenties, staring
directly at me with his middle finger in the air. He then moved his finger to
the direction of my fiancé. The look of his hate in his eyes was unbelievable.
Here we are just minding our own business and this toolbox decides he is going
to direct hateful actions and remarks towards us because of the team we were
supporting. It honestly felt uncomfortable and did not make the experience as
enjoyable as it should have been. When the game was over, my fiancé and I
walked out to the parking lot to find our car. As we were on the search for the
Malibu I felt a heavy object hit me right in the back of the neck. When I
looked down at the pavement I noticed that what hit me was a close-to-full Bud
Light can. At that point I felt as if it was in my best interest to get to my
car and just leave. Provoking these hooligans would produce nothing positive
for me.
The reason
I bring this stuff is not only because the Flyers gave me nothing fun to write
about as far as on-ice-performance; it is because I truly felt the most treated
I have ever felt at last night’s game. It made me think about all the other
fans that root for the away team at any stadium and the torture they sometimes
go through. It can be a deterrent that can prevent an individual from something
he or she loves. There is no place for
this kind of behavior in hockey or any sport. That is as far as I am going with
this issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment