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Pittsburgh Fans BOO HOO!

Posted 10:59 AM ET | Comments 21
The Pittsburgh Penguins look like they have made enormous strides. They have matched the Rangers in two heavy weight matches. In the first they were able to take three blows to the head and then come back with some cheap jabs and then one knockout punch. Yesterday, they held their own in their own corner playing defense until Staal roofed a shot past the King. As much as I think this team does get a massive amount of calls from the reffs and always have, I think that the games haven't been too far out of touch in the Zebra category. Compared to the Devils series were the Rangers had to play 6 on 8 hockey half the series,the Rangers were given a golden opportunity yesterday late and didn't finish. One thing is still clear,the Rangers never fixed their quarterback issue and miss that lethal point shot on the power play.

I have to admit growing up in NY I hated Jagr and the Penguins. I hated Mario and Crack pipe Stevens ( Ok he was on The Rangers) too. You had to hate Barrasso and his not stop crying to the reffs and the the quiet sniper Ron Francis on every face off win. In 1992 when Graves slashed Mario and broke his hand 18,000 Ranger fans booed #66 as he hit the ice. Looking back now I can't ever remember Mario falling to the ice besides that play. The same goes for Jagr, his play off the boards and quick wrist shot almost never involved a flop to the ice.You have to respect players that were that good in an era were the game was that tuff. Jagr would win 5 scoring titles ,two Stanley cups, two Lester B Pearsons,and a Hart trophy as well. He obtained all of these accomplishments while not only shielding off opposing forwards but media scrutiny too.


There is no doubt that Jagr should have won the Hart trophy again in NY,but the title went to Joe Thorton. As if scoring 123 points and putting the Rangers back on the map wasn't enough,he has evolved into a complete player that back checks tremendously. Not only could we have waited for him to sulk and cry when his # 1 center took blood money to play for the Oilers and Capitals ( you decide),but he has mentored a young center Brandon Dubinsky into a coming force in the NHL. Watching yesterdays game against the Pens I sat wondering at how I could ever hated this guy. My thoughts were only further enforced when I watched the Rangers captain stand up and go after Sid the Kid. How fitting "Stand Up" because everyone knows Sid has a problem with that. Not only is the 36 year old looking like the best Ranger on the ice,but is again getting no respect from Mike Millbury (Islanders Murderer). Jagr is hitting and still making plays on the ice as an ungrateful Pittsburgh crowd boos their former captain.

As much as I respect the 2008 Jagr is as much as I cant stand the Pittsburgh fan base. Are they still unhappy that they were handed a # 1 goalie, the best 1 or 2 forward in the game,and a Russian man boy named Malkin? That's no too mention Staal (another PR name) and all the other intangibles that allowed them to steal Marina Hossa at the deadline. Every time that Jagr touches the puck they boo the man who delivered for them twice. He and Peter Nedved winning some of the best classic OT games in NHL history on the way to a possible 3rd title . I could only imagine how many appearances in the Pittsburgh top 10 Games DVD series Jagr will make,and how many plays as well. For years all we heard was that the Penns couldn't afford popcorn at the carnival,and they had to deal players away. Boo Hoo Craig Patrick, as Kovalev was moved,Boo Hoo as Mario had to bail out the club again with his public comeback. Boo Hoo as other small market clubs watched Patrick cry his way to the podium only to take the biggest chop on the plate. But all before the league gave aid to the Penguins to keep them in the city, Patrick moved their captain to D.C. in another bleeding heart move. Patrick shopped the best player in the NHL to the Caps and Rangers and the team bit.That's the story! If he was angry the Pens were moving half their roster,who wouldn't be. Booing him would be like Ranger fans booing Messier after his Vancouver comeback or Oilers fans Booing Gretzky with the Kings.It just shouldn't happen,and we know the two cities who handled themselves appropriately. One day these turncoats with their constant hands out will watch # 68 raise to the roof of their new building. A new building that is in Pittsburgh only because the league kept them there and didn't let them move to KC or Ontario. So the next time you Boo Jagr, cry tears that you still have a team to root for. Cry that you are getting a new building while Islanders fans still sit and wait! But cry sorrows when your one time captain comes back to be treated like he should have been all along.
Filed Under:   Rangers   Penguins   Islanders   NHL  
April 28, 2008 12:12 PM ET | Delete
very well said sir
April 28, 2008 12:43 PM ET | Delete
The problem is that the current fans didn't know there was a team before Crosby. Bandwagoners have no respect for their past or the players that helped build their franchise to it's current status. They're idiots. I wonder what Mario thinks about all this.In other news, I know pens fans are upset about what Jagr said prior to the start of the series but Jagr isn't the first great player to bad mouth the diving style of Sidney Crosby. Last season, Peter Forsberg told him in game to stop diving and that it was an embarassment. Crosby said he really respected Forsberg until that moment. Get a clue kid.
April 28, 2008 12:45 PM ET | Delete
by the way...i'm rooting for you guys. I don't want to have to play the pens and deal w/ Crosby's antics (like the one taht screwed you in game one -BS by the way). It's not a level playing field and I really want the Rangers to pull it off.
April 28, 2008 12:48 PM ET | Delete
I agree that the booing of Jagr is Pitt is pathetic, the man did not ask to be traded. The Pens hit some tough bumps and he was making the most. You have the best young players in the NHL in a long time, be happy!
April 28, 2008 1:05 PM ET | Delete
'the problem is that the current fans didn't know there was a team before crosby' - bingo.
April 28, 2008 2:25 PM ET | Delete
The PROBLEM IS...that the PERCEPTION of many Pens fans is that Jagr quit on the Penguins...he made comments like "I AM DIEING ALIVE OUT THERE." while he was still playing here. So fans took that as Jagr doesn't like it here anymore. The TRUTH is, he was a $10 M a year player on a team that was heading toward bankruptcy...but nobody would come out and say it. Jagr knew enough about the financial woes and that is probably why he made the comments that he did...because all the weight was on him at the time. To say the reason people boo him is because they were not around back then is not correct...most of the people that boo him WERE around back in the glory days...they just fail to see that Jagr was an emotional mess at the time before he was traded to the Caps and they take the things he did and said as he wanted out...which he sort of did...but not for the reasons the fans might have thought. BTW...I saw a comment about Grosby and diving and a "level playing field"...please don't tell me that you think he took a dive yesterday...clearly he was pushed to the ice while carrying the puck, with his weight leaning in the direction he was pushed. It would have been almost physically impossible for him to stay on his skates at that point.
April 28, 2008 2:38 PM ET | Delete
Ice Dog,No I actually thought Sid couldn't avoid the push by Tyutin. I also think he's been prety quiet thus far ,which scares me. The calls have been alomost even thus far. I just hope that Malone gets a powerplay goal to tie the game and the whistle blows today!
April 28, 2008 2:55 PM ET | Delete
The only other guy left in the playoffs with the Academy Award winning embellishment performances similar to Crosby is........ Marty Turco. Those two look like they have been shot in the chest at least twice per game.
April 28, 2008 3:05 PM ET | Delete
Your post is obviously a reaction to the fact that your season is quickly coming to an end. First, get your facts straight regarding Jagr. When the Pens traded him, he in fact DID REQUEST TO BE TRADED because he was, and I quote, "Dying Alive" in Pittsburgh. Take a first hand look at the article actually written back then. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_564192.htmlI have been a season ticket holder since long before Jagr arrived in Pittsburgh. Did he do a lot for the Penguins? Heck Yes! Do I agree with everyone booing him? He plays for the team that is in our way to the Cup, so anything to get him off his game. Do I boo? No. I respect him as a player and what he has done for the Penguins. Does this have anything to do with the current NHL? NO!The rules are different, the times are different. Crosby understands the game and we seem to hear about his embelishment of calls all the time. Show me one player in this league who has not embelished a call one time or another.The biggest point should be made from how your leader, Shanny, disrespecting the game yesterday in a loosing effort, by standing in front of Marc Andre Fluery and waving his arms like a bird. Totally Disgraceful to the game!! So enjoy your next few games, as they will be the last this season!
April 28, 2008 3:23 PM ET | Delete
he didn't dive yesterday but he dove all year and he did at the end of game one...i won't respect him until he plays like a guy taht would rather make a play than fall down.
April 28, 2008 3:29 PM ET | Delete
Lol thats pretty good. But the fact remains that the Pittsbugh fan base boos Jagr during the season too. This article is not about Sid at all, I actually said the calls are fairly even so far and your club has battled hard. Other than Strakas goal that was Ummmmm,not a goal. As for this Shanny stuff your talking about I'm not sure,because I haven't seen Shanny show up at all this series.One thing remains clear with players like Drury and Gomez and a top 3 goaltender in the NHL, I wouldn't be quick to say the Rangers eason is over. You gave up 3 goals and got breaks and you won the last game 1-0. Your walking into a Garden hell where your club was 0-4.
April 28, 2008 4:17 PM ET | Delete
I do not dissagree with you at all about walking into the Garden and our poor record there. I just hope that both teams play a respectable game at the Garden and knock off all of the sideshow antics. And it is with all due respect to the Rangers that I made my previous comments. Especially with both of these teams, a series is not won until you have recorded that 4th win.
April 28, 2008 4:20 PM ET | Delete
Actually, the Pens fans do respect Jagr for the most part. During game 1, they should a clip thanking Jagr for all he's done and everyone gave a standing ovation. We boo Jagr not because we disrespect him, but because he has admitted publicly that booing affects his performance, so why not get an advantage? Speaking of diving.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B53W-7tk4Uw
April 28, 2008 6:18 PM ET | Delete
what i love is how Pittsburgh was ranked as one of the best fans or fans coming to games, something like that. I love how when Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr left, every fan left too. The arena was about as dead as the Coliseuem and the CAA. Not even Mario, Recchi and LeClair being there even brought an extra 1,000 people. Since Crosby came all of a sudden Pittsburgh fans are such die hards again. As I recall the only team their die hard about is the Steelers. Pittsburgh the best hockey fans, are you kidding me? Goto Montreal where is jam packed, Toronto, New York, Detroit, Colorado, Minnesota. Those are arenas that are either at capacity or just a shade under capacity and this was even when the Rangers sucked, Toronto's current funk and even when Montreal was in their funks.
April 28, 2008 11:14 PM ET | Delete
"i won't respect him until he plays like a guy taht would rather make a play than fall down."How many goals have I seen Crosby score from his knees? Hmm...Anywho, it does seem that there is definitely a bandwagon factor for the Penguins. But what do you expect? Lots of people became Flyers fans in the 70's, Isles fans in the early 80's and Oiler's fans in the late 80's. Establishing a fan base due to a surge in the quality of your play is perfectly legitimate. Arguably, the reasons why the Leafs and Rangers have endured such dismal stretches over the past decades stem from the lack of any drive to succeed. Pittsburgh is a flagship example of how Bettman wants the new NHL to function: Parity = Success for small markets = Increased fan bases in said small markets = Mo money = Mo problem.... OK so, the last part of the equation is debatable.Disclaimer: I called all Sens fans bandwagon jumpers back in the late 90's and early 00's when they actually started to win games and I still do so. "Sens Army"? Get real.
April 29, 2008 6:53 AM ET | Delete
you are all the most bitter people i have ever seen. i think it is so funny to hear everyone bitch and moan thatthe pens were 'handed' all of these draft picks. yeah, we were lucky as hell to win the crosby sweepstakes, but so would have been anyone who won that, and you know it. As far as getting all of these other high picks it came at the expense of a lot of losses. We actually lost the lottery in order to get Malkin, when we should have been the ones to get Ovechkin (no complaints- they are both phenomenal). We traded up (and passed up Eric Stall) to get Fleury, and chose Staal over many other young stars. That is the point of the draft. The worst teams get the best players. So get bent. Philly fans you would never boo crosby out of town if he was on your team, instead you would spend a ridiculous amount of time defending him to jealous jack-asses on message boards like these.
April 29, 2008 9:27 AM ET | Delete
hmmmmmmm yes, we would boo Sidney if he dove and swam like a fish on the ice. As much as people don't like Flyer fans, I will say we are very passionate and educated about our team. Work hard and you will be rewarded. We and many other fans throughout the league understand the difference of diving and falling. Pittsburgh had a fan base in the late 80's and the early 90's when the stars left, the fans left. Case closed. So, building a fan base should not happen after you had a fan base already built.
April 29, 2008 10:04 AM ET | Delete
One thing is for sure, as much as Ny fans are intense we are spoiled. We have options at almost every sport and in a few years Basketball too. But it is a proven fact among media outlets and just any Joe Shmoe,that Philadelphia may be the most intense fan base in the states. They have sold out on a Sunday vs the Eagles,Flyers, and even the Phantoms at the Spectrum. They may be the hardest hitting to other fans in the crowd and have no problem getting on their own players. Just look at one time Superstar Mcnabb on the Eagles. He took his team the Super Bowl and threw up all his Campbells soup on the sidelines. Philly almost crusified them. Their chicks also party hard!
April 29, 2008 10:20 AM ET | Delete
i agree that if he did those things you would boo him, i am simply saying that you (like the pens fans now), wouldnt see what he does as diving. I can't reiterate enough that part of Sidney's game involves fighting through other players. You are right, this often leads to him falling, but he gets right up and finishes the play. Does that make them penalties? Absolutely not. But it is also not him diving.
April 29, 2008 8:34 PM ET | Delete
Many of the current fans do know what the team was like before Crosby. Don't kid yourself. The reasons for booing Jagr do not stem from what good he did here in the 90s, it stems from the time close to his departure. He whined and pleaded for a trade. He said how much he hated the city in a local news interveiw. There is no denying his skill, but one thing that you should know about Pittsburghers is that you don't say bad things about our city. We are proud of the city and anyone, who says anything bad about it will be disliked. As for the refs, I think that so far in the series there have been good and bad calls both ways. I understand that many Rangers fans feel the Straka call on Sid was a bad call. I think it could have gone either way, but in turn there are other calls that we Pens fans don't agree with either. It is the nature of the game. Close calls can be tough and, overall, the refs have done a good job and really can't be blamed. As for our draft picks, we were not lucky enough to get them. Anyone, who watched the Pens then, saw just how bad we were. We had a horrible stretch where we coculd not win. We missed the playoffs for 5 seasons. We were bad. We were fortunate enough to have the draft lottery fall in our favor, but that was chance. It is not like the old system where last place got the first pick. This prevents someone from tanking the season to do that. Before you continue attacking the Pens, get your facts straight. It is the playoffs and it is natural for it to be heated between the two teams, but your comments are based in fiction not fact. Don't kid yourself.
April 30, 2008 11:52 AM ET | Delete
Thats right but finishing bad doesn't mean your gonna get a top pick,sometime you need a push. Just the kind of push Mario can give to Bettman.
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