Fans too nice?

I’d love to offer an opinion on this, but I can’t read it.

If you’re not comfortable putting paragraphs into your posts, let me know, and I can edit it?

Otherwise, much like your 5th grade English teacher, I politely request that you double-space.

Giant wall of text? Check. All-caps all over the place? check.

Well i tried reading it. Didnt work. Lost my spot about twenty times in first five sentences.

I agree with you… you are not a journalist. If college taught me anything, you can learn all you need to know by reading the first and last sentence of a paragraph. For those of you who didn’t read the post because of its length, I’ve re-written the summary below.

I will be the first to say I am NOT a journalist so bear with me on this. Remember, if you want winners, DEMAND winners!

I liked the part when Nash threw his shirt at him and the guy threw it back. Nice!

I’d love a winner. But we’re not losers either. We play in arguably the hardest division in the league, let alone the tougher of the two conferences.

I will be the first to say I am NOT a journalist so bear with me on this. I just made a comment earlier about Huselius and while typing it i became extremely annoyed, and decided to get some opinion here as well as express some opinion.

I personally feel as a city we are way too nice and polite to our players, coaches etc. It seems anytime i get into an argument about a certain player or coach I always get the same response… “Well he is a good guy”, or “He’s just a kid”, or lastly my favorite “Well you just can’t help but like the guy”…Let’s get one thing straight. I like good, nice guys too. who wouldn’t? But after 10 years you know what i like more than a nice guy with a good personality?! A WINNER! A GUY WITH HEART, who gives 100% every single shift. A guy who isn’t out there just to make a fat paycheck! This is a business folks!

I don’t know about the rest of you but I was born, and lived in Detroit for a couple of years, and absolutely LOVED the redwings. I moved to Ohio in 94. and until the year 2000 i NEVER had a team to call “MY” team. And the redwings became a thing of the past . A lot of us have seen this team and followed them since day 1. And I for one do not want to see the only team i have ever been able to call my own get bought and move to another city, and watch the city of Columbus shrivel up b/c of it.

For too long we have been too nice. Our media covers up and sugar coats almost everything, aside from a handful of fans nobody publicly expresses their frustration. The big cities with enormous followings don’t get such notoriety because they have teams full of “nice guys”. They get noticed because of their passionate fan base and brutally honest media. Players cannot go to those cities and expect to collect a fat paycheck and give half-ass effort year after year. Why? Because the fans call them out. The media asks grilling questions that we as fans would ask if we were up there doing it ourselves. We don’t have that.

Here is what will happen. 1 of 2 things, 1. the player/coach gets angry and starts busting his rear end to do everything he can to prove you wrong, or 2. he shows his true colors, that he doesn’t really care to be in your city and play for you as a fan and demands a trade. Instead we say oh, Commodore was a minus 8 through 20 games and has played maybe 10 solid games in 3 years for us, but he has a good personality, i like him.

If you as a fan want to make a statement to a coach, GM, owner. not buying tickets only goes so far. Stand up, get nasty, and tell it like it is. so what if they don’t answer your question b/c they feel you hurt their poor little feelings.

NEW FLASH! They are professional athletes and they make millions to PERFORM. It is their JOB! WE PAY THEIR SALARIES more or less! this is a business remember?! not an evening around the campfire. Call in the radio station and make person specific comments, write into the news paper about a players lack of heart. show up and boo a guy if he has 6 turnovers, or the team if they cant enter the zone on a power play. And at the same time show support for the guys who do bust their butts every shift so they know you appreciate the hard work. If Umberger returns to the bench after being told he should sit out the rest of the game stand up and cheer! when brassard hammers the other team with a relentless forcheck cheer! Get loud! If you want your team to win and your staff to give you winners, you need to demand it! Buy a ticket to the game with 5 of your buddies who agree with you and sneak signs in that express your displeasure, come up with a chant that the fans, players and coaches here that says how you feel. Strength in numbers folks. One does it others will follow.

For example, my season tickets sit a few rows up from the players bench and along the locker room tunnel. Rick Nash, our fearless 64 million dollar leader, was doing his usual, 2-3 good solid shifts and a whole lot of floating…on his way to the locker room after the second when we were trailing i heckled him and told him that he was 6-4 and to hit something, and quit being invisible. (It was not that politically correct mind you, only for the sake of the blog) He looked up at me with a glare and made his way back to the locker room. That 3rd period he came out and had 6 hits, and scored the tying and go-ahead goal. Whether or not little ol’ me lit that fire under his ass or not, who knows. But it certainly hit a nerve because for his 1st star t-shirt toss he looked up at me and with an “f-you” look strongly threw the tee at my head. Now again i could have left it for what it was but i wanted to make a point. I threw the shirt back at him when he came off and told him ill take the tee when he can give that effort night in and night out. Again not to say little ol me put that pep in his step but i will say he has been absolutely on fire since then…

Lets get serious folks, if you want your team to win, let them know! Not buying tickets doesn’t do it. they still get their check whether you are there or not. If you voice your opinion by booing or whatever, its going to get to them. maybe they will start to show a little passion and heart. We as fans need to start showing we mean business. I’m sick of being an unknown hockey club. I’m sick of losing. you should be too. Quit being so polite to these guys it is their JOBS. while we struggle to make a living, they make millions. Lets make them earn theirmoney shall we?! Lets hurt a few feelings and get people to notice that we have a damn professional team in OUR city and we love having them here! And i guarantee you will weed out the Adam Foote’s of the team who don’t want to be here in the first place, and inspire other guys to fight for it and be proud to say they play for the fans in Columbus. Start spreading the word! Remember, if you want winners, DEMAND winners!

Lou’s comment: I love your passion. That’s the way it used to be in the days before mascots, blimps dropping coupons and face painting. Last night in Springfield, the Falcons were in the process of getting blown out on their home ice. Not a “BOO” anywhere. What’s up with that? Screech the mascot was the most popular thing in the building.

Last but not least, no trips through the SPELLCHECK-O-MATIC or GRAMMAR-MATIC as they are still in development.

I think this article is right but we shouldn’t boo them until our captain gets pissed off at us but this article brings up a valid point. Our entire organization has definitely been to nice and protecting of Filatov. He has been a wus and not producing i say we trade him or push him to grow a pair and play real hockey.