Series Thread: Eastern Conference Finals: (2) Lightning vs (2) Penguins

[Wingingit]

The words running through my head after two weren't pretty...nothing like a stressful flight, many dollars, and little sleep spent to watch your team not show up. Unfortunate too, because holy crap were there Pens fans there. Like 20-25% I'd wager.

Did you have a good time with pops anyhow?

 

[pixburgher66]

Did you have a good time with pops anyhow?

We did! Made a day of it, got to Tampa around lunch time, went to the aquarium, had some adult slushies (they literally had a bar with like twenty booze slushie machines), met some cool Bolts fans and grabbed some beers. I'd come away with a sparkling review of the exerpience (Tampa does a really great job with pregame and in game stuff, get fans involved pretty well) if not for the douchebro college dudes in front of us who knew zilch about the sport and started the Seminole chop in the first, to which no one joined. In a shocking turn of events, they were sitting in someone else's seats, I presume they were SRO. That and the jubilant and ignorant fans who screamed "Lemieux sucks" at my father for his jersey. A Crosby sucks chant? Fine. Unoriginal and inaccurate, but expected. Lemieux is simply off limits, and I'm pretty sure that person knew nothing about the man. My dad was actually pretty mad at that chick, hahaha.

 

[pixburgher66]

Pix should make a sign like "What's all the SportsHoopla about Phil?"

Dangit. We should have had a sign contest for her.


I feel like I have wasted my week.

"I enjoy the SportsHoopla DALEY!"

Damnit, missed opportunity. Although we were so high up we couldn't even hear the PA. Really Tampa, consider fixing that, eh? Couldn't even hear penalties or goal announcements because all their speakers point to the lower bowl.

 

[Wingingit]

We did! Made a day of it, got to Tampa around lunch time, went to the aquarium, had some adult slushies (they literally had a bar with like twenty booze slushie machines), met some cool Bolts fans and grabbed some beers. I'd come away with a sparkling review of the exerpience (Tampa does a really great job with pregame and in game stuff, get fans involved pretty well) if not for the douchebro college dudes in front of us who knew zilch about the sport and started the Seminole chop in the first, to which no one joined. In a shocking turn of events, they were sitting in someone else's seats, I presume they were SRO. That and the jubilant and ignorant fans who screamed "Lemieux sucks" at my father for his jersey. A Crosby sucks chant? Fine. Unoriginal and inaccurate, but expected. Lemieux is simply off limits, and I'm pretty sure that person knew nothing about the man. My dad was actually pretty mad at that chick, hahaha.

Amazes me how fans or band-wagon fans act. Give them a couple of white pops and they act like total fools. Of course all they are looking for is a reaction. Anyhow glad you had a good time.

 

[forty_three]

That and the jubilant and ignorant fans who screamed "Lemieux sucks" at my father for his jersey. A Crosby sucks chant? Fine. Unoriginal and inaccurate, but expected. Lemieux is simply off limits, and I'm pretty sure that person knew nothing about the man. My dad was actually pretty mad at that chick, hahaha.

I am just impressed someone in Tampa had even heard of him and pronounced his name correctly.

When I was there last year, the only Lightning logos I saw were on billboards. No lightning stuff in stores, no people wearing even T-shirts out and about. I have literally seen more people in Columbus Ohio wearing Lightning gear than I did in Tampa.

Glad you had a good time. and you even got to see your team play for ten minutes

 

[thedddd]

Fleury is in and Daley is out with a broken ankle.

 

[dash]

Fleury is in and Daley is out with a broken ankle.

HBK on the ice as well as in the stands for the Pens.

 

[obxyankeefan]

Flower in goal and a doorMaata at D in front of him.

Hopefully this works out for us tonight

 

[pixburgher66]

I am just impressed someone in Tampa had even heard of him and pronounced his name correctly.

When I was there last year, the only Lightning logos I saw were on billboards. No lightning stuff in stores, no people wearing even T-shirts out and about. I have literally seen more people in Columbus Ohio wearing Lightning gear than I did in Tampa.

Glad you had a good time. and you even got to see your team play for ten minutes

It's very much a late to the party fan base, it seems. And you're right, I had the same thought on name pronouncing...made me think they had to know who he was, making the comment more stupid. There's just some names ya don't touch in the hockey world. We met some solid fans, and there was a bunch of banners through town (it took everything in me not to flip off the Callahan ones, really), so they caught on to the Cup fever at least. I was chatting with the one TB fan about fan base stuff, just saying that most Pens fans on the road are locals, and he said it's tough in a transplant town to get a lot of support. Tampa definitely has some awful, awful tshirts though. Saw a million with "Stammer Time" "Bish Please" "How Swede It Is". Also was a little odd how many plain clothes fans were there. Not that owning a jersey or attire is a sign of fandom, but for a playoff game with pricey tickets it made it seem like some random people were just going with no idea what it was...like the FSU douchebros. There were some Germans next to me, which I found interesting...not sure what the connection was there.

 

[pixburgher66]

Fleury is in and Daley is out with a broken ankle.

That Daley injury could be devastating. He's a risk taking defenseman, but brings so much to the transition game and offense. And speed. Maatta doesn't have his mobility, just have to hope Maatta remembered where he left his brain, because his issues (basically since he was thrown into the open bench door) have seemed mental.

 

[elocomotive]

I start rooting for the Pens. They lose a game, Daley is gone for the playoffs, and Fleury is back in the net. I just have no luck.

Let's get it done tonight, Pens!!

 

[ktg8trgrl]

It really sucks that pretty much every one you probably talked to wasn't from Florida in Tampa.. seems like no one but a few of us are real Floridians here.. just about everyone I met nowadays is from somewhere else.. a friend of mines father was a big reason we have pro hockey in Tampa been a bolts fan since they came here.. not much exposure to the sport until they expanded but am glad they did.. and our team doesn't completely suck all the time helps!!

 

[obxyankeefan]

The Russian is sitting there waiting on that shot. Pens need to work on that on the PP

 

[obxyankeefan]

Great effort by Rust and nice clean up by Doublin

 

[pixburgher66]

What work from Rust. Unreal effort to get around Hedman.

 

[obxyankeefan]

Nice assist by Hagalan

 

[Payton]

Boom... Boom.

 

[obxyankeefan]

Fluery missed the first one, but LeTeng did screen him a little.

The second one Flower was out of position and unprepared for the pass.

 

[Dacks]

I feel like Washington overall put more sustained pressure on the pens, whereas Tampa can just make you pay on a half chance. I felt really good at 2-0, but suddenly they tie it up on plays that came from nowhere.

 

[pixburgher66]

Fluery missed the first one, but LeTeng did screen him a little.

The second one Flower was out of position and unprepared for the pass.

Neither was great from MAF, but his defense was asleep or dead tired. Goals like the first are gonna happen when you get stuck in the d zone after being on the PP with tired legs. He was given a lot of time to take that shot. Second one he was out wayyyyy too high.