Puck Fittsburgh

I'll get to the weekly topic and creative challenge sometime in the next day or two, because I love love love the Caps coach and as Jordi mentioned I've already done the songlist, but first I feel a rant coming on.

Before I get to ranting I need to preface this with a warning: I know we're going for representation of all 30 teams, but if anyone from Pittsburgh ever joins this site I think they will automatically hate me...and I wouldn't blame them. I tend to lose all tact and levelheadedness when I talk about the Penguins and their fans (you'll see in a minute). Having said that, there are only about 2 or 3 Pens bloggers out there and they're all male, so we're probably okay.

So let's move on to the rant portion of our morning, shall we?

I was at the Capitals-Penguins game last night - you know, Ovechkin vs. Crosby V: The Calder Revenge - and I'm still bitter. Sure, it was an exciting game. Yes, all the young superstars played like, well, superstars. And yes, the NHL bigwigs were probably thrilled at both the way this game was played out and how it ended.

But for me it was the most painful loss of the season. How on earth do you blow a 4 goal lead? How do you dominate a game for 30 minutes and then just fall apart?

Apparently you put on a Caps sweater, that's how.

Now any loss is bad and any loss to the Penguins is worse, particularly like that. What made this game awful, though, is how Penguins fans not only invaded my arena (as usual) but how they conducted themselves once they were there. In my section there were no fewer than 3 fights and a handful of ejections - and that was in the first 15-20 minutes of the game.

I don't know how many of you have ever attended a game here in DC, but if you haven't you should know that Caps fans as a group are pretty tame and quiet. That's not to say the ones who go to other buildings can't get obnoxious, because they absolutely do, or that the fans at Verizon Center are angels, because they're not. They're just boring. Uninvolved. Unmotivated. Fights just don't happen that often here because no one cares all that much - but enter Pittsburgh and suddenly men are hurling themselves over seats to get to some obnoxious guys in yellow and black.

Pittsburgh fans are really an interesting group - you have your usual suburban families and your fratboy-looking fans, and they're usually okay. But enter: the Mullet Squad. You've seen them, right? Dirty mullets worn proud and long, ugly Penguins jerseys under gaudy yellow Steelers jackets, yellow and black jams to complete the ensemble, beers in hand, teeth missing...

Too far?

You'd think so, but I swear I saw at least 20 people who looked just like that last night. You can't make this stuff up - it's truly a sight to see. They're loud, vulgar, obnoxious and exactly what I associate with my least favorite team.

I don't know, there's not really a point to this rant - just some observations. And maybe I'm just bitter about the loss and the manner in which it occurred, and maybe I'll get over it.

Maybe...but probably not.