NHL Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens’ Fickle Fans Need To Relax

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By @LissaRantSports

Alexei Emelin Montreal Canadiens

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This may be more of a rant than my usual, but it isn’t the easiest night to be a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. In days before social media, watching games was more of an individual experience. Fans watched on television or in person, sharing their thoughts only with those around them.

But since the advent of instant, global communication, it is tougher to be an unapologetic apologist of the team I support. That is directly due to the fact that I follow Habs fans on Twitter, something that can be wonderful and annoying at the same time. I recently wrote about social media users attacking players and their families. Social media can be a cruel place. Fans overreact.

See, the Canadiens organization boasts an extremely large fan base, and many of them happen to be on Twitter. When I first began to follow fans, it enhanced my own loyalty to the Habs. But I started to see a trend that was always there, only discovered as I began to use Twitter for sports-related purposes: bandwagon jumping.

It’s something that has existed for longer than Twitter, but is much more instantaneous now. The second the team begins to flail, the criticism starts. I addressed this when the Canadiens lost their season’s first game. Hyperbole was alive and well that evening and characteristic of what I’ve seen to date.

But it is tiresome. Tonight, the Habs dropped a game to the Buffalo Sabres. That was hard enough. They played with no urgency until the third period when they tied the game. That was worse. I firmly believe that had they played with that same energy all game long, this would have been long over before the penalty that gave the Sabres their game-winning goal.

It doesn’t help when every single person online bashes the team. I can’t even repeat what was said because expletives were the majority of language choice. Defeatists (“I’m done with this team” — something we saw in that first loss) and hatred, and I started to resent the cursing of Canadiens, the coach, even Carey Price who certainly cannot be blamed for a 2-1 loss when the team in front of him was lackadaisical.

I agree that Alexei Emelin (whom I praised so generously just this afternoon) played terribly. He wasn’t the only one, but his mistakes led to the defeat.

But I don’t agree with the vitriol that suddenly poured forth online. Criticize, absolutely — call it what it is. But the language, hatred, overreactions to one loss are disappointing and makes me sympathize with the Habs for having to put up with it. Yes, it’s my choice to read the tweets, but also my right to be discouraged.

Recently, the Canadiens’ website featured a video of Habs players reading “mean tweets,” and while these are hardly at the level of “mean” from tonight, they’re clearly something every celebrity — sports or otherwise — deals with. Call me soft-hearted, but I would hate for the players to see any of the venom spewed forth tonight.

As fans, we certainly have the right to feel frustrated, upset, even angry when our favorite team doesn’t quite play up to their potential. And if the things said tonight were printable, I would repeat them here. I am admittedly emotionally invested in this team and this sport. I am admittedly biased and overly defensive of them. I am also realistic, and recognize the flaws, the faults and the responsibility of those who contribute to bad games.

But I don’t understand the level at which people take a loss, or even a goal against in a winning game, as a personal affront.

I’m sure the players aren’t too happy with their performance tonight. But there’s plenty of good about the team, including their record.

The game was tough; the Sabres are the lowest ranked NHL team, and the Habs lost to them. On the bright side, it was a one-goal loss. Not so bright is that tomorrow night there is a repeat match, as the Sabres visit Montreal. However, I hope for better. I believe the Habs will prevail.

Have I mentioned I am also an eternal optimist? Actually, I have; the last time the Habs lost a game.

Carey Price once said, famously, “Everybody chill.” I believe he had a point.

Lissa Albert is a Montreal Canadiens writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @LissaRantSports. “Like” her on Facebook and/or add her to your network on Google. 

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