Thanks, Gurt. You're a true hockey fan unlike ignore-boy. I have plenty of MN related stuff, but most of it is actually at the cabin (the only place I really have a man-cave) and I thought I'd go in a different direction by showing something that would probably be appreciated by wider variety of fans. I don't begrudge anyone for loving "their" team in the least but I love, love hockey and that will never be limited to MN.
Not that it matters, but I posted here a few years back about how when my father was very, very sick a neighborhood friend's father took it upon himself in the early 70's to take me to dozens of Gophers FB, BB and HKY games over the course of 3 seasons. It not only proved to be extremely therapeutic for a kid my age dealing with the thought of your dad dying, but made me the Gophers fan I've been ever since. I've lived and died with the Maroon and Gold for nearly 40 years. Love them. LOVE THEM. But it will never, ever be at the expense of my total appreciation for sports themselves, the participants, coaches and fans no matter the program. I love giving crap to rival fans, but in my heart the only difference is the program they support.
Why the hell should I not appreciate you or Dirty for instance loving your programs? College hockey is the sport above all and it wouldn't exist without you all. I have laughed, cried and virtually died with the Gophers for all these years and will until I can't any longer, but I support your love of the game every bit as my own even if you cheer for those godawful colors and goons on skates. I want the Gophers to pound BC this year but who can't recognize that program's success and wonderful coaching? Who can't love the Miracle on Ice as a MN hockey fan and still support what Johnson, Craig, Eruzione and Morrow meant to the team? Does it mean I don't love Broten, Buzzy or Brooks?
I loved growing up playing on ponds and outdoor rinks. I loved idolizing the MN kis that played in the Minnesota state tourament and think it's one of the greatest sporting spectacles anywhere on the planet, but does it mean what goes on in WI, NY or MI any less significant? Does it mean the kids and parents that dream of the NHL (or hell, just making it to the next game) are any less meaningful because they don't play in my favorite state?
What fans (I use that term looesely) like JDUBBS don't recognize is that you can support your team without fail but do so without disparaging others. Give them crap, rip them within reason and boast all you want, but there's a limit. This is a community and it deserves better than what JDUBBS brings to the table, our differences aside. Support your team, love them and sure snicker when your rival loses, but in the end rise above it all and love the game more than anything else.
I am pretty sure Doug Woog would understand everything I've said here. He never won the big one, but he LOVES college hockey and bleeds Maroon and Gold and the M, but he'll be the first to show appreciation for an opponent's accomplishments becuase he understands that the game itself is far more important than any one coach, player, state or program. God Bless the USCHO community and hockey in all.
