Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Bandwagon Bruins Fans ...

 Since we were running the Wanna B's list throughout this blog 2 years ago but dropped it during this past season I thought that I would share this letter from NESN :

Dear Bruins bandwagon (fans),

It was nice seeing you on Saturday. You showed up to the tune of 1.5 million people on the streets of Boston to celebrate the Stanley Cup's return to Boston. I've never seen so much black and gold in my life, nor have I seen so much energy and passion for this team.
That energy and passion is what I want to discuss. At the core of the Bruins' fan base is a fervently loyal group with unmatched energy and passion for the team. Saturday, you showed that same energy and passion, and it was an amazing experience.

It doesn't matter when you became a fan. Everyone has to start somewhere. There's no shame in becoming a fan during a Cup run. It's hard not to get sucked in by something as intense as playoff hockey.

What does matter is what you do now. I hope that you will take the time to learn more about both the game and the team. It's not really that hard. You can go on YouTube and watch Bruins videos from the recent and distant past. There's plenty of Bruins history on the Internet that you can read up on. There are so many ways to learn about this team and so much to learn.

Hockey is a tough sport to understand, but the best way to start is to watch as much as you can. Head to your local rink for some summer hockey or, if you prefer, go back to YouTube. It takes a while, but it's worth it.

My last suggestion is to make your way to the TD Garden for a game next year. It's a different experience from any other sports venue in town. Most times, going to Fenway becomes a social event. The game becomes a vehicle to have a nice night out. Gillette has become more and more like that, though just like at Fenway, there are still some tremendously passionate fans there. But the Garden is smaller than both of those places, and it packs more energy into a smaller space. If you've been to a Celtics game recently, you know this.

When you go to the Garden, bring that same passion and energy you brought with you on Saturday. The team feeds off the crowd's energy. Don't look at it as a night out. Focus more on the game than on the night in general. And please, no pink hats or shirts or jerseys. I was overjoyed not to see any on Saturday.


Regardless of what you do, the core fan base will always be there. But I hope that if you jumped on the bandwagon in the past few months, that you will stay permanently and learn more about the team and the game of hockey. There are no better fans in sports, and now there's no better team in hockey.

See you next year.

1 comment:

Grillface killah said...

I only follow teams when they win!