Speaking Of… Classy Flyers Fans

The first round of the playoffs is well underway, and I think it’s safe to say that no one was expecting so much drama and hate in most of the series, so far. Now, I’m about to go on a rant about the Philadelphia Flyers, who put on a very classless performance last night in game three of their series against Washington. I’m sure there are some cool Philly fans out there, but I’m just saying that a few of them could have done better last night. 

I’ve been thinking about writing an article about this for quite some time, and then, after watching the Philidelphia-Washington game last night, the topic was put on a platter for me. Playoffs are obviously a different kind of hockey compared to the regular season. When the Cup is on the line, and it’s do-or-die. We fans get into it just as much as the players do, and it’s shown in this first round. Being down 2-0 in the series, Philadelphia didn’t have much to cheer for coming into game three last night. At this point, it shouldn’t take much to make the fans tick, and it sure didn’t. 

Last night, Caps defenseman Dmitry Orlov got hit from behind by Philadelphia Flyer, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. As you can imagine, a brawl broke out for several minutes immediately afterwards. Bellemare received a 5-minute checking from behind penalty on the play, and will have a hearing with the league on the hit. The Flyers fans did, as Flyers fans do, and complained about the major given to Bellamare. They apparently thought Orlov’s injuries weren’t as bad as they appeared, then thought it was necessary to throw the light-up bracelets they received as a giveaway on the ice. THEY EVEN THREW THEM AT ORLOV HIMSELF! The guy just about got his neck snapped in two, and here they are chucking wristbands at him on the bench. 

I’m not saying that Flyers fans are jerks (Flyer fans are totally jerks), but I just love to see how the playoffs can bring out the worst in players and fans. Philadelphia later got a bench minor because of the crowd’s antics, in which Wayne Simmonds later called it a “f*** embarrassment.” The PA announcer had to come on, giving everyone a guilt trip reminding them of the rules. “This is Philly, act with class” he announced initially. After a few minutes of the wristbands and debris CONTINUING to rain down on the ice, he came on again to announce the bench minor penalty, following with a “way to go”. When the announcer has to act like a parent to the fans, you know the game has gotten out of control. 

This wasn’t the first time during that game where the Flyers showed their excellent sense of class. In fact, before they even dropped the puck, during a moment of silence for team founder, Ed Snider, a fan thought it was an appropriate time to yell, “f*** the Pens.” I think that’s what he said anyways. 

To sum things up, Flyers fans confirmed a stereotype that has been following them for years. On Ed Snider Tribute Night, they reminded everybody of their inner animal-like behaviour, and ended the night with a 6-1 punishment from the caps to-boot. It will be interesting to see how the team, and fans respond when game 4 goes back to the Wells Fargo Centre tomorrow. When your team has a hashtag (#NotAllFlyersFans) to defend the good fans of the club, you know it’s a problem. 

To make things even more hilarious, today the Rangers announced that they’ll be handing out bracelets at the game tonight too! Do they not watch highlights? Or read the news? Giving small, projectile objects to fans always goes great, especially in the playoffs. 

This week North By Northgretz welcomes Marcel Eden from the Summit Sports Collectibles Show. Marcel tells us all the cool things you’re going to find when you come visit us at the Summit Show April 23rd and 24th and the charity work the show is doing with Adaptabilities!

Next the boys go through their playoff brackets before answering questions about Kiss, The Hunger games and more in Ask The Idiots!

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