Raleigh - A Hockey Melting Pot
by Bob Wage on May 25, 2009 4:10 PM EDT
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In case you have not heard, there were a lot of Penguin fans at the RBC Saturday night. Is that really very shocking?
For those of you who might not be aware, the state of North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the country. Over the past 10 years, the population has grown by over a million residents. Where are most of the newbies coming from? Just look anywhere to the north of the Carolina border.
When people move, they do not automatically become Canes fans. Many keep their past allegiances. If you go to the RBC for any given game, you are bound to see jerseys representing a number of different clubs.
But why were there so many Pittsburgh fans at this game?
The Penguin franchise has been around a long time and Mario Lemieux has millions of fans, so couple that with the growth here and obviously there are a ton of Penguin fans in this area. On top of that, you have the all-knowing NHL marketing machine as well as Versus promoting Sidney Crosby and everything that is Pittsburgh, 24/7, everywhere you look. That kind of promotion garners a lot of attention and creates buzz wherever that team goes.
There are even some Carolina season ticket holders who cheer for the Sabres or the Pens, if they are matched against the Canes. Fans will cheer for whomever they want to. That's just the way it is, and I'm guessing it's not much different in any new market.
So is it really so shocking that there were a lot of Pens fans at the game? With targeted advertising the way it is, that's exactly the way the league wants it.
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yeah
Just call us the Penguin Posse.
Phillip Bunting
"Stairway To Seven"
by SteelersChatPack on May 25, 2009 10:25 PM EDT reply actions
No different than...
NFL games when you have a ton of Cowboy, Eagle, or Steeler fans invading a Panthers game. Just happens.
Love, love, love the Canes!
I always felt a bitter sweet thing everytime Detroit came to town. My 2 favorite teams, but I do like a home team advantage and when the Wings took to our ice the crowd was about an even split, seemed kinda unfair in a way. The sabre fans suck and take this to the point that the ‘Canes franchise needs to get the home base frenzied up and supporting the home team. I won’t take my son to a sabres game and that is not what hockey is about.
So are we gonna squeek out at least 1 or are we looking at the draft and offseason moves yet?
A
Be thankful you’re not a Sens fan when the Leafs come to town. Daniel Alfredsson gets vociferously booed on his home ice. It’s amazing.
A Nation of Masochists a blog dedicated to Toronto sports fans, who are continually punished but keep coming back for more.
I don’t have a problem with the fans from other teams showing up, it kind of adds to the fun and excitement of the game, makes each side cheer just a little louder to drown out the other side. This area is a melting pot when it comes to hockey fans, we probably have the most diverse fan base in the country.
by CanesFanFromLI on May 26, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions
Hey...
If the Raleigh economy had been collapsing over the past 10 years and we were forced to move up there to get work, maybe our fans would be pretty loud up in Pittsburgh.
by MichaelProcton on May 26, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions
Ouch
About that though, why are there so many Pens’ fans here?
I know a lot of “almost” ex-Bruins, devils, Leafs and other fans – they’ll root for their “old team” but would rather see the ’Canes move on.
The Pens seems to be different. Is that due to having the Pens go deep twice in as many years?
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Yes i see a ton of bandwagon jumpers, even a girl i work with her nephew both natives to NC, she told me how dissapointed in him she is because for his birthday he asked her for a Crosby jersey, kids love him, people are hopping on in troves. Remember back when Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and every other rapper starting wearing white sox hats, how many million white sox hats did you see after that…it’s a fad people jumping on the Pens bandwagon and when they start losing again it will go away leaving the real fans.
by JasonGoPens on May 26, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Anytime you have a superstar being shown on TV and featured as the face of the game, you’re going to get new fans of that team all over the place, especially if they’re winning. And later if/when things don’t go so well on the scoreboard, some of them will stay, some won’t.
>Michael Vick<—— how many vick jerseys do you see now? rofl none maybe 1 or 2
by JasonGoPens on May 26, 2009 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
When was the last time YOU went to ATL?
You would definitely be stunned. It is way more than 1 or 2.
Canes fans don't abandon the team.
I was at the game on Saturday and of course as a fan disappointed with the outcome.
However, the biggest disappointment to me was the fans who decided to leave the game early. Realy is that support fo the team? You can’t make it through a playoff game and root your team on, even when they’re down. Kind of embarressing at the end when the Canes fans leave and you can here Penguin fans taunting our goalie!
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