Getting On My Soapbox

An open letter to a few “members” of the Devils fanbase…

To Whom It May Concern:

I am getting fed up with your attitude towards this team. I am sick and tired of constantly reading day after day on Facebook, Twitter and in blog comment threads about how this team sucks, how they don’t care, how you wish they’d just leave, etc. And it’s the SAME PEOPLE.

I have a newsflash for you: Nothing will change about the state of hockey here if you continue to whine and complain about what you have.

Consider this: when the River Rats moved two years ago, there was a good chance that there would be no AHL hockey here at all come fall. There was a chance that we would have had to find other things to fill our time during the winter months until baseball season started up again. So what would you rather have, a team here playing in what is the highest level of hockey in North America, or nothing at all?

Now, I get it, I know this current team is struggling. I am as dumbfounded as everyone else as to why with such good talent on paper they have struggled to win games. But you know what? I keep the faith. I try to keep positive. Even though it may not seem like it now, they have the opportunity to turn it around. But it’s on their shoulders to do so, and hearing the constant bitching from you is not helping.

Whether you care or not will not have an impact on how they play, whether they win or lose 20 in a row. But remember this: if the Devils were to move to another city, there is a chance no one will take their place. And whose fault will it be then? The ones who stopped caring, who whined, who refused to set foot in the building because of who was there.

We’re not a Hershey. We’re not a St. John’s. We may not have the bigger end talent or more money to support, but we are fans who stick with the team through good times and bad. We have a reputation in the league as being one of the most loyal fanbases around. But when I have to read over and over about how the team sucks and how management doesn’t care, sometimes I wonder just how loyal some of us really are.

So do us a favor, complainers: If you don’t like what you see on the ice, just stay home. Or find a new team that you think doesn’t suck. And stop tarnishing the reputation of the fans that actually do care.

And to those who wish bodily harm on their OWN PLAYERS: really? What kind of real fan are you? Sorry, Adam Larsson is NOT leaving the lineup anytime soon, the brass wants him playing. He’s still learning the game.

Do I want to see more out of this team? Of course. Do I wish the team was more out in the community than just school/practice appearances? Absolutely. But if that’s what the front office has to work with, that’s what they have. But I still stick with it. I have stuck with this team since day one, because I’m a fan of the game. And I want to see it succeed here. Never did I say “oh I’m not coming back” because we can’t be around the players or because of the first regime.

Okay, done with my rant.