Habs Embarrass Devils; Fans Embarrass Themselves

On Wednesday in Montreal, the Canadiens blew a 3-1 lead to the lowly Edmonton Oilers in a 4-3 overtime loss.

Because of this, the Canadiens came into New Jersey knowing they had to get a win. In recent memory, the Devils have flat out owned the Habs. Coming into last night, the Devils had to have known that the Canadiens would be motivated. They were a team that needed to bounce back from a bad loss and at the same time defeat a team that has owned them recently.

It only took the Devils 11 seconds to show the fans what kind of night it was going to be.

The Habs rushed up the ice and put a shot on Johan Hedberg and Brian Gionta was able to stuff it home. The Canadiens were up 2-0 before 2 minutes had expired and Johan Hedberg was pulled by coach MacLean. The night got progressively worse. The Devils were never able to find their legs and create some decent scoring chances. The lowest point of the night was a 5 on 3 for two whole minutes. The Devils stood (that’s right… stood) in the Habs’ zone passing the puck in circles with the occasional very easy puck-to-chest shot for Carey Price to stop. The Devils had 28 shots but nearly none of them were creative and dangerous scoring chances.

So while the Devils took a big step forward last week, they took a big step back last night.

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Next up: The fans…

Last night was embarrassing in the stands and on the ice. I don’t care what anyone has to say; our fans are lousy. After the Habs go up 2-0, we should expect to hear LET’S GO DEVILS chants and make some noise to try and rally the troops who had almost THE ENTIRE GAME to score two goals. The game wasn’t over when the Habs were up 2-0 but the crowd sure packed it in.

By the way, that group of kids in the balcony that were Habs fans made our entire crowd look silly. And a note whoever the clever guy sitting behind me in section 230 was… when those kids cheer…. you should cheer for the Devils and try to rally the fans around you instead of calling a group of schoolkids “F*GS”
It happened five or six times. Those kids started chanting “Go Habs Go” and the guy yells “Shut up f*gs!!!” Those kids are like 15 and 16 years old… also MUCH MUCH MUCH smarter in hockey terms than most of our fans.

Next, a message to the guy during the Canadian national anthem that yells “YOU CAN HAVE IT” after “God, keep our land…” You’re an idiot. Just like the guy who yelled “CANADA SUCKS” about 15 times. It’s apparent that these people never realized that a good portion of the Devils team including the hall of fame goaltender that won them three cups are all Canadian.

This team’s fans need a makeover as much as the team itself does. There have been a few occasions that have made me very embarrassed to be a Devils fan and last night was one of them. Maybe if our fans decided that booing isn’t the only way to voice your opinion, things would be a little different. There are almost NO “Let’s go Devils” chants anymore. I don’t care if the team is playing bad. They still have a chance to make the playoffs. And if people want to complain “I don’t want to pay my hard earned money to watch this crap” then DON’T. STAY HOME. Because in reality, you’re paying your ‘hard earned money’ to sit in a seat and boo and not actually be a good fan and cheer your team and try to rally your fellow fans. So the Devils win. They have your money, and even though you claim you aren’t going to put up with it.. you still continue to do so. So if you’re going to actually show up, how about cheering on the team instead of making us look like the least educated and classy fans in the league. We’re getting close.

If Mac WAS indeed saying the fans are selfish in that video… he may be right. Most of them don’t cheer for the team to begin with. They show up to start booing if the team gets down by a goal or two.

On a positive note: Last night was the first game in a LONG LONG time I didn’t hear any ‘Rangers suck’ chants.

Will the Devils practice today? We don’t know yet. The spotlight is on Jamie Langenbrunner an John MacLean now. The captain and the coach have to step up to make sure this team doesn’t sink any farther down this hole. They still have a chance to get out of it. If they don’t step up, those two might be the likely candidates out the door.