Living away from home can be one of the hardest things that an adolescent can experience. During your time away, you must find things in your new home that make you feel comfortable and can seem as familiar as being home. One thing that reminds me of home is going to hockey games with my family and friends. Since living in Philadelphia, I’ve gone to a few hockey games at the Well Fargo Center to see the Philadelphia Flyers play my hometown team, the Boston Bruins. Going to hockey games has been something that I have grown up doing. My dad grew up going to see the Bruins at the Garden, and even skating with some of the players at the Civic Center in Fitchburg, MA. Naturally, his love for the team only became stronger when he started to bring my sister and I to games. Nights spent at the Garden with my dad are some of my fondest memories.
Going to games now as a near adult with a different crowd of people is a very interesting experience. There are so many things that I notice about these sporting events that I had never noticed before. For one thing, more than half of the people you see have most-likely had too much beer. Do you ever wonder how they’re going to get home? What if they drove their own cars to the arena and now they just can’t drive back? I often wonder if they intended to get too drunk, or if the stress of the game became too much and they had to choice but drink anytime anyone scored.
The next thing I've noticed is that each team's fans have their own way of celebrating victories and losses. You get a small taste of what each city is like when they're the visiting team, but when the tables turn and suddenly you're the visiting team, everything changes. When you're thrown into a new city, you are inevitably going to experience their sports fans and their energy. Philadelphia fans are extremely passionate about their team, the players, and the game. However, I don't think anything can compare to the energy that Boston fans bring to every game. No matter what the score is or what the time is on the clock, we are always loud; and loud might even be an under statement. We also do not take losses and victories lightly. No matter the outcome, Boston fans can be a little aggressive, hence the term Masshole, a name we so proudly own.
Being a Boston fan at a Flyers vs Bruins game was sort of a vulnerable experience. With both outcomes, a win and a loss, Flyers fans had very choice words for me as I walked through their territory. It was both funny and disappointing to be a part of. However, when a group of men noticed a young boy passing them, they shouted at him saying, "the Bruins suck buddy, go back home." At that point, I laughed to myself. Why is it necessary to say that to a young fan? He was probably an aspiring hockey player trying to learn techniques by watching his favorite team, and that is extremely discouraging to hear especially from a grown adult. It's just not worth it to fight with people, especially young fans, about whether or not your team won and who you think is the superior team. We are all here because we want to see the game and we want to support our team. It's about the game.
