Do you attend NHL Games?

Question

I love hockey, and I go to Ranger Games at Madison Square Garden.

Tell me your team, the arena, the fans' goal celebration, chants and cheers you have, etc.

Example:
When the Rangers score a goal, everybody leaps to their feet, and sings the goal song (which flashes on the scoreboard).

No matter who we are playing, a few times during every game, somebody whistles the old "Let's Go Band" and when they're done, everybody yells "Potvin Sucks" (hes never been forgiven, in nearly 30 years). At some point during the third period, during a TV time out, a guy in a certain section gets up and dances, and they put him on the scoreboard. If he's not there that night, everybody chants "We want Larry" his name is "Dancing Larry"

I'm loving these stories, I've extended the expiration on this question.

Ross - thanks for reminding me! When the refs blow a call, everybody chants "A**Hole" I love that.

I like your score story, that sounds like fun..."We want seven", LOL

Answer 1

As a Sabres fan I attended games at HSBC all the time. Just some things we like to do: When there is a bad call by the refs (or an obvious penalty that wasnt called) we whistle at the refs (simulating the whistle that they either blew at a bad call, or didnt blow at a no call).

Also, when the Sabres are running up the score we have a little chant. Say the Sabres have scored 6 goals already, you will often here the crowd chant "1-2-3-4-5-6...We Want 7!" This gets louder and louder the higher the score gets (and since the Sabres have been so amazing offensively these past few years, that chant is heard alot).

During the playoffs we also LOVE to chant the other teams goalies name. I still remember in 2001 playing against the Flyers in the playoffs, Roman Cechmanik was their goalie...nothing better then screaming ROOOOMANNNNN all game long.

Answer 2

Tampa Bay Lightning

I have season tickets, and it's an awesome environment. People down here love hockey alot more than people up north think. When we score it's usually the Hey song, however when Martin. St. Louis scores they play the Louie Louie song from the 70's. Also it seems over the years we've built up a small rivalry with the Flyers especially in the 2003-2004 Conference Finals when we won in 7 games. Since then almost once a game you'll hear a Flyers Suck chant even if were not playing the Flyers

Answer 3

I live in Montreal, I usually get to 8-10 games a year here and maybe 2 in Ottawa. The fans are generally very loud and boisterous here. The best games are against Toronto and Boston as usually one third of the fans are leafs or Bruins fans.

The fans are very knowledgeable and quick to boo poor play or a player who is not giving his all. The last couple of years they have been playing a DA&& U2 song after each goal. It is actually pretty lame as a celebration song. With the new arena there is too much music and telling the fans when to cheer. It used to be the play on the ice that got the fans into it, now the scoreboard tell us when to cheer.

Ottawa is a great place to watch a game, the arena there is more fan friendly than ours, access to concessions, washrooms and space in the concourse areas etc. However, the atmosphere is much better in Montreal.

We seem to be developing quite a rivalry with Pitsburgh also and the fans are quick to cheer Crosby's play but also quick to get on him when he starts yapping to the ref.

Answer 4

HSBC Arena for Sabres games, usually the bloodiest of the nose bleeds. Saturday's game I was in section 316 between the Vanek Attack and Weapon of Max Destruction signs lol.
As far as celebrating Song #2 by Blur is the goal song and we have all kinds of chants, usually the typical let's go buffalo, but im a big fan of the sabres ingenious "sabres on the war path oooh aaah" dittie :)
We also do the name chant, like when we play the Sens we do this ridiculous "Eeeeeeeemeryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" and I've been told we sound like we boo our own players when really we're saying "Dreeeeeew" or "Goooooooooooose".

Answer 5

I used to have season tickets to the Florida Panthers. Their ticket department sold my seat out from under me even though I had already paid for it and would not move those other people. So I told them to stuff it and give me my money back. I still go to many home games. There are the usual chants Lets go cats. Lets go panthers. Ref you suck. We use to have an older fan that was our dancing guy. That was Swinging Sal. He is no longer with us. When we score every body just jumps up screams , high fives, and yells with the pantherized version of rock and roll #2. Insert cat growls and roars for heys. I beileve it is still called the office depot center. The name of the building has changed twice since it opened nine years ago.

Answer 6

When I was single and living in DC I went to Caps games religiously. I could afford to go back then. I was making DAMN GOOD money and I had no girlfriend and I was living it up. Now with two kids a wife and all the other good stuff that comes along with being a family man I can't. Not to mention I live near Toronto so even if I had the money now I would not spend the outrageous amount of cash required to attend a Leafs game. I do however catch as many Hamilton Bulldog games as I can.

Answer 7

I wish. I'm between Toronto and Buffalo; I don't have a passport right now ruling out going over to Buffalo games (Buffalo being closer) and I've only been able to go to the occasional Toronto game when someone with season tickets was able to hook me up (If you can't get at least Red seats if not Gold why bother, I'd get more entertainment watching it at home on the widescreen with friends than sitting back in the nosebleed Blue sections. maybe I'm just a snob...) and basically the corporations buy out all the Gold and most of the Red seats pre-season...

Answer 8

I've been to a bunch of games in Boston. When the Bruins score, the goal horn sounds like the train whistle to the commuter rail. The businessmen in their suits and ties continue making their business deals in the loge seats, the real fans in the balcony get up and cheer. It's so anti-Boston Garden.

GO SABRES!

Answer 9

I am a big Vancouver Canucklehead fan. Most of the games I go to are in edmonton or Calgary though when Vancouver plays them since they are closer to my hometown than Vancouver is.

When I do get to go to games in Vancouver the biggest goal celebration I have seen is when all the fans start waving the white towels and calling for the other team to resign from the game:P

Answer 10

Haven't been to one since 03, Devils/Flyers at Con Air Arena. I left NJ in 2005 and my only options really are the Thrashers and the Canes, and Atlanta and Raleigh are too damn far to drive to. However highlights from the Devs game, the Rangers suck, Flyers swallow chant priceless.