Flyers fans set the tone for aggressive team
-
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Maxime Talbot celebrate after defeating the Flyers, 3-1, last night in Philadelphia to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
Share with others:
PHILADELPHIA -- Eric Godard of the Penguins and Riley Cote of the Philadelphia Flyers fought last night at Wachovia Center, even though neither was in the lineup.
OK, their scrap was part of a video of bouts between the teams -- another video has vintage fights -- shown on the big scoreboard screen above the ice during Games 3 and 4 of the clubs' first-round National Hockey League playoff series.
It was one of the ways the Flyers whipped their sellout crowds into a frenzy for the games Sunday afternoon and last night.
Not that Philadelphia fans need a lot of prompting to get loud and get nasty. Regular boos would be too meek. Blood lust and visions of the 1970s Broad Street Bullies rule.
In addition to the vintage fight video, the club's opening montage features the phrases "Stomp you into the ground" and "Hunt you down." A message on the video board proclaims they are the most intimidating fans in the league, a title bestowed by The Sporting News last year.
The faithful eat it up.
"They're pretty harsh," Penguins forward Max Talbot said after yesterday's morning skate in preparation for last night's game. "I don't think they're always respectful to the players and to the game."
In fact, it seems the Flyers' fans spend as much time or more berating the Penguins as they do cheering on their hockey team.
When the Penguins' starters are announced, each name is followed by a loud obscenity. That word also is part of a chant -- often accompanied by the arena organist -- directed at the Penguins and, especially, their star captain, Sidney Crosby.
Last night, fans in an upper section aimed a different vulgarity at a spectator wearing a Penguins jersey.
"It's an intense building," Crosby said before the series started. "Their fans are known for being pretty tough -- particularly on me. ... You have to make sure you control your emotions in situations like that."
Asked if Wachovia Center has the loudest crowd in the NHL, Crosby said, "Washington's making its way up there. I'd say they're the top two."
Before last night's game, an ice-level announcer egged on the crowd to let Talbot know the Flyers' supporters didn't like comments Talbot made Monday saying he didn't think the fans made the Flyers a better team.
Flyers fans are boisterous under any circumstances, but the abundance of taunts seems to be reserved for a specific rival.
"Probably just for the Penguins," said Philadelphia center and captain Mike Richards.
The Flyers love their crowd and credited their "seventh man" -- the building holds 19,745 spectators -- with an assist in Game 3, which Philadelphia won, 6-3, after dropping the first two games in Pittsburgh.
"The energy that the building brought to our game and the way we started is a big indication of how we wanted to play the whole game," Flyers goaltender Martin Biron said of how the Flyers darted to a 2-0 lead.
"It was pretty exciting in here," Richards said. "We fed off that. It's electric. It's loud.
"The first period [of Game 3], it was one of the most exciting periods I've been a part of. There was hitting, scoring, fighting. It was loud in here. It seemed like everybody was into it. Probably the loudest building I've ever been in."
Philadelphia coach John Stevens went further.
He thought the crowd did a better job of firing up the Flyers than Penguins fans did for their team in Games 1 and 2 at Mellon Arena.
"I thought coming into the building, the way the crowd was revved up, you can't help but feel good about playing in a game like that," Stevens said. "It's been the same in Pittsburgh and, obviously, even more so here in my opinion."
Asked to clarify that he thinks the Flyers fans are better than the Penguins fans, Stevens smiled.
"I always think that," he said. "I think we've got the best fans in the league, and it's a great hockey town."
If that was a challenge, the Penguins predicted their fans will live up to it when the series returns to Mellon Arena tomorrow for Game 5.
"I'm sure they'll answer it. I'm not worried about that," Crosby said.
Talbot said the fact the Penguins have sold out 109 consecutive home games helps prove which fans are better. The Flyers played to 97.6 percent capacity this season with 27 sellouts in 41 dates.
"The Pens fans have been faithful to us, winning and losing," Talbot said. "Two seasons have been sold out. I think they're the best. They know their hockey.
"Our fans are more supportive. The Flyers fans are more [vocal] in a negative way against the other team. If that's how they want to be, they can be like that."
First Published April 22, 2009 12:00 am
