Pittsburgh - Hockey's new "Mecca"

[penmyst]

Since when did "journalism" become "trollnalism"?

That's what gets the hits.

It got DK on the pre-game TV show for Toronto. Got his name, and the paper he writes for, plastered all over the Toronto hockey press. Got us talking about him, this article, the silliness of it all.

In a day and age where ANY notoriety is GOOD notoriety, even the types that come not from talent/intelligence are accepted.

Example: Reality TV.

[DudeMan2766]

Ive often thought about this if I were in the sports journalism profession. Its their career, so they obviously should be passionate about sports. Maybe its the fan in me, but Im so passionate about sports I dont think I could openly troll, as in state opinions that I dont believe in just to get attention. But I guess thats what you got to do. Stuff like this from DK, I watch First Take on ESPN where its pretty much staged debate, and so many times guys like Skip Bayless so stuff that there is NO WAY they possibly believe just for show/ratings. Madden trolls all the time, everyone does. I just dont think I could make myself report or argue points I dont believe, esp involving something I'm so passionate about. I would feel like an ass, but I guess that doesnt phase some of these guys.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

The first period it was dead. before they played like mud. Yohe mentioned it, and a bunch of other people on twitter who were both there and watching did as well. I just to chalked it up to being at home but when I see people there complaining about it, and I switch to every other game and the places are fantastic, its a trend. MSG....M-S-G was louder than our fans were...thats a joke.

Not really. Why should fans have to cheer non stop for a team? What's wrong with just sitting there and watching the team play and play when something happens? I'm a diehard fan and I only scream when something happens (like a save, goal, hit, fight etc). Just because your not loud doesn't make you a bad fan and just because your loud doesn't make it a good thing. Look at Montreal for example and how there fans act. Doubt you want that in the CEC.

When I go to games Im that way. I watch, im not screaming and yelling the whole time either. But buddy there is NO NOISE comming from the Pittsburgh crowds hardly at all. Its like this for a while, playoffs not withstanding. Maybe I'll wait till tmw to explain better but his article just really struck a nerve with me. And when the fans come out like that tonight, against the team who's city DK challenged, then yeah I hope he gets it thrown back at him and then some.

I try to explain this people and nobody understands. There is always an excuse. I don't jump up and down, go crazy and scream. I'm at the edge of my seat watching most of the game as well. But there is no buzz, no atmosphere and it rarely gets loud even what it should. Plus, ever since David "whiteout" Morehouse came along the piped in atmosphere has been as stale as 8 week old bread.

I don't think you need to explain better to be honest.

They can get loud when they want to. You need to give them a reason to do so. The team playing like mud doesn't help at all and plus, if people don't want to cheer and just watch the game they should be able too.

Me and you have different ideas of atmosphere and that is fine. You always site fans need a reason to cheer, to get loud. I get that, but I am talking about from 6:30 until 10:30, from a lull in the game, from playing bad to playing good it's not the same anymore.

There is zero atmsosphere at all. You used to walk up and be a part of the crowd, now they build a new arena and are to stupid to include places for all us fans to start getting into the games ( think steelers tailgating). I know if I say white outs people immediatley tell me I'm an idiot and go to a pirates game to get free stuff. It's not about that, i give them to good wiil, it was about the feel, the fun, the buzz, the excitement. It's gone.

I know everyone will retort fun is what you make it, who cares what other people do, if the team plays good its fine ther and whatever. I just can't believe anyone goes to the games now and by the time the puck drops is fired up like before.

My point is even if the team is playing great the crowd an atmosphere is about 10% what it was before, it's it the mics on Root.

[Bathgate]

Some points:

* One person’s idea of a troll may be another person’s honest opinion. So people should stop being accusatory unless they can read minds.

* Whether right or wrong about Pittsburgh being THE hockey Mecca, DK’s article accomplished something quite significant. Many many more people than before in Canada and throughout the hockey world now realize that Pittsburgh is truly a real US hockey hotbed. That’s a good thing. The word is out everywhere now.

* It’s time for everybody to quit fretting about the crowd noise and atmosphere at the CEC. It doesn’t matter. Any noise the fans make is overwhelmed by the PA stuff anyway. If crowd noise mattered, home teams would seldom lose in the playoffs where every team’s crowd steps it up a notch and especially in Game 7’s where the noise goes off the charts. We all know how the visitors usually win Game 7’s nowadays.

[The Snapshot]

The atmosphere thing is silly. The crowd was ready last night. The team wasn't. After a period and a half, people realized what was going down, and if anyone needed to change the momentum it was a guy with a stick and skates.

People cheer at the beginning of the game. When the team is flat, they surely can't be looking to the stands.....

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

The atmosphere thing is silly. The crowd was ready last night. The team wasn't. After a period and a half, people realized what was going down, and if anyone needed to change the momentum it was a guy with a stick and skates.

People cheer at the beginning of the game. When the team is flat, they surely can't be looking to the stands.....

I'm not speaking specifically of last night regarding atmosphere. It's been a weak crowd for 3 years.

Back to Dejan - my thoughts again are not specific to the article at hand. He is a troll because of his constant actions, not just this article. If he had been a reputable writer for the past two years I would give him the benefit of the doubt. But I won't. I saw him try to twitter fight a reporter from another city for giving a quote he thought was out of context. Dejan was writing like a pouty 9 year old. The other reporter was shocked, but responding, apologized, was being really normal and professional. Dejan also threw the loaded "over seeing 3 lockouts" question to Bettman after talks broke down in December, completely inappropriate, then the next day writes an article about how Bettman sucks.

It's just getting old. He is a troll, on twitter, in his chats (hoka hey! Enough already) and now his columns.

Unfortunately here in the burgh our hockey reporting is limited.

[Mr. Colby]

Dejan sucks.