How fans deal with the Bruins choking

On Friday, Boston Bruins fans saw one of the worst collapses in NHL history, if not Boston sports history. The Bruins lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 and became the third team in NHL history to lose a series when leading a best of seven games three games to zero, the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 and the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the New York Islanders in 1975. This was a sad week to watch hockey if you are a Bruins fan, a real fan or bandwagon fan. All the Bruins had to do was win one game and they would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and it would have been against their biggest foe, the Montreal Canadiens, but they didn't do it. Not only did they lose a three game lead, they actually lost a 3-0 lead in the first period to lose the series, how about that for karma.
I got over it surprisingly quickly because I am always behind my team no matter how good or bad they are. What I haven't gotten over is the annoying bandwagon fans that have been constantly bitching that they lost. They definitely jumped on the wagon when the Bruins went to the playoffs. There is no way damn way that they were fans during the regular season when the Bruins stunk up the joint until the last two weeks of the season. As pissed off as I am that the Bruins blew it, I have to admit that they got a hell of a lot farther in the playoffs than I expected. They beat the Buffalo Sabres and they had the best goaltender in the NHL this season in Ryan Miller. Does that bring you a Stanley Cup? No it doesn't. You would figure that the Flyers would be toast without Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne during the series, but the Flyers didn't quit. Gagne came back in Game Four earlier than expected and scored four goals in four games to lead the Flyers past the Bruins. The bandwagon fans have been bitching as soon as the Flyers took a 4-3 lead late in the third period when Simon Gagne scored a power play goal.
When I was on Facebook on Friday after the loss, I read eight statuses in a row that basically said Bruins suck. Who cares? Just be happy for your team for the fact that they had a chance to battle for the Stanley Cup. Being a fan for the Bruins is really tough thing to do. They are currently the hardest team to root for in New England sports right now because they choke a lot. In 1979, they blew a one goal lead in the seventh game because of a too many men on the ice penalty. Sure enough, they lost the lead on the penalty kill and lost in overtime. In 2004, the Bruins lost a three games to one lead to the Canadiens won the last three games to win the first round. They choked last year when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 at home in the second round. As often as the Bruins choke, I will stick to my team.
Even though the Bruins had a sad ending to their wild season, things do look bright for next year. A lot of bandwagon Bruins fans will forget that they have the number two pick in this year's NHL Draft (thank you Maple Leafs for trading a first rounder for Phil Kessel). For the off-season, The fake Bruins fans would probably want the coaching staff to be fired or a major change in personnel. Bruins head coach, Claude Julien, should not be fired. He has done a great job with this team and a change in coaching would not do anything to improve the team. A trade or two wouldn't hurt, but the Bruins should stick to free agency and see what they get first.
Things don't look too bright right now because the Bruins broke our hearts but if you are a real fan, you stick with your team to the end, no exceptions. I am very sure of myself that I will be talking about this to fake Bruins fans all summer. It will be even more frustrating when they won't give me good, factual reasons why the Bruins suck. In sports, there is always a loser and the Bruins are unfortunately on that losing side. Bandwagon fans, I will see you next April when the Bruins make the playoffs.