Your Team Is Out, How Do You Survive Bandwagoners?

Today I was accused of being overly sensitive, overly passionate, and way too concerned about sports, or really hockey.  As someone part of the Internet Generation, I find this laughable.  In addition to this site, I write/have written on the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators, and two general NHL sites.  To say that I'm accustomed to the anonymous taunts in an understatement.  I've been threatened, told off, laughed at, and informed that I am "whacked", all by anonymous comments.  

I sit back and take all the ribbing of loving "terrible" teams as I type my posts.  I don't care, not everyone is going to like me and I'm cool with that.  Hell, I write posts on this site to purposely piss people off.  But to be informed that I am "too" something when it comes to hockey is shocking.  Exactly what do bandwagon Devils fans expect me to do when they start yelling, across an office, that the Rangers are golfing?  Is it so shocking that I'm going to yell back?  Because that's exactly what I did.  And the great defense of "your team is golfing while mine is going for the Cup" isn't the greatest when two weeks prior I said the Rangers would lose the Devils and you told me you didn't care.  That's right, up until the Cup round, you weren't even paying attention.  

Why bother watching at that point?  

So what's a girl to do?  

Jump on the bandwagon of a rival team?  I don't think so.  How do you survive the bandwagoners?  Here's a few tips as the Stanley Cup Finals come Game 3: 

• Keep Your Mouth Shut: You're a big hockey fan, that's great.  But when you're in an office setting or with a group of friends who aren't, don't talk about it.  They can't make comments and boil your blood if you don't talk about it, right?  
• If You Must Fight, Fight Stupid: Going into a fight armed with a bandwagoner, you can't hide behind your stats and figures.  They don't care about that.  The team that they've jumped on is better than your team and that's all they can see.  Their shouts are going to be pointless fluff.  Example: Devils Bandwagoners will talk up how amazing their goalie is, remind them that 1995 is the last time he was able to see his toes.  Kings Bandwagoners are going to talk about how their offense has really stepped it up, remind them that Penner is still on their payroll.  Doesn't matter that both of these players are playing well, you're fighting stupid with stupid.  
• Remind Them Of Faults: The LA Kings haven't won a Cup in their 45 years, despite having Wayne Gretzky on their team.  Even though they have success, no one wants to go to Newark to see the Devils play.  That one of the Devils Cups came in a shortened season.  Dustin Penner is on their play roll.  
• If All Else Fails: Chuck pancakes at Kings bandwagoners.  If they're smart, they'll start eating them, afterall, pancakes lead to multi million dollar contracts.  As for Devils bandwagoners, just start yelling "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaarty" and asking about "Uncle Daddy".  

Now, you might say that all of these tatics are simple and things bandwagon fans would shout, but remember bandwagoners have the simplest knowledge of the sport.  They can only name 3 players on the team, so this goes back to the second point, you can't get fancy.  

We are less than 5 games away from seeing the Cup being handed out, and if you ask me who I'm rooting for I'm going to say the same thing, Calgary Flames and New York Rangers.  You're never going to get me to change that and I hope you love your team(s) as much.

Stay off the bandwagons.