It's that time of the season where my teams have been eliminated from the playoff race and I'm left in a heap on my bathroom floor crying out "why do I love these teams???" I don't even have to sign on to Twitter and I can hear the Capitals fans laughing (and I'd say the sounds of Oilers fans but they died out over a month ago). I don't know what to do with myself. Sure there's more hockey on, and I love any hockey but what do with my over exuberant fandom?
I've tried to root for other teams, but it doesn't feel right. See the problem is, I know a bit about hockey, not enough to compete on a crazy level but enough that I want to know even more. My curiosity kills me and eventually I end up at a point where l start to feel for them. Even if I start rooting for them temporarily, I'll get a bizarre version of Stockholm syndrome and October will roll around and I'll have a third team I live and die for. Really, I can't do that to myself.
This is how I picked up the Flames few years back, it wasn't the playoffs but I started paying attention to them for cute guy reasons and before you know it, I was sold on those scrappy old guys. The team lasted longer than the guy, but I'm afraid if I start looking into the LA Kings or Chicago Blackhawks or Detroit Red Wings, I'll end up in that position again.
I need to learn how to watch a team and not fall in love with them. And yes, for every Calgary Flames situation, there's a half dozen teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, teams that I could never bring myself to love.
I'm hoping to hold myself together over these next few weeks. I'll hop on a bandwagon or two, but if it's July and I'm still babbling on about them, digging up history books, and buying sweaters, I'd hope you all smack some sense into me. Because lets be honest, none of these teams need more bandwagon fans.