Boo or Cheer? part 2

When Christine asked me to write about this, I barely knew where to start, seeing as when I usually boo or cheer, I don't put any thought into it whatsoever. Perhaps after reading her perspective on it, I'll think more about it. Because what she says is true- in a way the fans are extremely detached from the inner goings-on of the organization, and the lives of these players. We're just witnesses to the product, not part of the equation itself.

As a younger fan, I can't give much of an opinion because this is honestly the first time as an Isles fan that I feel I have some familiarity with a former player from their tenure on the Island. In 05-06, in my rookie year as a fan, upon seeing Michael Peca at the Coliseum (as a Leaf, ironically), I didn't feel the kind of emotional attachment or like/dislike that I might feel upon seeing Blake in a Leafs jersey tonight. My younger compatriots may choose to boo or cheer tonight, based on whether they like him or not. As for me... I don't know what I'll do.

Fans have a relatively small part in the experience, but even so, they have a part in knowing how they feel when someone leaves the team, especially the way Jason Blake left. And no matter what may be going on in the player's life, fans- especially younger fans, who do have lessened maturity and ability to analyze a situation like this- will boo Blake, because of what they believe- he's a jerk, he's useless, he's greedy, cancer notwithstanding. Others, who can find it in their hearts to look past the way he left and look at his predicament as a player undergoing treatment for an illness- or simply a person who has needs and desires just like the rest of us- will cheer him. Whether they are part of it or not, fans react emotionally to any situation, and this is no exception. So while it may not be right, there will be some negativity among the crowd.

The best thing to do would be simply to respect the player. The argument may be that booing is disrespect, but whether it is or isn't barely matters- Blake will expect it, just like other players coming back to play a former team would. It's the chants and insults that make it worse, and make it look as though our fans are clueless, classless, and obscene, and those that I disagree with completely. Either way you go, remember to give him the same respect you would want in his place.

Signing off, Let's go ISLES!!!