Word of the Day: Hypocrite

These are tough times for HABS fans...the team is in despair and it seems we haven't seen the spark that got us to 4th (even during games we won) since before the holiday break. Moral is low and the finger pointing has begun.

I've been browsing the Canadian's forum and the blame is being put on many facets: the coach, the coaching staff, the system, the Defenseman, the offence, the second line, the first line, a barrage of players, and in rare cases even the GM is being blamed.

Now I believe our problems are not as wide spread as the majority seems to believe, but that is just my humble opinion and every one is entitled to theirs. I am not going to write this morning to argue about the cure for our problems and how they can be fixed with a new transition game and some team moral to get the boys skating. Instead I will write this morning to disclose the meaning of a hypocrite:

hypocrite – a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he does not hold

I have realised that all the individuals who go out of their way to put the blame on one staff member or one player and call it ''case closed'' agree on at least one thing: We are toast and we might as well write off the season. Let me remind you quickly of a few things: 1) Hockey is a team sport 2) Slumps happen to all teams 3) Up until a month ago, the claims were that we were winning because we were acting and playing as a team and not as a sum of individuals 4) Also up until a month ago some of you were claiming the cup was as good as ours.

We ask for consistency from our boys day in and day out, yet some (or maybe even most) fans are so quick to teeter on their feelings about the team. If you are going to claim you are ''The biggest fan and have always been so", how about a little support when they're down? How about giving just a little bit to this organisation who has given us so so much.

Now before I begin to receive angry PM's and arguments about semantics, keep in mind that I am not referring to the informed fan who would criticise the team's decisions or actions (after all as a fan this is our right). I am referring to the "Epsilon" who talks for the sake of talking, cheers for the sake of cheering, and takes credit where no credit is due while claiming to be the most knowledgeable and die hard fan on the planet. I am referring to the likes who wear paper bags over their head to a game (yes they were there on Saturday in Ottawa with HABS jerseys) and turn around a month later claiming they never gave up on the HABS.

To end this morning’s vent, I've noticed that many have given up hope for tonight. Well call me naive or say love is blind, because I truly believe we got a decent shot. Perhaps the odds are not in our favour, but we're going to want to bounce back after that humiliation, and we notoriously play our best against the top teams. Heck even if we're 100 to 1 underdogs, I choose to believe on any given night we can take any given team because that's what makes me happy and proud.