"It's All Your Fault..." ...except when it isn't...

by FFSEnough on Dec 4, 2009 4:33 PM EST Comment 12 comments

Spent my college days a RIT (Can't wait for Pinizzotto gets a game), which, at the time was a D-III hockey school, and a great one at that. We got pretty crazy with some of our cheering from the crowd and generally had a good time at every game we went to. We used to, after each goal announcement, have a giant bell that would get rung for each goal that had been scored... Count up, and claim we wanted...the next one, whatever number that was.

On very special nights, when the goalie was particularly bad, or the score was getting out of control, it would transform into "It's All Your Fault..." In either case, we were ALWAYS smart enough to know when a goalie was pulled, and adjust the taunt appropriately. Two games I've been to this year, our fans can't seem to grasp this concept.

I am not trying to get down on anybody who wants to cheer, and have a good time during the game. Some may not like it, or think it's corny or silly, but fan expression is one of the things that makes hockey so great. The goal count up is a good goalie taunt in it's own right. We hockey fans in DC have an uphill battle vs. the hockey media in being viewed as a "hockey town..." Please, do everybody a favor. If you sit next to someone who participates in the goal count-up, please make sure that when the goalie is pulled, kindly inform them that the counting needs to start back at 1...

Thank you.

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I’m bugged by this too. Thanks for posting.

I heard it on TV. Watching at home and on the feed you can hear the chant, and you can hear that it’s wrong. Now that is embarrassing.

by OverTheBoards on Dec 4, 2009 4:56 PM EST reply actions

I think we’re being way too over-critical of this. First the whoop, now taunting goalies. Restarting the count is fine, but isn’t really necessary. I’m fine with the guy doing it however he wants, and at least something’s catching on that isn’t random noise.

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by Whiter Mage on Dec 4, 2009 5:34 PM EST reply actions

For my part, I always start counting with the goal that they first let in (so Salak got “3,4,5,6…”).

But it’d be very difficult to coordinate so there’s probably no point going out of your way to try and organize anything. Just tell yourself they’re taunting the team, or better yet the coach.

by brs03 on Dec 4, 2009 5:37 PM EST reply actions

“3,4,5,6” FTW! It’s logical!

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by crabchowdah on Dec 5, 2009 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

Caps fans apparently need work with celebrations involving numbers. This is kind of like the hattrick via the shootout hat toss.

by Stormblue on Dec 5, 2009 1:27 AM EST reply actions

I stand by my original comment. This cheer should be saved for when the Caps are blowing out a team. Hearing it used when the Caps are tied or, god forbid, behind is infuriating. Everyone should have fun at hockey games, but common sense has to prevail.

by Yoshietree on Dec 5, 2009 2:21 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

I don’t really like the chant to begin with. I’ve had several folks ask me (why me? Eh, I guess because I wear a jersey..) “What are they yelling?” – it becomes a hassle to explain and even then their reply is “uh.. ok.”

I guess it bothers me that it’s ripped purely from college fanbases. Sadly, I have no suggestions for an original chant, so I can’t criticize too much.

by TFG on Dec 5, 2009 1:51 PM EST reply actions

This doesn’t bother me at all. I went to BU – including one year when we won a championship in the 90s – and we had tons of great, relevant cheers. But pro hockey attracts a different crowd anywhere, many of the fans at Caps games are relative newbies (no problem with that at all, jump right on the bandwagon!) and I just think it’s amusing that the crowd is getting into the game.

As jaded die-hards, I think we need to make an effort to welcome Washington’s emergence as a hockey town, and have some tolerance for the amusing nuances along the way. (I don’t begrudge your right to vent here, among other die-hards, though.)

The hats for a SO hat-trick are kind of annoying, granted. But I’ll live with it and laugh.

by katzistan on Dec 6, 2009 10:29 PM EST reply actions

But I’ll live with it and laugh.

I think that’s the wrong reaction for both the SO hattrick and the all your fault cheer. I’m all for new fans…I have several friends that have bought season tickets since the incredible run 2 years ago. There’s nothing wrong with correcting and explaining things to people when they’re wrong.

by Yoshietree on Dec 6, 2009 11:34 PM EST up reply actions

“Correcting”??? Man, last thing I want if I am attending one of my first few Caps games is to have some self-appointed hockey etiquette expert tell me I am cheering in the wrong way. That would totally turn me off to the game, and make me think Caps fans are a bunch of arrogant pricks.

Once they come for a while, don’t worry, they’ll get the hang of things. Until then, let’s just be a little tolerant. It’s great that DC folks are finally getting into the world’s best game.

by katzistan on Dec 7, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions

The cheers at RIT are a riot! I watched the games last year against Air Force (where they ended up sharing the conference title) and was amused by some of the cheers. “There’s a Tiger in the cage” and “Half-time” were some of my sons favorites!

by Citygirlcountryheart on Dec 7, 2009 3:59 PM EST reply actions

This topic has been discussed at length before

We argued about this last year on the message boards. If I recall correctly the guy who started the chant said that we were not going to start over.

But if you want to make a “change” to the fan behavior, you should find the guys who kinda run that chant in sec 106? and talk to them about it. I can tell you with 100% accuracy that leaning over and saying something to the fans next to you will have no impact if the guys who started that chant aren’t changing.

by SYNR on Dec 8, 2009 8:45 AM EST reply actions

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