There is nothing like Boston fans – and there is nothing like Boston fans out in droves on my twitter feed while I watch the Bruins in the NHL playoffs.
Some may call my playoff hockey watching habits strange but I know I’m not alone. I don’t like to go out to crowded bars or attend “viewing parties.” I prefer to watch alone or with my father – the Boston-bred man who raised me on the eight-spoked B. I prefer to experience the playoffs this way because I can focus solely on the game (I’m looking at you, token person asking what icing is every time the whistle blows, stop distracting me), and also because no one should be forced to watch the nervous wreck/emotional rollercoaster that is me watching my boys in black and gold.
Here’s the catch to my hermit-style Bruins fandom: I’m watching with Twitter. Every game I keep my iPad ready to go during commercial breaks to tweet and be tweeted with all the Bruins fans and media. As a self-proclaimed social media junkie, I spend the time between periods and during commercial breaks lowering my blood pressure by scrolling through twitter to see what others are saying about the game.
Twitter is filled with insight from the pros, inspirational cheering from the fans, and my favorite, those who come up with the little witticisms that help ease the stress of a game 7 overtime. There’s something about seeing hundreds of tweets from fellow puck-heads that adds to the enjoyment of the game.
For the recluse sports fan worried they may frighten others if watching the NHL playoffs with actual people, twitter is a prime resource for joining the other fans in rejoicing in our victories and wallowing in despair when we come up short (fingers-crossed that tonight after game 4 we’re doing the former). There’s nothing like seeing this after watching Chara get blatantly hit with a high stick without so much as a peep from the referees.
And immediately thinking, yes! Perfect! Thank you, Jerry Thornton for putting my frustration into 140 characters – The magic of sports fans on twitter, people.
So you can keep you high fives and chest bumps, people at bars and parties, I’ll stick with my knee-slapping Jack Edwards tweets.