Just got back from another great trip to the Frozen Four and have been
reading my eMails. Congratulations to the Gophers on a great win!!

The only downside to the trip was that Dan and I were forced to sit next to
some people who fit the definition of "obnoxious UNH fan".  I know, that
narrows the field down to about three quarters of the people who follow the
pussycats.

Before we even got in the car to go to Buffalo, I had decided to cheer for
the winner of the Michigan/Minnesota game.  When the Gophers took the ice at
the start of the game, Dan and I stood up and did the "M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A"
cheer with the rest of the crowd.  After some discussion that was started by
the UNH fans sitting to our left, the guy sitting next to me said that (and
I quote) "I was an EMBARRASSMENT to Hockey East".  He said that all the UNH
fans rooted for Maine to beat Minnesota last year (yea, right, sure), and it
was my duty as a Maine fan to maintain league loyalty.  When I tried to
explain myself, he told me to control myself (because there were people
watching), and suggested that I move to another section of the arena.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines LEAGUE as (among other things) "an
association of sports teams or clubs that compete chiefly among themselves".
I did not see anything that requires a fan of one team to cheer for the
other teams in the league.

When watching a sporting event, there are certain teams that I like to see
win.  I will root for a team in the "league" more often than not.  However,
when it comes to an arch rival, all bets are off.  As a Red Sox fan, I hope
the Yankees go 0-162.  When I was a student at Rutgers, I would sooner die
than say anything good about the Princeton Tigers.  When it comes to Maine
hockey, you hope that the bus carrying the UNH team gets lost on the way to
the rink. I'd be a hypocrite if I turned around and cheered for UNH.

People are entitled to their opinions, and I always respect them.  However,
I expect them to show me the same respect.

-------
Lindsay A. Huntoon
Let's Go Maine Black Bears