It looks like the contest for fans to try to outdo each other in heckling
BC goalie Scott LaGrand has begun.  Last night was LaGrand's first game this
season, and the Merrimack fans welcomed him back with some heckles that were
not too bad.  Kevin has already mentioned one, but I'll try to summarize.  It
was pretty amusing and LaGrand doesn't seem to be taking it seriously, that's
why I even bother to bring it up.  It isn't like the 1989 Beanpot, when BU
fans gave a poor account of themselves by chanting tasteless things at then
Northeastern goalie Rich Burchill, who was a recovered alcoholic.  Burchill
is a great person and very respected by those who know him, and even though
his maturity level was far above that of the fans who yelled at him, I thought
it was one of the worst displays of heckling I've ever had the misfortune to
witness.  So bad, in fact, that BU had to publicly apologize to Burchill and
NU for the behavior of its students.
 
But on to the fun.
 
* "Hey LaGrand, wanna place a bet?"  This was kind of weak, actually, but I
  guess you have to start somewhere.
* "LaGrand, your bookie called, he said YOU S*CK!"  This was a clever
  variation on the well-known "Your mother called" chant that every goalie
  endures.
* (point at Merrimack goalie) "GOALIE", (point at LaGrand) "GAMBLER", back
  and forth.  Another clever variation on the "Goalie...sieve...goalie...sieve"
  cheer.
* My favorite.  About halfway through the third period I vaguely heard the
  strains of a song being sung throughout the crowd, and it got progressively
  louder.  When I realized what it was, I almost lost it.  "You got to know
  when to hold 'em...know when to fold 'em..." - the theme from "The Gambler"
  by Kenny Rogers.  This one will be hard to top.
 
I guess this means that the Northeastern fans (with their Beanpot heckling
experience) are up next on November 22nd.  Gopher fans get their shot at the
Mariucci Classic just before Christmas.  So, you've got some ideas now and
we'll see what else gets added to the repertoire.
 
By the way, also present at the game were NESN's Bob Norton and Bob Kurtz,
Hockey East Commish Stuart Haskell and Asst. Commish Noni Daly (who is doing
a GREAT job, by the way...oh yeah, she's reading the list too, second-hand,
and loves it :-) ), former Bruins Jean Ratelle and Ace Bailey (now scouts),
and...former RPI head coach Mike Addesa (!).  This gave rise to rumors that
he is seeking the BC job.  Of course, he lost out on the Northeastern job to
Ben Smith a few months ago.
 
Wow, I sound like I'm broadcasting a Laker game for CBS with all these
"celebrities".
 
 
- mike