Caps Fans Go Out in Style

Since a lot of words have been said about Philly fans in recent days, it's probably worth mentioning that, despite Ted Leonsis's comment about how proud he was of the Caps fans in defeat, the post-game scene in the arena last night wasn't necessarily a shining beacon of classiness.

Were there thousands who stood and clapped and engaged in some "Let's Go Caps" horn tootin' thanks? Absolutely, but there are also thousands of Flyers fans who didn't make a spectacle of themselves this week. "Sorry to say it, but you can't keep pulling that high road crap anymore," wrote a Flyers fan on the team's message board, and it was hard to disagree.

* I mentioned that I saw zero acts of violence in Philly (again, not that they didn't occur). In D.C., I wasn't even looking, and on my way out I saw a Caps fan slap who I assumed to be another Caps fan directly in the face. Clean contact. The slapped fan had been attempting to break something up between the slapper and a third guy; then a fourth guy (or maybe fifth, I was losing count) came in swinging wildly. That all petered out pretty quickly, but hand was definitely landed on face, and the rank smell of violence was definitely in the air.

* The ice? Yeah, it was pretty much covered with beer after the game-winning goal. Beer that could have fed starving children in Africa. Also thrown: water bottles, posters, assorted red-rocked debris, etc.

* The urinals? Yeah, there were the requisite pieces of paper bearing photos of Flyers and the caption "Shower Please." Mildly amusing? Sure. Classy? Eh, probably not.

* Jeff Carter? Yeah, he was pretty much hit with a beer bottle after the game. At which point he said, "classy, classy," and it was hard to argue. (Thanks to Yoohoo! Blog)