You always know who the real fans are......

....when your team loses.

That's right, I said loses. That would be the exact opposite of WINS.

The Pens put up quite a fight for the Stanley Cup, and in my mind, we should all be proud of them, even though they lost last night's game and in effect, their chance at the cup this year. I am proud of their effort and they all deserve a pat on the back. And I don't even like hockey that much. Shhh....don't tell my husband. He's Canadian. Canadian = mandatory hockey loving. :)

I actually heard a so-called fan badmouth the team today, saying they didn't try hard enough. I had the urge to shoulder check the guy. How could he even say such a thing? For crying out loud, you had a player (Ryan Malone) who was playing with a nose he had broken 3 TIMES in just over a month! The man couldn't breathe, but he was out there skating his bum off, playing like a madman. How is that not dedication? If I had a broken nose, I'd be sitting whining on the bench and refusing to play. Poor Sidney Crosby got the equivalent of a concussion early in the game when he got slammed into the boards. He took a break, then went right back in. I'm sorry, but that's dedication, and that's worthy of praise even if they didn't bring home the cup.

Thankfully, the fans in attendance at the arena last night paid homage to their team, chanting "Let's Go Pens" during a standing ovation, even after their devastating loss.

My old high school football coach used to say that you can always tell a real fan from a fair-weather fan---real fans will be there, rain or shine, win or lose, just to cheer you on and salute you for your effort. Fair weather fans only cheer when you're winning.