Poor sportsmanship

The Edmonton Rush played a terrible game on Saturday, but it was what happened after the game that ticked me right off! Here's the post I made to the team's official online fan community:

I've seen post-game scraps and arguments that keep the teams from shaking hands afterward, but tonight's "walkout" after the game, led by our esteemed captain, Brodie Merrill, seemed kinda douchey. Yeah, we played a crap game, and yeah, there were fights that got the Rush riled up enough to get their heads back into the game, but once that final buzzer goes, that's it, game's over and nothing you do will change the outcome. So why not suck it up, whether you win or lose, no matter what's happened in the game, and show the crowd what kind of man, what kind of player, and what kind of role-model you are.

Leading members of your team in walking off the field and refusing to shake hands is a pretty rude thing to do, especially in front of the home crowd. Doing so as the team captain, who is supposed to be a role model for both the team and the crowd, is pretty inexcusable.

Yeah, I hate our loss tonight as much as the next guy. I would like to blame each and every man on that field, the coaching staff, and Coach Keenen, and the refs, for every bad thing that happened to the Rush at Rexall tonight. I would cheer mightily if Rabil fell asleep and missed the game tonight, and Duch, Wiles, Ratcliff and Sedgwick were stuck in their hotel room playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 all night.

But that's not what happened, and no one person is to blame. We lost by a wide margin, and we played like crap. Period. Don't act like sore losers and pout off the field without shaking hands. Hell, Atherton was shaking hands! There is no excuse for poor sportsmanship of that magnitude when your league is marketed toward families. There is no excuse for being more inconsiderate towards Washington than you are towards Calgary. There is no good reason to throw a tantrum like that when you're already having a bad season and your main rivals might not even be around next year.

Man up, Rush! i don't care if you're seething inside and cursing all of Washington's mamas under your breath. After the game, win or lose, you suck it up, stand in that damn line, and force those two measly words out of your mouth if it kills you: "Good game." You say it to the players, you say it to the goaltenders, you say it to the opposing team's coaches, whoever's meeting you in that line.

I've been a Rush fan since Day 1, and a season ticket holder since Day 2. The Edmonton Rush is the team that made me a bona fide sports fan. I've been supportive of the team through the first few rocky seasons, cheered its successes, cried at its losses, and literally been there, bought the t-shirt. But I have never been more ashamed of my team than after that final buzzer sounded tonight and a half-dozen Rush players chose to walk away than to show us fans that we're still backing a winning team. Show us that our faith in our team and in you is not misplaced, Brodie Merrill. Please.