While still searching for the ever-elusive photo of the Penguins raising their sticks to the fans after the Stanley Cup final game, I have come across MANY articles and posts regarding Pittsburgh Penguins fans at the game.
From Channel 11 in Pittsburgh:
PITTSBURGH -- Channel 11 received an email Thursday morning from a Detroit Red Wings fan. Many would expect their fans to gloat after their team won the Stanley Cup, but not this guy. Read what he had to say about the city of Pittsburgh and the proud Penguins fans.
Dear Pittsburgh WPXI NBC 11,
My name is Tony. I am a resident of Detroit and am a Red Wings fan. I would like Station 11 to pass along a message to all the Pittsburgh Penguin fans in the stadium on Wednesday night. Congratulations on a well played hockey season. Thank-You for the respect you showed our Red Wings, applauding, standing, cheering and sticking around for the trophy ceremony. All of you have a lot of class. I don't know which moved me more, winning the cup or watching all of you in the background on T.V. I'm leaning towards "all of you in the background". It's times like this that makes me proud to be an American. We can belong to different States, different cities, root for different teams but still at the end, come together as Americans, hockey fans, good sportsmen and sportswomen. I for one hope that one day I (and hopefully all of Detroit) can return the respect to Pittsburgh that Pittsburgh has shown Detroit. See you next season, Good Luck and again, Thank-You!
Sincerely,
Tony
From CBS Sports Community:
"What an exciting game six of the Stanley Cup Finals. Although there were several stories in these playoffs, there is one thing I will never forget: the conduct of the Penguins fans after the game was over. Rather than booing, crying, and/or leaving, they stood and cheered for their Penguins. "FLEURY FLEURY." "LETS GO PENGUINS." Then, after the Penguins left the ice, they did the unimaginable: they stayed. They stayed. They stood. They cheered for Detroit. The Pittsburgh fans cheered for the Red Wings. Recognizing the accomplishment and demonstrating great sportsmanship, the Pittsburgh fans did not boo, and they did not make Detroit celebrate in an empty building. Instead, the Penguins fans showed true reverence to the greatest trophy in sport, and to the greatest sport alive.
Thank you, Penguins fans. You are a model for all of us.
Hopefully, we'll see the Cup in San Jose next year, but now I would have no problem seeing it land in Pittsburgh either."
There are many other stories just like these, too. Having grown up in Pittsburgh, it makes me very proud to be a native of such a great fan base. At the end of the day, we love our hometown teams dearly, deeply, and sincerely. We love the sports they play, and cheer for the winner for playing a very hard fought series of games (or single game, match, etc). Yes, I'm sure there are fans who booed, but those are not the folks that stand out. My hats off to all the fans who CHEERED the Penguins and Fleury after the game, and who stayed around to watch the champions get their due rewards.
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