Columnist slams Blackhawks fans’ national anthem tradition

Chicago Blackhawks fans have a tradition for the playing of our national anthem: They cheer. They holler. They applaud. Their volume at home games can drown out the words and music. It’s all rather inspiring.

Terry Frei, venerable columnist for the Denver Post, has a problem with it. Not in Chicago, but when Blackhawks fans are invading places like Colorado Avalanche games.

But what bothered me Tuesday was that some — some — of the Blackhawks fans attempted to transfer the United Center ritual of hollering, hooting, cheering and applauding through the national anthem to the Pepsi Center.

... When Blackhawks fans at another arena, including in Denver on Tuesday, attempt to yell, hoot, holler and clap through the anthem in a place where quiet — or at most, singing along — is the norm, it comes off as boorish, discordant and disrespectful. You can bring Gino's East and White Castle to Denver ... but leave the hockey anthem ritual in Chicago.

First, let’s get something straight: White Castle was founded in Wichita and is headquartered in Columbus.

Now, if columnists griping about opposing fans invading arenas is the “comedians complaining about airline food” of sportswriting, columnists griping about national anthem behavior is the “comedians complaining about their in-laws.”  Sure, there’s some validity in discussing why an anthem gets booed, especially when dealing with games between American and Canadian teams. But there are always going to be Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars fans shouting out “red!” and “stars!” during the anthem, and there are always going to be knuckleheads that scream “Flyers suck!” or some such too.

But taking aim at the Blackhawks’ tradition … it just boggles the mind why this would grind anyone’s gears. Unless it's one of those 'the anthem should be met with silence and hands over hearts' things, in which we all pretend it's being played at West Point and not in a big building where they sell foam fingers and cotton candy.

Frei sources the tradition back to the Gulf War, but that’s incorrect. It started in 1985, after Blackhawks fans felt Edmonton Oilers fans had disrespected the “Star Spangled Banner” in a playoff game. It gained prominence at the 1991 All-Star Game, when the crowd’s deafening cheers came a few days after the start of what would be Persian Gulf war.

It’s not the first time someone’s complained about Chicago fans’ anthem etiquette, either:  Rob Otto of MLive.com wrote in 2010, “I understand it is a very difficult song, and many Americans feel embarrassed to sing it in public. However, if you're not singing you should at least stand in silent reverence until it is completed.”

Guess all those fans literally taking a piss during the anthem a few feet from their seats qualify as “silent reverence.”

For the record, Frei doesn’t have a problem with Blackhawks fans at Pepsi Center. “You buy the tickets, you have the right to cheer for anybody," he writes.

But apparently not the anthem. Mr. Frei doesn’t believe you get to cheer that. So maybe stand in “silent reverence” at the beer line next time, Blackhawks fans.

s/t Kukla

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.