#the tldr is still block em if they say mean shit

[coffee-at-annies]

i may have asked someone a similar Q but i'd love to know your thoughts on this. what's the best way to deal with other fans who judge you because you like a NHL player who is not as good statswise (see: fringe bottom 6 players and 7D, declining vets, backup goalies) but you like them because of their personality, vibes to the team and their overall character that sometimes you see yourself in them?

Whoa boy what a complicated question anon. There are many answers I can give here because it’s not one and done situation.

I think the tl;dr version of this is find fans who celebrate your fave/you and block anyone who says a mean things. If it’s irl, ignore them or change the subject.

Another piece of advice, criticism about your fave is not criticism about you*. It’s real easy to project on players and then experience RSD when people say a mean word. Most of the time criticism is not a value judgement on you. If someone is like “ewww why do you like them,” then you can either explain why you do, or you can stop interacting with that person. I think Carts is getting old, Kappy is being overpaid for his overall performance, and Dumo has been playing poorly. That does not mean I think people who like those players are bad. Fans can like whoever they like. Fans will hate whoever they hate. You cannot control that. Often times it’s not a value judgement on you and if people are treating it so, fuck em. Just walk out. Leave. You don’t have to interact with them.

*okay there’s an asterisk here because sometimes players are known for bad shit - bad hits, domestic abuse, trumpers, saying racist shit, etc. hockeyblr has cancelled players for it, but rarely is everyone on the same page, and if you weren’t around when the news broke it can feel like disproportionate hate for no reason. If you ask politely, someone has receipts on XYZ player that they can share so you can make an informed decision**.

**I say informed decision because this is often not a nice thing to find out. It’s a thing that may trigger stuff like RSD. A player you liked did a thing that many don’t like. Some people make their peace with it and continue to stan. Some people cancel the player. Reactions vary. Reasons for cancelling vary. People have their own opinions. You can’t prevent that.