You Talkin' to Me? To boo, or not to boo

From: Gonzalez, John

To: Fitzpatrick, Frank; Fox, Ashley

Subject: Crowd conduct

After the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, the crowd eventually cheered (possibly for both teams) and chanted: "Let's go Flyers." Later, when the Cup was brought onto the ice and handed to the Blackhawks, the fans booed (though I think most of that was directed toward NHL commissioner Gary Bettman). A columnist for the Sun-Times said it was classless, but I thought it was playful and - compared with the behavior of some fans in the past - completely innocuous.

What did you think about the postgame aftermath and how the crowd acted?

From: Fitzpatrick, Frank

To: Gonzalez, John; Fox, Ashley

Subject: Crowd conduct

Given the sportsmanlike history that traditionally follows a Cup Final, I was a little disappointed. We could have risen above our image for a few painless minutes.

From: Gonzalez, John

To: Fitzpatrick, Frank; Fox, Ashley

Subject: Crowd conduct

But they did. They cheered at the end of the game. All they did was boo the presentation of the Cup to another team on their ice. What did you want them to do - wrap their arms around the nearest Chicagoan and snuggle?

From: Fitzpatrick, Frank

To: Gonzalez, John; Fox, Ashley

Subject: Crowd conduct

Some gesture that would have made the world forget Pukeman and Baby Boozer.

From: Fox, Ashley

To: Gonzalez, John; Fitzpatrick

Subject: Crowd conduct

Who's to say the same thing wouldn't have happened had the situation been reversed in Chicago. Both cities have been waiting a long time to hoist the Stanley Cup again. It's only natural to be disappointed. It was a grueling series that the Flyers could've won, and then they go and lose it in overtime. Brutal.

Let the fans boo for a second. That's a real, honest reaction.