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The morning after is a cold and miserable thing.
The unearthly winning streak that accumulated so much momentum and mass came to a crashing halt in front of Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, and in the light of a new day, the jumble of Senators flags on our cars and jerseys now in our laundry hampers only serves as a reminder of what DIDN’T happen.
It’s just a game? We’ll get them next year?
It’s not that simple, at least not for fans who have faithfully rooted for the Senators, those who once pinned their hopes on Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin, and left little broken pieces of themselves over the years in Toronto, Buffalo, Anaheim and now Montreal.
“What’s going to hurt a lot of fans is that they were in every game,” says sports psychologist Peter Sacco. “The hard part for a lot of fans will be thinking about what could have been. ‘This was our miracle year. Hammond got us into the playoffs and it’s not supposed to end this way. We’re not supposed to see the Wizard behind the curtain. It’s supposed to go on.’”
In ancient times, the success or failure of our warriors WAS our success or failure. Today’s players are the modern-day equivalent, as fans now bask in the reflected glory of their victories and mourn their defeats.
Research has shown that we feel better about ourselves after our favourite team wins and worse after it loses. In men, testosterone levels rise and fall with our team’s successes and failures. One study found that diehard fans are more optimistic about their sex appeal and ability to perform physical and mental tests after their teams win. After losses, that confidence disappears.
Sacco, who through Mohawk College in Hamilton teaches an online course in sports psychology at various Ontario schools, including Algonquin College, says that fans get so deep into their teams that the connection very much resembles one between a married couple.
“People invest so much time and energy that it becomes an extension of themselves; it becomes more like a relationship. So when your team gets knocked out of the playoffs, it’s like ‘Wow, the relationship is over. Now what do I do with myself?’”
So what’s a Sens fan to do? What SHOULD a Sens fan do?
Sacco suggests that fans who haven’t already might want to diversify their sports interests. He, for example, is a fan of the last-place Buffalo Sabres, but also of baseball’s Oakland As. “You’re a Sens fan? Become a Jays fan. And your football team is going to be playing soon.
“Don’t fall in love with just one team that’s going to continually break your heart.”
If you feel it’s too late to find a new bandwagon to ride, Sacco notes that social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter offer fans a 24/7 support group with other fans in the same boat. There they can dissect the loss, but also talk of the Sens’ future.
“For example, rumours are pointing to the possibility that (Sens’ GM) Bryan Murray is stepping down after this season, so fans can discuss what happens next? ‘Who are we going to get next? Is this the end of an era for the Senators?’
“I think that’s what fans will do next. Or they could turn the TV off for a while and go for a walk. By all accounts it’s been a beautiful spring.”
Beyond that, here are a few other (non-professional) suggestions:
bdeachman@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
The unearthly winning streak that accumulated so much momentum and mass came to a crashing halt in front of Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, and in the light of a new day, the jumble of Senators flags on our cars and jerseys now in our laundry hampers only serves as a reminder of what DIDN’T happen.
It’s just a game? We’ll get them next year?
It’s not that simple, at least not for fans who have faithfully rooted for the Senators, those who once pinned their hopes on Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin, and left little broken pieces of themselves over the years in Toronto, Buffalo, Anaheim and now Montreal.
“What’s going to hurt a lot of fans is that they were in every game,” says sports psychologist Peter Sacco. “The hard part for a lot of fans will be thinking about what could have been. ‘This was our miracle year. Hammond got us into the playoffs and it’s not supposed to end this way. We’re not supposed to see the Wizard behind the curtain. It’s supposed to go on.’”
In ancient times, the success or failure of our warriors WAS our success or failure. Today’s players are the modern-day equivalent, as fans now bask in the reflected glory of their victories and mourn their defeats.
Research has shown that we feel better about ourselves after our favourite team wins and worse after it loses. In men, testosterone levels rise and fall with our team’s successes and failures. One study found that diehard fans are more optimistic about their sex appeal and ability to perform physical and mental tests after their teams win. After losses, that confidence disappears.
Sacco, who through Mohawk College in Hamilton teaches an online course in sports psychology at various Ontario schools, including Algonquin College, says that fans get so deep into their teams that the connection very much resembles one between a married couple.
“People invest so much time and energy that it becomes an extension of themselves; it becomes more like a relationship. So when your team gets knocked out of the playoffs, it’s like ‘Wow, the relationship is over. Now what do I do with myself?’”
So what’s a Sens fan to do? What SHOULD a Sens fan do?
Sacco suggests that fans who haven’t already might want to diversify their sports interests. He, for example, is a fan of the last-place Buffalo Sabres, but also of baseball’s Oakland As. “You’re a Sens fan? Become a Jays fan. And your football team is going to be playing soon.
“Don’t fall in love with just one team that’s going to continually break your heart.”
If you feel it’s too late to find a new bandwagon to ride, Sacco notes that social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter offer fans a 24/7 support group with other fans in the same boat. There they can dissect the loss, but also talk of the Sens’ future.
“For example, rumours are pointing to the possibility that (Sens’ GM) Bryan Murray is stepping down after this season, so fans can discuss what happens next? ‘Who are we going to get next? Is this the end of an era for the Senators?’
“I think that’s what fans will do next. Or they could turn the TV off for a while and go for a walk. By all accounts it’s been a beautiful spring.”
Beyond that, here are a few other (non-professional) suggestions:
- Continue to bask: There’s still a lot of radiance to keep us warm for a while longer. Despite the Sens’ disappointing playoff showing, their late-season surge of 21-3-3 was remarkable. At the start of the season, Sportnet’s analysts predicted Ottawa would finish the season in 26th place overall. The team finished 13th. Hockey News pencilled them to wind up seventh in the Atlantic Division. They were fourth.
- Empty the vitriol tank: Play NHL 15 on PlayStation or Xbox until you’re good enough to consistently beat the Habs. Buy all the P.K. Subban bobblehead dolls you can find and break their wrists.
- Scouting central: Many players still vying for the Cup will soon be free agents: Montreal’s Alex Galchenyuk, for example, the Rangers’ Martin St. Louis and Nashville’s Cody Franson … watch them, get to know them. Imagine them in Sens’ sweaters.
- Continue to bask, Part II: Ottawa last won the Stanley Cup just 88 years ago. Take the day off work, go to the library and read those newspaper accounts. The headline after Game 1 against Montreal read “Canadiens Crumpled Under Ottawa’s Dashing Attack.” Oh, my, things feel better already.
bdeachman@ottawacitizen.com
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