Boston Sports Fans Reign of Terror is Officially Over

It took only 17 seconds, but it ended with Boston fans being a reminded that they are a little too prone to choking. For a town synonymous with Bill Buckner, Boston sports has been a little too prosperous in the championship category. Since the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2001, the football team has three championships; the Boston Red Sox have won two, while the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics both grabbed a title.

The Bruins were 1:15 away from forcing a game seven against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, but two quick goals took everything away. It was one of the most unbelievable finishes in Finals history and one that will sting for a long time in Boston. Add it to the mantle.

For a city so rich with championships in a little over a decade, bad things keep happening. The Patriots blew two Super Bowls to the New York Giants in their last two appearances, in stunning fashion. Last year, the Celtics won three straight games in the Eastern Conference Finals before losing Game 6 and 7 to the Miami Heat. Now the team is in major rebuilding mode, as their coach, Doc Rivers, jumped ship before the rest of the players left town.

It’s hard to feel sympathy.

Boston is a great city and so are the people, outside of sports. This is in no way taking a stab at their grief and the horrible things that happened to them. However, anyone who has known a Boston fan can’t be upset seeing things unravel in Boston. Their over-zealous fan base, especially around the Red Sox and Patriots, has been a pain to the sports community.

Of course, the fans are not alone in the blame for this collapse. The Red Sox attitude in the clubhouse has torn the Red Sox out of the elite category in baseball. Bill Belichick still acts like the man with all the answers, but he suddenly has a huge tight end problem and a PR disaster, in Tim Tebow, should Tom Brady go down to injury. The karma around these recent stumbles could easily be self-inflicted.

As a hockey fan, it was hard to watch the Bruin collapse last night. They will never be able to retrieve those 17 seconds, where they let the Blackhawks score twice.

As a Denver sports fan, it was great.

There has been animosity between the Denver Broncos and Patriots for years. The Patriots replaced the Broncos as the AFC elite franchise. Then Champ Bailey intercepted Tom Brady in a 2006 playoff game to lead the Broncos to victory. The teams have gone back and forth. Additionally, the Red Sox destroyed the Colorado Rockies magical run in 2007. The last time Beantown and the Mile High City were on the same page, Ray Bourque won a championship with the Colorado Avalanche.

I know obnoxious Boston fans, and let me just say, Denver has won nothing in a long time, we have so much less than Boston, but humility has never been a bad trait for a sports community. Denver was reminded of this after the Baltimore Ravens improbable comeback in the January playoff game. Don’t count your champions before they’re crowned.

Oh and Boston?

Go Broncos.