OT - Talking sports at work

[inkman]

So I was minding my own business at work this morning, when a coworker comes up to me and states “That’s a shame about Eichel”.  Dumbfounded as I rarely ever hear this dudes name let alone follow his day to day behaviors.  My coworker then says “Clinched the number one seed out west, he really sucks huh.”  Again, I’m wondering why we are having this convo.  I occasionally talk Sabres or Leafs (his team) but it’s so infrequent, that I’m wondering where this is stemming from.  
 

Then I remember Matt.  Another coworker of ours who talks more junk about every player not on the Sabres, especially Eichel and some other recent Sabres.  Basically this dude has been talking junk about Eichel since he got traded to this Leaf fan coworker.  So Leaf fan decided that somehow I must be held accountable for our other coworkers ***** talking.  
 

So, do any of you face similar circumstances?  Essentially paying for your other coworkers ***** opinions.  

[Eleven]

16 minutes ago, inkman said:

So I was minding my own business at work this morning, when a coworker comes up to me and states “That’s a shame about Eichel”.  Dumbfounded as I rarely ever hear this dudes name let alone follow his day to day behaviors.  My coworker then says “Clinched the number one seed out west, he really sucks huh.”  Again, I’m wondering why we are having this convo.  I occasionally talk Sabres or Leafs (his team) but it’s so infrequent, that I’m wondering where this is stemming from.  
 

Then I remember Matt.  Another coworker of ours who talks more junk about every player not on the Sabres, especially Eichel and some other recent Sabres.  Basically this dude has been talking junk about Eichel since he got traded to this Leaf fan coworker.  So Leaf fan decided that somehow I must be held accountable for our other coworkers ***** talking.  
 

So, do any of you face similar circumstances?  Essentially paying for your other coworkers ***** opinions.  

Not anymore.  

Hint:  If you kill (or at least severely maim) the first couple of Leaf fans, the rest of them fall into line *very* quickly.

[Randall Flagg]

I leverage the sports various coworkers like to chip away about 2 hours every day by constantly alternating between them with 10 minute conversations so none of them are individually suspicious of what is happening 

 

 

 

 

[SabresBaltimore]

I live in Maryland, so I try to avoid talking sports at work. I don't really want to talk about the Ravens or Commanders. Hockey isn't super popular here. I don't mind talking Caps, but the co-workers I've had who are into hockey are few and far between.

[Sabel79]

I recently hired a Bruins fan.  Dude’s from Maine so I suppose I should have asked in the interview, totally an oversight on my part.  Needless to say, once it came up I informed him that his schedule was about to get very, very nights and weekends focused (jokingly, oof course… or was it?).   
 

He’s smug now, but his uppance shall come.  

[Night Train]

I worked with IT nerds in a manufacturing plant. So I experienced no middle ground. Sitting in an office with the sports clueless , then going out on the floor to hear athletes or teams either Suck or are Great. Insight of a slug. Allowed me to focus on my work with ease.

[Buffalonill]

When i worked i would just ignore anyone if sports came up.

Plus usually the people at work have zero clue what they're talking about 

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

So I was minding my own business at work this morning, when a coworker comes up to me and states “That’s a shame about Eichel”.  Dumbfounded as I rarely ever hear this dudes name let alone follow his day to day behaviors.  My coworker then says “Clinched the number one seed out west, he really sucks huh.”  Again, I’m wondering why we are having this convo.  I occasionally talk Sabres or Leafs (his team) but it’s so infrequent, that I’m wondering where this is stemming from.  
 

Then I remember Matt.  Another coworker of ours who talks more junk about every player not on the Sabres, especially Eichel and some other recent Sabres.  Basically this dude has been talking junk about Eichel since he got traded to this Leaf fan coworker.  So Leaf fan decided that somehow I must be held accountable for our other coworkers ***** talking.  
 

So, do any of you face similar circumstances?  Essentially paying for your other coworkers ***** opinions.  

Did you preemptively say, "it's a shame about the Leafs losing in the first round yet again?"

Good for Eichel. Vegas has better blow than Buffalo.

I'm still glad he's gone. We actually discussed hockey this year instead of his BS soap opera.

And other than here, I hate talking sports.

[shrader]

23 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Did you preemptively say, "it's a shame about the Leafs losing in the first round yet again?"

I'd have gone with "enjoy game 7".

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, SabresBaltimore said:

I live in Maryland, so I try to avoid talking sports at work. I don't really want to talk about the Ravens or Commanders. Hockey isn't super popular here. I don't mind talking Caps, but the co-workers I've had who are into hockey are few and far between.

I'm in New England. My cohorts (technically I'm a contractor, not an employee) are mildly annoyed by my all-things-Buffalo boosting. 

[PromoTheRobot]

33 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Did you preemptively say, "it's a shame about the Leafs losing in the first round yet again?"

Good for Eichel. Vegas has better blow than Buffalo.

I'm still glad he's gone. We actually discussed hockey this year instead of his BS soap opera.

And other than here, I hate talking sports.

[LTS]

I work from home.  If my wife disagrees with me...

But most of my co-workers are in college heavy markets so I hear about basketball and football...

No one talks about hockey.  All good by me.

Any the only response to any Leafs fan is either 2004 or 1967.  One being the last time they won a playoff series and the other being the last time they won a Cup.

and yes.. most people have no idea what they are talking about.. they only regurgitate mindless chatter from others.

[SabresBaltimore]

17 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I'm in New England. My cohorts (technically I'm a contractor, not an employee) are mildly annoyed by my all-things-Buffalo boosting. 

Yeah, that's way worse. I have one Ravens friend who are angry the Lamar Jackson sack in the playoffs wasn't called personal foul and seems to bring it up every so often, but in general most people around here are at least neutral to positive about the Bills.

 

This being such a transient area though, there are a lot of fans of other teams too because so many move to this area for work and bring their fandom with them.

[ExWNYer]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:51 AM, Sabel79 said:

I recently hired a Bruins fan.  Dude’s from Maine so I suppose I should have asked in the interview, totally an oversight on my part.  Needless to say, once it came up I informed him that his schedule was about to get very, very nights and weekends focused (jokingly, oof course… or was it?).   
 

He’s smug now, but his uppance shall come.  

The god awful accent and stains on his shirt from the melted butter weren't a dead giveaway?

I only work in the office one day per week now (pre-pandemic it was two) but in all my years there, I think one person has inquired about the Sabres license plate in my cube. I have various Bills & Sabres paraphernalia and a ton of people ask me about or talk to me frequently about the Bills but never the Sabres. There is one friend of mine whose family is originally from NYC and, if you ask him, he'd say he's a Rags fan but he admittedly doesn't even follow (or does so cursorily) the regular season and will 'check out' the playoffs so he's not really a hockey fan, IMO. There are people in the area (not my office) who claim to be Caps fans but this is just not a hockey crazy area. We've had three minor league teams in my years here and all have disappeared over the years. Most of the people who attended the games only went to socialize and "see some fights". Honestly, I like it that nobody in the workplace talks hockey. I haven't had to deal with any sh*t talkers for this drought. I have these boards which is great for me. Also, my younger son is an avid Sabres fan so I have 'live discussion' about the organization with a fellow fan and family member which is nice.

[MBD]

Did you tell him that 5 players on the Sabres have more goals, assists and points than him?

[inkman]

My Leafs fan coworker today was spouting off about “The greatest scorer in the NHL” Austin Matthews.  Are we ok with that?

[French Collection]

48 minutes ago, inkman said:

My Leafs fan coworker today was spouting off about “The greatest scorer in the NHL” Austin Matthews.  Are we ok with that?

It’s tough taking the high road sometimes. Forget it, Leafs fans don’t change their minds, they die on that hill every year.

At this point in my life I don’t need a job so that would mean raising a ruckus in the workplace with that guy.

[LTS]

On 4/25/2023 at 11:06 AM, inkman said:

My Leafs fan coworker today was spouting off about “The greatest scorer in the NHL” Austin Matthews.  Are we ok with that?

No.. because it made you post it here and share with us.. so now we have to deal with your moron co-worker. 🙂

But do they mean he scores the greatest goals or that he scores the most goals?  What is greatest?  That said, pretty sure the answer to both is no. The greatest scorer in the NHL is Connor McDavid. I'm not sure how anyone debates this point.

[French Collection]

56 minutes ago, LTS said:

No.. because it made you post it here and share with us.. so now we have to deal with your moron co-worker. 🙂

But do they mean he scores the greatest goals or that he scores the most goals?  What is greatest?  That said, pretty sure the answer to both is no. The greatest scorer in the NHL is Connor McDavid. I'm not sure how anyone debates this point.

There was no way McDavid was not motivated to score as many goals as possible by Matthews winning the Hart last year. The Toronto media pushed hard because he was the top goal scorer and because of how much of a pedestal 60 goal scorers sit on.

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:00 AM, inkman said:

So I was minding my own business at work this morning, when a coworker comes up to me and states “That’s a shame about Eichel”.  Dumbfounded as I rarely ever hear this dudes name let alone follow his day to day behaviors.  My coworker then says “Clinched the number one seed out west, he really sucks huh.”  Again, I’m wondering why we are having this convo.  I occasionally talk Sabres or Leafs (his team) but it’s so infrequent, that I’m wondering where this is stemming from.  
 

Then I remember Matt.  Another coworker of ours who talks more junk about every player not on the Sabres, especially Eichel and some other recent Sabres.  Basically this dude has been talking junk about Eichel since he got traded to this Leaf fan coworker.  So Leaf fan decided that somehow I must be held accountable for our other coworkers ***** talking.  
 

So, do any of you face similar circumstances?  Essentially paying for your other coworkers ***** opinions.  

Just say 1967.  (For those who weren’t around then, 1967 was the last year the self proclaimed center of the hockey world last won a Championship). Do they even know they haven’t even played for a Cup since 1967, they have lost in the 1st rd of the playoffs 6 straight years, they are 0-4 in Conference Championships since 1967 with only 2 Division titles? If they weren’t so arrogant, you’d almost feel sorry for them.

By comparison.  The Sabres have 6 division titles, are 2-2 in Conference Finals, won a President’s Cup and despite the Leafs recent “success,” the Sabres made a more recent appearance in the Conference finals (2007 vs 2003).  It’s kind of sad that the Sabres results are actually better than the Leafs. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[...]

Being on Sabrespace means I can't have an enjoyable conversation about anything NHL-related at work or elsewhere because the level of general knowledge, insight, and reason drop to near non-existent by comparison.

The common pool of understanding and narrative here is so high you don't have to, for example, first establish the fundamentals of what makes a center good, or why you need a stay-at-home D man who doesn't put up a lot of points.

So, when I try to make a point in a casual conversation at work, say, the starting point in my brain begins with where we "left off" here and I find myself getting into a hole trying to lay a groundwork to support the point and inevitably the others stare blankly at me like I barely understand the game. It's really weird.

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 4/25/2023 at 11:06 AM, inkman said:

My Leafs fan coworker today was spouting off about “The greatest scorer in the NHL” Austin Matthews.  Are we ok with that?

Goal scorer maybe. Since he entered the league he has league leading 299 goals (Ovie is 2nd w 297).  Sadly he is only 11th in points (542) and trials his own teammate, Marner, who is in 10th, by 12 points.  That McDavid fellow leads Matthews by 260 points and leads the NHL during that period with 802.  McJesus also has 287 goals.  My guess is if McDavid wanted to score more goals he would.  He’s like Gretzky, he does what he thinks will help his team win.  Matthews isn’t one dimensional, but he lacks the overall vision and passing skill of McDavid. 

So tell your co-worker no, Matthews isn’t the greatest scorer in the NHL.

[IKnowPhysics]

On 4/14/2023 at 6:00 AM, inkman said:

So I was minding my own business at work this morning, when a coworker comes up to me and states “That’s a shame about Eichel”.  Dumbfounded as I rarely ever hear this dudes name let alone follow his day to day behaviors.  My coworker then says “Clinched the number one seed out west, he really sucks huh.”  Again, I’m wondering why we are having this convo.  I occasionally talk Sabres or Leafs (his team) but it’s so infrequent, that I’m wondering where this is stemming from.  
 

Then I remember Matt.  Another coworker of ours who talks more junk about every player not on the Sabres, especially Eichel and some other recent Sabres.  Basically this dude has been talking junk about Eichel since he got traded to this Leaf fan coworker.  So Leaf fan decided that somehow I must be held accountable for our other coworkers ***** talking.  
 

So, do any of you face similar circumstances?  Essentially paying for your other coworkers ***** opinions.  

The child is feeling denigrated by having to listen to your coworker's ramblings and thought they get to feel some sense of superiority that you might feel bad about a player that has left.

Easiest answer: don't engage.

Same reason I don't talk politics at work: people get real mad when you make them feel stupid.

There's like 50 things that this Leaf fan could ***** talk about the Sabres if they were smart enough, but Eichel is just lazy, not even worth the effort.  So if you really have to dig in, tell this Leaf fan that Tage had more goals and points than both Eichel and Mathews, the Sabres are 125-87-18 all time against the Leafs, and Mats Sundin retired as a Canuck, so sit the ***** down.

[MattPie]

39 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

The child is feeling denigrated by having to listen to your coworker's ramblings and thought they get to feel some sense of superiority that you might feel bad about a player that has left.

Easiest answer: don't engage.

Same reason I don't talk politics at work: people get real mad when you make them feel stupid.

There's like 50 things that this Leaf fan could ***** talk about the Sabres if they were smart enough, but Eichel is just lazy, not even worth the effort.  So if you really have to dig in, tell this Leaf fan that Tage had more goals and points than both Eichel and Mathews, the Sabres are 125-87-18 all time against the Leafs, and Mats Sundin retired as a Canuck, so sit the ***** down.

Or point out the last time the Sabres and Leafs met in the playoffs, if you like.

[LTS]

23 hours ago, French Collection said:

There was no way McDavid was not motivated to score as many goals as possible by Matthews winning the Hart last year. The Toronto media pushed hard because he was the top goal scorer and because of how much of a pedestal 60 goal scorers sit on.

Kind of like.. "Anything you can do, I can do way the F better?"  🙂

The dude is flat out the best player in hockey. I used to want to argue it... but I just can't any longer.