Washington Capitals Fans Stealing Cornell Hockey Cheers.

I first took notice of this at the beginning of the season when I attended a Capitals vs. Devils game in October.

During the national anthem, the fans shouted “Red!” for the “rocket’s red glare” part of the song. Two nights ago I attended another Capitals game, and this time the “Red!” chant was much more pronounced and anticipated by all the Washington faithful. After the Capitals starting racking up goals against the Maple Leafs, the crowd mocked the goalie after each goal with a familiar cheer. It went something like “One, Two, Three, Four….[Number of Goals Scored], It’s All Your Fault!” Lacking in both coordination and vigor, it was a rather lame rendition of the cheer we do every time we score against an opposing team.

There’s no question that both of these cheers were stolen from the Cornell hockey faithful- they’re just way too similar to the ones we do at Lynah. “Stolen” might not be the right word, since I don’t entirely disapprove of Caps fans doing these cheers, and Cornell alumni were probably responsible for starting them up in the first place. But in any case, despite my lifetime allegiances to the Washington Capitals, I certainly hope that our fan base will acknowledge the origins of these newly adopted cheers.