Unfulfilled expectations

Though I was pretty psyched to be hounding the Montreal Canadiens yesterday, the thrill quickly evaporated upon learning that the Seattle Seahawks, today’s opponents for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, were staying in the same hotel as the team.

Toss in college football fans, in town for Monday’s Outback Bowl featuring Penn State and Tennessee, as well as a wedding or two, and you have a recipe for gigantic and an exasperating cluster-you-know-what.

It’s not so much all the people walking into the hotel; it was the group of ignorant football hounds that made the outing more of an effort than it really needed to be. I can understand their unwillingness to give up ground, but when they "congratulated" a bride in a jeering fashion, it showed a true lack of respect.

Not surprisingly, they quickly backed down when confronted about their actions, huddling together for safety like a school of bait fish, and kept their silence only until a certain hockey hound called it a disappointing day.

Having said that, though, they day wasn’t a total loss. We added to our collections, including Colin’s team sheet (shown above), though not as much (eight cards and four pucks) as I had hoped for. Going forward, I’ll be better prepared should this "perfect storm" of annoyances converge again.