I wish I could say that I have sympathy, but really I don’t. The team is more important than any one player, and if your fandom is that shallow that you’ll let your favourite player being traded affect whether or not you support the team?  All I can say is “don’t let the door hit you.”

Posted by The Acid Queen from Raleigh, NC on 08/18/08 at 09:02 AM ET

As a diehard, and a huge #26 fan, I too was devasted when the trade happened, by the time it did, it was already inevitable so maybe I prepared myself for it. But this is the deal when you’re a fan- you get to have your heart ripped out. Not trying to be ugly, but it’s true. Teams have to do what they can to get better, and Erik was a ticket to do so. Our D had been aging and we had holes and issues since the year after we won the Cup.

Erik has been a huge force in the Triangle not only as a big fan favorite but with local charities and all that he has done in Raleigh. He will no doubt be missed, he’ll be missed terribly. But Erik’s got a huge opportunity in EDM, he’ll always be beloved here in Raleigh, and he and WE as fans will move on and upward.

Stuff happens to fans all the time- you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go back to rooting for your team - no matter how tough the circumstance. Harsh as it sounds, that’s how it goes.

Posted by Diehard Caniac from Raleigh, NC on 08/18/08 at 09:14 AM ET

Weird. This woman has issues that hockey can’t help. She needs expert help.

Posted by kevin from boston on 08/18/08 at 10:01 AM ET

So this woman spent money on season tickets (a luxury) instead of getting her furnace fixed, because then she could watch a player who reminder her so much of her dead son from a decade and a half ago that she would cry when he was hurt?

I actually do have sympathy for this woman - but not because one of her favorite players was traded.  1992 was a long time ago, and her son died then, not her.

I can’t be the only person who finds this attachment creepy and more than a little disturbing.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 08/18/08 at 10:15 AM ET

Yeah, it’s creepy. She does get a bit of sympathy from me, but its clear she needs some help outside of hockey.

Cole is probably dancing the ‘I’ve escaped my stalker’ Jig in the streets of Edmonton right now.

Posted by underthechestnuttree from LaSalle, Ontario, Canada on 08/18/08 at 01:16 PM ET

I had a cracked boiler this past winter and went without heat for a good chunk of it, and not because I was spending my money elsewhere.  There’s absolutely no way I would choose hockey tickets over heat in my house.

I’ve seen favorite players traded away, both expected and unexpected.  It isn’t fun, but at the end of the day, the team comes first.

Posted by Jaci from Boston on 08/18/08 at 02:31 PM ET