I hardly consider Palin’s support to be a positive thing for hockey’s image.

It’s scary enough to consider that someone so vapid and clueless (male or female) could be second in line to run the United States, but now she’s considered the nation’s #1 Hockey Mom?!?!  That’s insulting to hockey moms everywhere!

Posted by John from Vancouver on 10/08/08 at 03:47 PM ET

Right on, John… right on. And that’s a very mavericky thing for you to say.

Posted by Nathan on 10/08/08 at 03:52 PM ET

Drop the puck in the South where they need the cheerleaders…

Posted by Osrt on 10/08/08 at 03:59 PM ET

This is the worst possible thing for the NHL.

It’s even worse than Bettman at the stock exch… Oh. Right.

Posted by Alan from Atlanta, GA, USA on 10/08/08 at 04:04 PM ET

Just make sure no one asks any questions that require specific answers.

Posted by Mike Chen on 10/08/08 at 04:42 PM ET

Does she specifically know where to drop the puck?

Posted by D Town in Bubbaville on 10/08/08 at 04:47 PM ET

This is sick and it is wrong! Enough is enough. She gives all hockey moms a bad name. Keep politics where they belong! They do not belong at a hockey game!

Posted by Kate from Pa. on 10/08/08 at 05:03 PM ET

Yet another reason to hate the @#$%! Flyers…

Posted by mudshark from Divetown, Colorado on 10/08/08 at 05:04 PM ET

It’s scary enough to consider that someone so vapid and clueless (male or female) could be second in line to run the United States…

I guess the only thing worse would be to have someone that “vapid” and “clueless” actually in the Oval Office. Obama thinking he’s qualified to be President is like a third-year AHL coach with a losing record thinking he’s qualified to be the head coach of the Red Wings. Hell, I’d vote for Babs before I’d vote for Just-Count-Me-Present Obama.

Now, if you boys want to continue with the political stuff instead of sticking to hockey, I’ll be happy to oblige you. 

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/08/08 at 05:28 PM ET

Will she drop the puck wearing a Wash Caps jersey?

Disgusting...We get to pick between 3 guys from the organization that finished the season with a 9 % approval rating and a puck bunny…

OK.. Back to Hockey

Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/08/08 at 06:15 PM ET

Like it or not, she’s putting hockey into the main stream, more exposure for a sport that needs it. What’s wrong with that?

Guess there’s more Libs around here than I thought.

Right on OlderThanChelios, I’ve got your back.

Posted by TheFreak on 10/08/08 at 06:57 PM ET

Regardless of our personal politics, this is a completely boneheaded move on the part of everyone involved.  If the Flyers organization thinks Palin will be granted some kind of automatic respect (in PHILLY, no less) because of her tenuous association with hockey, they are in for a big shock.  She’s going to be treated to an outrageous chorus of boos.

Posted by Katebits from Buffalo on 10/08/08 at 07:07 PM ET

OTC and The Freak, I share your sentiments.

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 10/08/08 at 07:40 PM ET

as long as she doesn’t have to answer any questions through the filter of the mainstream hockey media, it should be pretty painless.

Posted by Steve on 10/08/08 at 07:55 PM ET

If the Flyers organization thinks Palin will be granted some kind of automatic respect (in PHILLY, no less) because of her tenuous association with hockey, they are in for a big shock.  She’s going to be treated to an outrageous chorus of boos.

Then the world will get to see what the hockey community already knows. The Flyers (and their fans) have absolutely no respect for anyone.

Listen, folks, I admit it’s the wrong time of the year to invite any political candidate to drop the ceremonial first puck. But those who want to bash Palin simply because they disagree with her politics miss the bigger picture. She is without a doubt an avid hockey fan. Can’t you at least respect that?

And just for the record, I’d chastise any NBA fan who booed Obama if he was chosen to toss up the ceremonial first tip-off of the NBA season. He’s a hell of a b-ball player...as was Palin The truth is we’d all be better off if both he and Palin decided to pursue professional basketball careers. Both of them are out of their “league” running for national political office.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/08/08 at 08:01 PM ET

I can respect her avid hockey fandom.  I’m an avid hockey fan myself.

All I meant by my comment is that this is not going to go well for Palin, the Flyers, or the NHL.  It’s a really bad idea- and love her or hate her, she’s going to get loudly booed.  I’m not condemning or condoning, I’m just sayin’.

Posted by Katebits from Buffalo on 10/08/08 at 09:20 PM ET

Most major cities voted Democrat last election so Katebits is right that Palin will most likely get booed. As evidence by this comment thread, it just doesn’t make good sense to bring in a divisive political figure into sports.

I hope it turns out better than we are forecasting.

Posted by Osrt on 10/08/08 at 09:36 PM ET

It’s funny to read someone named John appointing himself the arbitor of what constitutes a good hockey mom. 

Quiet frankly, Ed Snider has earned the right to have anyone he wants to drop the puck at a Flyers game. And considering there aren’t exactly alot of politicians running for high office that are hockey fans makes this even more fitting.

And for those who called Gov. Palin “vapid and clueless”, keep in mind it wasn’t her who asked a guy in a wheel chair to stand up or say that FDR was President in 1929 and went on TV when there was no TV in 1929 and Herbert Hoover was President. That would be Joe Biden. 

Posted by Ted from pennsylvania on 10/08/08 at 11:13 PM ET

I think you are all going to be surprised at her welcome.  Hockey is hockey, not politics.
The fans know what is good for hockey.  I think it is a great move by Snider.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/09/08 at 01:07 AM ET

I guess the only thing worse would be to have someone that “vapid” and “clueless” actually in the Oval Office. Obama thinking he’s qualified to be President is like a third-year AHL coach with a losing record thinking he’s qualified to be the head coach of the Red Wings. Hell, I’d vote for Babs before I’d vote for Just-Count-Me-Present Obama.

Now, if you boys want to continue with the political stuff instead of sticking to hockey, I’ll be happy to oblige you.

Thanks for the excellent argument against not just Obama, but Sarah Palin. Don’t just assume that because we see Palin as the useless pile of schtick that she is that we MUST be liberals.

Look, Obama… McCain… po-tay-toe/po-tah-toe.

As I believe Don Cherry once said in a post-game interview as coach of the Bruins: “That’s like asking me if I’d rather have the clap or the siph.”

Obama, Biden, McCain, and Palin are all useless, and none of them will do anything to fix the problems we face.

The people that fix problems in America are you and me—by going to work every day, taking care of ourselves, our friends, and our families, and carrying on with our responsibilities. America is the best country on Earth because we work so hard an innovate like none other. In my humble opinion, the big reason we have this economic problem is because we’ve fallen behind in innovation since the dot-com bubble burst. But as always, we will come out of it and bring great new developments in technology and science to the world, and get our economy back on track. We work too hard for it to be any other way.

Posted by Nathan on 10/09/08 at 08:16 AM ET

Not sure where you’ve been, but America (as a whole) seems to have become one of the most lazy, ignorant countries that has lost its value in education.  I wish the majority of the country was still as hard working and innovative as it was in the past (where you’re apparently living).  I’m not saying there are not still a great number of innovative, hard-working people who value education, but it just is not at all what our culture has become, and it’s sad.

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 10/09/08 at 08:32 AM ET

...America (as a whole) seems to have become one of the most lazy, ignorant countries that has lost its value in education.

Well, Jeff, as Mickey Redmond would say, “Bingo. Bango. Bongo.” You hit the nail square on the head. Anyone who doubts that there’s been a “dumbing down” of America in the past five years or so only has to read online forums...on any topic.

The younger the posters are, the worse they write. They can’t spell. They can’t capitalize (apparently, it’s too time-consuming). They don’t have a clue what correct punctuation is. And they couldn’t write an entire grammatically correct sentence if their lives depended on it.

One of the refreshing things about reading most of the posts at KK is that folks here do seem to understand how to write coherent sentences. Some might even be classified as exceptional writers...even if they are waaaaay off base in their beliefs.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/09/08 at 10:08 AM ET

Thanks but no thanks to anything having to do with that skank.  Why do the Flyers hate America?

Posted by rwhater on 10/09/08 at 11:31 AM ET

Sort of the Hollywood formula:  any exposure is still exposure.  I’m sure she’s used to the booing and the high scrutiny.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 10/09/08 at 12:29 PM ET

Thanks but no thanks to anything having to do with that skank.  Why do the Flyers hate America?

And yet another thoughtful response from a “true American.” God help us all.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/09/08 at 12:40 PM ET

So true Americans should follow the idiot masses and idealogues, preferring soundbites like “thanks but no thanks,” “he pals around with terrorists,” and “I’m representing Joe six pack” over any substance?  God help you, if you are following the idiot hordes (watch a Palin rally, they are getting somewhat frightening) that elected dubya twice.  It’s not an accident that republicans tend to gobble up the uneducated vote.  Unfortunately, the uneducated voters don’t realize that they are only shooting themselves in the feet and pumping their life savings into big oil, energy, and other special interests.

Are people really this dumb?  Serously?

Posted by rwhater on 10/09/08 at 01:12 PM ET

rwhater said…

So true Americans should follow the idiot masses…

No, Mr. hater, but “true Americans” should (and do) understand the difference between disagreeing with someone and the need to demonize them. Whether or not you agree with Sarah Palin’s beliefs, a “thoughtful” person would never confuse her with a “skank”.

If anyone is “following the uneducated masses” it would be you (and folks like you on both sides) who think hateful words are the way to discuss politics in this country. But, when your screen name includes the word “hate”, I guess we shouldn’t expect anything different from you, should we?

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/09/08 at 01:36 PM ET

So by your very definition, Palin is in fact not a “thoughtful” person, as her entire campaign is now composed of attacking Obama and misrepresenting him as a terrorist, right?

Listen, this whole “gloves are off” routine by those “mavericks” McCain and Palin is wearing thin very fast.  Basically, they absolutely REPRESENT your last comment, in every degree.  So blame me for hating the haters that just happen to be running for the highest positions in the country and quite possibly in the world?  Whatever, great argument.  Obama and Biden have not stooped to their level (and sure, I have), and I respect them for that.

Posted by rwhater on 10/09/08 at 01:49 PM ET

I think its more like endorsing her she may be only a heart beat from being president do you really want her running the county think think think people.Now for the first time in many years I will not be watching the flyers . I will watch other teams.

Posted by mary ann sniezevage from philadelphia pa on 10/09/08 at 02:08 PM ET

Alright.  Finally something to get me upset to start the season!  I’m with mudshark!!!!!  Plus, I’d like to see John, Nathan or some of the other geniuses have a political conversation with Barack Obama.  At least people will hear that the NHL season has begun.

Obama ‘08

Posted by BK on 10/09/08 at 02:26 PM ET

It’s nice to see that so many Obama supporters are following his mantra of “bringing people together” by toning down the rhetoric. Too much stupidity on both sides for me. I’ll let you children carry on your rant by yourselves.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 10/09/08 at 02:44 PM ET

The rink is not a political forum. I wonder how many fans are going to enjoy the many security checkpoints and delays before they even sit down? This is supposed to be a place where folks come to get away from all the crap happening out there and relax. An event where people come together and have a good time. Since this is now an endorsement will equal time be given to the other candidates?

Posted by Kate from Pa. on 10/09/08 at 05:26 PM ET