Really? Pacifiers? Sad.

So Washington Capitals fans, "fans", purchased 500 pacifiers to, um, suck on during the Pens/Caps game this afternoon. Apparently they did this to mock Sidney Crosby and his so-called whining. Grown adults. Sitting in the first couple of rows. With pacifiers in their mouths.

Wow.

How sad is your team's fanbase when, instead of celebrating your success, you choose to mock the opposing team's star player? Also, some fans have suggested throwing the pacifiers on the ice and tossing tissue boxes on the bench. What a wonderful way to get yourselves kicked out of the game you paid good money to see.

Even Caps coach Bruce Bodreau thinks the idea is stupid. "I have no idea, and I don't want to know," he said. "Oh, geezus, no, please, no. What a waste of money."

I could see if the Caps were low in the standings, didn't have 1/3 of the leagues top players or destroyed the Pens in the past, but none of the above is true. The Caps are second in the East and have Alex Ovechkin. In spite of all of their recent success, they choose to mock Crosby. Sad.

As for Pens/Caps history, well, lets look at some of the more recent playoff meetings between the teams:

2001: Pens win series 4-2, 1st round.
2000: Pens win series 4-1, 1st round.
1996: Pens win series 4-2, 1st round.
1995: Pens win series 4-3, 1st round.
1994: Pens lose series 4-2, 1st round.
1992: Pens win series 4-3, 1st round.
1991: Pens win series 4-1, 2nd round.

For those keeping score at home, that 6-1 in favor of Pittsburgh. Plus, there's two Stanley Cup's in there, as the icing on the cake.

The "fans" of the Capitals are becoming akin to the Crosby haters in Philadelphia. The Flyers fans choose to mock Crosby, instead of supporting their own team, in an effort to get him off his game. Last time I checked, Crosby had a four point game and the Pens won last time the two teams met. Looks like this strategy really works!

The only word I can use to describe this is sad. It's the only word that fits. Maybe the Pens should distribute a DVD to Caps fans, showcasing the disappointments the Caps have faced over the years at the hands of the Penguins. Actually, it could provide a good history lesson for the Caps fanbase, seeing a though most have only been following hockey for less than a year and wouldn't know who Don Beaupre, Dale Hunter, Keith Acton, Rod Langway, Michal Pivonka, Joe Juneau, Al Iafrate or Peter Bondra are.

Nah, that's a bad idea. The Caps fans are morons and we shouldn't stoop to their level. I think Crosby and the rest of the Pens having a huge game and shoving those pacifiers up the fans' collective asses would be the best retort imaginable.