A pathetic display of "sportsmanship"

High school hockey season doesn't start in the 518 until scrimmages begin around Thanksgiving. However, it has started elsewhere, such as in Pittsburgh, where a local team brought shame to their school one week ago.

Last Thursday's game between Armstrong High and winless Mars Hockey Club was marred by some vulgar, sexist chants directed at the Mars goaltender, a young woman, who also is the goaltender for Mars' JV team, by the students at Armstrong.

Now, I've covered high school hockey the last few years, and it's one of the reasons we have spun off Tri-City SportsBeat, which launched several months ago. There are young women playing on some of the teams in the Capital District High School Hockey League, including at least one goaltender, who graduated back in June. None of them, to my knowledge, have had to deal with any vulgarities chanted at them by opposing students. Instead, the ladies are treated with respect. What this one woman had to go through in Pittsburgh, though, is sickening.

The following video is from a local Pittsburgh station:

The closest there's been to a similar incident here came at a women's soccer match between Schenectady and Niskayuna two years ago, where Nisky students poked fun at some of the African-American players on the Lady Patriots, one of the worst teams in Section II, over their hair and heritage.

Reports say the Armstrong students are currently banned from attending hockey games, and some wanted to punish the players, who had nothing to do with the chants. Instead, the players offered comfort and support to the Mars netminder, who was clearly in tears during the game. She didn't deserve any of that garbage hurled at her, just because she was the only woman on the Mars team.

I suppose the season started as early as it did because of the NHL's Penguins & Flyers and their AHL affiliates in the same area.

You know what would solve everyone's problems? If an Armstrong player invited the Mars goaltender to prom. Just sayin'.