News flash don't try to use drycleaning services in Buffalo for a few days. They are trying to figure out how to get the s#%t out team Canada's mattresses!!:aktion061:
As a postscript to the whole tournament, the Russian team is still in Buffalo. They got tossed from their flight home for rowdy and drunken behavior. Let's see, this is an Under 20 tournament and the drinking age here is 21. Oh, oh, someones in trouble over that one.
Admittedly I did not follow much of the World Junior hockey tournament, but wait what's this????:huh: Canadians behaving badly? Canadians acting like ugly Americans by fighting and not tipping at the bar? Oh Lord, what’s this world coming to !!!?? :icon_lol: Disillusioned by northern neighbors Disillusioned by northern neighbors - Donn Esmonde - The Buffalo News
Yeah Zack, I saw the article. Apparently a number of our neighbors to the North got a little bit drunk and disorderly and became more than a little obnoxious. When you have that many people come through, you're bound to have some doofus cause a problem. I'm used to going to the Sabres/Leafs games when the rowdy and usually drunk Leaf fans are in town. Surprisingly there are very few problems with them, but I guess the World Juniors brought out the worst in some folks. Happens in the best of families! A Maple Leaf flag doesn't guarantee civility any more than the Stars and Stripes guarantee a boorish clod.
Really interesting reading the comments and replies following the story. From both Americans and Canadians, although the American's that appear to know the author seem to have a lot of disdain and have told him to go back and write about what he knows about. But no matter, we are not lily white by any stretch and apologies are extended on behalf of the loon's.
There was actually a follow up article by Donn Esmonde in Sunday's paper that downplayed the "problems" that may have occurred. Personally I've never had an issue either in Canada or with Canadians here and that does include some very rowdy Leaf fans. One Canadian response to the article was that the only reason Buffalo has any professional sports is because of the fans from across the river. If memory serves me correctly Buffalo is the 50th largest media market in the US. If you include both sides of the river, we are 8th. Yep, we are both dependent on each other which isn't at all a bad situation. Someone also remarked that Buffalo is the only place in the NHL where both national anthems are played. I always thought they did that in Detroit also and I can remember hearing both anthems in Montreal also. Has that changed?
Hi Ed I am not sure about the anthem thing, One thing in one of the comments surrounding tipping, was that Canadian wait staff are not as dependant on tips as their American brethen. Is that true, I was never aware of that, I typically leave 15% rounded up to the next dollar. At a bar if I am just sitting at the bar, when I get a drink, I ususally leave my change up to the next dollar, so if a beer cost 4.15 for example, I usually leave the change from a 5. In that example I may come out on the low "cheap" side for tipping. I just assume that the bar staff makes 10-12 per hour, so from 6-2 in the morning and as people get a little more inebriated, the full amount comes out quite high and the tipping portion is "tax" exempt. Just wondering here, something I should be aware of in the future. Thanks
Bob, There are special rules for wait staff here in the US that allows them to be paid well below minimum wage. I think the wages for wait staff here in the US is around $4 an hour. For most of them tips are the only way they can survive. My understanding is that in Canada tipping is not as needed for someone to just get by. I think this is part of the misunderstanding between Canadian visitors and US waiters and waitresses and bartenders. With the similarities between our two areas of Western NY and Southern Ontario, it is surprising that we have "cultural" differences, but we do have some. In this case the cultural differences are really economic. One thing that happened here which I thought was unconscionable was the gouging on parking. Some lots near the Arena were charging $60 to park. That was just plain robbery and anyone who was forced to pay that had every right to be upset.
They werent gouging the Canadians, just a supply and demand deal on the parking. Same shit happens here in MN when we get something good to go to. The cost to park went up big time when we had the NHL All Star game. One lot went from 20 for a Wild game to 50 for the All Star event. A-holes.
