SuperPost: Fangirl vs. Puckbunny

Settle in, my friends, this is a long one...

This blog was referred to as a puckbunny blog not too long ago and I instantly took offense. I got really angry and couldn't understand why at first. When I thought back to the beginning it may have seemed that way but I did set the record straight in the next post. Instead of posting in anger, I enlisted the help of my fellow hloggers to determine the difference between a fangirl and a puckbunny. Karissa did remind me that "once we put ourselves in a public forum, I suppose we open ourselves up to some negative comments," and I agree, I was just surprised that someone did take the time to write it. And to the one who said it, I know we've cleared things up and I am happy for the opportunity to talk about the perception of female hockey fans, hereby known as fangirls.

Fangirls are fans who are girls. Simple, right? Apparently not. Some of us have encountered less than stellar reactions for liking hockey and being able to appreciate the fact that the game is played by men, some of whom are good looking. Sherry says, "There's nothing wrong with commenting on how a player looks, heck, you're a female, you have eyes and hormones. It's just a part of life and it shouldn't be off limits just because it's a sport. There are some guys that just aren't comfortable with the fact that some girls can enjoy the game just as much as they do for the right reasons." There are some girls out there who are hardcore fans and would not even think of looking at a player as a piece of eye candy.

Jordi "reckons gender is such a petty thing sometimes, sure when it's in good fun it's fabulous but when someone goes 'What do you know? You're a girl.' I sort of cringe. But with the way I see it, if a female sports fan wanted to be recognized as an actual fan that's not just casual, however keep a certain individuality - fangirls seems to be the way to go."

At the beginning of the year, for laughs, I started the All-Hot Pool and Christy was a little unsure of how it would look. I assured her that it was all in good fun and we talked about being anti-puckbunny in the comments (things changed a bit once she started to lead though!). When the question of what the difference was between a puckbunny and a fangirl, she replied, "A puckbunny (in my eyes) is someone who likes hockey because of the guys- either they want to sleep with them, date them, etc. They may enjoy the game of hockey, but the reason they are there isn't for pure enjoyment of the sport. A fan girl is someone who appreciates the sport of hockey and that's what she's drawn to. Sure it doesn't hurt that there are some cute/hot hockey players, but she keeps watching the game because of the big hits, skill, puck play, speed, etc. not because she hopes to hook up with a player, any player." Sounds good to me.

Talking to any of us, you might be surprised that we know a lot about the game and can carry on a conversation with any other fan. Colleen says, "A puckbunny is some chick that will talk about the players anatomy THE WHOLE GAME and then do anything to get downstairs after a game, find out where the players are staying, or try in any way to meet up with them with the intention of trying to hook up with them. A fangirl is a chick that will read the pregame notes, check out the stats of the teams playing, get nosebleed tickets just to go, and thoroughly enjoy the action and excitement of the game. But, she will also try to get downstairs after a game, maybe find out where the players are staying or try to meet up with them with the intention of meeting them and talking the game of hockey with them."

Sherry has a theory that "some puckbunnies actually know a thing or two about hockey itself, that's just not what attracts them to the game. I don't think you're puckbunny if you know a lot about the game, actually enjoy watching the games on all aspects and can actually have a discussion about it that doesn't dissolve into a comparison of who's better in bed." Putting aside the fact that "the bunnies think the fangirls are boring, and the fangirls think the bunnies are too horny/shallow to be interesting," (thanks Leanne), you might hear a conversation like this (thanks Finny):

Puck Bunny: "Why isn't HOTTIE on the ice? He's just so cute when he's skating around. I just want to _____ him."
Fangirl: "He's on the checking line and we're currently on the PP, so we got our snipers and playmakers out there with our offensive-minded D shooting from the point."
P.B.: "Oh, but look how sad he is on the side. Oh wait, who's that? He's got a nice arse! Someone pass him the ball... er, puck."
Fangirl: "He's on the other team."
P.B.: "I don't care, he looks hot. How much do they pay him?"
Fangirl: "He just signed as a UFA two summers ago for 3 years, 2 mil a year, but he suffered an injury early in the season and he was out four weeks. He's been in the lineup for the last two games, and he hasn't shown the impact he's capable of. I don't think he's 100% yet, and his TOI has been really limited."
P.B.: "So he gets paid a lot. That's hot. I want him."
Fangirl: "He's married with two kids, and I thought you wanted that guy."
P.B.: "Oh, yeah. How much does he get?"
Fangirl: "1.2 mil, but he is single, hot, and smoking on the ice. He's got 6 points in his last 4 games, and has a +12 rating overall."
P.B.: "Oh, I'll take the other one."

This example shows that "a puckbunny is someone who follows hockey like a groupie follows a band - they don't know the names of the songs or the history of the band, but they'll wait backstage for a glimpse (or more) of that hottie guitar player," and that, "a fangirl can appreciate the good-looking men that fill the NHL and may mention it from time to time. However, she can also tell you what icing is, knows what it means to "play outside the trapezoid", and truly loves the sport for what it is - only the greatest game ever." Thanks, Rebecca for that and for reminding us that it's the game that matters most.

Fangirls know that the game is number one and Margee thinks "that fangirls love everything about the game and puck bunnies just like one thing. Fangirls aren't just wooed by a pretty face. Fangirls are invested in a way that men can't understand. The personality of the player, the style of game, the leadership, it all plays into who one is a fangirl for. Fangirls love the game first, and tend to love the player who loves it in the way that she does. Fangirls pick and choose who they adore. A puckbunny will take anyone in a sweater. To the fangirl, a cute dude is just another variable that enhances being a fan, like loving the jersey of a particular team. It's just icing on the cake."

I am sure that there always has been puckbunnies and fangirls for every sport played on the earth, Karissa reminded me of that a puckbunny is "much like the skibunny, her focus is not on the sport itself, but rather on how she looks while participating/watching. Bunnies will have only a cursory knowledge of the activity they use to attract men, however they will have an extensive knowledge about their own hair, make up, and outfits." Jordi posted a while back about a documentary on footy chicks. I think this was the catalyst for starting the hlog, wanting to get the word out that female hockey fans are awesome and can hold our own while still having a good time.

Alana reminds us that it is not just girls who get crushes, "Puckbunnies have little to no interest in the game of hockey; they're only interested in having sex with or fantasizing about hockey players because they're, well, hot. And rich. Fangirls, on the other hand, love everything about hockey, which may or may not include the players' chiseled abs. Just as there are Fanboys who have man-crushes on certain players, there are Fangirls who have their own crushes. It doesn't mean they want to sleep with them." Crush is a just an informal synonym for infatuation: A foolish, unreasoning, or extravagant passion or attraction; A short-lived, intense and usually unrequited love, sexual attraction, or infatuation, as in, "I have a crush on Alex". Crushes are usually seen as insubstantial and even immature.

Jen passed on some great advice that she had received "from the woman who runs the site Femmefan.com. She said she "makes no apologies for mixing sex and sports, men do it all the time. Men can make comments about cheerleaders or female tennis players and their credibility as sports fans doesn't seem to be affected. We notice how cute or chiseled a player is and we're automatically labeled as 'puck bunnies' and it is assumed that we are only interested in the eye candy and know nothing about the game."

That piece of advice has stuck with me. Various thoughts crossed my mind when I had originally read the comment about this being a puckbunny blog and one was that maybe I should take a different approach to the way I write about the game, then I thought who cares? I like what I write, I've got some great fans, and if you don't like it, don't read it. There's a whole Internet out there.

Thanks to my hloggers for rallying around me at that strange time. Your support means a lot and I'm hoping we can actually change the way fangirls are perceived through our individual blogs and the hlog.