The Philadelphia Flyers fans greet Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on opening night against the New York Rangers. And the Wachovia Center speaker system has the final say:
Metallica just politely asked to turn the volume down on that music. (UPDATE 8:30 p.m. EDT: The sound quality of the original video was a little poor, so we swapped it out for a newer one -- the boos are a tad more prominent than before. Check out the original YouTube here.)
Behind the music, you'll have heard a mix of cheers and boos; and as predicted, the lower bowl near the glass was in a standing ovation. (Except for whoever was holding up that Obama/Biden sign. Viral!) In the end, the boos won out because this is, after all, Philadelphia. But it wasn't the vicious hellfire that some predicted. No one threw a beer at her. Probably because they didn't want to hit her daughter. Or waste the beer.
One point of criticism that may cut across party lines: The most famous hockey mom in American doesn't come out in a jersey? C'mon now.
More reaction from The 700 Level, which participated in our predication/analysis roundtable on the Flyers' invitation to Palin.
For the record, the Rangers announcers earlier claimed that Philadelphia fans once "snowballed Santa Claus" at an Eagles game.