Chris Wagner knows the feeling all too well.
The chirps. The glares. The grandstanding from that one guy in a Joe Flacco jersey down the other end of the bar — reveling in a failed third-down conversation, or a field-goal attempt sailing just a bit too far to the right.
Such is the reality for New England Patriots fans subjected to watching their team take to the gridiron away from the friendly confines of the Commonwealth and any of its neighboring states.
Success breeds contempt — and the Patriots have accrued plenty of both over the past 20 years. And for most of the last decade, Wagner often had to hear it every Sunday when it came to watching his football club.
Wagner’s hockey career has taken him all across the U.S. — starting with a move to New York for his two seasons at Colgate, then three years down in Norfolk, Virginia while in the AHL ranks before making stops in Anaheim, Colorado and back in New York with the Islanders.
One memory that sticks out? On a fun-filled, five-hour bus ride from Hershey, Pennsylvania back to Norfolk, Wagner and the rest of his AHL team found a pit stop to watch Super Bowl XLIX between the Patriots and Seahawks.
One of the few Patriots supporters in attendance, it wasn’t the most welcoming environment — especially after Jermaine Kearse’s circus catch down the sidelines in the waning minutes of regulation. Of course, Wagner would get the last laugh minutes later.
“When Malcolm Butler intercepted that pass,” Wagner recalled. “Everyone was heckling me and then that happened. That was pretty awesome.”
Scrolling through his Rolodex of memories, Wagner quickly singles out Super Bowl LI as his favorite Patriots-related moment — another dynasty-definition game that Wagner had to watch outside of New England, as he was earning reps on the West Coast with the San Diego Gulls back in February 2017.
“It’s got to be the Atlanta game, I think,” he said. “I don’t think you can top that.”
The 2018-19 season has been a bit of a homecoming for the Walpole native and Bruins fourth liner, who has been able to watch the Patriots advance to their 10th Super Bowl in his lifetime without catching too much flak along the way.
Flak or not, it doesn’t have much of an effect on Wagner — who has relished being part of a generation of New Englanders that have seen the Patriots establish themselves as one of the greatest sporting dynasties in history.
Hockey has always been Wagner’s first love when it comes to sports, but the Patriots were always a constant presence — with Foxboro Stadium just four miles down the road.
Wagner managed to catch a game with his father and brother at the old arena back in 2000 for a matchup against the Bengals — while following along with New England’s run to its first championship a year later.
“That first Super Bowl,” Wagner said of his earliest memories when it came to the Patriots. “That whole run. I remember, I kind of fell asleep — I wasn’t allowed to stay up for (Adam) Vinatieri kick in the snow (against the Raiders).
“And then the next game (against the Steelers), I had a game up in Assabet Valley — so we had to listen to it on the road, when Troy Brown returned that punt. I remember watching the Super Bowl at my neighbor's house when Vinatieri made that kick. It was just a crazy game.
“There’s just been so many games — when Brady broke the touchdown record (in 2007). That whole year was something. I cried when they lost that Super Bowl. I was like 17. “
The dynamic is a bit different for Wagner now than it is for most that have grown up in the Patriots’ two-decade dynasty.
Like many others his age, Wagner spent most of his childhood cheering on the hard-hitting leaders of New England’s defense — including Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson. Now, as a pro athlete, Wagner has made an appearance down at Patriots training camp to meet with Rob Gronkowski, Bill Belichick and others — and he occasionally runs into Matthew Slater at the gym down in Foxboro.
“I like him a lot, Wagner said of New England’s special teams captain. “Because he’s carved out a great role for himself.”
Always great hanging with our friends down in Foxborough. Thanks for having us, @Patriots! ??
?: @Patriots pic.twitter.com/LTI23zmg65
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 15, 2018
Still, that enthusiasm for his home football club hasn’t wanted — even if Wagner’s main focus remains on adding some thump and scoring to the Bruins bottom-six corps.
At this point, just days away from Super Bowl LIII, the 27-year-old winger is trying to take this latest run in stride — something that can hard to process for both Patriots fans and detractors alike.
“Just to get there, we take it for granted, I think,” Wagner said. “Just how hard it is to win those rounds and get to the Super Bowl nine times.”
“You’re not well received when you’re a Patriots fan,” he added. “Everyone kind of hates them, for the most part. You watch all the media, all of these buffoons talking about it. I can’t stand it. I don’t get it.
“I was watching “Highly Questionable” last night. Dan Le Batard or someone else said, ‘If you don’t start to appreciate how great they really are, then you’re not a real sports fan.’ You want to see Tom Brady play until he’s 45 and win eight Super Bowls.' He’s going to be one of the most winningest, most successful athletes in American sports history. It’s pretty cool.”
Unlike most of New England, the Bruins won’t spend most of Sunday afternoon pacing in their living rooms ahead of the big game. They have business to take care of down in D.C., with the club looking to snap a 14-game losing streak against the Capitals as part of a matinee matchup.
Still, by the time the clock ticks down to zero at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, you can bet that Wagner will be watching — and finally back home, for a change.
As for a prediction?
“The Rams defense is pretty good,” Wagner said. “But you know, there was that mic’d up thing with Joey Bosa, saying how he couldn’t get to Brady because he was getting rid of the ball too quick. So I’ll go 28-21, Patriots.”