NHL Connect ID:

flaredwingsfan

Description:

I love hockey!! It really is the greatest sport and I only wish more people could see the game through the hockey fans eyes for just one moment, then I think they too would become passionate, rabid fans. While I never got to play hockey as a kid as I never lived anywhere that hockey was an available sport, I discovered it when my uncle took me to see a Bruins Blackhawks game back at the old Chicago Stadium in the early 70’s. It was such a great experience that it made a lasting impact on me. When I was 10, we moved to Virginia where the Red Wings had their AHL Farm club, and it was here, my first “home team”, that hooked me forever as a fan of the Detroit Red Wings. I vividly remember going to the games, not so much the players, but just all of the excitement, the fights, the big checks, the goals, and how everyone seemed to be having fun, fans and players alike. The next season the team moved and I followed them and the NHL club in the paper while other minor league teams rolled through town and my passion for hockey never faded I remember the early days of ESPN and getting to watch hockey highlights of the Wings and other clubs. The great Islander and Oiler teams of the 80’s, the wonderful Purple and Gold of the Kings (why oh why did they go black and silver), I remember in 89 when Norfolk Virginia opened their first ECHL season and had 10 wonderful years before moving up to the AHL and finding continued success (18 years without a losing season). The great highs of being a season ticket holder and watching the team play the whole season and go onto win a championship, great memories of hockey. With most of my early hockey watching being minor league, its been great watching players rise through the ranks and make it into the NHL and seeing them continue to be successful playing the game we both love. With better technology, its allowed me to watch more and more hockey over the years from minor and junior hockey to any team in the NHL via Center Ice. I would travel to Washington DC and then North Carolina to watch games (3 hour drives 1 way for both), especially when the Wings were in town, and now that I am living in Florida, bought a 10 game pack this past season to watch the Bolts play in Tampa so I could see all the Eastern teams and all their great players. I saw the Pens, the Devils, the Rangers, the Bruins, the Thrashers to name a few and loved every minute of it. There are so many passionate fans out there of hockey and we all have our favorites, mine being the Red Wings, but I think I’m a bit different when saying the other 29 teams are my 2nd favorite team. Of course some are liked to different degree’s (I love seeing Philly lose for some reason, probably because I just enjoy watching the fans react and how personally they take the loss) and some players are liked more than others, and even some are really disliked (Jagr, Lang, Sammualson(wings) to name a few). Overall, I just love hockey, love watching the game be it minors or NHL or college and most of all, love debating and arguing with other hockey fans about the game, teams and players we love/hate.

Favorite NHL Team:

Detroit Red Wings

Favorite Sports/Teams:

Detroit Red Wings

Favorite Players:

Steve Yzerman Pavel Datsyuk Nick Lidstrom Alex Ovetchkin Martin St. Louis Danny Heatley Aaron Downey

Music:

I’m a punk rock listener from 70’s English, 80’s LA Hardcore, 90’s and 00’s new Punk. Anti-Flag, Pennywise, Dropkick Murphys to name a few.

Books:

Hard Sci-Fi mostly – David Brin, Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, William Gibson

Movies:

Way to many but will list a few – 7 Samurai, Ran, Blade Runner, Star Wars Ep 4-6, Unforgiven, Braveheart, The Matrix, Snatch, Monty Python Holy Grail

Other interests:

Computers, Snow Skiing, being outdoors, quantum theory, video games, hanging with friends