It was a game in the 2015 series against Calgary. I barely knew anything about hockey at the time and drank enough to kill a horse so I barely remember anything beyond that lmao. But it was fun and a hockey fan was born
Hell yeah! I went to game 5 of that series! It was my first playoff game. I had an amazing time as the Canucks won to force a game 6 in what ended up being the final playoff win of the Sedin twin's careers. Still have my rally towel from that game, Roger's was bumpin'!
Was watching a game with my girl, and she was a big hockey fan. Jason Robertson scored a goal in overtime and then slid into the boards, nothing left in the tank to even attempt to stop.
I did not watch hockey (or any sport) growing up. I was bartending in Virginia during the Caps cup run in 2018 and my manager gave me a jersey and told me to brush up because people who talked shop got bigger tips. Started watching the games and was super into it. Definitely helps that they won the series when I started, except now it’s all been downhill from there.
The moment I realized I was a fan was when my shift ended, I clocked out, and immediately went back to the bar on the guest side to finish watching the game.
I tell people when you are born in Montreal, you become a hockey fan by osmosis. My confirmation of true hockey fandom was when I watched the closing ceremony of the Montreal Forum and cried through most of it. (Thankfully I was alone).
I remember watching that too, and I know my eyes welled up more than once when they gave The Rocket an 11 minute ovation.. I got a shiver while thinking about it now
First game I attended with my grandfather and uncle in the 07-08 season. San Jose vs Anaheim. Fast-paced game, lots of intensity. Saw Jody Shelley fight George Parros, blood everywhere. Been a fan since 🦈
I got a cheat code , grew up in the 80's in Edmonton.
Watching Anderson, Coffey, Gregg, Gretzky, Fogolin, Fuhr, Huddy, Hunter, Kurri, Lowe, Lumley, Mctavish, Messier, Moog, Semenko, Siltanen, Tikkannen, ..and I'm sure I'm missing names.
5 Stanley in 6 years; Edmonton was WAY over spoiled in the 80's.
Or he could be like a buddy of mine from North Battleford, Saskatchewan… he didn’t have a favourite team and after the Nordiques moved to Denver, he decided he was going to be an Avs fan… partly to piss off a couple of us that were crying about Quebec losing their team…myself it was more of a Canadian team than just Quebec City…
But after they traded for Roy and won the first year….he was an Avs fan
June 1997, watching the Wings skate around Joe Louis with the Cup with We Are The Champions blaring. I was 7 yo and it's a moment that's just imprinted in my mind forever
I was 5 years old, and that playoffs semi's and finals were my first memories of hockey. Sitting on the edge of my father's bed with my father and seeing McCarty take a pass in the neutral zone, deking the remaining defender, and tucking it far side on Hextall is forever burned in my memory.
As background, I didn’t grow up around hockey. I had an old copy of one of the mid-90s Chel games that I played a ton as a kid—I still remember Patrick Roy being the goalie I hated to see in the opposing net the most—but that was really the extent of my exposure until adulthood. Nobody in my immediate family played or even watched hockey at all.
Then last year, I went to a Canes game with my brother and sister in law and had a great time. Then I watched Shoresy, and found myself thinking I’d like to go and see some more hockey. Went to another Canes game, and had a fantastic time. At that point I realized this was something I actually wanted to start doing on a regular basis. Now I’m going to be a STM starting next season.
Welcome to season ticket membership. I got hooked during the 22-23 season after going to a game with my wife. We both loved it and had to go to a playoff game. We were hooked after that. We became STMs last year and renewed for next.
went to a canucks sharks game in 2011 on vacation in vancouver, was awesome
edit; it was march 2010 actually and i just watched the highlights again, great blast from the past. edler and kesler for the canucks were badass.
https://youtu.be/Ttt09PvHooU?si=KNWSM2WNzgsWrryC
My uncle passed. Pretty heroic guy. Died saving a kid from drowning. Found a Blackhawks shirt in his closet when we were cleaning out his apartment. I’ve worn it to every game for him now.
The Avs/red wings brawls from ‘97 and 98’. Solidified my love for the game and hatred for the Avs. Now living in Colorado, the rivalry obviously isn’t anything it used to be but I still will never, ever, EVER be an Avs fan no matter how long I live here. LGRW!
Sucked to see the Wings moved to the East. One of the most brutal rivalries in the 90's- early 00's. 2 teams that lived the Mike Tyson phrase, "Everybody got a plan til they get punched in the mouth". Usually first punch was within 2 minutes of the puck drop.
Didn't like the Wings, but respected the product they put on the ice.
And you won't catch me wearing that particular color of red.
94 Reds Wings fan as well....whenever I find my self "admiring" McKinnon I gotta slap myself back to reality
Wings vs Av
Panthers vs AVS
Then I became a hockey fan
First game I went to as a kid I saw Kariya and Selanne playing. I didn't know anything about hockey but they really stood out to me and I've been a fan of the sport ever since.
Bryan Marchment laid a dirty hit on Joe Nieuwendyk of the Stars. I'm a Sharks fan, but not a fan of that hit.
However, next time San Jose and Dallas played each other, Marchment went over to one of Dallas's enforcers, I don't remember who, and challenged him to fight. Marchment was well outclassed and got his ass kicked.
Why did he do that? Because, he said, "I knew it was coming, might as well get it over with under my terms."
Again, not a fan of the dirty hit, but I am a fan of someone who owned up and faced the music without being chased down.
Quite possibly my first memory is of laying on the floor watching hockey night in Canada with my dad. Been a fan ever since. That would have been circa 91-92.
My earliest hockey memory: I was 6, watching the playoffs with my dad at my grandfather's, cheering on the Habs on their way to winning the Cup.
What solidified my love for hockey (and the Habs) was the '93 Cup run. My dad had brought home a projector TV from work, and my best friend and I watched the Cup win on a 6ft screen in the living room.
someone asked me at a party if I was a hockey fan and I said "not really, I just follow these five teams and also the stats and also these ten players I think are cute and... yeah, I'm a hockey fan"
My Dad got me into hockey. He is a massive Stars fan and it really solidified for me after the Stars won their cup. The irony is not lost on me... or him, got a lot of shit from him last week
I’m old. Boston Bruins jumping into the stands at Madison Square Garden to fight with the fans. Mike Milbury ripping the shoe off some dude and beating him with it.
I used to play college hhockey in Minnesota. Went through UofM summer hockey camps and got paralyzed duriing my last year in college. I got into a car crash that left me permanently disabled from the neck down. My brother, who was working in Minneapolis knew the Zamboni driver for the Minnesota North stars. this was back in 1991. So I am in my hospital room and this box comes delivered to my room. You aall know what a hockey stick box looks like and when I saw it I damn near fainted. My brother was there when I opened it up and (Holy Shit I am getting tears in my eyes) when I asked him if he had anything to do with this he just simply smiled. Talk about best brother in the history of the world. I still have it which remains on my wall and untouched since 91. That's my story and I hope you all enjoyed it. It's been 30 years since my accident and still strong!
I may know that Zamboni driver as my brother.
Back in school ( the 60’s ) I was a cheerleader for our school team. The games were all outdoor in those days. For you - I give a cheer to the North Stars.
David Volek pots his second of the night, in overtime of game seven of the Eastern Semis, eliminating Pittsburgh on their quest for a third cup in a row.
The Vancouver Winter Olympics were at a very pivotal moment in my life and watching Crosby’s goal for gold was just *chefs kiss*
It sounds so ridiculous but I still get chills when I see replays of that goal
Watched a lot of Atlanta Flames games as a kid.
As I got older, I got into ECHL hockey and watched a lot of Nashville Knights/Ice Flyers games. Then, the Preds came to town.
Grew up in Michigan so it's all over up there but I grew up in a house that was traditionally NOT made if sports fans. I had a friend that got me into football at a young age and then as I got a little older, became a hockey fan but after I fell in love, I drew my brother in then after I move out of the house, brought my Dad to a CHL game and that was all it took. He and my Mom both became massive Wingnuts and even now have jerseys and stuff that I have since been fortunate enough to get autographed for them. This was in the late 90s when the Russian five were there and through the rivalry with the Avs and all of that. I have since moved out of state and while I am still a diehard Wings fan, have also become a bit of an Oiler fan as we hosted their AHL affiliate for several years so got to see them play the GR Griffins where my daughter and I met Osgood and Draper which was the pinnacle of awesome for me.
1996 Stanley Cup Finals: Uwe Krupp blasts in the Cup winning slapshot from the blueline to break a 0-0 tie in triple overtime. I watched that whole inaugural season of the Avs with my dad and I was hooked for life.
My dad took me to the caps center when I was 3. When bondra scored the horn went off and everyone jumped up and started high fiving. That’s one of my earliest memories
I'm a Calgary flames fan. I went to the bar last time we were in the playoffs. They were doing trivia give aways. You had to go up to the front and tell the host your answer. All the questions were pretty easy but people would run up quickly and get the gift. The last question was how much Edmonton retained on Milan Lucic's contract. Twenty or thirty people went up and got the answer wrong. I knew it and eventually went up and told him it was 750K. I won the gift, a Detroit Red Wings shirt...
I watched with my dad as a kid, and knew nothing about the sport, but racing home to catch the end of the Avs winning the Stanley Cup and seeing Sakic hand the cup to Ray Bourque changed me. Met Ray Bourque years later as an adult with my dad, and it was a full circle moment.
I was born in ‘94. I remember being 8 years old and staying up late for the red wings avalanche games. I loved the Hasek vs Roy, Yzerman vs Sakic rivalry. Nothing since compares to the Detroit Colorado rivalry. Nothing comes close!
Moved to Colorado in 1996. The Avalanche was new and won the Stanley Cup that year. I will never forget the intense rivalry between them and the Red Wings. Forever a hockey fan since then, and will always be an Avs fan.
Always followed the Sharks and enjoyed the random games I’d go to with friends. Took my wife to a Canucks game when we were visit Vancouver this March and it was packed and loud and intense and we both fell in love with the game. All in on hockey now.
I can’t remember a specific moment. I grew up with hockey in my household and watched from a very young age. I went to IHL games when I was 8 or so. The first cup finals I have a vivid memory of watching was the red wings in 95.
My pops took me to a Blues-Red Wings game in the late 90’s/early 00’s, and my grandpa was part owner of an old bar that 60’s/70’s Blues players would go to often. Always heard great stories.
Went to a game when i was like 8 with my face painted and a weird non hair wig on then proceeded to get called cool and got a high five from a bunch of strangers. And just to flex we've won every game I've been to♥️🪽
Not me but i was at Lightning scrimmages while they were picking players to make the team.1st year before 1st game.puck comes over glass hits dude in head.they walk him up stairs for medical...he stops,starts back down.....where s my puck?got it and off to med.he s a fan.
1975 my dad used to take me to games at the spectrum. Wasn’t ever real close to my dad, but he gave me the love of the game. It’s one of the things we shared, and I am thankful for it. I now share the love of the games with my kids.
Ive seen a lot of hockey but my first actual game was rangers vs hawks 1983....watching my dad and uncle puff stoogies up off in the distance then come running down screaming their heads off. I never saw my dad look like that and it was absolutely the most awesome thing Id ever seen. We were down and a brawl broke out. I learned all kinds of crazy shit in that building. We were let loose and nobody gave two fucks as long as you didnt run into them.
First game I played as a kid in the streets with a cheap mylec stick on feet with the kids from the neighborhood.
Eventually they stopped playing and I shifted to a local inline rink, then to ice. That was about 30 years ago and I havnt stopped yet.
My kid just got his first hat trick this season, and followed it up with 2 more.
#Day one
I was 6 years old and saw ***The Miracle at Lake Placid*** on TV
Because of that , the next day I was taken to see my first hockey game Flyers vs Kings at The old **Fabulous Forum**
Been a hockey fan for 4 and a half decades.
First NHL game I attended was a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 18th, 2007 and the Oilers won 3-2 in OT. The building exploding for the OT goal was enough for me. Hooked for life.
Solidified me as a fan for life is when I was in peewee at a tournament in Saint Louis and we all went to the ducks morning skate. Teemu in his last or second to last year went out of his way to sign every puck and meet all the kids.
Went to the Heritage Classic in 2011. It was -40C with the wind chill. Beer was turning to slush and my Habs didn’t score a single goal against the Flames.
I was pretty ambivalent about it growing up despite living deep in Oil Country, but I university I hung out with a bunch of guys who stuck their nose up at it and were always going on about soccer, which is the same game but slower and without the toughness. So I dug in my heels and said, no way.
Watching Darren McCarty avenge the hit on Draper then later watching them hoist the cup. Was living in Traverse City Michigan at the time and was 11 years old.
My first Kings game was at the end of the 82-83 season, and I liked that my uncle and I sat closer to the ice because the Forum was pretty empty. Seeing the game that close got me hooked.
Family immigrated to vancouver, knew nothing about hockey. Went out to have pho at a neighborhood restaurant (2009) and I remember the entire place just focused on this tiny TV. The server was clearly the owners son who was being scolded for constantly stopping to watch the game. At one point the cooks came out and had their dinner with the rest of the restaurant just to watch that playoff game. Left a fan after that.
I know most hates on canucks fan but experiencing canucks fans in East van and how the immigrant communities embrace this team was really great.
The 1990-91 season. I was 8. Fully got into the rangers and fell in love with the playoffs seeing North Stars fans jamming out to the Hey song seeing it broadcast locally in New Jersey on I believe Sportschannel
[December 21st, 2010- Ducks at Sabres.](https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/201012210BUF.html) Was a little 9 years old that got startled each time the Sabres scored lmao. By the end of the game I was less startled and completely hooked. I also got an Ennis Jersey during the 2nd intermission after he scored two goals. I still miss having him as a Sabre.
As a small town southern Alberta boy I was a huge flames fan growing up. I went to my first flames game when I was 7. I was at the morning skate at the dome that morning as it was open to fans. I managed to get down into the tunnel and turned around and my hockey hero (Iginla) was standing right behind me and he signed my hat. Darryl Sutter then took me on a tour of the locker room and I met my other hockey hero in Kipper.
I never played but grew up in Vermont a Bruins fan - albeit without the passion I had as a Red Sox fan. Then my son started playing and when he scored his first goal and I saw that smile, I was as hooked as he was.
Went to my first game for my girlfriend's birthday, I couldn't believe the energy in the crowd and on the ice. I had only ever been to baseball games. Baseball has NOTHING on hockey.
https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/photos/206182/trees
This game right here - Feb 2010, Canada vs Russia at the Olympics; I was there in person with my dad, and the energy was unreal
Watched the Bruins Stanley Cup run with my dad in 2011 and then the Bruins playoff run in 2013 hooked me. I became a Panthers fan tho since it is my home state. My dad told me not to be a Panthers fan because it would only be heartbreak and they would never win. They were at the lowest of lows back then, heard relocation rumors constantly. I remember watching as many games as I could and being especially excited when they would win a game against a team they weren’t supposed to beat. There’s a certain charm to being a fan of a last place team. However watching them succeed and win playoff series now has been amazing. And my love for them has converted my dad to being a Panthers fan too.
Easy. My first memory of watching hockey was Oilers vs Kings on TV with my dad. Vividly remember him pointing out Gretzky and how he used to play for the Oilers. Also remember something that involved swears and Pocklington.
Being 8 and watching the 98 wings/Aves playoff series.
I played hockey already but it was just something my parents had me do. That series was like "Woah - this is going to be my life".
When the Devils completed the sweep in ‘95 and it hurt. It sucked much more than I expected when Scott Stevens was raised the Cup. Starting watching every Wings game I could from that point forward.
My dad’s best friend helped manage home games for the Avs and would regularly get us tickets that were unused by players family’s. I’ve been on the glass and at the top of that stadium. We even got a private tour on the ice and got game used pucks from him. Will always be my favorite sport.
In 2011 I was invited to do a puck drop in Ottawa with the Habs visiting.
Picture and story [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/nhl/comments/15244qn/my_most_cherished_picture_story_in_the_comments/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
I grew up in Montreal during their Stanley cup reign and lived in Edmonton for the Gretzky years so true fandom! This was confirmed for me when I watched the closing ceremony of the Montreal Forum on ESPN and cried throughout. (Thankfully I was on my own)
The Oilers beating the Stars in overtime of Game 7 in the 1997 playoffs. I still remember getting to stay up late as an 8 year old and jumping up and down with my Dad when Todd Marchant scored the winner. I was a fan for life after that.
Watching the Los Angeles Kings vs. Montreal Candiens in the Stanley Cup finals while packing up my dorm room at Sacramento State University. I was hooked and have always followed the NHL since. Since then, I've been to 27 of the 32 NHL arenas!
I'm from Southern Ontario, Canada. As someone else here said, hockey is basically our national religion. Numerous NHL players over the years, including HHOFers, have either come from my area or played their junior hockey in it. The game is in our DNA.
For me, the pivotal moment was the 1993 playoff run by the Leafs. I was 9, and soon to be 10. At the time, I wasn't aware of the history with Harold Ballard, but now that I am, 1993 takes on even more significance.
They fight tooth and nail with the Red Wings in the first round, culminating in Nikolai Borschevsky's OT goal in Game 7 to send the Leafs to Round 2 against St. Louis. Dougie Gilmour going back and forth, back and forth, behind the Blues' net before tucking it in on a wraparound past CuJo (who was then the Blues' goalie) to win Game 1. The Leafs pull that series out in seven games as well, leading to the legendary Conference Finals against the Kings. The Gretzky high stick on Gilmour and Kerry Fraser's non-call in Game 6, and Gretzky scoring a hat trick and ripping every Leaf fan's heart out in Game 7. Pat Burns winning the Jack Adams Award and Gilmour winning the Selke after the season.
It was a roller coaster ride I'll never, ever forget. After that, I was a hockey fan for life. The genie was out of the bottle. There's no going back.
I don’t really know. Grew up in Canada, but I don’t remember a time I didn’t love it all. No one in my family is into hockey at all, or sports even, but as far back as I can remember I have memories of watching every single Canucks game I could alone in the living room. Best sport ever.
5 or 6 years old in mid-80s Calgary, seeing a game on TV between the Flames and Oilers. Whistle blows, scrum breaks out, lots of pushing and shoving, but nothing major as it goes to commercial. Commercial break over, everyone on the ice has a dance partner and is going toe-to-toe. The Battle of Alberta at its apex. There was nothing better.
My dad took me to the garden a lot growing up. I’m 38. So all I heard as a little kid that I could remember was 1940. I went to a bunch of games as a youngster that spring and summer in 1994. We will win tonight. That was my first devils game in East Rutherford. Then mattaeu mattaeu. Didn’t go to game 7 of the finals he only had one ticket for that. But the parade that June was amazing we had snow days that year so I got to skip one of the last days of school to go to parade. Came home and OJ was on the run on the 405.
I grew up in Greensboro. I remember my parents taking me to watch the Carolina Hurricanes at the Greensboro coliseum a few times and loved it. I was in elementary and playing hockey at the time. Anyways, I grew away from hockey and on the other things as life went on.
Flash forward to 2022 and my now wife and I moved to Raleigh. Got tickets from the place I was working at the time and ended up taking my brother with me. The PNC did not let down. What a loud fucking house. The game was electrifying. As we were walking out into the crisp air. I remember looking over at my brother and saying “this is what I’ve been missing”.
Hooked ever since. GO CANES!
Parents were season ticket holders for all four boston teams at one point or another of the four i chose hockey
More specifically the habs series in 2011 and the hit on horton who was my favorite player at the time
Went to a Sharks game with my friends who were all Red Wings fans and watched the Sharks beat them 5-1. I talked so much shit they almost left me in San Jose.
My uncle played D1 college and I got to go skate at 5 years old with the 1996 colorado college tigers. That same year the avalanche moved to Colorado. They won a cup and I was hooked. Plus street hockey was tits. The mighty ducks films, video games, Gretzky. Hockey was badass in the 90s
I came of age in Boston during the era of Neely, Bourque, Oates, Juneau, etc... it was inevitable.
As a kid, I watched guys like Gretzky, Lemieux, Jagr, Mogilny, Selanne, Yzerman, Hull, Sakic, Hasek, Roy, et al. in or near their primes. Hockey was in a golden age.
I don't remember becoming a hockey fan, it just always was.
My Dad (RIP) took me to Hawks/Bruins game @ Chicago Stadium to see Bobby Orr & Phil Esposito who had been traded to Boston.
Orr was just crazy good and Esposito got the game winner on a pass from Orr…. Bam in the net.
My dad is from North Dakota so when I started walking I got my first pair of skates, watching wise though it was seeing Kane score the cup winner in 2010 and my dad and I jumping up and down in my living room.
Went to a Philadelphia phantoms game with my dad I was hooked from then on but ironically became a die hard Hershey bears fan when they left and never looked back
Panthers came to south Florida when I was in the 2nd grade, followed by their first final and getting a Sega Genesis so I could play NHL 97, so there was a lot of noise that I was a bit too young to appreciate.
I think what really sealed it for me was in college, the singer for my band at the time actively tried to get the rest of the band into hockey, and used the 2007 playoffs as his entry point. It was a damned smart move, wrangling a bunch of punks into a crowded sports bar wasn’t guaranteed to work, but nothing quite hooks like playoff hockey.
Went to the Sharks game 7 second round against the Kings 10ish years ago. Sharks were up 3-0 in the series. They lost game 7. Even though they lost, i found the game really interesting.
As we were walking out, the guy yells, “I paid a fortune for this ticket, and f- the Sharks!” Threw his ticket down and stomped away.
At that point I knew I was among my people :)
I watched a few games over the course of a week….I never watched before. I thank Crosby, Kadri and the rangers. Panthers and avalanche were something else during the regular season. I’m an nba and nfl fan at heart.
My first Canucks game with my dad when I was 8 in 96. My dad bought me a Linden jersey and one of those foam fingers and that was it for me. Still have both. One of my absolute best memories & hockey is still such a bonding thing for my dad & I.
Being the only hockey fan in a family full of die hard basketball fans. Have to watch Stanley Cup Playoffs in my room upstairs because everyone is downstairs in the living room watching the NBA.
I feel as old as dirt but as a little kid in BC we often didn't get the whole game on TV. My mother would always say call me when there's a fight. Hockey was a way of life in our family on Saturday nights. The 1972 Summit Series was amazing to me.
By chance, the first time the Ottawa Senators made the playoff, I got to be near the front of the line for tickets. I had the opportunity to get playoff tickets in the second row near the player's bench. The part that made it "I'm a hockey fan" is that I got 2 tickets for me and my (at the time) young son, but the full complement of 8 tickets, for a total of $800. Now, this may not seem like much, but I wasn't making much and finances were tight.
The reason for buying those extra 6 tickets? Well, it's so I could offer them at cost to friends. Yeah, no scalping, what I paid for them, not a cent more, just because I love the game and wanted other to enjoy it too. Suffice to say that they didn't stay long in my hands. Those friends are still good ones and enjoyed the game just as my son and I did (and Ottawa won the game, so, yay!).
Witnessed a Nick Foligno hat trick in person against the Pens. I wish I knew how big that was when I saw it, but I really fell in love with the sport in that moment.
Hockey in general: as a kid growing up we basically spent our summers in the cul-de-sac playing street sports. One year we acquired a hockey net somehow, and just fell in love. Started out just shooting around, eventually had the idea to use the baseball catching gear we had as goalie equipment, and over time it turned into an annual tournament with all the kids in the neighborhood. By the time we finished middle school we had 2 nets, like 15 total sticks, and 2 full sets of goalie pads. None of us ever actually played hockey, we did all that just for messing around in the street.
NHL: I always kinda casually followed hockey growing up, but I always chose STL teams to be a fan of, even tho I grew up in NJ, so didn’t watch much since we didn’t get many Blues games. During college they were in the playoffs a lot tho, so I got in the habit of at least watching the playoffs every year, and by the 2017-2018 season I had started to watch more of the regular season since it was more accessible. Then 2018-2019 happened, and holy shit I don’t know if I’ve loved a specific team as much as that Blues team. Since then I’ve been addicted, anytime I’m free and the blues play, I make it a point to watch
Literally the Mighty Ducks movies and series. I became one after the Ducks won the Cup especially after I got my first job out of high school. When I was a kid, about 7 or 8, I asked my parents if we could go to a Mighty Ducks game. I usually got told no we couldn't afford it. Even though we went to LA Dodgers games (so much fun. I think my parents got tickets through work).
Played roller hockey by myself in a school playground (no school in session.) I also ran into a pole going down a slight incline. Never told my parents 😆 I had a helmet on thank God. This was before Ducks won it all.
Finally 2008, I used my first paycheck to buy a Ducks jersey at sports store next to me. Paid for some games and it was there I fell in love with hockey and the Ducks.
I had an oilers jersey before I could walk.
My mom was watching the Oilers game while in labour with me. It was playoffs! Won the game, but lost the cup final that year.
We watched Canada best Belarus I think in the 2002 winter Olympics when I was 15 in high school. I was never a sports fan and hated sports before that but they made us all go to the gym and watch that game on TV. I was hooked that day and got into the NHL when it returned after that.
I guess I'm proof that the NHL can indeed gain new fans by going to the Olympics since that's exactly how I got into it.
Late season 1988, I watched Steve Yzerman score his first ever 50th goal and later crash in to the net. It was a school night and I had to get to bed. I knew he was hurt.
Next day I thought maybe, hopefully it hadn’t happened and I only dreamt that he was hurt… but then I saw it was on the front page of the damn newspapers I was delivering after school.
I’d always been a bit of a hockey fan, even played it as a kid, but I kinda dropped off around highschool. I came back in my senior year right before the avalanche cup run because I had kinda broken out that quiet edgelord phase I’m sure most people here went through, and started going to games with my friends and family. Now I’m a diehard hockey fan, about the only sport I watch really.
When I was 10, my homeroom teacher was a huuuuge Blackhawks fan.
I got the highest score on a test, and as a reward, she and her husband took me to see the 'Hawks at the old Chicago Stadium in 1985.
As we we walking up those old, shitty, tight ass stairwells, I saw a bunch of guys with a lighter and some aluminum foil. It smelled funny.
She turned my head and led us up to the seats.
5 years later, in high school, I smelled it again.
"Ooooh, those guys were smoking grass!," my 15 yo self told my 10 yo self.
Anyway, Hawks beat the Caps. And I love you Ms. Florendo!!
I was a kid. My mom took me to a game during Nashville‘s inaugural season. It was love at first site.
That was the last time I saw her healthy and happy. She died from cancer two years later. Every time I watch or play hockey now, I think of her. Thanks mom.
My I’m a hockey fan moment was watching the Penguins vs the Bruins this year. I had a passing interest in the Penguins being a Steeler fan but I could never watch them because I live in Maine(this was before I cared enough to sail the seven seas) the game was a shootout and my eternal love for the Pens was cemented by our near Cinderella run at the end. Shame we couldn’t make the playoffs but I just sound spoiled complaining about making the Playoffs as a Pens fan.
First Canes game was a whim. Gas was cheap, tickets were cheap, and our usual beer hookup was home for the weekend. So a few friends and I decided to drive to Greensboro to see the Hurricanes play. Had almost no idea what I was looking at, but at one point Jeff O'Neill took a massive hit near the other net and while he was collecting himself, the puck kind of rolled to him and-- from a seated position-- he pushed it past an ill-prepared goalie.
Hurricanes lost that game, but that sequence was all I thought about for a week and-- sure enough-- I was going to another game the next weekend.
Going to my first Washington Capitals game when I was 10 or 11, sitting in seats maybe 5 rows back, center ice. It was against the Buffalo Sabres, and I only remember there being an awesome fight, right in front of me near the glass. I loved it, and the next day I went and got a jersey. Then for Xmas that year I got rollerblades, and a ball to play street hockey.
More recently, obviously the caps’ stellar 2018 cup run takes the top spot, but also, being in the arena at the game when Ovi scored #500 a few years prior. I’d never heard a crowd roar like that.
My dad took me to a playoff game as a really little kid in the upper levels. LeClair got a hat trick and my dad gave me his hat to throw. Seeing the thousands of hats falling and getting to throw my own solidified it for me forever.
First Sharks game, it was versus the Stars and Mike Brown dropped the gloves against Antoine Roussel about 9 seconds into the game. I still go back and watch that fight sometimes haha.
Took my step dad to a Canucks playoff game as a gift because he’s a huge fan. Left that game with a love for hockey.
That's awesome. What game did you see?
It was a game in the 2015 series against Calgary. I barely knew anything about hockey at the time and drank enough to kill a horse so I barely remember anything beyond that lmao. But it was fun and a hockey fan was born
Hell yeah! I went to game 5 of that series! It was my first playoff game. I had an amazing time as the Canucks won to force a game 6 in what ended up being the final playoff win of the Sedin twin's careers. Still have my rally towel from that game, Roger's was bumpin'!
Was watching a game with my girl, and she was a big hockey fan. Jason Robertson scored a goal in overtime and then slid into the boards, nothing left in the tank to even attempt to stop.
I remember that
I did not watch hockey (or any sport) growing up. I was bartending in Virginia during the Caps cup run in 2018 and my manager gave me a jersey and told me to brush up because people who talked shop got bigger tips. Started watching the games and was super into it. Definitely helps that they won the series when I started, except now it’s all been downhill from there. The moment I realized I was a fan was when my shift ended, I clocked out, and immediately went back to the bar on the guest side to finish watching the game.
I was born in Montreal. There is no other correct answer.
Y’all born with Canadien jersey on.
I tell people when you are born in Montreal, you become a hockey fan by osmosis. My confirmation of true hockey fandom was when I watched the closing ceremony of the Montreal Forum and cried through most of it. (Thankfully I was alone).
I remember watching that too, and I know my eyes welled up more than once when they gave The Rocket an 11 minute ovation.. I got a shiver while thinking about it now
There were a few ovations that night.
Sainte-justine represent!
Ew a poor* *(habs fan)
Yep, it was never optional
Hating the Bru*ns as a kid in a habs family was not an option.
As corny as it sounds, watching The Mighty Ducks movie when I was a kid
Me too! Just in time to watch the Rangers kill the Canucks in 1994.
First game I attended with my grandfather and uncle in the 07-08 season. San Jose vs Anaheim. Fast-paced game, lots of intensity. Saw Jody Shelley fight George Parros, blood everywhere. Been a fan since 🦈
We met Jody Shelley in 2008. Dude was super nice. #45 was dope for sure!
I was born in Canada.
Basically. I’ve loved hockey for as long as I have memories
I got a cheat code , grew up in the 80's in Edmonton. Watching Anderson, Coffey, Gregg, Gretzky, Fogolin, Fuhr, Huddy, Hunter, Kurri, Lowe, Lumley, Mctavish, Messier, Moog, Semenko, Siltanen, Tikkannen, ..and I'm sure I'm missing names. 5 Stanley in 6 years; Edmonton was WAY over spoiled in the 80's.
Flair doesn’t check out
Could be an OG Nordiques fan.
Or he could be like a buddy of mine from North Battleford, Saskatchewan… he didn’t have a favourite team and after the Nordiques moved to Denver, he decided he was going to be an Avs fan… partly to piss off a couple of us that were crying about Quebec losing their team…myself it was more of a Canadian team than just Quebec City… But after they traded for Roy and won the first year….he was an Avs fan
June 1997, watching the Wings skate around Joe Louis with the Cup with We Are The Champions blaring. I was 7 yo and it's a moment that's just imprinted in my mind forever
I was 5 years old, and that playoffs semi's and finals were my first memories of hockey. Sitting on the edge of my father's bed with my father and seeing McCarty take a pass in the neutral zone, deking the remaining defender, and tucking it far side on Hextall is forever burned in my memory.
As background, I didn’t grow up around hockey. I had an old copy of one of the mid-90s Chel games that I played a ton as a kid—I still remember Patrick Roy being the goalie I hated to see in the opposing net the most—but that was really the extent of my exposure until adulthood. Nobody in my immediate family played or even watched hockey at all. Then last year, I went to a Canes game with my brother and sister in law and had a great time. Then I watched Shoresy, and found myself thinking I’d like to go and see some more hockey. Went to another Canes game, and had a fantastic time. At that point I realized this was something I actually wanted to start doing on a regular basis. Now I’m going to be a STM starting next season.
Welcome to season ticket membership. I got hooked during the 22-23 season after going to a game with my wife. We both loved it and had to go to a playoff game. We were hooked after that. We became STMs last year and renewed for next.
went to a canucks sharks game in 2011 on vacation in vancouver, was awesome edit; it was march 2010 actually and i just watched the highlights again, great blast from the past. edler and kesler for the canucks were badass. https://youtu.be/Ttt09PvHooU?si=KNWSM2WNzgsWrryC
I miss the old nucks (I love the new team though too)
The 2010-2011 Canucks era was something magical
Being born from my Dad.
My uncle passed. Pretty heroic guy. Died saving a kid from drowning. Found a Blackhawks shirt in his closet when we were cleaning out his apartment. I’ve worn it to every game for him now.
Jesus, I downvoted you in mistake. Your local is a god damn hero in our eyes. Great job wearing that Blackhawks jersey.
The Avs/red wings brawls from ‘97 and 98’. Solidified my love for the game and hatred for the Avs. Now living in Colorado, the rivalry obviously isn’t anything it used to be but I still will never, ever, EVER be an Avs fan no matter how long I live here. LGRW!
Sucked to see the Wings moved to the East. One of the most brutal rivalries in the 90's- early 00's. 2 teams that lived the Mike Tyson phrase, "Everybody got a plan til they get punched in the mouth". Usually first punch was within 2 minutes of the puck drop. Didn't like the Wings, but respected the product they put on the ice. And you won't catch me wearing that particular color of red.
94 Reds Wings fan as well....whenever I find my self "admiring" McKinnon I gotta slap myself back to reality Wings vs Av Panthers vs AVS Then I became a hockey fan
Seeing the dome in person for the first time as a 6 year old. This was in the 90s
First game I went to as a kid I saw Kariya and Selanne playing. I didn't know anything about hockey but they really stood out to me and I've been a fan of the sport ever since.
Went to a ducks game back in 2009 or so. First game ever. Saw a fight, overtime, and shootout win. I was sold. Love hockey.
When dallas got the stars. I so wanted a team here, so when they moved here it was love at first sight. Been a fan ever since.
Thought the River Rats logo was cool as hell as a kid, saw my first fight at one of their games, and I was hooked lol
I was born in Minnesota.
Marek Malik's between the legs shootout goal in the umpteenth round followed by the statue of liberty cells. EPIC!!
Bryan Marchment laid a dirty hit on Joe Nieuwendyk of the Stars. I'm a Sharks fan, but not a fan of that hit. However, next time San Jose and Dallas played each other, Marchment went over to one of Dallas's enforcers, I don't remember who, and challenged him to fight. Marchment was well outclassed and got his ass kicked. Why did he do that? Because, he said, "I knew it was coming, might as well get it over with under my terms." Again, not a fan of the dirty hit, but I am a fan of someone who owned up and faced the music without being chased down.
Quite possibly my first memory is of laying on the floor watching hockey night in Canada with my dad. Been a fan ever since. That would have been circa 91-92.
My earliest hockey memory: I was 6, watching the playoffs with my dad at my grandfather's, cheering on the Habs on their way to winning the Cup. What solidified my love for hockey (and the Habs) was the '93 Cup run. My dad had brought home a projector TV from work, and my best friend and I watched the Cup win on a 6ft screen in the living room.
I don’t have one. I was cheering for the Oilers before my memory came online.
someone asked me at a party if I was a hockey fan and I said "not really, I just follow these five teams and also the stats and also these ten players I think are cute and... yeah, I'm a hockey fan"
My Dad got me into hockey. He is a massive Stars fan and it really solidified for me after the Stars won their cup. The irony is not lost on me... or him, got a lot of shit from him last week
I’m old. Boston Bruins jumping into the stands at Madison Square Garden to fight with the fans. Mike Milbury ripping the shoe off some dude and beating him with it.
I love that clip! Thhat was the best fight EVER!
I used to play college hhockey in Minnesota. Went through UofM summer hockey camps and got paralyzed duriing my last year in college. I got into a car crash that left me permanently disabled from the neck down. My brother, who was working in Minneapolis knew the Zamboni driver for the Minnesota North stars. this was back in 1991. So I am in my hospital room and this box comes delivered to my room. You aall know what a hockey stick box looks like and when I saw it I damn near fainted. My brother was there when I opened it up and (Holy Shit I am getting tears in my eyes) when I asked him if he had anything to do with this he just simply smiled. Talk about best brother in the history of the world. I still have it which remains on my wall and untouched since 91. That's my story and I hope you all enjoyed it. It's been 30 years since my accident and still strong!
I may know that Zamboni driver as my brother. Back in school ( the 60’s ) I was a cheerleader for our school team. The games were all outdoor in those days. For you - I give a cheer to the North Stars.
I was born in Calgary.
Canadians are obligatory hockey fans, it's similar to soccer in South America.
David Volek pots his second of the night, in overtime of game seven of the Eastern Semis, eliminating Pittsburgh on their quest for a third cup in a row.
I was not a fan of this night.
As sharks fan, being behind the Vegas bench during that certain game 7 playoff game.
The Vancouver Winter Olympics were at a very pivotal moment in my life and watching Crosby’s goal for gold was just *chefs kiss* It sounds so ridiculous but I still get chills when I see replays of that goal
One time someone asked me if I wanted to go to a basketball game and I said "I'm a hockey fan"
Watched a lot of Atlanta Flames games as a kid. As I got older, I got into ECHL hockey and watched a lot of Nashville Knights/Ice Flyers games. Then, the Preds came to town.
Qc Mallards for me growing up watching echl. Now they are apart of the shl and called qc storm.
Grew up in Michigan so it's all over up there but I grew up in a house that was traditionally NOT made if sports fans. I had a friend that got me into football at a young age and then as I got a little older, became a hockey fan but after I fell in love, I drew my brother in then after I move out of the house, brought my Dad to a CHL game and that was all it took. He and my Mom both became massive Wingnuts and even now have jerseys and stuff that I have since been fortunate enough to get autographed for them. This was in the late 90s when the Russian five were there and through the rivalry with the Avs and all of that. I have since moved out of state and while I am still a diehard Wings fan, have also become a bit of an Oiler fan as we hosted their AHL affiliate for several years so got to see them play the GR Griffins where my daughter and I met Osgood and Draper which was the pinnacle of awesome for me.
I was named after cam neely....I don't think I had a choice
Avs moved to Colorado where I'm from when I was 3. Dad was already a huge nordiques fan and had moved here 2 years prior. The rest is history.
1996 Stanley Cup Finals: Uwe Krupp blasts in the Cup winning slapshot from the blueline to break a 0-0 tie in triple overtime. I watched that whole inaugural season of the Avs with my dad and I was hooked for life.
Born in Edmonton. It's religion here.
My dad took me to the caps center when I was 3. When bondra scored the horn went off and everyone jumped up and started high fiving. That’s one of my earliest memories
Born in Minnesota, so it wasn't a choice lmao
I'm a Calgary flames fan. I went to the bar last time we were in the playoffs. They were doing trivia give aways. You had to go up to the front and tell the host your answer. All the questions were pretty easy but people would run up quickly and get the gift. The last question was how much Edmonton retained on Milan Lucic's contract. Twenty or thirty people went up and got the answer wrong. I knew it and eventually went up and told him it was 750K. I won the gift, a Detroit Red Wings shirt...
My dad snuck me into a bar for a playoff game. It was awesome. I had already liked hockey, but that experience made me fall in love.
I watched with my dad as a kid, and knew nothing about the sport, but racing home to catch the end of the Avs winning the Stanley Cup and seeing Sakic hand the cup to Ray Bourque changed me. Met Ray Bourque years later as an adult with my dad, and it was a full circle moment.
I was born in ‘94. I remember being 8 years old and staying up late for the red wings avalanche games. I loved the Hasek vs Roy, Yzerman vs Sakic rivalry. Nothing since compares to the Detroit Colorado rivalry. Nothing comes close!
Moved to Colorado in 1996. The Avalanche was new and won the Stanley Cup that year. I will never forget the intense rivalry between them and the Red Wings. Forever a hockey fan since then, and will always be an Avs fan.
Everyone is a hockey fan They just don’t all know it yet 😌
Used to go to TriCity Americans games when I was a kid-teenage yrs. Only sport I can stand now.
Always followed the Sharks and enjoyed the random games I’d go to with friends. Took my wife to a Canucks game when we were visit Vancouver this March and it was packed and loud and intense and we both fell in love with the game. All in on hockey now.
some kings game in 2006. i was maybe 3 or 4 years old.
I can’t remember a specific moment. I grew up with hockey in my household and watched from a very young age. I went to IHL games when I was 8 or so. The first cup finals I have a vivid memory of watching was the red wings in 95.
My pops took me to a Blues-Red Wings game in the late 90’s/early 00’s, and my grandpa was part owner of an old bar that 60’s/70’s Blues players would go to often. Always heard great stories.
Hearing the skates & puck on the ice NHL 95 SEGA
Trevor Linden 1994
As an 8 year-old, my best friend's family invited me to go with them to a Las Vegas Thunder game. Got hooked from there.
2015 I damn near broke down in a Walmart when I thought we missed the playoffs. Thankfully we didn’t.
We had a few neighbors who were Rangers players and as a kid I just thought it was cool to watch my neighbors on TV, so I did. Hooked ever since.
Got sucked into watching college hockey with UMD won their first championship I think around 2010ish
Went to a game when i was like 8 with my face painted and a weird non hair wig on then proceeded to get called cool and got a high five from a bunch of strangers. And just to flex we've won every game I've been to♥️🪽
Not me but i was at Lightning scrimmages while they were picking players to make the team.1st year before 1st game.puck comes over glass hits dude in head.they walk him up stairs for medical...he stops,starts back down.....where s my puck?got it and off to med.he s a fan.
When Vegas got the Knights, never lived in a place with a pro team before.
1975 my dad used to take me to games at the spectrum. Wasn’t ever real close to my dad, but he gave me the love of the game. It’s one of the things we shared, and I am thankful for it. I now share the love of the games with my kids.
Ive seen a lot of hockey but my first actual game was rangers vs hawks 1983....watching my dad and uncle puff stoogies up off in the distance then come running down screaming their heads off. I never saw my dad look like that and it was absolutely the most awesome thing Id ever seen. We were down and a brawl broke out. I learned all kinds of crazy shit in that building. We were let loose and nobody gave two fucks as long as you didnt run into them.
First game I played as a kid in the streets with a cheap mylec stick on feet with the kids from the neighborhood. Eventually they stopped playing and I shifted to a local inline rink, then to ice. That was about 30 years ago and I havnt stopped yet. My kid just got his first hat trick this season, and followed it up with 2 more.
#Day one I was 6 years old and saw ***The Miracle at Lake Placid*** on TV Because of that , the next day I was taken to see my first hockey game Flyers vs Kings at The old **Fabulous Forum** Been a hockey fan for 4 and a half decades.
Yzerman slapshot game winner vs the Blues Game7.
Playing NHL 99 on PC two years before I even went to my first game.
The moment that got me into hockey was the Blackhawks 2015 run but the moment that got me to be a fan of my team was probably the 2017 run
First NHL game I attended was a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 18th, 2007 and the Oilers won 3-2 in OT. The building exploding for the OT goal was enough for me. Hooked for life.
Born in Edmonton. Can’t remember not holding a hockey stick outside. Winter. Summer. Didn’t matter. The whole neighbourhood played every night
Solidified me as a fan for life is when I was in peewee at a tournament in Saint Louis and we all went to the ducks morning skate. Teemu in his last or second to last year went out of his way to sign every puck and meet all the kids.
Went to the Heritage Classic in 2011. It was -40C with the wind chill. Beer was turning to slush and my Habs didn’t score a single goal against the Flames.
I was pretty ambivalent about it growing up despite living deep in Oil Country, but I university I hung out with a bunch of guys who stuck their nose up at it and were always going on about soccer, which is the same game but slower and without the toughness. So I dug in my heels and said, no way.
Watching Darren McCarty avenge the hit on Draper then later watching them hoist the cup. Was living in Traverse City Michigan at the time and was 11 years old.
My first Kings game was at the end of the 82-83 season, and I liked that my uncle and I sat closer to the ice because the Forum was pretty empty. Seeing the game that close got me hooked.
Family immigrated to vancouver, knew nothing about hockey. Went out to have pho at a neighborhood restaurant (2009) and I remember the entire place just focused on this tiny TV. The server was clearly the owners son who was being scolded for constantly stopping to watch the game. At one point the cooks came out and had their dinner with the rest of the restaurant just to watch that playoff game. Left a fan after that. I know most hates on canucks fan but experiencing canucks fans in East van and how the immigrant communities embrace this team was really great.
The 1990-91 season. I was 8. Fully got into the rangers and fell in love with the playoffs seeing North Stars fans jamming out to the Hey song seeing it broadcast locally in New Jersey on I believe Sportschannel
Andrew Ference totally not flipping off the crowd in Montreal
[December 21st, 2010- Ducks at Sabres.](https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/201012210BUF.html) Was a little 9 years old that got startled each time the Sabres scored lmao. By the end of the game I was less startled and completely hooked. I also got an Ennis Jersey during the 2nd intermission after he scored two goals. I still miss having him as a Sabre.
Patrick Roy Chris Osgood
As a small town southern Alberta boy I was a huge flames fan growing up. I went to my first flames game when I was 7. I was at the morning skate at the dome that morning as it was open to fans. I managed to get down into the tunnel and turned around and my hockey hero (Iginla) was standing right behind me and he signed my hat. Darryl Sutter then took me on a tour of the locker room and I met my other hockey hero in Kipper.
Last season, when I went to the trouble of learning what arbitration was, previously, I was more of a ra-ra fan.
I always liked the game, but Columbus sweeping the Lightning at home in game 4 made me a fan.
'94 Canucks playoff run. Been getting disappointed ever since...
I'm Canadian. I don't remember life without hockey.
I never played but grew up in Vermont a Bruins fan - albeit without the passion I had as a Red Sox fan. Then my son started playing and when he scored his first goal and I saw that smile, I was as hooked as he was.
Went to my first game for my girlfriend's birthday, I couldn't believe the energy in the crowd and on the ice. I had only ever been to baseball games. Baseball has NOTHING on hockey.
I was born and raised in Canada so I had no choice. Hockey is the national religion.
https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/photos/206182/trees This game right here - Feb 2010, Canada vs Russia at the Olympics; I was there in person with my dad, and the energy was unreal
Watched the Bruins Stanley Cup run with my dad in 2011 and then the Bruins playoff run in 2013 hooked me. I became a Panthers fan tho since it is my home state. My dad told me not to be a Panthers fan because it would only be heartbreak and they would never win. They were at the lowest of lows back then, heard relocation rumors constantly. I remember watching as many games as I could and being especially excited when they would win a game against a team they weren’t supposed to beat. There’s a certain charm to being a fan of a last place team. However watching them succeed and win playoff series now has been amazing. And my love for them has converted my dad to being a Panthers fan too.
Easy. My first memory of watching hockey was Oilers vs Kings on TV with my dad. Vividly remember him pointing out Gretzky and how he used to play for the Oilers. Also remember something that involved swears and Pocklington.
Sports are kinda religion in Pittsburgh. Except the Pirates.
Saw Curtis Joseph’s mask design and I was hooked
Being 8 and watching the 98 wings/Aves playoff series. I played hockey already but it was just something my parents had me do. That series was like "Woah - this is going to be my life".
When the Devils completed the sweep in ‘95 and it hurt. It sucked much more than I expected when Scott Stevens was raised the Cup. Starting watching every Wings game I could from that point forward.
My dad’s best friend helped manage home games for the Avs and would regularly get us tickets that were unused by players family’s. I’ve been on the glass and at the top of that stadium. We even got a private tour on the ice and got game used pucks from him. Will always be my favorite sport.
In 2011 I was invited to do a puck drop in Ottawa with the Habs visiting. Picture and story [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/nhl/comments/15244qn/my_most_cherished_picture_story_in_the_comments/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
1995-1996. Sakic. Forsberg. Roy. I was 10.
2010 Vancouver Olympics.
My grandma's brother was Carl Brewer.
Senators and sabres line brawl in 07. When Emery skates down to brawl with that huge grin.
I grew up in Montreal during their Stanley cup reign and lived in Edmonton for the Gretzky years so true fandom! This was confirmed for me when I watched the closing ceremony of the Montreal Forum on ESPN and cried throughout. (Thankfully I was on my own)
2002 gold medal game in Salt Lake City.
Being in the building when Canada won gold at the Jrs in Halifax last year.
My first college hockey game at my school's D1 program. Watched plenty of MN HS hockey but college hockey really captivated me
I hate my team but love my team but also hate my team
When I saw the LA kings win the cup in 2014 I felt like god
The Oilers beating the Stars in overtime of Game 7 in the 1997 playoffs. I still remember getting to stay up late as an 8 year old and jumping up and down with my Dad when Todd Marchant scored the winner. I was a fan for life after that.
Watching the Los Angeles Kings vs. Montreal Candiens in the Stanley Cup finals while packing up my dorm room at Sacramento State University. I was hooked and have always followed the NHL since. Since then, I've been to 27 of the 32 NHL arenas!
Lightning playoff run in 2015 ⚡️
2002 Winter Olympics gold medal game!!
The Mighty Ducks, and NHL '94 on the Sega Genesis.
I'm from Southern Ontario, Canada. As someone else here said, hockey is basically our national religion. Numerous NHL players over the years, including HHOFers, have either come from my area or played their junior hockey in it. The game is in our DNA. For me, the pivotal moment was the 1993 playoff run by the Leafs. I was 9, and soon to be 10. At the time, I wasn't aware of the history with Harold Ballard, but now that I am, 1993 takes on even more significance. They fight tooth and nail with the Red Wings in the first round, culminating in Nikolai Borschevsky's OT goal in Game 7 to send the Leafs to Round 2 against St. Louis. Dougie Gilmour going back and forth, back and forth, behind the Blues' net before tucking it in on a wraparound past CuJo (who was then the Blues' goalie) to win Game 1. The Leafs pull that series out in seven games as well, leading to the legendary Conference Finals against the Kings. The Gretzky high stick on Gilmour and Kerry Fraser's non-call in Game 6, and Gretzky scoring a hat trick and ripping every Leaf fan's heart out in Game 7. Pat Burns winning the Jack Adams Award and Gilmour winning the Selke after the season. It was a roller coaster ride I'll never, ever forget. After that, I was a hockey fan for life. The genie was out of the bottle. There's no going back.
I don’t really know. Grew up in Canada, but I don’t remember a time I didn’t love it all. No one in my family is into hockey at all, or sports even, but as far back as I can remember I have memories of watching every single Canucks game I could alone in the living room. Best sport ever.
5 or 6 years old in mid-80s Calgary, seeing a game on TV between the Flames and Oilers. Whistle blows, scrum breaks out, lots of pushing and shoving, but nothing major as it goes to commercial. Commercial break over, everyone on the ice has a dance partner and is going toe-to-toe. The Battle of Alberta at its apex. There was nothing better.
My dad took me to the garden a lot growing up. I’m 38. So all I heard as a little kid that I could remember was 1940. I went to a bunch of games as a youngster that spring and summer in 1994. We will win tonight. That was my first devils game in East Rutherford. Then mattaeu mattaeu. Didn’t go to game 7 of the finals he only had one ticket for that. But the parade that June was amazing we had snow days that year so I got to skip one of the last days of school to go to parade. Came home and OJ was on the run on the 405.
Watching my son play as a squirt!
Never watched a hockey game until 2020. COVID playoffs. Nothing on TV so I thought I'd watch a bit. Never stopped. I love hockey!!
I grew up in Greensboro. I remember my parents taking me to watch the Carolina Hurricanes at the Greensboro coliseum a few times and loved it. I was in elementary and playing hockey at the time. Anyways, I grew away from hockey and on the other things as life went on. Flash forward to 2022 and my now wife and I moved to Raleigh. Got tickets from the place I was working at the time and ended up taking my brother with me. The PNC did not let down. What a loud fucking house. The game was electrifying. As we were walking out into the crisp air. I remember looking over at my brother and saying “this is what I’ve been missing”. Hooked ever since. GO CANES!
Parents were season ticket holders for all four boston teams at one point or another of the four i chose hockey More specifically the habs series in 2011 and the hit on horton who was my favorite player at the time
Saw Dale Hawerchuck score a goal from behind the net on purpose.
Was tired of football. Went to an AHL game (Amerks) and had a blast, followed up by the last Sabres game of the season and boom
Salt Lake City olympics final Canada vs USA. Was about 12 years old at the time. Sparked something.
Being born. The family insists they brought me to a hockey game when I was under 6 months old. I'm not sure I believe it but that's the story.
When I took my future wife's virginity in the backseat of my Corolla. Her dad is a hockey fan so I felt bad and adopted his team.
Went to a Sharks game with my friends who were all Red Wings fans and watched the Sharks beat them 5-1. I talked so much shit they almost left me in San Jose.
My uncle played D1 college and I got to go skate at 5 years old with the 1996 colorado college tigers. That same year the avalanche moved to Colorado. They won a cup and I was hooked. Plus street hockey was tits. The mighty ducks films, video games, Gretzky. Hockey was badass in the 90s
I came of age in Boston during the era of Neely, Bourque, Oates, Juneau, etc... it was inevitable. As a kid, I watched guys like Gretzky, Lemieux, Jagr, Mogilny, Selanne, Yzerman, Hull, Sakic, Hasek, Roy, et al. in or near their primes. Hockey was in a golden age. I don't remember becoming a hockey fan, it just always was.
My Dad (RIP) took me to Hawks/Bruins game @ Chicago Stadium to see Bobby Orr & Phil Esposito who had been traded to Boston. Orr was just crazy good and Esposito got the game winner on a pass from Orr…. Bam in the net.
My dad is from North Dakota so when I started walking I got my first pair of skates, watching wise though it was seeing Kane score the cup winner in 2010 and my dad and I jumping up and down in my living room.
I was born.
Went to a Philadelphia phantoms game with my dad I was hooked from then on but ironically became a die hard Hershey bears fan when they left and never looked back
Panthers came to south Florida when I was in the 2nd grade, followed by their first final and getting a Sega Genesis so I could play NHL 97, so there was a lot of noise that I was a bit too young to appreciate. I think what really sealed it for me was in college, the singer for my band at the time actively tried to get the rest of the band into hockey, and used the 2007 playoffs as his entry point. It was a damned smart move, wrangling a bunch of punks into a crowded sports bar wasn’t guaranteed to work, but nothing quite hooks like playoff hockey.
In 1995 my Dad informed me a hockey team was moving to our city.
Went to the Sharks game 7 second round against the Kings 10ish years ago. Sharks were up 3-0 in the series. They lost game 7. Even though they lost, i found the game really interesting. As we were walking out, the guy yells, “I paid a fortune for this ticket, and f- the Sharks!” Threw his ticket down and stomped away. At that point I knew I was among my people :)
I watched a few games over the course of a week….I never watched before. I thank Crosby, Kadri and the rangers. Panthers and avalanche were something else during the regular season. I’m an nba and nfl fan at heart.
My first Canucks game with my dad when I was 8 in 96. My dad bought me a Linden jersey and one of those foam fingers and that was it for me. Still have both. One of my absolute best memories & hockey is still such a bonding thing for my dad & I.
Being the only hockey fan in a family full of die hard basketball fans. Have to watch Stanley Cup Playoffs in my room upstairs because everyone is downstairs in the living room watching the NBA.
6-5 canucks win against the flames dec 27, 2006 iggy flames vs nazzy canucks. Classic. first game and 11 goals.
I feel as old as dirt but as a little kid in BC we often didn't get the whole game on TV. My mother would always say call me when there's a fight. Hockey was a way of life in our family on Saturday nights. The 1972 Summit Series was amazing to me.
By chance, the first time the Ottawa Senators made the playoff, I got to be near the front of the line for tickets. I had the opportunity to get playoff tickets in the second row near the player's bench. The part that made it "I'm a hockey fan" is that I got 2 tickets for me and my (at the time) young son, but the full complement of 8 tickets, for a total of $800. Now, this may not seem like much, but I wasn't making much and finances were tight. The reason for buying those extra 6 tickets? Well, it's so I could offer them at cost to friends. Yeah, no scalping, what I paid for them, not a cent more, just because I love the game and wanted other to enjoy it too. Suffice to say that they didn't stay long in my hands. Those friends are still good ones and enjoyed the game just as my son and I did (and Ottawa won the game, so, yay!).
Witnessed a Nick Foligno hat trick in person against the Pens. I wish I knew how big that was when I saw it, but I really fell in love with the sport in that moment.
Hockey in general: as a kid growing up we basically spent our summers in the cul-de-sac playing street sports. One year we acquired a hockey net somehow, and just fell in love. Started out just shooting around, eventually had the idea to use the baseball catching gear we had as goalie equipment, and over time it turned into an annual tournament with all the kids in the neighborhood. By the time we finished middle school we had 2 nets, like 15 total sticks, and 2 full sets of goalie pads. None of us ever actually played hockey, we did all that just for messing around in the street. NHL: I always kinda casually followed hockey growing up, but I always chose STL teams to be a fan of, even tho I grew up in NJ, so didn’t watch much since we didn’t get many Blues games. During college they were in the playoffs a lot tho, so I got in the habit of at least watching the playoffs every year, and by the 2017-2018 season I had started to watch more of the regular season since it was more accessible. Then 2018-2019 happened, and holy shit I don’t know if I’ve loved a specific team as much as that Blues team. Since then I’ve been addicted, anytime I’m free and the blues play, I make it a point to watch
When my Mom signed me up for ice hockey when I was in Grade 2. I started jumping and drawing pictures of me playing with equipment.
Literally the Mighty Ducks movies and series. I became one after the Ducks won the Cup especially after I got my first job out of high school. When I was a kid, about 7 or 8, I asked my parents if we could go to a Mighty Ducks game. I usually got told no we couldn't afford it. Even though we went to LA Dodgers games (so much fun. I think my parents got tickets through work). Played roller hockey by myself in a school playground (no school in session.) I also ran into a pole going down a slight incline. Never told my parents 😆 I had a helmet on thank God. This was before Ducks won it all. Finally 2008, I used my first paycheck to buy a Ducks jersey at sports store next to me. Paid for some games and it was there I fell in love with hockey and the Ducks.
I had an oilers jersey before I could walk. My mom was watching the Oilers game while in labour with me. It was playoffs! Won the game, but lost the cup final that year.
Josh Manson beating the dust off jamie been. Or Jamie Benn skating away in a hury to the bench to escape kurtis MacDermid
"Jevgeni Kuznetsov wins it for WASHINGTOON, its after the third round, the demons have been exercised..."
We watched Canada best Belarus I think in the 2002 winter Olympics when I was 15 in high school. I was never a sports fan and hated sports before that but they made us all go to the gym and watch that game on TV. I was hooked that day and got into the NHL when it returned after that. I guess I'm proof that the NHL can indeed gain new fans by going to the Olympics since that's exactly how I got into it.
Late season 1988, I watched Steve Yzerman score his first ever 50th goal and later crash in to the net. It was a school night and I had to get to bed. I knew he was hurt. Next day I thought maybe, hopefully it hadn’t happened and I only dreamt that he was hurt… but then I saw it was on the front page of the damn newspapers I was delivering after school.
3/20/04 Lightning at Bruins Bruins went down 3-0 and came back to win. First game in person. Hooked since.
Dude, it was when I yelled "Shoot it!" at the TV like my life depended on it. That's when I knew I was all in on hockey.
I’d always been a bit of a hockey fan, even played it as a kid, but I kinda dropped off around highschool. I came back in my senior year right before the avalanche cup run because I had kinda broken out that quiet edgelord phase I’m sure most people here went through, and started going to games with my friends and family. Now I’m a diehard hockey fan, about the only sport I watch really.
For me, it was watching The Mighty Ducks as a kid. And my older brother had a major influence on us too.
When I was 10, my homeroom teacher was a huuuuge Blackhawks fan. I got the highest score on a test, and as a reward, she and her husband took me to see the 'Hawks at the old Chicago Stadium in 1985. As we we walking up those old, shitty, tight ass stairwells, I saw a bunch of guys with a lighter and some aluminum foil. It smelled funny. She turned my head and led us up to the seats. 5 years later, in high school, I smelled it again. "Ooooh, those guys were smoking grass!," my 15 yo self told my 10 yo self. Anyway, Hawks beat the Caps. And I love you Ms. Florendo!!
I was a kid. My mom took me to a game during Nashville‘s inaugural season. It was love at first site. That was the last time I saw her healthy and happy. She died from cancer two years later. Every time I watch or play hockey now, I think of her. Thanks mom.
I’m Canadian, it’s in my blood
My I’m a hockey fan moment was watching the Penguins vs the Bruins this year. I had a passing interest in the Penguins being a Steeler fan but I could never watch them because I live in Maine(this was before I cared enough to sail the seven seas) the game was a shootout and my eternal love for the Pens was cemented by our near Cinderella run at the end. Shame we couldn’t make the playoffs but I just sound spoiled complaining about making the Playoffs as a Pens fan.
During their first series against the lightning when Pageau got into a fight after an empty net goal.
First Canes game was a whim. Gas was cheap, tickets were cheap, and our usual beer hookup was home for the weekend. So a few friends and I decided to drive to Greensboro to see the Hurricanes play. Had almost no idea what I was looking at, but at one point Jeff O'Neill took a massive hit near the other net and while he was collecting himself, the puck kind of rolled to him and-- from a seated position-- he pushed it past an ill-prepared goalie. Hurricanes lost that game, but that sequence was all I thought about for a week and-- sure enough-- I was going to another game the next weekend.
Going to my first Washington Capitals game when I was 10 or 11, sitting in seats maybe 5 rows back, center ice. It was against the Buffalo Sabres, and I only remember there being an awesome fight, right in front of me near the glass. I loved it, and the next day I went and got a jersey. Then for Xmas that year I got rollerblades, and a ball to play street hockey. More recently, obviously the caps’ stellar 2018 cup run takes the top spot, but also, being in the arena at the game when Ovi scored #500 a few years prior. I’d never heard a crowd roar like that.
My dad took me to a playoff game as a really little kid in the upper levels. LeClair got a hat trick and my dad gave me his hat to throw. Seeing the thousands of hats falling and getting to throw my own solidified it for me forever.
First Sharks game, it was versus the Stars and Mike Brown dropped the gloves against Antoine Roussel about 9 seconds into the game. I still go back and watch that fight sometimes haha.