Non-Michigan fans: How did you become a Wings fan?

[Chaldean 0]

Alot of Ohio fans it seems. Nothing changed for you guys when Columbus got a team?

[Normy P 0]

I am a lifelong resident of St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (15 minutes south of London) and have been a Red Wings fan since 1988. I decided to cheer for the Red Wings primarily because all my other friends cheered for the Leafs. It was in the early 90's where I really got into hockey and how fortunate I have been to be a fan of the Red Wings. I am also a fan of the Tigers, Pistons, and Lions. As I am Canadian my true passion rests with the Red Wings of which I own hundreds of collectables, clothing, and such. Living in Leafs territory only makes it that much more of a thrill. We are very lucky to be fans of a truly great franchise ran by a man that has a great passion for his city and the game of hockey!

[STICK 1]

Live in London Ontario

Right Between Detroit and Toronto

Grandpa made the family choice on the Wings and I thank him every day I'm not one of those Stupid Leaf fans who think they will win the cup every year like 90% of my friends

[Zion 93]

Born in Toledo, Ohio.

[Viperar 16]

Live in London Ontario

Right Between Detroit and Toronto

Grandpa made the family choice on the Wings and I thank him every day I'm not one of those Stupid Leaf fans who think they will win the cup every year like 90% of my friends

hahaha aint the the funny truth

[wingslogo19 281]

My idol growing up was Steve yzerman, i wanted to play hockey just like he did.. And ever since i saw him play i've been a fan of the wings.. Its hard living in BC because mostly everyone else are Canuck fans... But my love for the Red and White will never change.. GO WINGS

[hillbillywingsfan 792]

well i was born in michigan but moved when i was 2 so do i still count as a none michigan? heheh

my mom and dad use to work at the cadillac plant there in michigan then one day they decided to move to tennessee cause dad wanted to become a farmer=) so thats what i did most of my life there in tenn. so i guess the influences of my family is really what done it.

[Chaldean 0]

Born in Toledo, Ohio.

Doesn't count, Toledo is considered Michigan territory

[DaWingsin071 4]

Well I have a long story but I will make it short. I live in MN and I was a huge North Stars fan. The same year they left was the same year that the Mall of America opened up, and I was at the mall with my mom and friends and we were at what was Oshmans sproting goods and they had some posters , and I first decided on a Pavel Bure poster but when I was flipping through the rest of the posters, they had a Sergei Fedorov poster. So I purchased the Fedorov poster and he became my favorite player and the Wings became my favorite team. I am 22 now and have been rooting for them since the 94 season.

[VladyIBELIEVE16 257]

My sister is 8 years older than I am. When she met her husband I was 14 and he's originally from Michigan.

It alll rubbed off on us. Seems as though no one out here in California is that passionate about their teams. I was originally a Bruins fan..because I was born there and even though we moved to California when I was 10 months old, my parents were still diehards - Bobby Orr..so forth.

When Jeff came into the picture it was All Red Wings, All University of Michigan...plus all these years he's been like a real brother to me, moreso than my own brother.

For giving me the Wings, I took my brother in law to see Steve Yzerman's Retirement Ceremony.

I've been a fan 20 years and I don't think I could ever love another team more than I love the Wings.

I'm not a bandwaggoner (and it irritates me when people presume that just because I don't live in Michigan or am originally from there) and I'm a proud, tried and true Wings fan!

And that's the story of how I became a Red Wings fan. Thanks Jeff!!!

[puckhog419 0]

my first hockey game as a kid was the wings vs. the sharks in san jose and the whole game detroit was in control of everything. their power play was flawless and i started to follow Fedorov and Stevie and have stuck since

[DetroitYZ19 0]

I live in Pittsburgh.....I remember the first red wings game I watched was in 93. Game 7 vs the Leafs. They lost that game but ive been a red wings fan since. Even growing up in a city with Lemieux and Jagr in their prime, I took to Yzerman and idolize him to this day, and I still get chills whenever i watch an old video and hear # 19. Go Wings!

[Andy Pred 48 337]

OK kids, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Back in '83 whilst I was doing my bit for Queen and country in Germany my local town got itself an Ice rink which led

to them having a team. Whilst on leave in 86 I went down to the rink for my first taste of Icehockey. Not really getting

the full grasp of the rule's it was easy to tell who the better players were. At the time British teams could ice upto 4 non British players. We had 4 Canadian guys, 3 of which had played in the NHL. This was all a bit confusing for me

as I had no idea of what that enatailed. You still there folks? Well as it transpired the 3 guys in question were a D man by the name of Jim McTaggart, who had played 71 time for the Washington Caps and a young forward who had 12 games with the Caps, Todd Bidner. The last guy was somewhat older than the others but he was by far the best player in the game. He was non other than former NHL Ironman Garry Unger, more familiar with you older fans I guess.

Well after the game us fans get to mix with the players over here, in the bar, and I took it upon myself to have a chat with Garry. Its a long time ago but he told me about the NHL and that he had started out in Toronto but it was with the RedWings that he really got his career going, back in'67-'68. So with that conversation who, unbeknown to my was a

former star of the big league, I took a likeing to the Detroit team. I mean I wish I had understood the moment a bit better as Garry was on the team with Gordie Howe,Alex Delvecchio,Frank Mahovlich,Norm Ullman and Gary Bergman, I wish

I had the chance now to ask him some question's. That really started it all off for me, it would be another 13 years before I actually played the game myself but I was bitten by the bug back in the winter of '86 and one day I hope to fulfill my dream of seeing a game in Detroit.

Hope I didn't bore you too much and you found it interesting. So I'm entering my 21st season as a Wings fan and I still get the same feeling before each game, except i can control the remote a little better now!!!

[some kid 0]

I was randomly flipping through channels one night, ran into a Wings/Avs game on ESPN, was strangely attracted to the action and kept it on. I needed a team to root for, though, can't just sit back and watch passively. I remembered that my favourite pro wrestler at the time was a Detroit native and had spoken of being a Wings fan before, so I did as my idol did and rooted for the Wings. Been a pretty big fan ever since.

[mnredwingfan 0]

I was born and raised in Minnesota. After college, my wife and I moved to Ann Arbor for about 10 months while she completed an internship. That was the '97-'98 season. The North Stars had long left Minnesota, and I got caught up in the long run to the cup that year. I still think that Michigan is the absolute best place for sports. I have never seen an area get so absorbed with the local teams. It was impossible not to become a fan. In addition, the Wings had the class of the NHL in Yzerman and Shannahan. (I still laugh my a## off whenever I think of Shanny telling the canadian woman to shave her armpits from the penalty box being caught on TV.) Anyway, when we moved back to Minnesota, I brought the team back with me in spirit...

[zaxx 0]

My story is a little strange but interesting nevertheless.

When I was young and just starting out in Hockey Yzerman had just been given the 'C' and was getting tons of points. Everyone my age loved Wayne Gretzky or other big names (Mario). Since I like to avoid the pack I looked to Yzerman as my favorite player. Really was almost coincidence and luck that I picked him.

This was really nothing major since I was too young to really understand the game and the players but I grew up in a great town for the Wings. I grew up in Kindersley Saskatchewan. I know what your thinking... where?

Look up the stats on Dave Lewis and you will see he was born (and raised) in Kindersley. (Wiki)

Well in the early 90's (I still loved Yzerman and finally understood why) my Grandmother moved to Kindersley from Newfoundland. She moved into a senor citizens apartment complex and my family would visit often enough. Well one day my grandma tells me that she knows I love the Wings and so she would like to introduce me to someone I may want to meet. I thought, great grandma is in the sauce again (yeah I was too young to think that but I figured she was crazy).

She brought me to meet Alice Lewis mother of Dave Lewis. She was the kindest and sweetest older lady I met. We talked about the Wings and she told me all about her boy and how proud she was that he was involved with the organization. I was in disbelief but she assured me it was for real.

After that meeting I started researching Hockey history, Yzerman, and Dave Lewis. I gained a lot of knowledge about the Wings and my love for the team grew. Along the way I would meet and chat with Mrs Lewis several more times and she was kind enough to give me Red Wings merchandise that Dave would send her. (pins, posters, etc) I still have my 1993 (I think) team poster. She would give me stuff like this all the time and of course being young I did not appreciate it much but today I do. The poster was the first one she gave me and it is in very rough shape (my brother and I had it on our wall until I moved out, like ~9 years later) but I still love it. It is in the original poster tube that Dave packed it in just rolled up and in storage in my home.

She even gave me my most prized possession, which I am still not sure how she managed to part with. I have a picture of Steve Yzerman as he is about to take the faceoff and it is signed by him. I have had that thing on every wall/desk in every home I have ever lived. Best gift I have ever received.

When Alice passed away last year I actually considered going to the funeral (My grandmother and parents went since they were good friends with Mrs Lewis) but I decided to skip it since I really only knew her through the Wings so I thought it would be disrespectful for me to go and be more focused on shaking Dave's hand then saying goodbye. I know I would have said goodbye there and thanks to Mrs Lewis, but I also would have taken the time to shake Dave's hand (since he is awesome) and that part would not have been appropriate.

Although in my heart I know that she understands (where ever she is) that I loved the Wings gifts she gave me and that my love of Hockey is defined by her kind words. She was a wonderful lady who took it upon herself to share the Wings heritage with a young fan. Now I love the Wings but I sure want Dave to be successful as the Bruins head coach. I would love nothing more then a Bruins vs Wings final just so Dave could be recognized. (Yes the Wings would win!)

So that is why I am a fan and why there will never come a day when I stop being a fan. My dream is to one day take a trip through Detroit and catch a game, just for a chance to soak up some more of the history of this great organization.

If Dave Lewis ever reads this little post (what are the odds eh), I want him to know that his mother was a wonderful lady whom was loved by many people in Kindersley. She is dearly missed. I also want to thank him for his wonderful work with the Wings and for the great information/keepsakes that his mother passed along to a good for nothing young kid.

[Red-wings_Sem 0]

Back in 1996 accidently picked the red wings in NHL 96 on PS,and ever since then been a dedicated fan....supporting,merchandise,staying up all night just to get a glimpse of their games,,etc...

Im thankfull to fate that its the red wings i picked back then and Im proud to be a tiny tiny part of this franchise.

[Guest Sluggo]

I've lived in Toronto all my life, but I have alot of cousins in Michigan,

which is where I always spent my summers.

Besides who else would I have cheered for? The Leafs?

[HkyTwn 5]

Alot of Ohio fans it seems. Nothing changed for you guys when Columbus got a team?

Still laughing about that one! I know what you mean though. I spend a lot of time a little bit south of where I live and there are a lot of people from Columbus who love the jackets... I personally like quality

It's good to see more people into hockey though. A few people who live by me go down to the Columbus games and have a good time and they didn't like hockey before.

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

Alot of Ohio fans it seems. Nothing changed for you guys when Columbus got a team?

the Blue Jackets could go 74-8, so long as those 8 are against the Wings

If the Blue Jackets aren't playing the Red Wings, I'll cheer for them, but when the Wings are in town I'll go to the games in Columbus wearing my Yzerman jersey

Every once in a while I'll go to a CBJ game when they aren't playing the Wings wearing that jersey as well

[feeneytheweenie 0]

weeeeeell i grew up a fan in michigan but moved around from south carolina to georgia to ohio...i think when you live somewhere else you have so much more pride cause you feel like everyone is against you, or doesnt understand you...i even got a tattoo 2 years ago when i was 16

[stactum 4]

Here is my European story!

I am a russian-speaking guy, who was born in, actually (!), Soviet Union, but the place where I was born end up being independent country - Latvia. I wasn't really a big fan of hockey growing up, but I always heard how great Red Wings are and how good is "Russian five".

So when I came to US in 2001 I caught just Game 7 between AVS-NJD, but starting from the next season me and my roommate started following NHL games cause that was the only sport I can understand during that time (now I love Football as well). So we watched Fedorov and how he played in 01/02 then Yzerman, Shanahan and the rest of the team – and it was incredible! On the top of that Detroit won the Cup that year so that made us think that we made the right choice! I still think so!

I live in Milwaukee, WI. I and friend of mine are coming to the game this Sunday. That is what type of Detroit fans we became!

Andrey

Edited April 13, 2007 by stactum

[Salviaman 104]

I was born in Houston, Texas and lived there for 13 years before moving to Alabama. The first time I watched hockey was back in '98 when I watched Steve Yzerman get the conn smythe and the cup and I have always loved his style of hockey and his hokcey ability. I am just glad I had a chance to watch him play before he retired. So Steve Yzerman is the reason I am a Red Wings fan, and I have to add that I am the only hockey fan in Alabama in the area that I live lol.

[C-TownWing 0]

Alot of Ohio fans it seems. Nothing changed for you guys when Columbus got a team?

Nope. I was firmly entrenched by then. I was a little upset that another city in Ohio ended up with the NHL team, and the clincher was when the hideous name/logo/unis were introduced, I was just like "no way in hell."

Then there's my alma mater. As a proud Nittany Lion, I despise Ohio State and the city of Columbus. Why doesn't this logic extend to Michigan? a) I hate OSU way more than UM, and b) I actually like MSU, so that balances it out a little.

So it's kind of funny how it worked out--besides important games against good teams and whatever, I probably want to beat the Jackets more than anyone else.

[WingsDC2B 0]

I was born and raised in CA, and still live here. My mom was born and raised in Dearborn but moved out here in 1969. My dad was not a sports fan at all. My mom and grandma followed theie sports closely. I use to spend every summer vacation back in Dearborn with my mom and grandma (who still lived there). My dad stayed home to work. So my school year was spent in CA and my summer was in MI. I am a Detroit guy for everything except football, because my grandparents came over from europe and didn't understand american football, thus I am a 49ers fan. But my first loves are the Tigers & Red Wings. I even flew to DET for Game 1 of SCF in 2002 and Game 1&2 of 2006 World Series.

On another note, in May of 2002 my grandmother was very ill and said she had 3 wishes before she died. 1. see me graduate chiropractic college (I did 6/21/02). 2. See the Wings win another Cup, and 3. not live to her 94th birthday (7/26/02). She passed away 7/7/02. She got her 3 wishes. But that is how I was raised... very passionate about everything including our sports teams.

Edited April 13, 2007 by WingsDC2B