Why do you like the Red Wings?

[dat's sick 1,002]

As a kid in the mid-90's, when I had just started playing hockey myself, I used to watch a weekly NHL-highlights show here in Sweden.

Pretty quickly I fell in love with the beautiful plays of (mainly) Yzerman and Fedorov.

I think the specific moment I really became a Wings-fan was during one of the cup runs, must have been the 94-95 season, I think it was when they played against the Sharks.

In one of the few games I was able to watch, Fedorov did this amazing between-his-legs pass to a teammate that scored and it just blew my mind.

The skill and speed was so amazing. Since that day I've been a hardcore Wings-fan.

Obviously the fact that they've always had a strong swedish presence on the team helps as well.

[Blood On The Ice 15]

Born to the tv viewing area of detroit sports. I'm also a Tigers and Pistons fan. No lions though.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

I became a Wings fan because the Wings represented home to me.

I was born in London, England to a 15-year-old girl who had the compassion to put me up for adoption. I lived in foster care until I was seven, when I was adopted by a Michigan family and moved to America.

Being that I had never really had a family before, I was scared. Scared because I didn't understand the family dynamic. I didn't know how to act. What to say. If I should hug them.. or just cry.

My dad has been a Wings fan as long as I can remember.. and his was of getting me to feel more comfortable with the family was sitting us all down together in the living room and watching the Wings games. It sounds silly, but after awhile.. it became my family bonding experience. I'd lay in the couch cuddling into my dad and he'd explain the rules of the game to me while my mom stroked my hair and commented on how the plays were either good or bad and why.

That's when I became a fan. The Wings have always been a part of my life in America.. always. And watching those games helped me overcome the fear and nervousness of being in a family. Like I said earlier... they ARE home to me, and they always will be.

[dat's sick 1,002]

Sega NHL games played a big factor in my obsession with hockey back in the early 90's I can still remeber sitting in front of the TV playing the video game and people would walk in the room and say Detroit vs Detroit. None of us wanted to play with another team . So it was always Detroit Vs Detroit. The best part about it is, Detroit always won!

Oh man, videogames were such a big part of me being a fan in the 90's and early 00's.

I was so young and with school and whatnot it was really rare for me to actually get to see any games. So I missed much of the rivalry they had with the Avs, although I obviously saw it on "NHL Power Week", or whatever it was called, that they showed on weekends.

But my best friend was a die-hard Avs fan (he's since abandoned them.. no surprise since they suck nowadays), so we had our own rivalry when playing games like NHL94, Sega's NHL games and then on to EA Sports NHL games.

Such awesome times. I still pretty much only play as Detroit in NHL games

[Vladifan 680]

Thanks for starting this thread, Hockeysattva!

I really love reading all these stories because it proves the point that sports can be such a positive in so many ways. And not just in a venting way, but in a bonding way.

[Bad Vlad Forever 1]

My wife saw this thread, liked it, and wanted me to post why SHE is a Red Wings fan....

"I'm a second generation Red Wing Fan. My dad loved sports, all of them, but especially Hockey and Baseball. Anytime dad was home and the TV was on he was "watching" one of these two sports. I say "watching" because his way of watching included much more movement than just sitting on the couch. He actually "played" with the team (if only he had lived to experience virtual reality!).

He also played hockey himself with some younger guys he worked with (he was in his 40's, his on-ice nickname was "Maddog"). He flooded our Rochester, MI backyard in the winter and made his own ice rink to play on. I remember watching these backyard hockey games from the window. Dad was a real true fan, he died in Jan. 1989 before they started making the playoffs every year, but yet every year of his 48 years life he cheered for the Red Wings and the Tigers (win or loose). And every year, for all the years of my life, I will cheer for the Red Wings....and the Tigers...win or loose.

Every time I go to a game, I go knowing that he is whever he is, cheering, blocking shots, checking players, and scoring goals right along with the guys on the ice. Just as he did all those years in front of the TV.

GO WINGS!"

[wiszo1mt 7]

born into a wings family in 88' and watched them as i grew up

[NGKEIB 32]

I still pretty much only play as Detroit in NHL games

I don't really play video games that much, but when I do, I often find it fun to pick a really awful team, just so that it's more of a challenge. And the fact that you won't have heard of half of their line-up (especially if its an older version) makes it lots of fun since nothing is familiar.

And I agree, these stories are pretty cool. We're pretty varied demographically/geographically etc. Swell.

[Theophany 110]

My dad was born and raised in the Detroit area. Both he and my mom moved to the suburbs of Chicago a little before I was born, but my dad has always loved the Wings, Lions, and Tigers, despite also watching the Bears, Cubs, and Blackhawks (and now that they're out here on the left coast, the Mariners and Seahawks).

I grew up skating as soon as I could walk (since my dad grew up playing hockey as well, and played in college), and started playing hockey at 5. My dad got me a Hawks jersey, but I remember that I wanted nothing to do with it; I wanted to be a Wings fan like my dad. I think they may still have that Hawks sweater somewhere in the house, but it's never been worn.

So it started because my dad loved the team, but as I grew up watching Stevie Y and the Russian five, the Wings became my team. It certainly helped that we often drove to the Detroit area to visit my grandmother and other parts of my dad's family that still live there, and they're all Wings fans.

My friends on my hockey team sometimes gave me a hard time for being the only Wings fan (I had a red helmet when they all had white or black), but I had my team and I wouldn't give them up. Going to see the Hawks/Wings games as a Wings fan in the United Center (when it first opened) was amazing, and still one of the best memories of sports in Chicago (up there with the Winter Classic).

Edited May 12, 2009 by Theophany

[WingsCaptain 0]

I was born in Arkansas, but all of my dad's family is from Flint, MI. I started following ice hockey at age 10, right as Detroit picked Stevie Y in the draft. He quickly became my favorite player, and a short while later he was named Captain. So I followed the Wings closely as they began coming out of the "Dead Wings" era and started having success.

In 1992, I joined the military and that would eventually land me in Washington, DC in 1997 (where I've been ever since) -- just in time to see the season that culminated in the Wings winning their first Cup in 42 years. The following season I watched them in person as they swept the Caps in 4 games in the finals. Watching them hoist the Cup in person and seeing Vladdy on the ice was definitely a Top 5 moment for me. Months later I was at the White House when they came to meet then-President Clinton. I got my picture taken with most of the team, and I got most of the team's autographs on my Yzerman jersey. I also got in a lot of trouble with my superiors later on, but who cares? Meeting the guys in person, talking to them, and meeting Scotty Bowman was well worth it. Another Top 5 moment, for sure.

I wondered if my passion for the Wings would diminish at all after Stevie Y retired, but along came Pavs and Z, and Z became my new favorite player. I'm just glad to see he's sticking around until he too retires from the Wings. I believe Z will be the next Captain after Lids, too. But with all these stellar, lifelong Red Wings, I think rafter space in the Joe and jersey numbers are going to start becoming scarce in the future!

~ Z

Edited May 12, 2009 by WingsCaptain

[SergeiIsMyHero 0]

I watched my first hockey game on TV and it was the Penguins vs Red Wings at the Joe in like 1987. The Pens won 6-5 in OT and both Mario and Stevie scored hat tricks. I became huge fans of both players and both teams. Even though I was a fan of both teams, after years and years of seeing me wear Red Wings jerseys and t-shirts, everyone began associating me with the winged wheel and the Wings began to feel like MY team, while the Pens were everyone else's. After years of having to listen to "Hey! What happened to your Red Wings? HA HA", I got the last laugh in HS when they won it all in my senior year (1997) and really got a great laugh last year when the Wings beat the Pens.

Winners or losers, this team will always be special to me.

very cool. similar situation, living in the burgh and loving the wings. i started liking the wings back when i was a kid in the 90s when fedorov was kindofabig deal. when i got to play @ the joe in amateurs back in 2004, more or less one of the top 5 moments in my life. pens will always have a place with me, but the wings are in their own league as far as i'm concerned. and my dad wonders everyday where he went wrong...

[Broken 16 381]

Watching the Dead Things beat the piss out of everyone a la Bob Probert and Joey Kocur. We sucked but it didn't matter... we had the Bruise Brothers... and a young Stevie.

Edited May 12, 2009 by Broken 16

[RedSea 31]

When I was old enough to comprehend television, my grandfather plopped me down and had me watch a Wings game. I grew up on Stevie Y, Cheveldae, Yserbaert, Federov, Probert, etc. I knew I was a Wings fan for life when Yzerman rocketed the slapshot in double OT against the Blues and I about had a heart attack at age 11. I never truly thanked my gramps for opening my eyes on one of the greatest sports in history/greatest sports team in history.

[Dimaline312000 51]

Well to be honest it started with the Disney Mighty Ducks Movies. The 3rd on especially when Charlie is talking to the Girl he is trying to get with and he asked her "You've never heard of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks?...... They named a Pro Team after us." I had to see for myself and low-behold I just happened to turn it on to FSD at the right time in early October of 95 and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were playing the Detroit Red Wings. I had never knew that Michigan had a pro hockey team until than and I watched that game and immediately I was hooked on Hockey and the Detroit Red Wings were my home team and as years went by I wanted to learn more and more about the sport and the Detroit Red Wings so I kept watching hockey and the Red Wings and my love and passion for them and the sport has grown every year since.

Edited May 12, 2009 by Dimaline312000

[KillrBuckeye 0]

Some great stories here. Mine pales in comparison.

As my username suggests, I lived in Columbus for most of my life and graduated from OSU. However, I never really followed any of the Ohio pro sports teams (just the Buckeyes), because I was born in New York and raised as a fan of the New York teams. I never really watched hockey, even when the Blue Jackets arrived in Columbus.

After graduating from OSU in 2003, my wife and I moved to Detroit where I took a job in the automotive industry (great decision, huh? ). Anyhow, it was hard not to be drawn in by the Wings hoopla. I couldn't believe how many Winged Wheel emblems I saw on cars, flags, etc. My wife and I bought a few pairs of Wings tickets at a charity auction during our first year up here (neither of us had been to a hockey game before). We really enjoyed watching the games, and I realized just how awesome the game of hockey is to watch. I started watching most of the games on FSD, and was really drawn in. I was getting very interested in the team and sport just in time for second-round exit from the playoffs, followed by the lockout! Since then I have become a huge fan, watching 65-75 regular season games each season, and of course all of the playoff games. My family thinks I'm crazy for staying up and watching these 10-10:30pm playoff games out West on weeknights!

[C-TownWing 0]

so as a kid I loved the Hartford Whalers, and I loved when they got Brendan Shannahan cause he was such a bad ass. I never had cable so it was very hard to watch games and i would tape the few times the flyers would play hartford on local tv and watch those games over and over. in the rare instances the Whalers made the playoffs i would go over to my grandfathers to watch them get swept, usually by Boston.

Go Whalers!

I actually started out as a fan of the Whale, hence my strange obsession with Pat Verbeek. I had family in CT at the time I was getting into hockey in the early 90s and they gave me a Whalers hat for Christmas. I actually noticed on some old hockey cards not too long ago that it was the hat worn by the draft picks in 1990 or 1991. I have no idea where that hat is today, I lost it around the same time the team moved.

Anyway, fast forward to 1993-94. The NHL played some neutral site games, including in Cleveland (Richfield Coliseum). The Whalers actually played in two of these--there were some rumors about the team moving here at the time, and my parents bought me tickets. One was against the Wings.

Long story short, Wings won 3-0 and I was floored by the support for the team. There were about 12,000 people there, and 11,996 were Wings fans. Three-hour drive for a meaningless regular season game against a crappy team. I was also impressed with the team itself, and pretty much had two favorite teams from that point. Once the Whalers moved, the Wings were promoted to solo #1.

1996-97 was the last season of the Whalers, and of course, the first Cup for the Wings in this recent run. I'll be honest, it took me until after the lockout to not feel a little guilty for becoming a fan right as we started winning the Cup, but I'm all the way in for life.

Nice to see Cleveland representing for the Wings, although it's a little strange--you guys picked the Wings over the Pens because you couldn't root for Pittsburgh, but rooting for Michigan is okay? Not that I care, I hate OSU. I didn't mind the Pens though, since they were the Cleveland Lumberjacks' parent club for most of their run.

Edited May 12, 2009 by C-TownWing

[DatsMyWings13 4]

I went to live with my Dad in Livonia back when I was 10(1990). He was in a bowling league and he would take me with him. Wasn't much to do while he was bowling so I would watch tv in the lounge area and they often had the Wings on. I was fascinated by Big Bad Bob Probert and Stevie Y. I've been a fan ever since. It's been an absolute honor to be a fan of this team. It's definitely had it's ups and downs but I will forever root for and follow this team.

Sidenote: I'm a Lions fan as well and that has really made me appreciate an organization like the Wings even more!

[xtrememachine1 795]

very cool. similar situation, living in the burgh and loving the wings. i started liking the wings back when i was a kid in the 90s when fedorov was kindofabig deal. when i got to play @ the joe in amateurs back in 2004, more or less one of the top 5 moments in my life. pens will always have a place with me, but the wings are in their own league as far as i'm concerned. and my dad wonders everyday where he went wrong...

Yeah, my Dad too. My brother is probably the biggest die hard Pens fan in the world and he wouldn't talk to me for a month after the Finals last year. lol

[zaxx 0]

If you are looking for some more great stories on why many of us are Wings fans then take a look at an older thread asking the same question:

http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41961

There are some awesome stories in there, many of which are good enough to make anyone a fan.

Go check that thread out, you will be pumped for tonight!

Here is what I wrote in that thread:

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.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

It started with Yzerman and Fedorov and then took off from there.

[Corey Perry 0]

Russian 5..

They actually brought a style to this team and the NHL that was worth watching. Instead of gooning it up or clutching and grabbing.

[hokike 1]

Detriot Red wings draw my attention thanx to Detroit Pistons ( I picked 'em up in 1992). Usually NBA-NHL news in my national media are handled as a package so it was for me natural to choose a side from NHL- What really helped were translated stories from Russian media about Russians in NHL. But the final blow was decision made by one local TV channel to show NHL finals in 1997. As a consequence I looked like so weary and "sick" at school. . Teachers seriously suggested to see a doctor, it was impossible to explain why one schoolboy is watching NHL at night.

[Big_Mike 1]

I always went to Wings games with my Dad, and Uncle when I was younger, and have been a fan ever since. (That's a long time). I really started to appreciate the Wings because of Stevie, when I got older.

When I moved to Columbus in 1989, I really missed going to the games. Then Columbus got the Jackets, and I have been to Nationwide to see them every time they have played here. I will always support the Wings, and the rest of Detroit sports, It's what I was raised on!

Go Wings!

[winfran 0]

I was always a baseball fan but then I saw the Russian Five and I was hooked!

[redWINgzIT 6]

1994s loss to San Jose........ Watching Yzerman n Fedorov in that series got me thinking that these guys are awesome. Stanley Cup champs next year. But had to wait till the 96 97 season. Definitly have to say it was Yzerman that got me into the wings. I was worried who would wear the C for detroit when Yzerman left and how the Red Wings would evolve. Alot of happy drinks to their success. Said it all year last year and still sayn it this year, when Bettman comes out to present the stanley cup who is he gonna call.......... Nicklas Lidstrom come and receive your Stanley Cup.....whhhhhhhhooooooooooooooo

Edited May 12, 2009 by redWINgzIT