44 replies to this topic

[Nhurdi]

Raised in southern Alberta where I didn't have a NHL team and the only hockey I saw was Calgary. When Calgary won the cup in 89 I figured it had to be a setup.

Gravitated to Detroit shortly after mainly due to Hockey games on consoles. They were just so good in the game so I started watching them on satellite at the time. Not to mention I was older and could see what good hockey was. Stevie Y was one of my most favorite players and I remember those years with Burr, Probert, Cheveldae to name a few.

Additionally I'm the only one in my family that watches hockey so this wasn't passed down.

[MulesWillFly93]

Wow! I spent my vacation attending just TWO DRW games. A lot of money, a lot of time flying, and we lost twice in a row with me attending. What can I do? Once in a season... Still love them.

Cool! I'm glad you got to see them, even if they did lose (like you said, what can you do?). Sounds like a great vacation!

Yeah, it's definitely nice having ANY hockey team around here, so at least I can go see the Wings twice a year when they come to Anaheim...I'm thankful for the Ducks in that respect. I'm really glad I don't live in Montana, for example, where there's no NHL team for a zillion miles. All that snow, and no hockey...that's just wrong.

Edited by MulesWillFly93, 27 June 2010 - 09:09 PM.

[LeftWinger]

so basically you had no choice I'm from Russia, and I remember when Sergey Makarov (meanwhile, do you know this guy?) signed my hockey stick. I was more than impressed. Just don't know how to express it in English

Sergei Makarov turned you into a Red Wings fan? I have to admit, I am a little confused, but whatever works! I am glad you are a Detroit Red Wings fan!

[RusDRW]

Sergei Makarov turned you into a Red Wings fan? I have to admit, I am a little confused, but whatever works! I am glad you are a Detroit Red Wings fan!

I just tried to emphasize the most important point in a fan's life. I'm still cheering for Traktor (what a bad title for those in NA!) which developed Makarov. And still like DRW for Fedorov and Yzerman.

PS Makarov was indeed a part of me turning into DRW fan. He was an epitome of quick and smart plays. That is exactly what Wings were made of in 90s. IMHO, he was better than ANY NA player ever born. But that's just IMHO.

[toby91_ca]

Well, I've been living in Toronto for the past 11 years and had I grown up here, things would probably have been different, but I didn't, I grew up in Nova Scotia. There is no local team out east, so most people I know there are either Montreal, Toronto or Boston fans. I became a Wings fan back around 1990 when I collected hockey cards and Fedorov's rookie card was worth more than most of the cards in that deck. I figured, if he does well, his card would increase in value, so I startd cheering for him and the Wings....usual reason I know....but I was young, at least I wasn't brain washed into cheering for some other team because of someone else.

[Esquire]

That's the day I became a Red Wing fan for life.

My grandfather was the first person to tell me about Gordie's elbows and meeting Gordie is something I'll never ever forget and always be grateful for. Even back then, just seeing the way grown ups looked at Gordie and the way they talked about him made a lasting impression on me. And if there was any hint of doubt in my loyalty to the Wings, it went right out the door the moment I woke the house up after witnessing Stevie go top shelf in double OT against the Blues.

Growing up in Sudbury gave me the opportunity to actually choose a team to support rather than support one due to proximity alone.

[puffy]

I'm actually a suicidal Leafs fan. I joined LGW after my psychiatrist advised me to.

It beats the hell out of anti-depressants and it's much cheaper!

[T-Ruff]

Started watching hockey in the mid-90's. Of course the Wings were good and had guys like Yzerman, Lidstrom, Shanahan, Fedorov, Bowman, etc that drew me in.

[Zetts]

Steve Yzerman.

Initially I was a fan of him, and just wanted the Wings to succeed because he was on the team. But after cheering so hard for a team for so long, it ended up sticking even after he retired.

[BlakKy]

So NHL 95 is the household "board game" of choice (take that monopoly). My Dad being a Blackhawks fan chooses the Hawks. My brother is all about goaltending so he takes Montreal for Roy, my mom thinks penguins are cute so she takes Pitts... this means three of the top 4 rated teams in the game are gone and in order to adequately compete I gotta go DRW. Turns out Fedorov is an untouchable nearly on the same level Roenick is in that game and I quickly learn to love the Red Wings. My dad offers to take me to see a Red Wings game and I get to see them beat Montreal and from then on I pledged my allegiance to the winged wheel.

[xtrememachine1]

So NHL 95 is the household "board game" of choice (take that monopoly). My Dad being a Blackhawks fan chooses the Hawks. My brother is all about goaltending so he takes Montreal for Roy, my mom thinks penguins are cute so she takes Pitts... this means three of the top 4 rated teams in the game are gone and in order to adequately compete I gotta go DRW. Turns out Fedorov is an untouchable nearly on the same level Roenick is in that game and I quickly learn to love the Red Wings. My dad offers to take me to see a Red Wings game and I get to see them beat Montreal and from then on I pledged my allegiance to the winged wheel.

NHL 95 might be the greatest hockey video game of all time. I had it for the computer (still have it actually) and I played that thing to DEATH. You're right, Fedorov was great and I stomped all my friends with the Wings everytime we played. Good times

[WingsallTheway]

[quote name='BleedRed&White' date='27 June 2010 - 10:55 PM' timestamp='1277693713' post='2005848']

Growing up in Sudbury gave me the opportunity to actually choose a team to support rather than support one due to proximity alone.

I'm from Sudbury too, this place is riddled with leafs fans, I only have 1 friend who is a fellow wingnut

Edited by WingsallTheway, 28 June 2010 - 07:22 AM.

[robb himself]

My dad grew up on the lake head in Ontario and was originally a Habs fan...in the town he was living in (Red Rock) there was a HUGE feud between Leafs and Habs fans and everywhere he went he was having one or the other shoved down his throat. So once he finally had enough of being told who he should like...he walked away from both of them, became a wings fan (mostly due to Gordie and all the other greats) and has stayed a wings fan since...

My dad moved out west in the 70's (to Kelowna) ended up getting married, and brought me up as a Wings fan and I have been my entire 26 years...its just that simple

[The Secret]

Born and raised in Windsor for 1 and there have been a host of awesome Canadians on the team ... just look up at the rafters next time your there at the Joe to see just the top of the iceberg of great Canadian Red Wings of the past. It really started with Stevie and Probie though for me!

Edited by The Secret, 28 June 2010 - 09:42 AM.

[13dangledangle]

like a lot of people have said Stevie "Wonder" Yzerman. My dad (leafs fan) took me to a Leafs/Wings game at Maple Leaf Gardens some 20 twenty years or so ago. I received my first Yzerman jersey a few months later . My dad still loves the leafs while I keep laughing...GO WINGS!!

[paulwoodsfan]

I grew up in London, Ont. My dad is a big Leafs fan so I liked the Leafs as well, although I wasn't a big sports fan as a kid. But my favourite (note Cdn splg) player was Frank Mahovlich. His trade to Detroit coincided with me meeting a guy who became my best friend through my teenage years. He was a Wings fan (I don't know why) and he persuaded me that the winged wheel was the greatest logo in sports. Between the logo and Mahovlich, I was hooked -- just in time to suffer through missing the playoffs 15 times in 17 seasons or whatever it was. I stuck with it and when Stevie raised the Cup in 1997, like countless other longtime Wing nuts I had tears in my eyes.

[zettie85]

My grandpa was a bit of a Wing fan. Which helped influence my dad a bit. Growing up he could only get Leafs games or Wings games on the radio. He said there was no way he was going to be hoping for the Leafs. It seemed to be that simple.

For me it just rubbed off. Third generation Wing fan. It says I'm from Calgary but I grew up in Northern Ontario. There was no way I was hoping for the f***in' Leafs either. My dad showed me Stevie Y and took me to Wings games in Winnipeg until they left for the desert. That's my story.

[Electrophile]

Because they are the bestf****** team in hockey

I think that's pretty much the thread right there, don't you think?

[newfy]

I think that's pretty much the thread right there, don't you think?

I think that sounds band wagonish really but if thats how it happened, its gotta happen somehow

[Electrophile]

I think that sounds band wagonish really but if thats how it happened, its gotta happen somehow

Apparently we took that statement two different ways. You think he meant it because the Wings have been successful and that's why he's a fan.....I took it to mean we're the best team in hockey in toto, taking everything into consideration: success, players, management, fans, history, the whole nine yards. I don't see how that's bandwagonish.