63 replies to this topic

[Shoreline]

In my case it's quite simple. My dad (from Livonia) died in 1993. I didn't even know about hockey as I was really into football and basketball. Went to visit family in Michigan that same year (Redford, Dearborn), particularly family closest to my dad, and they showed me hockey, additionally, Sega Genesis games such as NHL 93 and 94, which aided in my becoming interested in hockey. And that's that.

As for the "I wouldn't be a fan of this team anymore if..." -- obviously if this team moved I'd have to re-consider, but that won't happen in my lifetime. The only other reason I can think of is if the Red Wings organization pulled a Chicago Bulls in the late 90s (Jordan, Pippin, Jackson, etc. getting ousted and discredited by the higher ups) and completely took a s*** all over their team, staff, and fans. In this case, they'd definitely lose my loyalty as loyalty between player->team and fans->team is supposed to be reciprocated, and I don't believe in one-sided relationships.

Edited by Shoreline, 28 June 2010 - 11:20 AM.

[xtrememachine1]

I chose the Wings because of Yzerman. The first game I ever watched was Pens vs Wings at the Joe in like 1986 or 87. I thought Stevie was a fun player to watch like Lemieux. Over the years, being the only Wings fan in town, they became MY Wings. After 20+ years of being a fan, I friggin love this team to death. More than any other team in sports. I even gave my son the middle name "Yzerman". They're a class act organization with exciting, talented and likable players.

If they left Detroit or changed the team name and the organization top to bottom, they wouldn't be the Wings anymore. All that would I would need to happen for me not to cheer for this franchise anymore.

Edited by xtrememachine1, 28 June 2010 - 11:47 AM.

[F.Michael]

I was born and raised in and around Detroit Milwaukee, started watching the team when they were the Dead Things. So it'd take a lot for me to stop following them.

Moving to another city, changing identity would definitely do it though. Mostly because I'd be so pissed.

A little tweek for myself

Minus some of the douchiness of guys like Perry, I wholeheartedly agree. I would love for the Wings to be more like the Ducks were. The year the Ducks won the Cup, I'm pretty sure they also had the most penalties in the league. I'd love to watch a Wings team that beat you as they beat you.

That's why our 97 & 98 Cup teams were great.

[dat's sick]

Well I guess if:

* They became the Kansas City Dragons
* Holland retired and was replaced by oh, I don't know, Claude Lemiuex?
* Babcock was fired and replaced by Michel Therrien
* Håkan Andersson and most of the other key staff/management moved to other teams
* Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Kronwall, Helm etc. were traded
* If they stopped playing fun hockey and started playing like Minnesota used to to, TRAP TRAP TRAP, without many skilled players
* If they became terrible year after year, like the Islanders
* If they started having 99% north-american players

then I would stop being a fan. And I'm talking all of the above happening. I could probably take a couple of those things happening and still be a fan..for example, since I'm not from Detroit it would take more than them moving to another city for me to switch teams.

[jollymania]

I grew up in MI

[HankthaTank]

Born and raised in southeast MI and still here to this day. Have always and will always love the Red Wings. It is very tough to even think of a single reason that would make not like them anymore. There may be only one and thats if the team just all of a sudden disappeared off the face of the earth. And that's even a stretch.

[seeinred]

I'm pretty sure I'd be a fan forever, no matter what happened. They could move to Little Rock and be the worst team in the league and I'd still love them. I think, anyway..

[Carman]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

[NomadFromKazoo]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

That is a persuasive argument...

[Finnish Wing]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

Really? Even if all of the above happened. I mean what would there be left to be a fan of?

It may be hard to imagine at the moment (hopefully in the future as well) not being a fan of one of the best organizations in the world, where everything's done professionally and everyone seems to know what they're doing. I mean once a team moves from one place to another and changes it name etc., change players, change staff and lose the identity it once had are you still a fan?

Basically everything mentioned above with the exception of moving and changing name and with the addition of sucking year after year has happened to Ilves here in Finland. I'm a fan of the team, but I'm angered to most the people working in the organization and the way they handle things. If they somehow decided to move (although that rarely happens in Finland) it would be enough for me and many many else.

For some people saying they would be fans no matter what happened: think about it, maybe that's not the way it is after all. Although it may be hard to even imagine what the flip side of the coin looks like when being a fan of an organization like this, but things can change. I by no means hope anything like that, but Ilves is the most successful club in the history of FEL and now they seem more like a bad joke. So, I ask to be honest.

Edited by Finnish Wing, 28 June 2010 - 02:58 PM.

[Heaten]

If Wings moved from Michigan and changed their logo I don't know what I would do. I would still be a fan of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Fanzen, Howard, Helm, Lidstrom, Abby, Holmstrom, Kronwall, Ericsson, Filppula and Holland and Co. But my heart would be ripped out.

I would probably follow them as much as Tampa Bay because I love Yzerman as much as this team. I might even move to Tampa to be closer to the club, I dunno. I don't like Michigan now but one factor why I have not moved yet is because I want to stay close to my team.

My wife says that I am obsessed with this team. I think she is right.

[Carman]

I suppose if they moved and changed name/logo I'd think about it.

But my family has had season tickets since olmypia and my great grandfather, I just don't know of anything that could change, ever since I started smiling as a baby the wings logo has been apart of my life.

I used the Detroit Lions as an example, they are one of the worst franchises in all of sports and I've never even thought about cheering for another team and they've never won a championship and had literally the worst season of all time and I still went to the last game of the season with my jersey and cheered for them.

Edited by Carman, 28 June 2010 - 03:21 PM.

[HankthaTank]

I don't like Michigan now but one factor why I have not moved yet is because I want to stay close to my team.

Yes obsession is an understatement here...

And I love it!

[Russian Houdini]

I have been a Red Wings fan since 1998 partly due to the glory days.

I came to the United States from Serbia in 1997 and had never followed hockey in my life. Then the playoffs for the NHL started and I fell in love with the sport. The speed of the ice, the creativity of the players was beautiful.

Why the Red Wings? While they were the best team the latter part of that decade I feel in love with the Red Wings mainly for four reasons:

1. The team shirt: mainly the logo as well as the team colors.
2. The team identity: the class the team represented, as well as the international composition of mostly Russian and Swede players.
3. Scottie Bowman: the man epitomized real energy from a coach that I would love to play for, in any sport.
4. THE JOE --> a real arena for hockey, where folklore is breathed anytime you walk in.

Since then I have followed the sport on and off, but in the last two years I re-found my love for the Red Wings, even before the playoffs of the previous season.. this past season I went to many games as I could due to me living on the West Coast. It was an amazing experience. This was a true season to be a Red Wings fan.. living on the edge, and hoping the team wins even when things weren't going well. That's when you realize how much winning means. The Helm goal vs LA in the Staples Center will be a memory I will forever hold with me. That was one of the greatest sporting moments I have witnessed live.

For me, the team identity is the most important part of this club. The sheer class and composure the club carries itself with is what all human beings should aspire to. And lastly, being from Detroit is of paramount importance. I couldn't imagine my favorite football team, pardon, soccer team, moving cities here and me still having the same affection. A team is a part of city tradition, and it's instilled within the people in Michigan.

Thus, team identity and its location for me are the two most important things on that list. That isn't to say that other things do not matter. It's just that I consider those two reasons the most important.

Edited by Russian Houdini, 28 June 2010 - 08:17 PM.

[dropkickshanahans]

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

Same with me. The Lions lost so much this decade, but I never questioned why I was still a fan. In fact I never really even thought about it, I just kept supporting them. Only thing I questioned was why Millen was still the GM. Now he's gone and things are changing, and now the Lions are up and coming. Once you're born into being a Detroit fan (or any local teams for that matter depending on where you grew up), they just stick with you.

Only thing that would stop me from being a Wings fan is if they moved out of state.

[evilmrt]

HAHA What if they moved to Windsor and were still the Red Wings? How many of you would stop being a fan?

[Nev]

If they moved and became the San Francisco Blades of Glory, then perhaps I would stop supporting them, but that's about the only reason.

I became a fan in the early 90s when I was living in America studying at the University of Toledo. I was already a passing fan of the sport thanks to the Olympics and SEGA Hockey, but seeing the wings on TV and at the Joe really got me hooked. At this time most people still called them the Dead-Things and made jokes about them, but they were already turning it around with all the good young players they had coming through - Fedorov, Lidstrom, Kozlov, Drake, McCarty, Konstantinov, Lapointe, Primeau were all on the team that season, although no-one had any idea how good they would become. Thanks to the power of satellite TV and teh interwebz, following them from afar is not too hard these days. There was a time in the mid-90s when I used to detour past the railway station on the way home of a Friday to pick up a copy of USA Today as that was the only way I had of finding out the score and standings!

[ChitownWingsfan]

While I only lived in Detroit for 4 years in my early teen years, I'd have to seriously reconsider if they moved out of Michigan. Part of the reason I love the Wings is as a reminder of that part of my life and there is a connection there that I don't know would translate if they left the city.

Awful seasons and ownership driving them into the ground wouldn't be enough to make me stop cheering for there, I'm a Cubs fan so thats par for the course. As long as the Detroit Red Wings are the Detroit Red Wings in location and identity, I'm a fan.

[weGotTheCup89]

Detroit seems to get so much negative media and exposure, it is nice to have teams for all 4 of the major American sports. The Red Wings are an extension of the city and give me pride that I can claim them as my own. "Detroit" is a brand, whether talking about the auto industry, Motown music, or a team like the Red Wings. With you being from Finland, this may be the only exposure you get to the city, and I am glad that even if nothing else, we still have that connection. If the team ever left the city, I would feel betrayed and wouldn't be able to support them anymore (fortunately I don't think it's possible they ever will).

[Kira]

I can think of only one reason why I would not like the Wings. But I daresay it's a really legitimate reason.

Death.