Disclaimer: This is a story, a memoir almost, about how I
became a Red Wings fan. That’s all it is, so don’t be disappointed if you’re
expecting anything else.
I’m a big believer in real, true fanhood. Sports are a huge
passion in my life, but it is this belief that leads me to declare fanhood to
only 3 teams amongst the 6 major sports I follow (counting all college sports
as 1). Born and raised in Tallahassee by
two Florida State alumni, I grew up rooting for the Seminoles. Even still, it
wasn’t until I got accepted into FSU that I truly knew what it meant to be a
Nole. Since Florida’s capital isn’t home to any pro-football teams, it’s only
logical to declare fanhood to one of the 3 teams in the state. After I went to
a Dolphins game at age four with my dad, and saw Dan Marino play, I was hooked
for life. You’d be hard pressed to find anybody who would question my fanhood
regarding either of those teams, however, my third loyalty belongs to a team
I’ve never watched in person, found in a state I’ve only driven through.
My oldest brother, Aaron, has probably influenced my passion
for sports more than anyone. He encouraged me, and my brothers Josh and Jacob,
to pick a team to follow in each professional sport since we were all Florida
State fans. I was probably 6 at the time and I was all about the color red. It
was that stage (hopefully not unique to me) when your favorite color influences
every aspect of your life. All I wore was red. My favorite Power Ranger was the
Red Ranger and Raphael was my favorite Ninja Turtle. So when Aaron told me to
pick my teams I had him present me with all the teams whose primary color was
Red. I chose the Cincinnati Reds (MLB), the Portland Trailblazers (NBA), the
Kansas City Chiefs (NFL— the Dolphins were still my team), and the Detroit Red
Wings (NHL). As you can tell, this fanhood was very shallow, temporarily rooted
(favorite colors change), and immature. So, naturally, as I began to grow up I
started actually following sports. Just as I am today, I was smitten with them.
I didn’t feel the need to have a team for all of them. Yet my immaturity was
still apparent as I only found interest in the “big three” pro sports (NFL,
NBA, MLB) and college football- obviously. All of this is to say one thing: I
had no interest in hockey, so as a result, I never lost my fanhood for the Red
Wings. Anytime I was confronted with a hockey highlight or update I always
rooted for Detroit, it just wasn’t wholehearted since I didn’t care for the
sport. Essentially, my fanhood lied dormant.
Fast forward to my freshman year of high school. My brother
Jacob had just moved into a dorm at UNF and his roommate was a huge NHL fan.
When Jacob came home and told me all about his newfound interest in the sport,
I reevaluated my view on it. Although it was far from immediate, I slowly began
to come around on hockey. As I gave it a second chance, I never doubted who my
favorite team was. My interest in the NHL grew very slowly through high school
until my junior year when I met someone else who liked it—Tallahassee, as a
whole, couldn’t care less for the hockey (insert Tiger Sharks allusion). This
guy’s name was, and still is, Evan Cameron. Evan was no ordinary high school
kid though. He looked like he walked straight off the set for Lords of Dogtown
and was the star goalie for Chiles’ soccer team. Also he was dating a dime and
sported a sweet red Jeep Cherokee around town. On the front of the jeep was a
metallic Red Wings plate that just set him comfortably atop my man crush list.
When he gave me a ride home from a study group one night before finals, I told
him I was a Red Wings fan and sparks flew.
The entire Cameron family follows Red Wings hockey the same
way every other Tallahassee household follows Florida State football, so I’m
not sure how much I influenced Evan, but I’m sure he enjoyed the company. That
year, and every year since, we watched the playoffs together. Our good buddies
Chris Kessling, Phillip Kelly, and Josh Waller frequently join(ed) us. It was a
magical first postseason as friends. The Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup
Finals for a rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins (We beat the Pens to win the
cup in 2008). While the series was memorable for many reasons, I’ll never
forget the disappointment of watching our team lose that game 7. Though I’m
sure the Camerons probably secretly blamed me for the loss- I felt like I
deserved blame- they knew I was sticking around.
As Evan and Chris moved to Gainesville for college, it was
hard to keep up with the regular season together. I did my best, but I didn’t
have any other friends who liked hockey. That changed when I started working at
Sonny’s with a tall, handsome gentleman named Steven Zewicky. While he grew up
in Nashville rooting for the Predators, Steven is a bigger Red Wings fan than
me and has a lot of family in Detroit. Aside from being one of the coolest
dudes I’ve ever met, Steven gets significant credit for my maturation into a
full-time fan. After taking this next step in my fanhood we watched the Red
Wings claw their way into a 22nd straight playoff appearance.
Watching them go into Anaheim and win a game 7 was possibly the most fun I’ve
ever had watching a professional sporting event. I felt a sense of pride and
pain that I’d never experienced before when we took the eventual Cup champion Chicago
Blackhawks to seven and fell just short. It was then that I knew I had earned
my stripes as a Detroit Red Wings fan. Maybe to others I had reached true
fanhood years before, but I finally convinced myself that night that I was
officially there. I proved to myself that I was a real fan, the way I define
the word.
This offseason I’ve been more invested in the team than ever
before and have already begun planning for games in Florida that we’ll be
attending, as well as a possible trip to the Winter Classic! In the next year
I’ll be purchasing my first jersey and game ticket as my journey will continue
to grow in memories and excitement. I’m in for life.
So that’s it really. It’s not really an inspiring story, but
it’s my story. The story of how I became a Detroit Red Wings fan. I’m sure it
doesn’t mean much to anyone else, but hopefully it can be of some benefit going
forward.
*Other notable Red Wings fans left out of the story: Chad
Reinhardt, Karlee Young, Adam Reichert, Kyle Cotton, Ben Peirce, Kid Rock,
Tupac Shakur, and a handful of others that weren’t memorable enough to name
