Transfomation of a Hockey Fan Pt. 2

I’ve only been a member of this site for about a week, but a member of Fansided for months now. How is that? Well, let me introduce myself. You may have seen the title “Transformation of a Hockey Fan” before. That’s because I’m  a former writer on Thrasher Backer(former Fansided site for the Atlanta Thrashers).  My name is T.J. and I currently reside about 40 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia.  Growing up in Festus, Missouri, I was never really raised on hockey.  Sure, I’d catch a couple of games with my dad on T.V. Grew up watching greats such as Brett Hull, Grant Fuhr, Tony Twist, Al MacInnis, and even Wayne Gretzky(for all of 31 games I believe). I knew who these guys were, but just never really got into it. I was also only 8 or 9, so I was more excited about Hot Wheels and Power Rangers at the time.

My family moved to Georgia in 1998, seeking job opportunities. I wasn’t excited about it in the least. You lose your friends, leave other family behind, and there’s no snow! You could imagine my disappointment. I’ve always been a die-hard fan of the Cardinals, Rams, and Tigers. Those are things that have not and will not ever change. You couldn’t pay me to become a Braves, Falcons, or Hawks fan.  I attend every game I can when the Cards come to town, wearing my jersey proudly(a lot of St. Louis fans here believe it or not).

Atlanta did give me one thing, however. Hockey. Back in December of 2009, myself, family, and a few people from work made a trip to Philips to watch the Blues and Thrashers. This was my first hockey game in years.  And of course, being the moron I was, I decided to wear shorts and flip flops to the game(take note: don’t do that).  The Blues ended up losing that night and I was disappointed, but then I realized something. This game is great! I had no clue what I had been missing out on. Yes, I’m from St. Louis and proud of it, but am also proud to say that Atlanta is what brought me to the game of hockey. People see this area as a joke in the hockey world. You never saw big crowds here. You never saw an elite team put in place. It’s hard to watch a team you care about diminish right before your eyes. I had only been a hardcore Thrashes fan for a little over a year, but had given so much, just to watch it get taken away. After time, I learned the problem was not with the fans or this city. Ownership was, and has been the issue for years. The Atalnta Spirit bought this team for one reason. It was part of a package that included THEIR sport, being basketball and the Atlanta Hawks. I don’t know how many of you have gone through something like us losing our Thrashers. Closest thing would probably be the Cardinals going to Arizona. But this is the first time I’ve had to experience this.  As I said before, I’d only been a fan for a little over a year, but the sport and team grew quickly on me and my family.

I don’t even want to calculate how much money I spent in that year. All of the jerseys, tickets, parking, and beer add up. But that wasn’t the point. I got to enjoy a great game  and got to watch my 2 year-old daughter follow along with me. She loved it. Obviously, she doesn’t get whats happened and still says “Frashers” whenever she sees the logo. It’s heartbreaking to know you won’t experience that joy with your kid anymore. We’ll all grow out of it one day and move on, which is what I’m trying to do now.

It’s time to go back home where it all started, St. Louis. Though my team is gone, the NHL can’t take the love of the game away from me.  No, I won’t be able to attend 19 games this upcoming season like I did last year, but will be able to watch every game I can on Center Ice. It’s not the same, but a long shot from having nothing at all. This team has already grown on me and I hope that soon, it will mean just as much to me as the Thrashers did. I have a feeling that time will come in October when I take a vacation to the Lou and watch my first ever game in the Scottrade Center!