What SINGLE player made you become a fan of a particular team?

[ted2019]

The Flyers are my hometown team, so it's either them or bust.

 

[mbhhofr]

Maurice Rocket Richard of the Montreal Canadiens.

I met him, shook his hand and got his autograph, which I still have, back in 1953.

 

[The Panther]

Maurice Rocket Richard of the Montreal Canadiens.

I met him, shook his hand and got his autograph, which I still have, back in 1953.

After you touch the Rocket, you don't wash your hand.

 

[The Panther]

Doug Weight and to a lesser extend Gordon Sherven & Dale Derkatch.

Okay, I'll bite: why Sherven and Derkatch...?

 

[NORiculous]

No particular order

Mario
Peter Stastny
Mats Naslund
Pavel Bure
Stephane Richer
Probably more if I think about for 2 seconds

 

[VanIslander]

...Peter Stastny...

He and Dale Hunter I liked in Quebec but I just couldn't cheer ever for the Nordiques. A true Habs fan never could.

 

[Moose Head]

Born and Grew up in New York. My dad was a big Rangers fan. We went to see the Habs/Rangers and I saw Beliveau for the first time and was in awe of him. Much to my dads chagrin, I became a hab fan. Been one since.

 

[NORiculous]

He and Dale Hunter I liked in Quebec but I just couldn't cheer ever for the Nordiques. A true Habs fan never could.

I must be a fake Habs fan then since I cheer for the Habs to win a cup but I like any good, talented hockey player.

 

[VanIslander]

Oh, I have cheered every good play Yzerman has made. I just don't cheer for a Wings victory.

Stevie Y with a hat trick in a 3-4 loss? PERFECT!

 

[Pominville Knows]

While Lemieux never got me a Penguins fan by himself, i have since tried to add the Sabres and Wild through Pominville to less than ideal effect.
But sure, i guess i once said it would be a win-win situation if the Pens played one of Pommer's teams, although my support for either of the latter sure showed to be flailing as soon as he left them.

Even more vintage i once kinda started rooting for the Lightning when the Penguins started to cuck and Lecavalier allready had caught my attention. Went all in for them in 2004 whilst Dick Tarnström had led the Pens in scoring that year.
At the same time i almost equally had enjoyed one december 27 game that season between the Capitals and Sabres...

 

[LemmyUlanov55]

Okay, I'll bite: why Sherven and Derkatch...?

Local club legends, especially Sherven. Somehow made sense as a kid to follow the NHL club a lot of your childhood heroes were drafted by..

 

[JianYang]

I became a Habs fan because of my dad, so it wasn't a player that sold me.

Having said that, my earliest memories consist of Richer and Russ Courtnall being my favourite players.

They were just exciting players that could score. Pretty simple criteria as a kid.

 

[crobro]

Started seriously following hockey in 79-80 and as a goalie playing minor ice hockey locally for me it was Mike Palmateer so for about a year the leafs were my team till the local Canucks made it to the finals in 82

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Maybe it's just me being a dumb, stereotypical, prideful sports fan but i never understood liking more than one team. I was forced into Rangers fandom from generations of family being fans and season tix holders. First player I really remember as a young kid who got me hooked on NYR hockey was Brian Leetch toward the end of his career on the Dark Ages Ranger teams.

 

[psycat]

Lindros(and his henchmen LeClair+Renberg). Not really a fan anymore but would like to see Philly win a cup.

 

[josiesque]

#66
When I was 7y.o. my Dad took me to my first ever hockeygame in Zurich, Switzerland, in the year 1989. He bought the first seasontickets that year too and since that first game, I'm just in love with the game. From then on there was no year, where none of us had seasontickets so until now I try to see every game live in the stadium. But whatever.

As I grew up and the love for the game grew too, I learned about another league with exceptional hockeyplayers, the NHL. But back in those days we could barely get any results in switzerland and don't even think of any live coverage or stuff. But, finally, there started a sports-channel showing highlights. Like 30-45mins a week. Just watching those players play the game in such a different manner that I used to know from the swiss league was just like watching a completely different sport.
And then, this one guy wearing #66 came up and made me fall in love with hockey even more. I can tell you, he was god to me. Still to this day, whenever I have to chose a number, be it for my own jerseys, tracking suits or whatever, I always chose #66. Honestly, I'm not that big of a Penguins fan anymore since there are many swiss players in the league who i can root for now. But I will never ever sell or give away the 3 Lemieux jerseys I have back home. I would defend them with my life.

 

[Thenameless]

Guy Lafleur

 

[Sentinel]

Ovechkin made me care for Washington.

Sakic and Kamensky made me care for Avalanche, even though they were out primary rival. I always figured that they were one team there was no shame in losing too (although 1999 still stings).

 

[El Cohiba]

Blues fan, but Fedorov made me like my second team, the Wings. Blasphemy, right?

 

[wetcoast]

like everyone else in vancouver my age, pavel bure

He rekindled my interest as as young adult I was more interested in drinking and woman.

As a kid I always loved hockey but when I was around 8 or 9 I went to a New westminster Bruins game live on Halloween after trick or treating and became a life long fan of Stan Smyl who later became a Canuck and that 81 run still remains my favorite even though the NYI owned them in the SC finals.

Smyl, Gradin were my favorite players and they had a good line with Curt Fraser who owned Willi Plett.

Man just thinking about those days is why we are all hockey fans right?

 

[Lukin1978]

Started watching hockey as a kid watched number 66 for the first time the rest is history as they say.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

First team I became interested in was the San Jose Sharks. I had no interest in any player. Just the logo was so cool. I was 7/8 years old at the time and they were an expansion team then. When I started paying full attention to hockey, Dominik Hasek was my guy. I wanted to be a goalie and his style of play was my thing to make the NHL (obviously never happened). So I became a Sabres fan with the Sharks as my 1B.

 

[McNurse]

The Oilers and Ryan Smyth

 

[InfinityIggy]

Watching Martin Brodeur made me a fan of the Devils as a kid.

 

[hector morrison]

Dave Keon/ Johnny Bower...in '67...Yeah it's been a long haul,but Sittler ,Vaive, Wendel, Gilmour and now the new crop with Matthews/Marner keep reeling me in! That said ,I didn't mind seeing some players of other teams get their deserved success. Ovie being the most recent...he was so happy ,it was cool to see him enjoy it!