Hi HF (mainly Jets Board)
I am a german Jets Fan and been following the Atlanta Franchise since 2007-2008 (I am not really sure when it started
). At first, please be gentle with any language mistakes I'm making (and they WILL come
). I'm 22 years old and a science-journalism student in Darmstadt (which is just next to Frankfurt). I am from Mannheim, some people MAY know, that Mannheim is one of the only citys in Germany where you can really find a (for german standards) strong hockey community with a lot of tradition etc. King from the Moose played the last couple of years in Mannheim. Also, it's the hometown of Jochen Hecht.
I do have a NHL GameCenter subscription in my third straight year now, but as the games start nearly always at 1 or 2 am ^^, I am kinda like only following the Jets. It was a stupid coincidence
why I became a Thrashers Fan. I startet to play EA NHL in 2002. In 2004, I joined a online league in Germany, where they simulated a whole season, playing 82 games against each other with trading, salary cap, minors, playoffs, team homepages and every you could have wanted. When I joined the league, there was only 2 or 3 teams available. One of them being the Thrashers. Having Kovy and Heatley made the decision easy. I haven't had a favorite team all the years before (except the Mannheim Eagles of course), but started to follow what the real Thrashers where doing quickly. BAD mistake as it turned out
. I really started being a Fan and even bought a HOSSA #18 Atlanta Away Jersey on eBay
.
In 2010, I was a volunteer at the 2010 Hockey World Championship in Germany (Mannheim, of course ^^). I was used very close to the teams and the dressing rooms. I had to refill drinks, get them fresh fruits and bakery stuff and different things. I got a stick from a swiss national player and had the luck of having Pavs, Peverley, Kane and Bergfors as Thrashers in Mannheim, following them. I thought I may never get the chance to see any of my favorite NHL players in live in person. I will never forget the moment when Pavs walked straight to me and I had to stepaside for him to get him enough space down the corridor with all his equipment on to step on the ice for a practice. Or the moment when Jagr walked out of the team bus and passing just 5-6 foot by me. When I was in the czech dressing room before a practice, I took a picture with Pavs glove and Jagrs helmet in my hands.
Of course this was not allowed AT ALL
. I had a couple of other amazing moment in those 3 weeks, being around NHL players every day. Ray Whitney chiped a puck and smiled at me during a practice to wake me up when they called for me but I was lost in my thoughts and didn't hear them
.
Last year, even without having any real realtions to the city of Atlanta, I was totally SHOCKED to see them move. I was really down that day. But after seeing the city of Winnipeg going TOTALLY nuts about it, the move started to grow on me. I started to understand that this is a very good thing for my TEAM. For the guys I chear for. So i decided to move on and became a Winnipeg Jets Fan. I was thrilled at the beginning of the season what the season will bring.
I've been following HF Boards since nearley two years now I think. 95 % of the time being in the former Thrashers, now Winnipeg Board, following every Thread. I don't have ANY!
NHL fans around me. A couple of NBA fans, but no NHL fans. So, the only change of getting to know what fanks think and talk about the team and what happened is HF
I hope my text won't bore you TOO much. But today, I finally decided to say hello and be a part of the Winnipeg Board.
*edit*
yeah well... of course it's King from the Ice Caps and not Moose ^^ but I think you figured it out by yourself.
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I think it's very cool that we've got a hockey fan across the pond following our Jets team. Don't worry your English is great, I enjoyed reading your story.
