Having no hockey memories with my own Dad (**sniff**) I interviewed Alexandrea, the 16-year-old daughter of a truly dyedinthewool fan!
Q: How “IN TO” hockey would you say your father is on a scale of “1” to “10” (1 being a casual viewer and 10 completely out of his mind)?
A: I would have to say my dad is an 11 since he’s out of his mind and more!
Q: How would you rate yourself?
A: I would have to give myself a 10.
Q: Do you remember the first game you went to with him? Did you have fun or were you annoyed?
A: I really don’t remember my first game with him because I was so young, maybe around 3 or 4 years old. But I always have fun at hockey games because they’re so exciting. Even hearing my dad yell at the players (mainly [Stephen] ‘Little Stevie’ [Weiss]) or refs isn’t annoying, just normal and expected.
Q: Your Dad told me you enjoy collecting pucks. Was that something he encouraged or did you just start on your own? How big is your collection?
A: I started collecting pucks on my own since I really love hockey. I got them from attending Panthers’ practices and games and from different cities I went to. My dad would also buy a puck for me when he traveled to a city that had a hockey team. I remember when he came home from Boston, I was lying in bed playing with the Bruins puck he brought me, and I dropped it on my mouth. I lost one of my baby teeth that night! In my collection, I have about 27 pucks.
Q: What was your house like when the Blackhawks were playing for the Cup? Were you rolling your eyes at your Dad or were you right there with him yelling and jumping up and down?
A: When the Blackhawks were playing for the Cup, my house was full of nerves, anger, joy-just about every emotion. I was right there with my dad yelling and getting excited but not as extreme (no swearing for me). At tense moments, my parents thought I needed a straitjacket! The night the Hawks won, we went outside and set off our car alarms and shouted since we were so happy. A special moment my dad and I shared was when I hugged him as he had tears in his eyes and said, “We won…I can’t believe it!”
Q: What’s the best hockey moment you have had with your Dad?
A: The best hockey moment I had with my dad was when I was around 6 years old. We were at a fairly empty Panthers’ game sitting up in the nosebleeds where our season tickets used to be. One of the Panthers’ representatives asked us if we wanted to move downstairs, so we did and sat around two rows behind the Buffalo Sabres’ bench. When a puck was deflected out of play, the Sabres’ goalie Martin Biron caught it, pointed at me, and tossed the puck to my dad. That is something I will never forget.
Q: Are you doing anything special on Fathers Day?
A: On Father’s Day, my family will probably celebrate at our favorite Greek restaurant. I’ll have my dad open gifts from me, but his best present came from the Blackhawks…the Stanley Cup! 🙂