Ice Hockey

From the heart of a fan

I have always been a big fan of sports, but ice hockey holds a special place in my heart. I went to school with friends who played the game and I often went to watch them play. I also loved watching ice hockey on TV. This was the start of my growing love for the game.

In 1991, I went to my first professional game at the ice stadium and I was suddenly hooked. The intense atmosphere, the action. The way the cold bit at my cheeks as the crowd roared, the thuds of bodies when they crashed into the boards around the rink, it all had me enthralled, it made my heart race with excitement and from that moment and that semifinal game, where my team won, I knew it was me; it was my sport, I was home; this was what I wanted to follow and cheer for. I was determined to support my team, and I was unstoppable then ~ just as I am now.. From 1992 until this day I have had my season ticket and I rarely miss a game.

The love kept on growing

In the first few years, I only watched home games; my team is Esbjerg Energy. Eventually, I started to go to away games as well; I began getting more and more involved in fan culture. I became a member of the fan club and then a board member for a few seasons. Ice hockey became a part of me, and I became a part of ice hockey; it is in my blood, and it is my life.

Why do I keep following this sport? (Aside from it being a great sport with a lot of action, you just never know what will happen; it is never over before the final buzzer). I have found a deep connection with the other fans, friendships, not only with fans from my own club but also with rival clubs, both in my own country and around the world. We are a community; we love, cry, and cheer together.

Before and after games we are friends even privately outside the seasons; but during the games, we cheer for our teams. Then we meet during breaks in the game to have a beer and discuss the game before we go back to our fan group and cheer once more for our teams. Friendly rivalry is a great bond for us; it adds to the excitement of each match.

Now I am older and maybe wiser. I have stepped back a little from the match celebrations, and I let the young fans party and get drunk just like I did when I was young. I go to all the games, watch them with my uncle, and have a beer, but I am more delicate now. I still, however, talk to friends from other clubs, and sometimes, I travel to away games when life allows.

World cup 2003

My biggest moments in ice hockey as a fan are difficult to point out; there are so many. Of course, travelling to see Team Denmark in the World Cup around Europe has to be a real highlight for me, especially as it was the first time that Denmark played in the World Cup in Finland, which was back in 2003. Denmark was a small ice hockey nation with few professional players and in the first game of the tournament, we had to play the USA.

We were the underdogs, we knew what our chances were, after all, The USA are always among the best and biggest nations in the ice hockey world, yet Denmark made one of the biggest upsets in sporting history by winning 5-2. (For those not ice hockey-minded it would be like a nation like Luxemburg would beat Argentina and then draw against Brazil in football). No one could believe it. Everything stopped, everyone cheered, jumped, as strangers we hugged each other, we laughed and we cried, Denmark had made its mark in this sport and nothing would ever feel the same again. Later on, in that World Cup Denmark got a 2-2 draw against Canada who went on to win the tournament. This was a proud moment for the Danish fans and one that has stayed with me ever since.

 Home team finals 2004

The biggest moments with Esbjerg Energy are the finals back in 2004.

A best-of-seven game series decides the finals. We were down 3-2 in games and needed to win in an away game. We won that game in overtime with the first scored goal. In game 7 at home, the team fell behind 2-0, but with only 1 minute and 20 seconds left, we scored to make it 2-1, and just 4 seconds before the game ended, we tied it at 2-2, forcing yet another overtime, I was euphoric, we all were, the stadium went crazy, everyone screamed and shouted, my ears rang with the sounds the whole stadium was shaking.

As the game went into overtime and that puck went into the back of the net, somehow it got louder, I am not even sure how it was possible but it did.  We had just become Danish Champions, us, our local team, unthought of, yet we had done it. After the game we celebrated hard with players and staff the whole night long. First in the arena then in different pubs and clubs in the city, I remember meeting co-workers on the way to the job as I was heading home to bed (I had the day off just in case we would have something to celebrate.) It was a party I will never forget.The whole city was alive, it is all anyone talked about for weeks, maybe even months and I had been there, witnessed it first hand, I had been part of that unforgettable moment. 

One thing I have noticed is how well-known I have become among the team and fans.

I have been a fan for so many years now that former players and even the general manager know me by name and greet me when we meet in the arena. I often meet people at workplaces or while shopping who recognize me, even though I don’t know them.

My passion for this sport, and for the fans and players, has affected many aspects of my life, including this recognition

By Franke