The "How did you become a Duck fan" thread?

Come on, we all have a little story to tell. :)

Now regarding me...well my dad was from Montreal and he naturally is a big Habs fan. He is the main reason that I am a hockey fan today. Now, I was a casual Duck fan for a while. I went to games, but I didn't follow the sport beyond that. Then, at the beginning of the 2002-2003 season, I really got into it. Of-course, the SC run just helped cement me in. I got to go to a SC game! :) :yo: Ever since, I have been a crazy Duck fan. :innocent:

:)

The first American city I lived in was Laguna Niguel, then I discovered the great recreational sport of roller hockey around '93. I was a product of geography, plus a certain hockey team was introduced to Orange County around that general timeframe.

And Guy Hebert is a God among men.

My family were huge Kings fans circa 93 as was I (9 years old) but when the Ducks came 'round I was drawn to the team named after one of my favorite movies. Plus they play in Anaheim which is where I was born and lived the first short part of my life. I didn't become a big Ducks fan until Kariya came to the team. I had seen him play with UMaine at an exhibition game at the forum in 93 and was hooked. After the Olympics I made up my mind he was going to be my new favorite player so naturally his team was to be my new favorite team.

Great thread!

I'm a fan from Switzlerland. When i see Teemu and Paul playing for Anaheim, i have thinking it's a club for me. lol. I have a jersey with the twice name - Kariya and Selanne -, it's fun.

And when Martin Gerber signed to the ducks. I was definitevely a fan.

For the little history, i have the ducks in this simulated league: http://snhl.free.fr/scripts/index.php

I was round a friends house flicking through TV channels (her Dad had all the sports one's you could ever need), found a hockey game, watched it. Then I had to pick a team. Teemu + PK = my team.

I live in Anaheim. lol

Geography and timing. I was a fed-up Blues fan and I hated the Kings, so when the new boys came to town, I hitched my wagon to them. Lots of disappointment, all made up for by the few incidents of playoff glory.

Born and raised in Orange County and never really watched hockey because I had no cable at home and there wasn't much in the way of hockey on free TV. Then the press conference announcing the team happened, my brother who worked at Disneyland came home with a hat and T-shirt a couple days later and gave them to me. I thought it was cool. The season started, I watched, I loved it, and here we are today.

when I was circa 9-10y old(I didnt follow NHL that time), I entered one shop here in slovakia and first what I have seen was ducks jersey and ducks cap. I was just looking at logo and saying -wow nice.
Later that day I saw higlights of NHL games and saw beautiful action by Paul and Teemu and that was day when I told myself - Im cheering for these 2 guys and team

Grew up watching Gretzky's Kings. Started to watch the Ducks as well when they joined the league. Then became more and more of a fan of the Ducks and was sold on them when they acquired Teemu Selanne. Gave up on the Kings when they traded Gretzky and went into rebuild.

I'm from Montreal as well but was never a Habs' fan.

I first liked the Penguins due to Lemieux being my favorite player, but later started liking the Rangers more and more cuz of guys like Leetch and Messier.

Then I heard about Paul Kariya and saw him enough times on highlight reels to decide to strat casually following the Ducks. After they got Teemu and the chemistry was born, I started following them more.

Been a few good runs since then causing some playoff upsets, but also a lot of disappointing seasons. The 03 run though I must admit was awesome to watch every game form bars, winning myself a lot of free beer in the process betting on the Ducks :handclap:

I kinda lost touch to hockey for 2 years or so when I moved down to Costa Rica, but now got a huge enough Dish here to catch Dish Network from the States and can follow again and watch their gams, and what a team they have become :clap:

I blame it on the movies. The movies were great and obviously influenced me, the Kariya - Rucchin - Selanne line was what really got me into the Ducks though. When I moved to Vancouver, regardless of living in a "hockey city" of sorts; I have never really liked the Canucks over the Ducks.

When I was 4-5 my mom took me to ice skate, and after I picked that up she enrolled me in a leauge. I played for a few years, and grew to love the sport.

Naturally as I was born and have lived my whole life in the OC I became a Ducks fan. Loved PK and Teemu, but perferd Teemu. One year I had the 2nd choice of jersey numbers, and naturally as 9 was taken 1st I picked up 8 (my back-up choice was 31, hebert's #, and thankfully I didn't get that, I wasnt a goalie). Ever since it has stuck w/ me.

When I was maybe 8 I could have jumped to play in a travel team, but I didn't want to have to wake up at 5am for practices (not much has changed there). I wish I would have never quit, but what are you gonna do, I was a stupid kid. I still followed the MD, but intrest would wax and wane untill the SC run. The lockout set me back a little, but when the next season started I became great friends with the man you all know as Ducksforcup. Haven't looked back since.

^The movies didn't hurt either.

I became great friends with the man you all know as Ducksforcup. Haven't looked back since.

You know our GDT God!?

You know our GDT God!?

Ya I go to high school with him.

I became a hockey fan in 1993 when Montreal was playing LA in the finals. The next year I watched more hockey and kind of jumped on the Vancouver bandwagon, only because of Kirk McLean and Pavel Bure. I was like that until 1997, when I went to my first Ducks game. I was hooked on the team then, and have been a fan since.

Kirk McLean is still one of my favorite goalies to play in the NHL though.

http://hfboards.com/imagehosting/thum_440594585c2b1b4e5c.jpg (http://hfboards.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=320)

http://hfboards.com/imagehosting/thum_440594585c30108a15.jpg (http://hfboards.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=321)

What a cutie!!!

I live in oc and became a fan of hockey through nhl video games in the early 90's. I loved the pens=mario and hated the ducks at 1st. The name and Disney were lame to me. In the 96-97 i started watching them much because of Selanne and i had no cable but the ducks played a few games on regular tv. The playoffs that yr made me into a devoted duck fan. the 2002- 03 season (mainly the redwing sweep) made me into a lifer. The bottom line is selanne is so likable and i hated the redwings.

Paul Kariya. I'm Korean so naturally seeing an asian guy who's one of the NHL's elite attracted me to the team. It also helps that his last name is pronounced the same as my ethnicity.

Firstly... my mom calls me "Duck," so that is one thing.
Secondly... I watched the Olympics and fell in love with Teemu Selanne, as a player and just as himself.
Lastly... they rock! There's just no question!

I dont know, just kinda the team i wanted to follow when they were born...Long live Emilio Estevez.... :yo:

Paul Kariya didnt hurt either....

My mom always told me to root for the home team.. Lakers, Angels, Kings, Dodgers, USC/UCLA, and so forth..

When the Ducks came along in 93... naturally I started following them.. fast foward to 99... my sister bought me tickets for fan appreciation night and I was hooked.. half season pass the very next season and multiple 10 game mini packs in 02-03 and every playoff game except two.. lead to me becoming a season seat holder..:yo:

I'm trying to be more of a one team per sport type.. and not sit on the fence but it's tough..

Go Ducks!!

Started watching hockey when I lived in LA when I was 8. I love to be the rebel so the Ducks became my team. I started watching more and more hockey over the years, and became a die hard fan in my early teens. I love sports, but none of my teams compare to my love for the Ducks and Chicago Bears.

Loved hockey since I can remember. I'd always stay up late and hide in the hallway (when I was supposed to be asleep) to watch the third period of kings games. (my dad would be watching in the living room) When the ducks came around I had to be a fan since i lived in fullerton. I am one of the guys that can say they went to the very first game in october 93... I don't remember it well, or much of the first few seasons (i was 9 in 93) but I know that it was rough sailing for a while untill bryan murray came around...

Anatoli Semenov 4 life!!!

Anatoli Semenov 4 life!!!

Tony is awesome. He was my boss at the ice rink he owns in Ontario (California for you confused Canucks). Nice guy, smokes like a chimney.

Got in touch with hockey during Nagano Olympics and during the tourney I remember the speaker of the TV said that the best players in the Olympics were Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure and Teemu Selanne.

At that time Anaheim was a playoff team and Selanne & Kariya were the "Dynamic Duo" everyone was speaking about, so I started to like Anaheim and also its weird Disney name.
When finally I got the internet connection, back in 2000, I became a "real" fan.

I too grew up watching Gretzky's Kings. I don't like their fan base now (too much like Raider Nation) and the distance means I had never been to a game (parents wouldn't take me). Geography was the main factor I became a Ducks fan. My freind invited me to my first ever hockey game last season and it was all downhill (finances wise) from there. I found myself with decent season tickets this year.

I blame my mom. She's Canadian.

I became a Ducks fan when Paul Kariya played for them. Having watched Paul play at the University of Maine, I was a huge fan!!! I still support the Duck for two reasons. First, Brain Burke is a friend of my family. Second, the Duck saved hockey in Portland. Thanks to the Ducks for bring back exciting hockey to Portland Maine!!!!:handclap:

I was a big fan of Paul and Teemu...when Teemu was traded to the Ducks, I started to like the team and cheered for them to do well. I would tape the late regular season games that were shown on ESPN, watch NHL2night for highlights, and stayed up late for playoff games. Even when both Paul and Teemu left, I still watched most of the Duck games on Center ice like I do now. They are my western conference team I guess. I like the Lightning more since they are the hometown team, but I follow the Ducks just as much.

Just as a sidenote, acquiring Kariya and Selänne must've been the organizations best picks so far. Just look back on the messages and see it for yourselves.

Aint I just a homer (finn)... :sarcasm:

Anyways, nice and enjoyable remainings of Christmastime!

EDIT: By the way, here's some memorabilia I came across, wonder if any of the current Ducks roster is starring in this little clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ej9C8Jbs2U&mode=related&search=)