How did you get interested in hockey?

I'm gonna type out this long answer once, so then I'll just copy/paste it to whoever else asks the question in the future, here goes:

I was at home one day, flipping through channels on my TV. This was during the 2000-01 regular season. As I was flipping through the channels I saw this guy on Sportscenter and they were interviewing him about his comeback. That guy was Mario Lemieux, and he was coming out of retirement. It was a Sportscenter special report and they told his life story, about how he was drafted #1, and how he scored his first goal on his first shift on his first shot. How he brought two Stanley Cups to the Pittsburgh Penguins, how he struggled with cancer. They told the story of how he was in radiation therapy for 3 months. For a whole 3 months he layed in his bed getting blasted by radiation rays, yet on the final day of therapy, when it was finished, he went straight from the hospital to the Penguins game. They were playing the Flyers and Lemieux scored a goal and had an assist in his first game back, right out of the hospital. That story was so dramatic, I was amazed at the will power of that man. Then they said that after being retired for 4 years, he was going to make a comeback, and after that I started watching hockey games in hopes of seeing him play. Sadly, I missed his first game back, but I started watching hockey after that.

So, Lemieux turned me on to hockey, his comeback kind of told me that hockey exists here. But what really made me a true, hardcore, hockey fan, was the Avs' Stanley Cup run that same season when Lemieux came back. As I started watching more hockey games, I realized that most of the games involved a team called the Colorado Avalanche. I went to the library, got some books, read up on them. I read in the paper about Ray Bourque, who had never won a Cup before and how the team was trying to win it for him. That got me hooked. The goalie was Patrick Roy, and I always wanted to be a goalie and always played goalie, so Roy became my favorite player right away. I got some books on him, read them, found out that he "talks to goal posts" (although that turned out to be false), and his famous Jeremy Roenick quote. He played with fire and emotion, and I really liked that. After his shutout in game 6 of the Stanley Cup final, he became my favorite player along with Mario Lemieux. I mean, the Devils were playing at home, the Stanley Cup was in the arena, they could have won it that night, yet Patrick Roy shut them out, I was hooked after that. Then the Avs went on to win game 7 at home, Sakic gave Bourque the Cup, and the rest is history....... After that, I got 2 of my cousins involved in hockey, we all watched the games, and we played street hockey every single day for about 8 hours each day. Those were good times back then...

So yeah, Mario Lemieux and his comeback introduced me to the sport of hockey. Patrick Roy and the Avs' Cup run got me addicted to the sport of hockey. That is why Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy are my two favorite players of all time, and that will probably never change.

I'm sorry that Bill guy passed away, that must have been horrible to come back home from a hockey game and to find something like that out :(

My dad played hockey in the USSR for the Gorki Torpedo (now Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, same city different name). He played against Pavel Bure once, and during a tournament he was on the same line as Slava Kozlov. Also, he went to the same school as Andrei Kovalenko. When my family left for the United States in 1994, my dad joined the men's league at the local arena, and still does today (he is 36). My parents also watched the NHL a lot, and during the 2000 playoffs I started watching. I thought it was the greatest sport ever, and when I heard Ohio would have a team for the 2000-2001 season I became excited and I have been a hockey fan ever since. I started playing in 2001, and I will probably hang up the skates in 2008 due to health problems.

The first NHL game I saw was for my Dad's 29th birthday in January 2001. We went to Pittsburgh to watch the Penguins play the Thrashers. It was a great experience for me, one I will never forget. Pittsburgh won 5-1 that day.

I became a hockey fan to impress a boy in 7th grade...there I said it..... I started watching the Wings to get A BOYS ATTENTION..."Sam" spent our entire health class talking about these guys; Coffey, Yzerman, the Russian 5...what the? I decided I needed to learn more for myself....I didn't get the guy, but I found my bliss! WHEW! does that feel better, I've never admitted that before!

For two years I lived, breathed, and slept Red Wings hockey. My 1st year in High School one of my guy friends convinced me to try out for the boys team (I had NO business being on the ice), and I haven't looked back since. I don't think I've gone more then a month without skating in 10 years.

My first NHL game was also my Dad's first game. Standing Room Only at the Joe. I think they played Chicago, and lost. My parents, who didn't think much about hockey before my interest are now huge Red Wings fans. My lil' sis followed in my skate cuts (so to speak) and we even won a State Championship together.

Hockey completely changed the course of my life (don't even get my started)...dramatic I know, but true.

Moral: It's never too LATE to become a hockey fan/player regardless of age and gender.

Just being from Canada and growing up in Thunder Bay Ontario had an impact on it. I remember when my dad and i were watching TV one day and it was hockey my dad was like do you like this sport. I was like yes and he was like do you want to play it and being from Canada I thought well yes and here I am today loving hockey as much as i used to. Yes i still do play on a Womens team and yes my boyfriend also plays hockey.

When i was in the 6th grade, My dad's friend got tickets to a Wings game, and he invited us to go. We had Front Row seats (glass seats) and we were playing the Vancouver Canucks. I wasn't really into Hockey much then, I just knew some from my dad whom was a big Wings fan since i was born. At that game i was having a blast, and really got into it. After that, I just continued to watch their games, and became a Die hard fan ever since. Ohh but how i would KILL for Glass seats again lol.

My dad always liked hockey. He's 40 something and still plays in a leage. I used to go to Devils games all the time as a little girl. They are soooo much fun and I've loved going to them ever since. I even skipped a concert I was supposed to be in for choir to go to a hockey game because I love it so much. I've been going to games ever since I was a little kid.

Go Devils!!! I <3 Zach Parise.

Growing up in Buffalo NY, I started playing as a little kid. My father and uncle used to flood our back yard in the winter and we all played day and night until spring.

I played in High School, and even a year of Club Hockey in college. I have continued to play ever since.

I just turned 51 last month and I have a game tonight. I can't imagine ever quitting. It's still as much fun now as it was with my father and uncle Bill in the back yard.

im only 12 and i could say im still goin through the experience. but i love hockey because first of all im canadian an it does run through our blood also cuz it runs in my family. i remember being forced into watching leafs games and playing hockey when i was like 4. and here i am 12 a huge leafs fan and not braging but an amasing hockey golie. i love the sport and i guess i owe it all to my bro. and well cuz im canadian. oh yeah never wen to a hockey game but hoping to go see a leafs game one day!!

My family is part of Hockey history in my small town . My Grandfather was one of the few men in our town who supported hockey and got the program started for us. My uncles and Dad all played hockey growing up as did my cousins, brothers and sister and my self. My father was signed to play with the Hawks, but did not go do to family commitment. I have played hockey for almost 15 yrs now and plan to continue and stay involved.

My first NHL game was awesome. We got to go in the locker room with my dad and all his college buddies and get autographs and pictures. IT WAS SO COOL!

Panthers came into the league in 93', I probably watched a game or two, but I was young, don't really remember. 96' they made the Finals, and hockey was everywhere, obviously it was only 3 years later, so I was still young. I remember watching a game (TV) and they had the puck leaving that streak (Idk if they only did that for the 96 season, or if not, but they had it) to make it "easier to follow."

I think that really got me into hockey, and then I went to my first game with my aunt and my sister, it was against the Penguins, I think the Panthers lost. The rest is history.

I've loved hockey sense I was a infant. Honestly I don't remember my 1st hockey game.