World Wide Flames Fans!

[woob]

One of the things I love about this community is how many Flames fans we have around the world. I've always wondered where everyone is from and have decided to make this thread so people can share where they cheer from.

World wide Flames fans, tells us where you're from! And if you like, share a picture, a story (perhaps of how you came to be a fan), or what have you. Looking forward to it!

As well, for the record, I'm a born and bred Calgarian and have been here all my life.

Edit: Thanks to JD for creating a Google Map with pinpoints!

Originally Posted by JD

Because this is cool, I made a google map with all the locations mentioned here flagged. A couple rules had to be made:
1) Only the location currently resided in counts
2) Members that haven't checked into this thread don't count

Keep 'em coming! Here's the map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...M.kne8SvxXt2UM

Go Flames Go!

[terminator]

From Calgary.

[soreshins]

I'm from Scotland but now live in Calgary. First saw the Flames back in the 80s against the Rangers at MSG and started to follow them. By strange quirk of fate I ended up living here and love being able to go watch the Flames regularly. Going to the game tonight!!!!

[FBI]

Seattle (thank God out of PA now)
Really want a Seattle team so I can easily drive to all Canucks/Flames and Seattle/Flames games..

[mogwai]

Same as it was last time it was asked around here - with one very important update: just been to my first ever Flames (and NHL in general) game live this March (2:3 loss to Avs in Denver)

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Born in Medicine Hat, moved to Calgary when I was 5.

I was vaguely aware of hockey and the Flames, but when I was 6 years old I had 2 formative experiences. The first was watching the '86 playoff run to the finals with my dad and much older brother. There was so much passion and excitement in our house that I knew this was something special.

The second was during the next season. My father was also a chiropractor and had Lanny McDonald as a patient. After a long road trip my dad gets a call late one night from Lanny asking him to treat him that night if he's available. Of course, my dad being who he is, he didn't hesitate and met Lanny at nearly 10 pm at the office. My dad asked me if I wanted to go meet him. I got very excited and very nervous immediately, but of course I went. I sat in the waiting area as Lanny got his treatment, clutching my hockey sticker book for him to sign. When they came out they were casually chatting and I just stood there staring, not being able to believe that Lanny was actually there in front of me. He said something to me, but I can't remember what it was now (probably blocked from my memory). I came back to reality when my dad said something to the effect of, "I think he wants you to sign something". Lanny turned to me, asked if he could see my book for a second, and I nodded without saying a word and handed it to him. He signed it of course and said a couple of things that I blocked yet again as I stared at the signature on my book. I still don't know what he said to me to this day. All I remember was that warm smiling man with an amazing mustache.

Obviously a couple years later when they won the cup I was hooked for life. I've been a rabid fan ever since, even in the ugly Young Guns era...I couldn't look away.

I moved to California (San Francisco Bay Area) roughly 5 years ago, and then subsequently moved to Boca Raton, Florida and have been here for the past year.

I had season tickets to the Panthers this year, and always wore my Bjugstad jersey to the games, except for one. When I showed up to the one Flames visit to the BB&T Center, the guy that sits next to me turns and says, "How the hell are you a Flames fan?" I just laughed and said, "it's a long story I guess".

[Murph]

St. John's, NL.

Been a Flames fan since I was 8 years old in '88-'89. I was a puny little kid at that age and I really took to Theo. He was my idol growing up. I remember bawling my eyes out one Christmas in the early '90's when my present was for my Dad to take me up me to see the Flames play in Boston. Flames won the game 5-3 and Fleury had 4 points. I've been hooked ever since.

I lived in Calgary from 2005 - 2008 and took full advantage while I was there. Saw countless regular season games and a couple playoff games.

Since I moved back to St. John's it's a bit of a rough go some times watching the games what with the time change (especially now that I have two youngsters keeping me up some nights), but this year's team has reminded me why the late nights are worth it.

[manwiches]

Does Regina count as world wide? haha. Originally from Calgary, moved here about a year and half ago. Life long fan, I still have the '89 Cup final recorded Beta (of course my dad did it back then. haha). I just inherited the tape.

[calgaryboy]

Czech republic, Hodonin. My Flames passion started in 1989. More in my 2010/11 thread about our /me and Patrik/ trip to CGY in Feb 2011. Many, many, many things happened after...another trip to CGY in 2014 etc :-)

Thread from 2010/11 here: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=95076

Go Flames!

[dissentowner]

SW Ontario, near London.

[Benched]

Born in Calgary, moved away when I was 3 up North near Edmonton. Grow up all over Northern Alberta.

You have no idea how hard it is to be a Flames fan up there....there is Oil everywhere...


Moved back here in University, found my people.

Made it to every game 6 in the 2004 run with my brother. Even took my dad out for a game in the SCF (game 4 I believe) because as a lifelong fan, he got me loving the Flames instead of the dirty Oil, and because it was so special and amazing I just KNEW he had to experience it.

That magic run has solidified my love for this club. This season is just reinforcing it with a brand of hockey I can really appreciate.

Definitely not world-wide, but thought I'd share.

GFG!

[scottie]

Born in Calgary but lived in Glasgow, Scotland since I was three. Only been back once since, when I was 11, but that was 30 years ago now.

Around 1999, it looked like I would be moving to Toronto via work, so I started getting into everything Canadian to try to acclimatise to the culture. Of course, that really means hockey, so started checking out the Flames and the online communities that were around then. Found Fire On Ice and got involved and have been around since then.

[EastCoastFlamesFan]

Grew up in Connecticut and when I was about 6 my dad took me to a Whalers/Flames game (94 season) and I was hooked. I think it was something with the colors that stood out to me, but really not sure. My unofficial claim to fame was that I was the only Flames fan in Connecticut for the entire duration that I lived there. I went to college in Boston, and now live in DC, where I think there might be 5 Flames fans in the area.

Sidenote: I saw the Flames play the Whalers in a 95-96 preseason game and was hanging out by the bench during warm-ups, in my jersey, when Jason Muzzatti threw his stick to me over the glass. 2 days later they traded him to Hartford. I still have the stick hanging at my parents house.

[ColoradoFlamesFan]

Born in Calgary, went to my first game in the corral (I saw Detroit with rookie Steve Y), my sister lived in Edmonton, she would give my Dad and I tickets to see the Flames in Edmonton(yep, my Dad and I almost alone in that crowd of heathens). Moved to Denver in 2006.
Av's are good,
but I can't get the blood transfusion needed to kick the "flames habit".

[JoseCuervo]

Born in Willow Park, moved to Killarney for a few years when I was 18, now I call Renfrew home.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Born in Kalispell, Montana...currently in Wichita, KS.

Really became a Flames fan when Fleury scored in OT and did the slide down the ice thing. Used to catch some games on 2 & 7 out of Lethbridge on Kalispell's basic cable back in the day.

[Phanuthier]

Born in Calgary, became a fan in 1997 just simply flipping through TV and watching Rick Tabaracci backstop us to a 7-2 win agains the Pheonix Coyotes. I thought it was awesome, we were awesome and I instantly became a fan. Little did I know we would miss the playoffs for the next 7 years.

Here is a picture cause I'm proud of it! Took it in Utah last week

NSFW!

[woob]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Born in Calgary, became a fan in 1997 just simply flipping through TV and watching Rick Tabaracci backstop us to a 7-2 win agains the Pheonix Coyotes. I thought it was awesome, we were awesome and I instantly became a fan. Little did I know we would miss the playoffs for the next 7 years.

Here is a picture cause I'm proud of it! Took it in Utah last week

NSFW!

Those pictures are awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by scottie

Born in Calgary but lived in Glasgow, Scotland since I was three. Only been back once since, when I was 11, but that was 30 years ago now.

Weird. I was born in Glasgow, but moved to Calgary when I was three.

Grew up in Calgary. I've lived in and around Vancouver for the past 7 years.

[McLintock]

From Germany, Cologne. Born in Berlin. I am a fan since 1993. I bought "NHL Hockey" for my first PC and picked the coolest team with the best players. No Gretzky, Messier, Roenick, Oates or Lemieux. I picked Nieuwendyk, Fleury, Roberts, Suter, Mcinnis, Vernon.. First it was really hard to get any information about the team but only a few years I had the chance to follows the team as close as possible. (Thx internet)

GFG!!!