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HAPPY FATHERS DAY THREAD: Stories About Dad (and being Dad)

bobbop

bobbop

Henrik & Pop
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May 27, 2004
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Now, Suburban Phoenix. Then, Long Island
I am a Rangers fan because of my father.

Dad was a champion short track speed skater and high school hockey player growing up in Brooklyn. Many of you will be surprised to learn that in the 1930s, The Garden hosted short track speed skating championships called the Silver Skates every year. This was the ice compliment to the Golden Gloves. Dad won a number of races at The Garden and had hoped to compete in the OIlympics but several Winter Olympics were cancelled due to World War II and the sports was actually dropped from the winter games for a time when the Olympics resumed. Dad also played high school club hockey in Brooklyn at the Old Brooklyn Ice Palace. The Ice Palace burned down in the early 1940s. He used to watch the New York Americans practice there but his heart was always with the Rangers.

I can't remember the first time I watched or listened to hockey with him but I remember the Saturday night games on WOR and listening on radio the night Jacques Plante was the first goalie to wear a mask in a league game.

Thanks Dad for giving me the passion of my adult life.

And as for parenting, my son is a turncoat Flyers fan (and long ago written out of the will) but my daughter is a great Ranger fan. Years ago (she was about 12 or 13) we were at The Garden and she was an active and loud participant in the Potvin Sucks cheer. Some guy turned to her and said do you even know who Potvin is? She shut him right up..."If he hadn't broken Ulfie Nilsson's leg in 1979, we would have won the Stanley Cup", she barked. The guy didn't say another word the rest of the night. She just gave me a wonderful Father's Day present...a coffee table book from the Hockey Hall of Fame with thousands of pictures of the items on display. I am thrilled that my passion is now her passion. And the little guy on the left (her son, my grandson) is named Henrik. Any questions?

I would love to hear more stories about fathers and families today.
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Nice thread. My father's father had season tickets to the Rangers. My father passed his passion for the game down to me. He spent countless hours at the rink and on the road for me. I think he missed maybe 2 or 3 games before college. He would leave work early (he works on commission) to drive an hour and a half each way for practice twice a week. Equipment, private goalie coaches, gym memberships, host families, league fees, showcase tournaments. Money was never an object as long as I was happy playing the game I love. I don't thank him enough. I will today.
 
My first baseball game as a kid was Jim Bunning's perfect game vs the Mets on Father's Day 1964...
 
Growing up in Suffolk County my Dad would take me to 3-4 LI Ducks games when I was young. We would watch the Big Boys on channel 9 together. I finally went to MSG with my Dad in 1973 to watch the Rangers. I still have the ticket stub(it was $5 for a seat in section 413 against Detroit and if I remember correctly we just walked up to the box office and purchased the tickets). Thanks Dad!
 
My father has been watching the Rangers since 1955. His father before him followed the Rangers since there were Rangers; he was 9 years old when they first hit the ice in 1926. So the Rangers are definitely a "dad" tradition in my family, as are the Yankees and Giants (but I got him into lacrosse ;)). The Rangers are something we really bond over and go through together.

Over the years the Rangers have always pretty much been our thing. He grew up in the middle of the 54 year drought, so 1994 was the first win for both of us (I was 3 and he was 43) and from there we never looked back.

The best part is there's never a shortage of stories about past Rangers greats: his favorites were Jimmy "The Cheif" Neilson, Ron Greschner, Harry Howell, Jean Ratelle, Walter Tkachuk, Ed Giacomin, Vic Hadfield, and most of all Rod Gilbert. Even better, there's never a shortage of stories about how much he hated Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Derek Sanderson, Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz and the list goes on :laugh: We can talk about old hockey and new hockey and both for hours on end. The only thing that lasts longer are his Mickey Mantle stories. Those are the very best.

I'm finally getting him to concede that Lundqvist is better than Giacomin, we fought about that for years :naughty:
 
Bickel41 said:
Growing up in Suffolk County my Dad would take me to 3-4 LI Ducks games when I was young. We would watch the Big Boys on channel 9 together. I finally went to MSG with my Dad in 1973 to watch the Rangers. I still have the ticket stub(it was $5 for a seat in section 413 against Detroit and if I remember correctly we just walked up to the box office and purchased the tickets). Thanks Dad!
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I loved the Long Island Ducks. I just recently acquired a beautiful game worn jersey from the Ducks last season in Commack.

My Dad took me to my first Ducks (and first hockey game ever) on January 31, 1964. will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of that game next year.
 
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Being a dad is such an amazing thing. It will run you through the full array of emotions on any given day & any given minute.

There's nothing like my son doing something to make me mad and then immediately make me lose control of myself laughing.

I'm gonna be 35 this month and my son is 5. He makes me genuinely laugh out loud EVERY SINGLE DAY.

He got his yellow belt in tae kwon do last Saturday and it was one of the best days of my life. Watching a 5yr old practice, learn determination and then go through the anxiety, relief, & joy of the test. It's just . . . beautiful.

My wife is pregnant now with a lil girl coming in November.

My son went with us to the ultrasound expecting,not hoping but EXPECTING, it to be a boy. He was not entertaining the idea of a sister at all. When the nurse said it's a girl he broke down to tears. It was pretty comical to be honest. When I explained that all of the sports we watch and play now would be just me and him that kind of turned him around.

I fully expect my daughter to now be the better athlete lol
 
bobbop said:
I am a Rangers fan because of my father.
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Great thread.

I am, as well, along with my brother. And he is because of my grandfather.

My dad and I talk on the phone twice a week. Most of our conversations are 30 minutes to an hour and most follow a formula. About a tenth to a quarter of the conversation is news. How's school/work? What's new in the house (that I grew up in)? What else is new? The rest of the conversation is almost always hockey, although sometimes it's politics, science or history. But there is always hockey in there. The accumulated amount of time we talk about the Rangers in the course of a year has to be staggering. The obvious stuff, like roster moves or how the team is playing. But we also both like talking about, and thinking about, the sociological aspects of teams in the game. You'd be surprised at some of the things we delve into.

The short amount of time that elapses before hockey conversation begins whenever we're in the same place is a sort of running joke among the women in our family, being my mom, sister and sister-in-law. It isn't possible for us to restrain ourselves from it for very long. My brother-in-law is a big Penguins fan, so he's part of this as well. I think it was inevitable that my sister would end up marrying a hockey fan.

My dad sat in the blues during the 60s and 70s. As far as I know, I wouldn't exist without him going to games at that time. MSG is where my parents met, although it was a couple of years before they got together and my mom was dating one of my dad's friends at the time. If that story is wrong, and I just heard what I thought would be a cool story, my dad can tell me, since he comes on these boards all the time too. Even posts on occasion. He's got great stories of that period of time.

At this point in time, I don't plan on having any children of my own. However, my brother has a son. He will definitely be a Rangers fan. My brother-in-law has two sons, and while they will be Penguins fans, I'm sure, they will at least be hockey fans. It's definitely a family thing at this point, and that's because of my dad.

Thanks dad for giving us the passion for the Rangers and for hockey!
 
My dad took me to my first Ranger game, been going together every season since. Interesting relationship we had, but now that I'm older it's straightened out and better. :)
 
My Dad took me to my first Ranger game in 1972...he was a huge hockey fan and when I played HS hockey on Staten Island he volunteered to drive to practices...we practiced at the original Sky Rink every Fri night/Sat morning from 1:30-3:30AM...my greatest memories were watching Games with him on Ch 9.

I miss him a lot
 
There are so many things I can say about my Dad, so many stories I could tell that I wouldn't even know where to start.

I will just say this & leave it at that. My Dad is the a great man. For all his flaws there are that many more good qualities. My Father was the first man I ever looked up too & still do today. My Pops could make a bad situation better, or a good situation great with his level headed logical approach. My dad could bring out the biggest smile in me by just walking in the room & smiling back at me.

My Dad is so much more than a person or a Father. He is a , hero, mentor, guardian, teacher & so many other things all wraped up into one person.

I love my Daddy so much.
 
Happy father's day.
My father is a great soccer fan. I will always treasure the great memories of watching 4 world cup games in 94 with him.
 
My father is from Cyprus, came here when he was 14 because of Turkey, didn't know a thing about hockey. He met my mom and she made him a big hockey fan-my mom is a big sports girl thanks to my grandpa-. Pops is now a big time Ranger fan. Never been to a game with him but I look forward to the day that I do.

Not just fathers day, but not much better then going to his house and having a feast. Greeks know how to cook.
 
The Winter Olympics is like 36 weeks away, have anyone planned ahead? (I thought about dropping in a reminder around 44 weeks before the Olympics but I forgot)
 
I came to the Rangers board to read about your thoughts on AV as potential coach and then saw this thread. Hope nobody minds I'm a Canucks fan, but I wanted to do a quick post about my Dad...

He took me to the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver for a game against the Hartford Whalers. He brought me down to the glass for the warmups, pointed to a balding, silver-haired player wearing #9 and said..."Do you see that guy there? He's the greatest player to ever play the game."

Dad, thanks for taking me to see Gordie Howe play.
 
a day late, but my dad is a dirty, rotten Islander fan :p: :laugh:

no, but if it wasn't for him, i wouldn't have a passion for this sport. so thanks dad.

and happy belated fathers day to all you fathers on here
 
My Dad took me to my first Ranger game in 1990. As a 9 year old I wasn't a huge fan of sports but he promised I'd enjoy myself and he would

take me out for a slice of cheesecake after the game. I had never had cheesecake but anything with the word "cake" in it would have sufficed in

bribing me to come along. I ended up loving the game and becoming obsessed with hockey ever since. And for the record, cheesecake has since

been my favorite desert of all time.

Thank you Dad. I love you.
 
My Dad got me into hockey at a young age. He used to tell people that I was destined to be a Rangers fan because I was born just a few weeks after the Islanders dynasty ended in '83.

My favorite hockey memory was when I turned 18 and started playing in the men's division of the local roller hockey league. I joined his team and during my first game I juked a guy out of his skates on the rush and he fell on his ass. Obviously not pleased about being embarrassed by a kid, he took it upon himself to lay me out on my next shift while I took a pass in my skates (even though it was a no-hit league). I remember lifting my head up from the ground just in time to see my 51 year old Dad leap over the boards and start beating the hell out of the guy. It was one of those moments where you really get to see how much your Dad cares about you, even though he might have his own way of showing it.

Little late, but I love ya, Pop.
 
Trxjw said:
My Dad got me into hockey at a young age. He used to tell people that I was destined to be a Rangers fan because I was born just a few weeks after the Islanders dynasty ended in '83.

My favorite hockey memory was when I turned 18 and started playing in the men's division of the local roller hockey league. I joined his team and during my first game I juked a guy out of his skates on the rush and he fell on his ass. Obviously not pleased about being embarrassed by a kid, he took it upon himself to lay me out on my next shift while I took a pass in my skates (even though it was a no-hit league). I remember lifting my head up from the ground just in time to see my 51 year old Dad leap over the boards and start beating the hell out of the guy. It was one of those moments where you really get to see how much your Dad cares about you, even though he might have his own way of showing it.

Little late, but I love ya, Pop.
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Awesome story! :handclap:
 
My dad was more of a baseball fan when I was a kid but we started following the Rangers together in the 70's. My dad always loved his sports but once he retired some 20 years ago, he became obsessed. Missing a game on the tube is a huge deal for him.

I took my dad and my 11 year old son to see Rangers/Isles a few years ago at the Coliseum. Had seats behind the Rangers bench. Horrible vantage point but it's great having my dad and son at events together. Highlight was when Schoenfeld gave my son a puck...and the Rangers won!

One of my most cherished memories was when I was 12. My dad woke up on his day off at 6AM and drove me to Shea Stadium to stand in the freezing cold for hours (we almost got frostbite) so we could buy 2 tix to a Jets/Bills Wildcard Playoff game. My dad wasn't going to miss work to go to the game but he still went through all the trouble so I could have tix to the game and I wasn't even a die-hard Jets fan either. It's just an example of the sacrifices he made for his family.

As for passing on my allegiances to my son, I was on the fence about it. I'm a Rangers, Mets, Knicks and Raiders fan. None of those teams had won anything in a long time when my son was getting into sports and I debated passing the suffering onto him. My dad had no such hesitation. It would be Rangers and Mets for his grandson. My son found the Knicks and Giants on his own and he's had quite a fun run as a fan of Big Blue.

Happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there.
 
My father grew up an Islanders fan but converted to the Rangers when he started dating my mother, who was a huge Rangers fan and raised her oldest son (my brother) to be a good Rangers fan. My father was never really a big part of my life, and my mother is the one who first took me to a Rangers game, but he's been to enough with me that we've had our good experiences at the games together. He's also the king of sneaking around MSG, and if we buy our tickets in the 400s we'll end up in the 200s by halfway through the 2nd period
 
My father started watching the Rangers in 1970, and he's had season tickets since 1983 in the blue seats (now called the "Chase Acura Foxwoods Final Five 'Blue Seats'"). Sat there for years with his buddies, took my mom on their on dates (which she grew quite bored with), and took me to my first game when I was 5, even though he tried persuading my mother in taking me when I was about 2. He's been offered seat upgrades by the management, and has declined every time. He's always split season ticket time between his friends and his three sons. It's become part of who we are as a family. No matter the circumstances, he's always found the time to take us to games. There were periods where he worked two jobs, and most recently, a period where my brothers and I worried about whether we'd be able to keep our season plan on account of my dad being laid off. The day he was let go of his job that put food on the table, heat in the house, and damn near everything else, my mother told my dad this, which he relayed to us:
"Whatever you do, you have to find a way to keep those Rangers tickets. The boys love going, and so do you."
My mother has gotten on his case about how much those tickets cost, and how much we could have bought with that money (29 years of full season tickets in the 400's, you do the math). And even though he's gone to playoff games on Mother's Day, they meant that much to us for my mom to say that. Once my dad decides that he's given the Dolans enough of his money, it'll be my season ticket plan, and I'll be taking my sons to games. The circle of life and all that jazz. Love you dad.
 
very entertaining thread

my dad wasn't the biggest hockey fan but he did choose the rangers and he let me stay up late on friday or saturday night to watch them play on WOR.

We also met Nick Fotiu at John's pizza which was a short walk from the apartment we lived in at the time. Dad poked me, pointed over and said "do you know who that is ? if you do then you can choose what kind of pizza we eat" Great fracking memory that one... Nicky was a class act too.

The 79 season was a magical time for my dad and I as we watched NY march through the playoffs and into a game 1 victory over the Habs. We caught a couple of games over the years but mostly it was a TV event for us.


In 82 I graduated HS and went on study at Stonybrook a hotbed of bandwagon Islander fans. Whenever I talked with my dad he always asked if I had pulled my hair out yet. Trust me it doesn't get much worse than living on Long Island during the dynasty and being a Rangers fan...
 
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