How Did You Become A Steelers Fan?

[smbmetal]

Mine is slightly embarrassing. My ex boyfriend played for the steel dogs and then he bench warmed for the Steelers when Blazer was in charge. Least to say after all these years I’m still a massive fan of the sport.

And that's the main thing! You're still a massive fan

Almost related, I missed Ben Simon's season as my then girlfriend at the time wasn't interested in going to any of the games (boooo). From reading people's posts over the years I missed a proper good season as well! Typical

[ekt]

I started going after watching them build the arena for the student games and wondering what went on inside, what it was like.
I heard someone talking about ice hockey there on Radio Sheffield or Hallam, it may have been, dare I say it, Dave Simms.
But I thought I'd give it a try partly out of curiosity from what I'd heard on the radio and partly because I wanted to see inside the "new" arena on broughton lane.

I got a ticket, just for myself, for a game and sat in front of the whitehouse because I thought it would be a good place (its not).
The game and the random music and the fans reactions to things I had no clue about confused the hell out of me.
I knew nothing about Ice Hockey and the experience was both addictive and weird at the same time.

I carried on going, and after a few months I got the hang of what was happening.
I've been going ever since, introduced many people to it,
My eldest son played at the hockey academy over at Ice Sheffield for about 4 years, so as a hockey dad/mum you get to do all the off ice jobs and see behind the scenes etc,

Its interesting when you take someone new, their reactions, looking around at all the people and asking "what are they shouting about", "why are they cheering now", "what happened" ?

I've been a season ticket holder since the Ben Simon year, so 2008 I think.

So thats how I ended up getting into Ice Hockey, curiosity about this big new arena building and a Radio interview.

[Doom]

I've always loved watching various sports and ice hockey was always one of my favourites on Grandstand.

I remember one game going to a very long penalty shoot out, it was fantastic entertainment, so when the Steelers came along I was intrigued.

I didn't initially go, because my social life at the time didn't allow me, but I followed the progress in The Star and was excited by the rapid growth in the crowds which started breaking records.

My first game was at the end of the first season when I eventually managed to talk my girlfriend and another couple we went out with into going. I think the crowd was 9,200 with additional seating at one end. The atmosphere with Rubber Ronnie's Band, Mexican waves etc got me hooked.

I think the Steelers won that game something like 30 - 4, which I believe is still our biggest ever win.

My girlfriend wasn't particularly impressed with it all, so the following season I talked my best mate into going to a midweek Yorkshire and Humberside Cup game. He's a sports lover like me and he loved it.

The rest as they say is history, we've both been going ever since. Life is all about making memories and my years of following the Steelers has made many great memories for me.

Regards

Doom

[Lewiso]

I had no choice. My dad played at recreational level. I was born in 1992 so almost been here from the start. Now got my kids into hockey and there as hooked as I was as a youngster.

[Crunchie]

Long story but stick with it. !
As a youngster was fascinated by any Ice hockey on tv especially the Olympics.
Around about 1980 or 81 myself and a couple of mates went to watch the top Sheffield team of the time Sabres? play at Queens Road and loved it.
Not a lot happened then apart from watching Grandstand like some others until the arena opened and the Steelers were born . I was there for the first league match and have been in love ever since. Amazing memories such as one of my fave player Lafreniere winning us the final at a full Manchester Arena, chatting with Alex Damps and the players at a pizza takeaway after an impressive showing in Slough , our eldest son being allowed into and meeting the team in the changing room at Hull , great away trips at Ayr , Fife , Murrayfield , Telford, Swindon , Bracknell and the mind blowing home matches with the Panthers . Thanks for the memories . Still love you today!

[Shaun]

A relative Newbie here.
My son started watching it during the Winter Olympic and mentioned that he would like to see a game.
He didn’t have a team, but was torn between Steelers as our local team and Blaze because he likes Dragons (he knows now that Scorch is a crocodile )
It came down to the game between the two and Steelers won.
We bought him tickets to a match, I think it was against Belfast in early 2016, sent our youngest to her Grandparents for the night and made an evening of it with a meal first.
Enjoyed the game, didn’t know anything about what was going on, woodshed the wrong way and bought the giant hands. It went to Penalties.
Enjoyed so did it again a month later, sat somewhere different and then having decided that we couldn’t keep asking grandparent to baby sit the youngest brought her too. Got shouted at because she needed a wee so I got up mid play to take her to the loo, whilst she was in the cubicle we scored and I could hear her, “woosh it’s behind you” from behind the door.
We made the decision to get season tickets for the 2016/17 season, my son went Welbeck DSFC, so the one who started it hardly got to see any. He’s finally back home after Uni so will
get his first Season ticket this year.


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[Foggy]

Started watching hockey at Queens Road back in the mid 70s when a school friend helped set up the Sheffield Lancer’s. Been a hockey fan ever since and when the Steelers set up in Sheffield the wife and I decided to go along. The rest is as they say history (and a lot of money)

[lovedenisvial]

My first experience was watching the Steelers play Durham Waps in the Heineken cup early in the Steelers first season, I think it was a Friday. I went with my mum who used to watch the Wembley Lions years before in London, the game went to penalty shots after a 2 2 draw, I was hooked from that day on, we have followed the Steelers ever since apart from an 18 month period when a grumpy old guy from Chesterfield ran the club.
I've had many great moments but the one that still stands out the most is the unavailing of poster at Wembley!
BEEF STOCK! CHICKEN STOCK! NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS LAUGHING STOCK!

[TealSteeler]

Hockey began for me when I was just 8 years old, and a school trip to the old Billingham Forum to see the Bombers. Then once hooked, I used to go a few more games as it was only a 25 minute drive from where I then lived.

Grandstand was always essential viewing, listening to those dulcet tones of Alan Weeks describe the action.

In 1988, I moved south as it was to Sheffield, and when the Steelers were formed I was like in a dreamland of sorts. I attended a few games that first season and then slowly built it up. Have to agree with a lot, the second Grand Slam side was something else. They had everything. Put the Ben Simon team ethic into that side and you have an unstoppable force.

Was about to fall out of love with hockey during the Thompson era, but coaches such as Fox and here in Belfast as Adam Keefe have re-ignited the passion. Made so many great friends thanks to hockey and Steelers in particular, even took the now wife to a Steelers game for our first date in 2016. Who said romance is dead?

[Janice59]

It was free tickets for the first season, supplied by a friend working at SIV, that got us hooked. Spent the last 30 years growing old with the Steelers.