In 2023, The Hockey Fanatic celebrates twelve years of hockey fan posts. The Hockey Fanatic has been a one man show. I started The Hockey Fanatic because of my passion for the game of hockey, and the fact that I liked to blog. Yeah I know bloggers get an unfair rap sometimes, but as a hockey fan I felt that there was no true websites for true hockey fans. As owner, publisher and author of The Hockey Fanatic, I can post about topics that I want to write about. I happen to be a life-long fan of the Edmonton Oilers (I even wrote a book about being a life-long Oilers fan) so a number of my posts will reference the Edmonton Oilers. However, I love hockey, I love being a hockey parent, I love the way the game is trending, and I am simply a fan of the game.
My library at home consists of dozens of hockey books. Probably hundreds. I read a lot about hockey. I love the history of the game. And not just the NHL either. My favourite tournament has always been the World Junior Hockey Championship. I love watching Women’s Hockey and can’t wait for it to breakout even more being the great game that it is. Living in a WHL City, I love following the Western Hockey League (was a season ticket holder for five years). I love consuming information about hockey. I also like sharing my opinion about the game, about players or about certain teams. That is why TheHockeyFanatic.com was born.
Fact: I know that we have inspired articles and posts from the Hockey News, there’s been a number of times that I’ve posted about topic, only to find an eerily similar version posted in a future edition of The Hockey News. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery… I guess. Truth be told, I’d welcome the opportunity to write a column for the Hockey News.
My site is not fancy. I don’t necessarily monetize it (which is strange because my background is in Digital Marketing). But it’s never been about that. I love writing and reading about hockey. I know that my posts are not the most polished (I don’t have an editor), but being a huge fan of the game, I like to share my thoughts through my blog. The Hockey Fanatic was meant to be a great hockey resource for the true hockey fan.
In December 2011 when I started the Hockey Fanatic, I thought that I would build a decent following and drive a bunch of traffic to the site and maybe at some point sell the brand/site. I’m always open for discussion if someone wants to acquire thehockeyfanatic.com. I’ve got great rankings in Google, (although Google does not always do its job when delivering the most relevant results with their Search results). None-the-less, it’s been a fun twelve years of posting about hockey and discussing topics from short benching in minor hockey to NHL lockouts.
Fact: I’ve been quoted about a range of hockey topics in various publications including the Huffington Post and in a few books that have been written about the subject of hockey.
As a hockey fan, one thing that has eluded me thus far is meeting my hockey hero Wayne Gretzky. I’ve never had the chance to meet Mr. Gretzky, although as a kid living in Northwestern Alberta, I once came close to securing an autograph from the Great One (you’ll have to read my book for more on that experience). Wayne Gretzky is a true gentleman of the game and quite honestly might just be the greatest Hockey Fanatic of them all.
If you are a regular reader of The Hockey Fanatic, you will know that I like lists. So, I thought that it would be fun to compile a list of my favourite posts from the past twelve years of authoring The Hockey Fanatic.
Top 25 Posts from The Hockey Fanatic
Of the hundreds of posts on The Hockey Fanatic, these are some of my favourites from over the years. Have a favourite Hockey Fanatic article of your own? Drop us a line on Twitter @hockeyfanatics and let us know.
#25. NHL Players with the Most Stanley Cups – a fun little post on NHL players who have won the most Stanley Cups. It was pretty fun researching this post as there were a few names that I was unfamiliar with. Published in August of 2021.
#24. Top All-Time Draft Picks of Every NHL Team – ever wondered who the best player ever drafted by each NHL team was? So did we so we put together this article from June of 2022.
#23. Top 50 Swedish Hockey Players of All-Time – inspired by the great Borje Salming (prior to his passing) I wanted to pay tribute to the greatest Swedish hockey players of all-time… and there have been a lot of them. As such we presented our list of the Top 50 Hockey Swedes of all-time. November 2022
#22. The 40 Coolest Hockey Logos of All-Time – The Hockey Fanatic lists our favourite hockey team logos of all-time with various leagues represented including the KHL, NHL, WHL, ECHL, AHL, OHL, QMJHL, German and Swiss leagues. Published in November 2020.
#21. Buying a Hockey Stick Frequently Asked Questions – we like to feature useful information for Hockey Parents. One of the challenges as a hockey parent that I had was determining the proper stick that my son should be using. Sure I had coaches and other parents “tell me” what he should be using. I had folks at various hockey shops tell me, but I had to research it myself to really gain an understanding of how to select the right twig (hockey stick). I shared some of my findings in this post from July 2022.
#20. Emotions of a Hockey Fan During NHL Playoffs – this was a fun post that we shared in May 2013 that looks at the different type of hockey fans that come out during playoff season.
#19. The Wayne Gretzky Trade: 25 Years Later – from July 2013. Part of a three-part series on the impact of the Wayne Gretzky trade.
#18. The Impact of the Wayne Gretzky Trade on the NHL – from August 2013, finishing up a three-part series on the impact of the Wayne Gretzky trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in August of 1988. This was one trade that devasted this particular hockey fan.
#17. What is Wrong with Canada’s NHL Teams? – The Hockey Fanatic looks at seven reasons the seven Canadian teams are struggling to win the Stanley Cup. March 2014.
#16. Humboldt Broncos Bus Tragedy Felt by All Hockey Fans – Being a hockey fan you take the good with the bad. There was noting worse for hockey fans and hockey parents with what occurred in April of 2018. No words can pay tribute to the Humboldt Broncos team of 2017-2018. I don’t know if I have ever experienced such extreme sadness in hockey. April 2018.
#15. Hockey Stories: Meeting Mr. Gordie Howe – I shared my story of meeting Mr. Gordie Howe. Gordie Howe was arguably the best all-around player to have played the game of hockey. Originally posted in October 2014.
#14. Gordie Howe: The Greatest All-Around Hockey Player Ever – our tribute post to Mr. Hockey. What a great player and a great man. When Mr. Howe passed, flags in Saskatoon and at the Saskatchewan legislature were lowered to half-mast in his honor and stayed that way until his funeral was held in Detroit. Originally published in June 2016.
#13. Does the NHL Have an Issue with Concussions/Head Trauma Related Injuries – the game of hockey is a physical one. I used to love a good hockey scrap (See our post on Top 100 NHL Fighters of All-Time) but seeing the number of players at all levels that have suffered serious injury as a result of body contact, head shots or as a result of taking a few punches in a hockey fight makes me appreciate the desire to remove fighting from the game of hockey. It’s certainly a great debate as to whether fighting belongs in the game of hockey. In the past, fighting was just “a part of the game”, but is it really necessary in today’s game? The fact is athletes in contact sports are more at risk to suffer a concussion than athlete involved in non-contact sports. Read more in our article from June 2018.
#12. The Five Golden Rules for Hockey Parents – we all need a reminder from time to time that hockey is a game and a game played by boys and girls. Originally published in September 2018.
#11. Why Connor McDavid is My Favourite Hockey Player – Connor McDavid is arguably one of the most exciting and explosive players we have ever seen. Here is why this hockey fan appreciates the skills of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Published in January 2020.
Top 10 Hockey Fanatic Topics
#10. 95 Years of NHL History – In February 2013 we discussed 96 historical events that took place in the NHL during its first 95 years in advance of the League celebrating their 100th Anniversary as part of the 2017-18 NHL season. Need a quick refresh on some of the NHL’s historic past, then this post is for you.
#9. The Joy of Being a Hockey Parent – they say that “to be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today”. As a hockey parent, this still rings true. I know that hockey is just a game, but it sure is fun watching children play this game. Especially with the creativity and skill levels of today’s hockey youth. Originally published in November 2016.
#8. Top 100 Hockey Songs for your Hockey Playlist – 2023 Edition – search for “hockey songs” in Google and you are bound to find one of our articles on music for your hockey playlist. Whether you ae a spectator or a player, there is nothing like a good song to pick you up off your seat. Here is our 2023 version of top hockey songs for your hockey playlists. Published in December 2022. Also see our 2019 edition of Top Hockey Songs for your Playlist.
#7. Inspirational Women of Hockey – I absolutely love the fact that there are more women than ever involved in the game of hockey in various capacity and in various leagues. Here is a look at some of the most influential women in the game of hockey today. Originally Published in May of 2021.
#6. NHL Best Skaters of All Time – in our 2021 edition, we ranked to top NHL skaters of all-time. Skating is the most important skill for any ice hockey player and we ranked players based on criteria such as mobility, acceleration, foot speed, high-end speed and more. Originally published in January of 2021.
#5. All-Time Greatest Hockey Nicknames – Hockey has had its fair share of classic nicknames. So many come to mind “The Great One”, “Grapes”, “Boom Boom”, “Knuckles” “Slats” just to name a few. In this piece from January 2014, The Hockey Fanatic listed the best hockey nicknames of all-time.
#4. How to Be a Good Hockey Parent: 10 Tips – Being a hockey parent is no easy task. It takes time, commitment and dedication. Of course, we all want the best for our children and for kids that want to ret their hand at hockey, it is my belief that all kids should have the opportunity to play organized hockey if they so choose. Check out The Hockey Fanatic’s top ten tips for being a good hockey parent. Originally published in October 2017.
#3. Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time – we will be looking to update our list, but here is the Hockey Fanatic’s take on the Top 100 NHL players of all-time. (Editor’s Note: Will need to re-add Wayne Gretzky’s stats in.) Obviously no Connor McDavid on the list as he had yet to play an NHL game at the time this article was published. Originally Published in 2015. Look for an updated list of the Hockey Fanatic’s Top 100 NHL Players coming soon!
#2. Hockey Parents: Is Your Child Getting Enough Playing Time – this article had strong engagement as this topic seems to resonate with many hockey parents. It references a young boy who quit hockey dues to a negative experience that he and his family had. Of course, there are two sides to the story but the debate of short benching in hockey has not gone away. May 2015.
#1. Top 50 NHL Jerseys of All-Time – back in 2013, we posted our original ranking of the best NHL jerseys of all-time. This was one of our most well received and popular articles and people continue the debate to this day as to which NHL jersey is the best. We’ve had subsequent jersey ranking updates such our Top 30 NHL Jerseys for 2015 and
Over the past twelve years we have witnessed some of hockey’s greatest and most tragic moments. As a Canadian Hockey Fan, not seeing a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup since 1993 is one of them. Think about that for a second. A Canadian-based NHL team has not won the Stanley Cup in Connor McDavid’s lifetime. It just doesn’t seem right.
Hockey fans do have a lot to root for though. If there’s one ting that we know about hockey fans is that they have faith in their favourite players, in their favourite teams and in the game itself. As Wayne Gretzky says, “hockey is the greatest game in the world.” He’s not wrong. Thanks for taking the time to check out The Hockey Fanatic.
