Calgary Flames

Another Flames Fan in a Foreign Fan Base

I guess the cat is out of the bag, I am joining The Athletic.

Perfect, now that I have your attention please let me introduce myself. My name is John MacKinnon and I am beyond ecstatic to be able to start contributing to The Win Column. Now probably 99.9% of you who would be reading this have no idea who I am or wondering what qualifications allowed me to be in this position. Frankly, the answer is simple: I am a fan. 

Ever since I can recall I’ve poured my heart and soul into everything surrounding the NHL, and more importantly the Calgary Flames. This fandom has evolved from “Jarome Iginla is the only player in the NHL that truly matters” mind frame to “that 5th round pick in Florida just signed his entry level deal and now requires all of my attention”. I’ve always wanted to share my thoughts and over-analysis on everything that comes across my mind, but have never really had the chance outside of a few tweets. That’s why I am extremely thankful that Bill and Karim have given me the opportunity to share these thoughts and analyses with you, the fellow fans.

While all of us may have taken much different paths to get to our common unity as fans, there are probably many moments that we share together. Ironically, I never played organized hockey as a child and my only true shining moment on the ice came when I scored on a teenager twice my size playing shinny. That luckily didn’t stop me from becoming a fan, as throughout my life the majority of my fondest memories came at the hands of the hockey gods. We can probably all pinpoint the exact moment in time when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal, because if you don’t you may not be Canadian. You may even remember your first NHL game,  first serious playoff run, and first Dome Beer. There are always highs and most certainly lows. For every Martin Gelinas series winner, there will always be a Martin Gelinas no-goal. Every Johnny Gaudreau comes with his own complimentary Troy Brouwer; it’s inevitable. While not always the outcome we dream in our heads, this is what makes us fans. This is what keeps us passionate, causes us to lose sleep, and keeps us coming back again and again. These moments, for myself, will be ones forever ingrained in my memory and maybe one day, if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to share them with you.

Right back to why I’m here, sharing my hockey thoughts with you. Nothing brings the City of Calgary together more than hockey. The time between the final horn of the season and until the puck drops again on opening night is comparable to a weekend drive to Regina. Sure there may be things to talk about and sights to see, but is that really what you want to be doing with your time? The season is approaching fast, and with that means more content from The Win Column. While I’m currently stuck in the foreign land that some like to call “Leafs Nation”, I hope to bring as much exciting content as Bill and Karim have already provided. Some of it may be inspiring, some of it may be debate worthy, and some of it may be far too in-depth and outrageous. I’m hoping this mix will keep you engaged and entertained for the upcoming season and well into the future.

Here’s to a successful 2017-2018 season for the Flames and for the fans.

 

Follow The Win Column on Twitter @wincolumnblog

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