I was born December 25, 1991. My hockey journey began in October 1997 when my mom bought tickets to the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey game. I was 6 years old and I loved it. I got my first jersey on December 25, 1998.
Due to my fascination, I wanted to remember every game. So I began to collect ticket stubs in 2001, and have at least one ticket stub from a hockey game, every year since then, with the exception of 2017. However, ticket stubs are not the only piece of hockey memorabilia I have collected over the year.
To this date I have 16 hockey jersey’s, thousands of hockey cards, pictures, socks, t-shirts, shoes, pucks, cowbells and so many others items, too many that I don’t have room to hang or display. If I had been allowed to play, I know I’d have more.
When I was a kid, I wanted to play hockey. I had already tried baseball, soccer, and basketball. My interest in tennis was small but present. I didn’t care much for football until my brother began playing in middle school, and then I wanted to know everything.
Hockey was the only sport I regularly followed. I knew who the best scorers, defense-men, goalies and teams were in the Central Hockey League. I had notebooks full of statistics, and when we would get to the arena, dad always used to ask me for the scoop on the opposing team. When my brother wanted to try hockey, I asked why I couldn’t try it as well.
My parents couldn’t find any girls teams, nor could they find a league that would allow a girl. Although, back in the nineties, hockey was just beginning again. It hadn’t regained the popularity it had with the Oklahoma City Stars. Hockey had been a part of Oklahoma City, on and off, since 1944. Tulsa, Oklahoma was the home of the first hockey team in the State of Oklahoma; The Tulsa Oilers were founded in 1927, and they are still alive and well today.
Through the years, I have seen may teams in person and now I am trying to visit different teams and arenas throughout the NHL. Unfortunately, the NHL season, like all other leagues and sports, has been put on pause. Since March 12, 2020, the world has been without sports. So, to keep myself from going crazy from not being able to watch live hockey, I would like to use my blog to saver what has been. That way, when COVID-19 has been defeated and hockey can return, I can look toward the future.
NEXT ON HOCKEY IN MY YEARS: THE BLAZER YEARS (1997-2009)
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2020 @ 8 PM (CST)
Categories: Uncategorized
Kirsti Rose Deyoe 
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