I’ve been interested in sports my whole life. I was the son my dad never had and an only child for over 8 years. I was raised to be a Penn State fan above all else, since most of my family on my dad’s side went to school there. I mainly follow hockey, gymnastics, baseball, beach volleyball, volleyball, swimming, and ice skating. I also watch almost every sport in the Olympics (summer and winter).

I first got interested in hockey while attending high school in Pittsburgh; the late 1980s was a great time for the sport there. Rick Kehoe, a friend of my dad’s, was an assistant coach for the Penguins at the time and is still near the top of the Pens’ all-time scoring list. Jaromir Jagr lived around the corner from me and a friend of mine had season tickets. The Penguins had Super Mario, Kevin Stevens, Paul Coffey, Tom Barasso (a jerk, but what a goalie!), and many more who were ready to win Stanley Cups. Going to parties at Rick’s place with the Stanley Cup two years in a row was amazing for a new hockey fan.

I became a Kings fan during the Stanley Cup playoffs of 2001, when Felix Potvin’s heroics got my attention. By Game 3 of the first series, I was a Kings fan. After attending Game 4 on April 18, 2001, when the Kings came back to upset the Red Wings and win the series in “the Frenzy on Figueroa,” it was ensured that I would also be a Kings fan for life.