Eurolanche

The end of anniversary celebrations

“Considering the organizational aspect and our program, this was the hardest and busiest year and a half in Eurolanche history. In my opinion, our biggest achievements are that we fulfilled everything we previously announced, receiving accreditation for two NHL games and the publishing of a book about the Fan Club. With its activity, Eurolanche undisputedly earned a place in the history of the NHL and hockey in general,” said David Púchovský, the founder and president of Eurolanche.

In August 2016, the Eurolanche Fan Club, which came into existence on August 12, 2007, organized a member meeting in Czech Republic, during which the special anniversary logo, as well as the activities planned in celebration of the Fan Club’s 10^th birthday were unveiled. The entire following year and a half celebrated the anniversary of the biggest and most successful project of NHL fans. The standard Eurolanche logo was replaced by the anniversary one everywhere – not only in the online graphic and at the Fan Club’s homepage, but on stickers and other promotional material. We officially end the 10^th anniversary celebrations on the first day of 2018. Let’s take a look at what we managed to organize during the past year and a half, but mainly in 2017. 

In November 2016, Eurolanche organized a meeting with former Colorado Avalanche player Steven Reinprecht, the last active player from the 2001 Stanley Cup-winning team. It was the first time ever Fan Club members went to a player meeting outside Slovakia and the Czech Republic, as the unique meeting took place in Nuremberg, Germany, where Reinprecht plays up until today.

The Fan Club continued its activities in similar style in January 2017, when Eurolanche members flew to the German capital of Berlin. Following their arrival, they immediately went to the local hockey arena to meet with Uwe Krupp, who scored the Cup-winning goal of the 1996 playoffs, after a game of the top-tier German league.

Both player meetings had something in common – aside from the meeting itself, the program included exploring the city, which required a three-day stay at the very least. The next player meeting in April 2017 gained a whole new dimension – its participants drove to Switzerland by car and drove more than 2000 kilometers/1300 miles in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France and Lichtenstein in the span of three days. At the start of Eurolanche’s biggest European trip in its history, Fan Club members met with former Avalanche goalie David Aebischer.

Three player meetings in one season became a Fan Club record, which will be broken with great difficulty, if ever. 

Between the meetings with Krupp and Aebischer, the Eurolanche Invasion IX took part in January 2017, with nine Eurolanche members taking part in the trip. Invasion IX was truly fantastic, which was ensured by the great group of members from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Finland. In the span of two weeks, the group attended seven Colorado Avalanche games, five of them being played at the Pepsi Center, while two were played in Anaheim and San Jose respectively. The group venture to California for the two aforementioned away games via plane. They spent five days on the West Coast, visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco and even Tijuana in Mexico, which earned Invasion IX a place in Fan Club history.

In August 2017, a record number of 18 Fan Club members from four countries attended Eurolanche’s anniversary meeting in the High Tatras, Slovakia. At the meeting, they competed for a record number of souvenirs, including a Colorado Avalanche jersey and a pennant signed by the entire team. Each participant could also choose several souvenirs for free and each participant also received a welcoming package with a number of souvenirs and autographs following their arrival at the meeting. A group for the Fan Club’s most active members – named Yeti Ultras – was created during the meeting, with its members having preferential rights to participate in any future competitions.

The anniversary celebrations were highlighted by the NHL Global Series, which brought the Colorado Avalanche and the Ottawa Senators to Sweden for two games in November 2017. The Eurolanche Fan Club offered its members the opportunity to purchase game tickets back in March. Ultimately, a record number of participants – 57 from 10 countries and two continents – took part in the Eurolanche Raid 2017, with dozens of other members, who travelled individually, being present in the stands as well.