Eurolanche

Eurolanche’s 15th season

Eurolanche has completed its 15^th season, which was marked by the return of several activities after a year-long layoff due to Covid and which fulfilled the dream of many of our members at its end.

Eurolanche organized two member meetings during the 2021/22 season. These were the very first events since Eurolanche Invasion XII, which concluded just a couple of days prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic. The program of Eurolanche Meeting 14 traditionally took place in Brno, Czech Republic, and, in addition to the sports program, included a watch party of the Colorado Avalanche game at a local bar.

The following Eurolanche Meeting 15 was the very first member meeting that took place outside of the Czech Republic or Slovakia. French fans also met for a single purpose – to spend the entire night cheering for their favorite club.

The season was capped off by two mass watch parties in Brno, which were attended by more than 50 Eurolanche members. The fans returned to the local sports bar in Brno, which they rented entirely to watch the last two games of this year's playoffs. In the end, they had to return to the place in order to finally see the decisive victory and celebrate the Avs’ Stanley Cup win in the early morning hours. It was the most unforgettable experience in the history of the Fan Club and several American and European media informed about the event. In this context, it’s worth noting that Eurolanche sent a motivational letter to the club’s management, addressed to Avalanche players, at the beginning of the season. The championship celebrations continued in Pilsen, where Eurolanche members had the opportunity not only to touch and take pictures with the Stanley Cup, but to personally congratulate Pavel Francouz as well.  

Unfortunately, due to the restrictions still in force at the time, the members of the Fan Club decided against travelling to the US for the second time in a row as part of Eurolanche’s annual trip overseas. In the end, only Eurolanche founder and president David Puchovsky travelled to North America, dubbing his trip "My Invasion 2022" and seeing six consecutive Avalanche wins in 10 days. His trip led to a dramatic increase in followers of the Fan Club's social media accounts, especially Twitter. As of today, a total of more than 13 000 people follow Eurolanche on social media. This was also the last event under the Invasion name, as Fan Club management decided to rename all subsequent trips to the US to Eurolanche on Tour due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine did not go unnoticed by Eurolanche. Its impact didn’t only affect several of our members directly in Ukraine, but the residents of its neighboring countries as well. Eurolanche organized a fundraiser, through which it raised more than 2,500 euros of the purchase of medicine and medical equipment sent directly to Ukraine. Eurolanche members were privately involved in other activities that brought tens of thousands of euros to Ukraine. David Puchovsky managed to publish a photo book about the situation at the Slovak-Ukrainian border, the entire proceeds of which were donated to aid refugees.

The story of 11-year-old Hassan, who fled from Ukraine to Slovakia alone until he finally met his family, became an interesting aspect of Eurolanche’s 15^th season. His story made headlines around the world and his photos with a Colorado Avalanche cap, which he received from Eurolanche, appeared in many reports. Thanks to this, he was noticed by the club itself, which delivered him souvenirs through former Slovak NHL players Marián Gáborík and Boris Valábik. Eurolanche also helped Hassan and his family to make the first steps in their new lives. Members of the Fan Club organized a fundraiser that raised $13,000 for the family.

In terms of other activities, Eurolanche honored its great friend, singer Jake Schroeder, for whom the Fan Club prepared a special congratulatory video and coverage on the occasion of his 1000^th performance of the national anthem prior to an Avs game.

Eurolanche was part of the process of providing Colorado Avalanche jerseys signed by Milan Hejduk to the Czech ambassador to Slovakia and then president of the Czech Police Force.

The season also included several interesting tidbits, one of which was the the placement of Slovak McDonald's advertising products in the unofficial museum of the famous fast-food chain near Los Angeles along with a mention of the Eurolanche Fan Club. The museum was visited by Fan Club members in the past, who made an agreement with its operator to expand its collection with products from Slovakia.

Last but not least, the Eurolanche League betting competition continued with its 12the edition, which, for the very first time, extended to the entire, and especially successful, playoffs.

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