Eurolanche

Eurolanche members with Stanley Cup

Dozens of the Colorado Avalanche fans couldn’t believe their eyes when the Eurolanche Fan Club published their photos with the Stanley Cup last week. How could three fans spend exclusive time with this trophy at a private party? This is their unique story.

Marian Hossa and Tomas

Denis Puchovsky and Stanley Cup

The story began in season 2013/14. Eurolanche member Tomas from Slovakia traveled to USA on his own for the NHL games. He met Slovak forward Marian Gaborik after one of his games. He took a photo with him. Months later, Gaborik won his first Stanley Cup. In the last season, Tomas joined the Eurolanche Invasion VII group, the seventh trip of the Eurolanche members to Denver. He met Marian Hossa in Pepsi Center and told him about his last-year meeting with Gaborik. He also told him that if he take a picture with him, he would win the Stanley Cup in the following months. Everybody know how it ended. After Chicago Blackhawks’ triumph, regional European media published story about Tomas. And Hossa never forget. 

Biggest sport website in Slovakia published story about the meeting.

Marian Hossa’s sister-in-law contacted Tomas in the summer and invited him and his friends to a private party when Marian would have his day with the Cup. Tomas agreed and took other two members of the Fan Club for the special day. Firstly, Marian had a press conference in his hometown of Trencin in Slovakia. Then he took the Cup to his family house nearby. Around 200 fans were waiting there on him. His family organized photo shooting for the next two hours at their own backyard. After this official schedule, Marian took three Eurolanche members inside his family home and they had exclusive chance to meet the trophy. The official celebration party in Trencin was organized on the next day.

TV report about Tomas

Marian Hossa knew that three guests in his family house are the Colorado Avalanche fans. He had no problem with that. He remembered on the great connection between him and the Avalanche fan Tomas. Local media reported about this story again, even on the sports evening news. “It is life-time experience – everything from how Marian behaved to hundreds of fans at his own yard thru our personal meeting. I would like to thank you to Mrs. Andrea, his sister-in-law, who invited Tomas and us. Marian is not the Avalanche player, but I can say on a behalf of all Eurolanche members that we appreciate what he did for us and we respect him as no other non-Avalanche player. It is shame he does not play for our favorite team,” said Fan Club president David Puchovsky who attended this meeting. “We believe there will be such great celebration meetings with the Avalanche players in the future when they won the Stanley Cup. It would be honor to us co-organize such events in Europe and take care about next unforgettable experience for all European Avalanche fans,” concluded Puchovsky.

Full photo gallery of the meeting is available at this link.

Details shoots of the Avalanche plates: