By Justin Ganz
All members of my family are hockey fans, but not all of us support the same teams. Me, I support the Los Angeles Kings.
Being the only Los Angeles Kings fan in my family is fun, but it is also tough when it comes to playing against rivals, especially when the rivals are within my own family.
My grandparents are supporters of the Kings’ cross-freeway rival, the Anaheim Ducks. Even though the Ducks might be the Kings’ rival, going to games with my grandparents for a Kings vs. Ducks matchup is always an enjoyable experience, regardless of who wins. I mostly attended games with my grandfather as he and I have a tradition to attend every game that is played up in Anaheim.
We have done this since the 2013-14 season, despite us rooting for different teams, the atmosphere at these games is always fun, and the energy in the building is electric as it is mostly split between Kings fans and Ducks fans. At the end of each game, we always talk about how each of our teams played and congratulate each other on a good fun game.
When it comes to my parents, my dad and I both have different teams we grew up rooting for. He’s from New York and has supported the New York Rangers his whole life, while I have supported the Kings. In 2014 the Kings met the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, which resulted in my dad and I going head to head for a chance at winning the cup.
Having both teams match up in the finals allowed me something I thought I would never get to do: going to multiple games for the finals. The Kings ended up defeating the Rangers that year in five games which allowed me to see the Kings lift the cup in person. Throughout the finals, my dad would give it to me when the Rangers scored and vice versa, at the end of the final game, I thanked him for allowing us to go to each game.
Justin Ganz with the Stanley Cup in 2014 after the Kings won the Cup the previous season. Photo credit: Justin Ganz
He might have not been rooting with me, but it is an experience I will never forget, and I have great memories of that series. During the regular season, my dad and I have a fun time watching the game, whether it’s on TV or in person in Los Angeles.
With me being the only Kings fan in my family, going to games and rooting against my family when our teams play each other is always entertaining but is even better when my team beats theirs. I am also very blessed to enjoy these amazing experiences with my family.
