Guest Blog: An Inside Look At Fans From The Other Side

Part two of our Guest Blog series continues, with the founder of Eurolanche – David Púchovský -

Courtesy of Eurolanche.com

The Eurolanche is a unique project to hockey that has, until recently, been kept in the background. Its founder and chairman, David Púchovský (19), never could have imagined that, in only three years, it would become such a huge success. In the beginning there was a single idea – unite all of the European fans of the Colorado Avalanche NHL team while developing new contacts and friendships. But over time, everything got out of control.

Timid beginnings
“In the summer of 2007 I first began thinking about establishing a fan club for the Colorado Avalanche, which I’d been a fan of for ten years,” began David Púchovský. ”Gradually, I consulted with several fans, whom I knew. Together we created the name, logo and main ideas. It was, at first, a very simple website. But public interest surprised us all and we decided to go a step further.”

The importance of the site’s existence was considered seriously by its members, led by David, and a more professional website was conceived. A few months later, in the spring 2008, and with the help of some financial aid, the members launched the redesigned website with the new domain: www.eurolanche.com.

The new Eurolanche moved beyond providing basic information and access to fan club members, adding news articles about the Avalanche in several languages. The fan club started an operation specialized in developing intelligence about fans as well as organizing meetings with its members. They created the first membership card and even held a competition for valuable prizes. The Eurolanche desired to incorporate the various existing fan sites on a single and yet far superior website, unifying fans from across Europe. Meanwhile, the founders also had another idea creep into their minds.

Meeting with Peter Budaj

Courtesy of avalanche.nhl.com

Púchovský considers one of the breakthrough points for the club to be a meeting with Avalanche goalie, Peter Budaj of Banska Bystrica, in the summer of 2008.

“The atmosphere was amazing. Peter is a very nice man and it was therefore not difficult to think about choosing him to be the godfather of our fan club. Peter obligingly spent more than two hours with us, answering many questions and giving a lot of signatures,” said Púchovský. ”The most important benefit of the meeting, however, was the first direct contact between members. Just then we developed the idea of more trips to Denver for NHL games.”

The first trip to Colorado

In December, three members traveled to Colorado to fulfill a trip they’d only dreamed of. ”Organizing the first joint tour was extremely difficult. We were inexperienced, we went into the unknown. But thanks to our American fans and all, our meeting with Peter Budaj took place without any problems. From Peter we got free tickets to six matches. It was a great experience,” said Púchovský .

European as well as American fan awareness certainly contributed to the success of their trip, with members from two different countries making it to Denver. The members were even recognized for their efforts, being interviewed twice during their time in Colorado, both of which aired on American television.

“At the end of the 2008/09 season, we could say that we are the only ones in Europe, perhaps in the world, who have launched such a large project,” said Púchovský.

They would call it Invasion.

Photo by Getty Images

Member trips have taken place three times so far and there have been various member meetings as well. Colorado Avalanche fans gathered last summer and got to meet with Paul and Peter Stastny.

Working together, the fans discuss your favorite team and hold joint meetings, promoting the emergence of new friendships which do not know national boundaries in Europe.

New face
Increased interest from new fans as well as publicity forced the most active club members to think about the next site ‘improvement’, the next move forward. After returning from America, work began on reinvigorating the website again. It took almost exactly one year.

“It was something incredible. We constantly had new and emerging issues that delayed the site regularly, it was my nightmare. In January this year we finally finished. I think the result is worth it,” said Púchovský.

His claim is no exaggeration. The new Eurolanche brought updated graphics, a more professional look, and particularly more articles in the other languages. Each member now got to choose between paid premium and free basic memberships and both types of memberships were offered to anyone interested in having their own Eurolanche profile. Members could read articles via various websites, purchase souvenirs, and communicate with other fans.

During the launch of the new Eurolanche, members organized their third trip to Denver. This time six members from three countries traveled to see a total of six games, again acquiring valuable signatures and photographs. A report of this most recent trip will soon follow.

The Future

“We have been really starting to think of the future of the fanclub,” said Púchovský. ”We are obviously the first ones in the NHL, but we were the first and only ones to have such unity and organization, as well as publicity. We want to continue our existing activities. Every day we write articles, give members more room for self presentation, organize competitions for souvenirs, and we regularly travel to Denver to maintain good relations with the club and its players. There is a lot to do. Therefore, the time that follows will indicate the strength of our unity. I do not want our existence to disappear after only three trips. We still have to prove our devotion as fans. ”

The NHL regularly organizes some matches in Europe and there is speculation about more happening each year. As far as we know, the Eurolanche is the only known project of this caliber in regards to any NHL team. If it were to be officially recognized and supported, it would be yet another huge step forward.

Related posts:

1. Guest Blog: Eurolanche
2. Guest Blog: Eurolanche Invasion 3
3. Avs vs. Jackets Game Notes
4. History Will Be Made
5. Olympic Rosters – Part 1 *Updated*