Fribourg-Gottéron has claimed their first ice hockey championship title.
One Auckland-based hockey fan made the 40-hour journey to see the team claim the win.
Fabian Herzog joined Piney to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Committed to their sports team. But how many of you
would jump on a forty hour journey from New Zealand
to Switzerland at just a few hours notice. Well, Baseilborne,
Fabian Herzog did exactly that to watch his beloved ice
hockey club Freeborg Gothroom chase and historic first ever Swiss
(00:34):
championship title. And he arrived just in time to see
them do it, winning it in overtime. What a journey,
literally and figuratively. Fabian Herzog is back home now and
joins us now. Thanks for chatting to us, Fabian, take
us back to the moment where you decided, right, that's it,
I'm going to Switzerland.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, a bit crazy. I look at it was the
series as a seven seven game series and after game six,
my fae, the teams people got them on. They just
wanted in overtime. That was I think it was a
Wednesday morning in New Zealand at about eight nine o'clock am.
And yeah, and so I just called a mate back
(01:19):
in back home in Switzerland. Quickly touch base with my
wife who brought the kids to school. They already knew
that was going to happen. And yeah, then straight an
hour after book booked the flights, and then I think
two hours later I was at the airport.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
So you're in New Zealand one moment and Auckland the
airport three hours later. So it really was that spontaneous
or had you thought an advanced look if this scenario
arises on need to get on that plane.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah? I did. Actually, I didn't think about it, and
I wanted to leave a couple of games earlier. Unfortunately
they kept losing the two in a row, and then
it came down to that sixth game where they could
have lost it and they would have been all over
or wanted and got themselves a chance to go to
Game seven, and so yeah, I was sort of anticipating
and hoping it would happen. At the same time. We
(02:07):
were watching at home with the wife and kids in
regular time, and then the kids had to go to school.
So I before overtime, and we knew that overtime was
going to happen. It could go both ways, and so
I told them, look, I'll give you a big hug.
Now you guys go to school. If everything goes, well,
I'll see you in a week. Otherwise I'll see you
(02:28):
later today.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Oh that is magnificent. So thankfully you were on the
on the plane forty hours of travel. That's brutal, the
best of time. Did you get any sleep or what
was it? What was the journey over like?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
It was a bit unfortunate. Normally it's a bit quicker.
But somehow I needed to stop twice just because there
wasn't any any flights available that took me there more
directly at the time, and I obviously needed to get
there before a game seven, which was two days later.
And yeah, I got I think I got a little
bit of sleep, but you know, the news broke in
(03:03):
Switzerland that this is happening, that I'm coming, and some how,
I think got bombarded by messages and a new supporter
got hold of me. So it took a while. I
had about three or four hours sleep, I think that
on that journey. But that's fine. I was full of
adrenaline then, yeah, just it was just a great moment.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
How did you get a ticket to the game?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, So what happened was I was on the flight,
I stopped off in Melbourne and then for Melbourne. I
took a flight along a flight to Dubai, and on
that flight I thought it'd be a good idea to
let some more people know that I'm coming. Yes, my
family knew, and my friend in Basel who I wanted
to go and watch with. But I had some other
friends who are also fans, so I wrote them messages
(03:45):
and said look, I'm coming, and they all thought I'm
crazy and they were super stoked as well. But one
of them actually works in radio, and so he ended
up sort of asking me if he should sort of,
you know, get in touch with some people in radio,
and I said, yeah, that's fine, and I might do
an it. That's fine. But then he said, actually, I've
got a better idea. I'll I know the sports director
(04:09):
of the biggest news art live in Switzerland, and so
he said, I'll give him a call and I believe
they'll do a story and they might even be tickets
after that. And so I said, hey, hold on the moment,
that's that's that's quite big because it's a big, big
sports artler. I touched base, my wife quickly and and
a couple of friends. They said, no, you know, you
got to do it, and I'm like, yeah, I'm really
(04:30):
got to do it because it gives publicity to the
club as well. End up ended up doing that, and
then half an hour later I was in chat per
Whatsip chat with a news reporter from that outlet, and
so we just interviewed, got interviewed on the plane basically,
and look after after all that, they crowded a new
story and and sort of flaid it down. Later in
(04:52):
the morning, while I was sort of flying to Zurich,
they told me that the club and the new Startlers
got together and organized some tickets for me. So, yeah,
craft just a crack conident.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So just to clarify then, so when you got on
the plane, you didn't have a ticket to the game?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
No I didn't, yeah exactly. So I was just going
to go to soak up the atmosphere. They do public
viewings over there, so where the town in the city
where it's happening, where the club's bomb they did a
public viewing, but the game was actually played at the
out of town, so it was an away game. So
I was just going to go to freebook to the
town and watch it there in a public viewing for mate,
(05:30):
and just you know, have a good time and watch
it on a big screen. So yeah, I didn't have
any tickets and I didn't think i'll get any because
it's ever sold that since ince a while.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Amazing, Well this is great. So yeah, so you've got
your ticket, so you land your land and then what
how long did you have to get did you have
an overnight? Did you could you sleep? How long before
the game did you arrive?
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah? So I arrived in Switzerland on at like two pm,
I think in the afternoon, and the game was at
eight pm the same day, and then in a bit
of a drive away because the team that they played
was in the mountains and so that's about a three
three and a half hours drive. So again it was
all go.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
And I also understand that you got stuck in traffic
on the way to the game and what missed the start,
So after traveling for forty hours there must have been torture.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
It was so yeah, I jumped in the car with
a mate. We drove into the mountains and normally it's
not that long, and somehow we just got into that
they were renovating something somewhere in the tunnel and we
got into traffic and we passed We even passed that
fan buses that walls were late. That came from from
people that went to Dovos. DeVos is the city where
(06:45):
it was held. And so yeah, we we got We
got there late. I knew that was happening, and the
CEO of the club wanted to meet me beforehand and
hand me the tickets over and maybe do a photo
or something, and I had to ride him as a sorry,
we're going to be late. Threely unfortunate, but I'm stuck
in traffic. So we got there, i'd say about fifteen
(07:07):
minutes after it started. At the start of it, we
watched in the car, so my mate was driving, I
had the phone art and we screened it and watched
it there and at some stage I jumped up and
sealibrated and he's like, what's going on? I said, Oh,
they just scored. It's one.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Now let's go.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Well let's go. Well, yeah, it all. It was all
It's just one moment after the other. So it was
really crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
And then you arrived. What was it like once you
got inside, and what was it like when they won?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Okay, it was it was just so great. We walked
into the stadium. We just frushed in. I think my
ticket didn't work somehow, and I just kept walking and
I said, some way, I have a ticket, it will work.
I'll just walk past d And we walked into the stadium,
and it's just a great atmosphere because at k you're
really close, and it's obviously it's a fast paced game
(07:56):
and things happen at both ends pretty quickly. And we
sat there and watched it the first part, and they
just scored, literally when we walked in, they scored the
two nil and so it was a great atmosph therefore
for us the away fans, and we celebrated and and
and watched that third and and then what what also
happened was during my journey, at some stage the National
(08:16):
TV reached out to me and asked if we can
do an interview in the break, and so I knew
that was happening. So the guy was calling me at
that place, and so I didn't had to rush around
all the way on the other side of the stadium,
and a five minute interview on National TV, which I
think my nn I didn't realize that I was coming,
so she saw that on TV and she almost fell
(08:37):
off a chair.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
But then but then what's so turnal up? But did
it go to overtime eventually? So so what so? So
they got back, they got back into it. You must
have been sitting there thinking, I have not come all
this way to watch my team lose.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, look at they were tunel up. It was all
going great. And then in the second third. That's a
bit of a weakness for the team. It's been a
weakness since a little while. A second third. So they
they conceded a goal, they hung in there. I gave
another ensu and in this in in another if another
ut uselet company in between, and then I still I
told them on the on the interview, I said, I
(09:15):
have a good feeling it's going to come. Well. I
knew myself there was going to be some drama with
with this club. There's always drama with good it's always drama.
So I knew it was going to come close. So
then they conceded in the third two so there's two
all and then we head into overtime. And a lot
of people because this club hasn't won, hasn't ever won
a championship and has been in the final four or
five times, a lot of people know that and they
(09:38):
had that with them, and they were carrying this and
they were really scared at the overtime, and I kept saying, now, guys,
it's going to come, it's going to come. Right. I
have a few good feeling. You know, it's just one
goal and you win it. It's you know, if you
if you, if you get the situation at the start
of the season and you know you're going to be
in game Steven and it's overtime, it's just you just
gotta go full attack and get it. And so they
(09:58):
got a power play. So there are men up and
they rotated the puck. Well I had one guy. It
just he the stick up rates the basket to him.
He shot, got the goal, and from then on it
was just scenes, just just just yeah. People just falling
over each other, jumping into each other, random people huggling,
(10:19):
beer showers all over the place in where I was
tading with my mates. It was just epic, epic moment.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So when that's happening, you must think this was all
worth it. All of this was worth it, the journey,
the traffic, getting your ticket, everything else that's going through
your mind. Probably sleep deprived, I would imagine, but running
on fumes and adrenaline. You must have thought to yourself,
this is magnificent.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah, absolutely, Jason. Absolutely, I was there, and you know,
initially were just tumbling around and falling and hugging, and
about three four five minutes later, I just stood there
and I took it all in and I just it
just it just you know, that feeling of adrenaline, it's
still there, and I just got goosebumps, and I see
it a few tears standing there with my mates, and
(11:08):
I just it just all came together so well. Also
some of the people that I that that were there,
I knew them from from my childhood and and I
hadn't seen them for so long, and they're just all
fitted to get into a perfect story. You know. I
just couldn't believe it, and it was just it was
just magical, really magical. I get goosebumps now talking about it.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I have to say, I'm so pleased you've had the
that you've taken that call and you're telling us all
about it, because this is this is tremendous stuff. So
how do you normally follow the team back here? Just online?
It's a streaming sort of some late nights, early mornings,
to watch your team play.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, look, normally I I followed on on on the
tack of live ticket that I know what the score
was going and and on the weekends, if they showed
the game on TV, I tried to screen it. If
often they don't because there's obviously a lot of lots
of other games happening at the same time. There's actually
a fan radio. There's there's fans who do who go
to every game, who record on the radio. So I
tuned into that and there's you know, that's quite quite
(12:01):
quite good, good value because they sort of commentated a
bit out of the box. So yeah, that's how I
follow normally during the season, and then once they get
into the playoffs so I can watch more games, and yeah,
so's it's yeah, early mornings often you know, with a
coffee rather on an r rather than with a beer.
But I got to experience that at the stadium, so
(12:23):
that was great, and you know, a great party afterwards,
and yes, just great.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
So you're back home now, your life's back to normal.
Do you sort of thing did that actually happen? It
must be surreal to be back home with your family,
back into normal life. You have hug your kids again,
and in life goes on, but you'll always have this.
But there's a feel as though, you know, it's quite
surreal that it actually happened.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Yeah, absolutely, it does feel quite surreal coming back. I
was away for part a week and and what it
makes it even more surreal is just just the people
that wrote me, who you know, who saw me young
the news on the TV, and people haven't seen in
so long, and broughte me messages and and even I
can tell you that the club held a parade on Saturdays,
(13:04):
so a couple of days after an official parade, a
big two to eight, and so I went there with
a mate just to soak it all in and and
celebrate and chance and then eighty thousand people on the streets.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
It was.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
It was really magical. But what happened as well as
we walked across to meet some out of friends, and
that was even more surreal. It was just every hundred
meter or soil or fifty meters, someone has come up
and recognize me and want to do a selfie because
they then here was the guy from that happened all
the way from the Zellnest copy. Hey you the Kiwi,
you must be the Kiwi and it was just so surreal,
(13:34):
even you know, even the players. After after the game,
we've got to meet some of the players, and the
captain came along with the trophy and and I just
thought I'll ask him for a selfie, you know, like
a lot of people do. And and I turned and
he looks at me and said, yeah, that's right. And
he says, hey, you're the Kiwi that came all the
way across to the other side of the world here
to watch us play. I can't believe this. I take
my hat. I take my hat first. Just all these
(13:56):
things are just so surreal, so you know it was
it was just acceptable. Yeah, a bond in a lastime experience,
I say wonderful.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Well, as a ci fi van. There's a lot of
super fans listening to the show. We think we support
our teams, but this is next level stuff. Mate. I'm
so pleased you got to do it. I'm so pleased
you got to experience it. It sounds, as you say,
like a once in a lifetime experience. Although who knows,
if they make the final again, you might have to
head back over. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but this is wonderful, mate.
Thank you for joining us this afternoon to tell us
(14:24):
the tale. It's a it's a cracker mate. I really
appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
No worries, happy to do it. Thank you very much as.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Well, Jason, No, thank you very much, indeed, Fabian. Amazing
stuff for Fabian Herzog there forty hours from Auckland to
Switzerland to watch his team win it for the very
first time. That's the Swiss Ice Hockey Championship in overtime.
What a journey. Something he'll have to tell us grandkids
about and well with the aid of that interview they
(14:53):
can hear all about it. Wonderful stuff. Thanks Fabian.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Good to chat to you for more from Weekend Sport
with Jason Fine. Listen live to News Talk said B
weekends from midday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Committed to their sports team. But how many of you
would jump on a forty hour journey from New Zealand
to Switzerland at just a few hours notice. Well, Baseilborne,
Fabian Herzog did exactly that to watch his beloved ice
hockey club Freeborg Gothroom chase and historic first ever Swiss
(00:34):
championship title. And he arrived just in time to see
them do it, winning it in overtime. What a journey,
literally and figuratively. Fabian Herzog is back home now and
joins us now. Thanks for chatting to us, Fabian, take
us back to the moment where you decided, right, that's it,
I'm going to Switzerland.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, a bit crazy. I look at it was the
series as a seven seven game series and after game six,
my fae, the teams people got them on. They just
wanted in overtime. That was I think it was a
Wednesday morning in New Zealand at about eight nine o'clock am.
And yeah, and so I just called a mate back
(01:19):
in back home in Switzerland. Quickly touch base with my
wife who brought the kids to school. They already knew
that was going to happen. And yeah, then straight an
hour after book booked the flights, and then I think
two hours later I was at the airport.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
So you're in New Zealand one moment and Auckland the
airport three hours later. So it really was that spontaneous
or had you thought an advanced look if this scenario
arises on need to get on that plane.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah? I did. Actually, I didn't think about it, and
I wanted to leave a couple of games earlier. Unfortunately
they kept losing the two in a row, and then
it came down to that sixth game where they could
have lost it and they would have been all over
or wanted and got themselves a chance to go to
Game seven, and so yeah, I was sort of anticipating
and hoping it would happen. At the same time. We
(02:07):
were watching at home with the wife and kids in
regular time, and then the kids had to go to school.
So I before overtime, and we knew that overtime was
going to happen. It could go both ways, and so
I told them, look, I'll give you a big hug.
Now you guys go to school. If everything goes, well,
I'll see you in a week. Otherwise I'll see you
(02:28):
later today.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Oh that is magnificent. So thankfully you were on the
on the plane forty hours of travel. That's brutal, the
best of time. Did you get any sleep or what
was it? What was the journey over like?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
It was a bit unfortunate. Normally it's a bit quicker.
But somehow I needed to stop twice just because there
wasn't any any flights available that took me there more
directly at the time, and I obviously needed to get
there before a game seven, which was two days later.
And yeah, I got I think I got a little
bit of sleep, but you know, the news broke in
(03:03):
Switzerland that this is happening, that I'm coming, and some how,
I think got bombarded by messages and a new supporter
got hold of me. So it took a while. I
had about three or four hours sleep, I think that
on that journey. But that's fine. I was full of
adrenaline then, yeah, just it was just a great moment.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
How did you get a ticket to the game?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, So what happened was I was on the flight,
I stopped off in Melbourne and then for Melbourne. I
took a flight along a flight to Dubai, and on
that flight I thought it'd be a good idea to
let some more people know that I'm coming. Yes, my
family knew, and my friend in Basel who I wanted
to go and watch with. But I had some other
friends who are also fans, so I wrote them messages
(03:45):
and said look, I'm coming, and they all thought I'm
crazy and they were super stoked as well. But one
of them actually works in radio, and so he ended
up sort of asking me if he should sort of,
you know, get in touch with some people in radio,
and I said, yeah, that's fine, and I might do
an it. That's fine. But then he said, actually, I've
got a better idea. I'll I know the sports director
(04:09):
of the biggest news art live in Switzerland, and so
he said, I'll give him a call and I believe
they'll do a story and they might even be tickets
after that. And so I said, hey, hold on the moment,
that's that's that's quite big because it's a big, big
sports artler. I touched base, my wife quickly and and
a couple of friends. They said, no, you know, you
got to do it, and I'm like, yeah, I'm really
(04:30):
got to do it because it gives publicity to the
club as well. End up ended up doing that, and
then half an hour later I was in chat per
Whatsip chat with a news reporter from that outlet, and
so we just interviewed, got interviewed on the plane basically,
and look after after all that, they crowded a new
story and and sort of flaid it down. Later in
(04:52):
the morning, while I was sort of flying to Zurich,
they told me that the club and the new Startlers
got together and organized some tickets for me. So, yeah,
craft just a crack conident.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So just to clarify then, so when you got on
the plane, you didn't have a ticket to the game?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
No I didn't, yeah exactly. So I was just going
to go to soak up the atmosphere. They do public
viewings over there, so where the town in the city
where it's happening, where the club's bomb they did a
public viewing, but the game was actually played at the
out of town, so it was an away game. So
I was just going to go to freebook to the
town and watch it there in a public viewing for mate,
(05:30):
and just you know, have a good time and watch
it on a big screen. So yeah, I didn't have
any tickets and I didn't think i'll get any because
it's ever sold that since ince a while.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Amazing, Well this is great. So yeah, so you've got
your ticket, so you land your land and then what
how long did you have to get did you have
an overnight? Did you could you sleep? How long before
the game did you arrive?
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah? So I arrived in Switzerland on at like two pm,
I think in the afternoon, and the game was at
eight pm the same day, and then in a bit
of a drive away because the team that they played
was in the mountains and so that's about a three
three and a half hours drive. So again it was
all go.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
And I also understand that you got stuck in traffic
on the way to the game and what missed the start,
So after traveling for forty hours there must have been torture.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
It was so yeah, I jumped in the car with
a mate. We drove into the mountains and normally it's
not that long, and somehow we just got into that
they were renovating something somewhere in the tunnel and we
got into traffic and we passed We even passed that
fan buses that walls were late. That came from from
people that went to Dovos. DeVos is the city where
(06:45):
it was held. And so yeah, we we got We
got there late. I knew that was happening, and the
CEO of the club wanted to meet me beforehand and
hand me the tickets over and maybe do a photo
or something, and I had to ride him as a sorry,
we're going to be late. Threely unfortunate, but I'm stuck
in traffic. So we got there, i'd say about fifteen
(07:07):
minutes after it started. At the start of it, we
watched in the car, so my mate was driving, I
had the phone art and we screened it and watched
it there and at some stage I jumped up and
sealibrated and he's like, what's going on? I said, Oh,
they just scored. It's one.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Now let's go.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Well let's go. Well, yeah, it all. It was all
It's just one moment after the other. So it was
really crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
And then you arrived. What was it like once you
got inside, and what was it like when they won?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Okay, it was it was just so great. We walked
into the stadium. We just frushed in. I think my
ticket didn't work somehow, and I just kept walking and
I said, some way, I have a ticket, it will work.
I'll just walk past d And we walked into the stadium,
and it's just a great atmosphere because at k you're
really close, and it's obviously it's a fast paced game
(07:56):
and things happen at both ends pretty quickly. And we
sat there and watched it the first part, and they
just scored, literally when we walked in, they scored the
two nil and so it was a great atmosph therefore
for us the away fans, and we celebrated and and
and watched that third and and then what what also
happened was during my journey, at some stage the National
(08:16):
TV reached out to me and asked if we can
do an interview in the break, and so I knew
that was happening. So the guy was calling me at
that place, and so I didn't had to rush around
all the way on the other side of the stadium,
and a five minute interview on National TV, which I
think my nn I didn't realize that I was coming,
so she saw that on TV and she almost fell
(08:37):
off a chair.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
But then but then what's so turnal up? But did
it go to overtime eventually? So so what so? So
they got back, they got back into it. You must
have been sitting there thinking, I have not come all
this way to watch my team lose.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, look at they were tunel up. It was all
going great. And then in the second third. That's a
bit of a weakness for the team. It's been a
weakness since a little while. A second third. So they
they conceded a goal, they hung in there. I gave
another ensu and in this in in another if another
ut uselet company in between, and then I still I
told them on the on the interview, I said, I
(09:15):
have a good feeling it's going to come. Well. I
knew myself there was going to be some drama with
with this club. There's always drama with good it's always drama.
So I knew it was going to come close. So
then they conceded in the third two so there's two
all and then we head into overtime. And a lot
of people because this club hasn't won, hasn't ever won
a championship and has been in the final four or
five times, a lot of people know that and they
(09:38):
had that with them, and they were carrying this and
they were really scared at the overtime, and I kept saying, now, guys,
it's going to come, it's going to come. Right. I
have a few good feeling. You know, it's just one
goal and you win it. It's you know, if you
if you, if you get the situation at the start
of the season and you know you're going to be
in game Steven and it's overtime, it's just you just
gotta go full attack and get it. And so they
(09:58):
got a power play. So there are men up and
they rotated the puck. Well I had one guy. It
just he the stick up rates the basket to him.
He shot, got the goal, and from then on it
was just scenes, just just just yeah. People just falling
over each other, jumping into each other, random people huggling,
(10:19):
beer showers all over the place in where I was
tading with my mates. It was just epic, epic moment.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So when that's happening, you must think this was all
worth it. All of this was worth it, the journey,
the traffic, getting your ticket, everything else that's going through
your mind. Probably sleep deprived, I would imagine, but running
on fumes and adrenaline. You must have thought to yourself,
this is magnificent.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah, absolutely, Jason. Absolutely, I was there, and you know,
initially were just tumbling around and falling and hugging, and
about three four five minutes later, I just stood there
and I took it all in and I just it
just it just you know, that feeling of adrenaline, it's
still there, and I just got goosebumps, and I see
it a few tears standing there with my mates, and
(11:08):
I just it just all came together so well. Also
some of the people that I that that were there,
I knew them from from my childhood and and I
hadn't seen them for so long, and they're just all
fitted to get into a perfect story. You know. I
just couldn't believe it, and it was just it was
just magical, really magical. I get goosebumps now talking about it.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I have to say, I'm so pleased you've had the
that you've taken that call and you're telling us all
about it, because this is this is tremendous stuff. So
how do you normally follow the team back here? Just online?
It's a streaming sort of some late nights, early mornings,
to watch your team play.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, look, normally I I followed on on on the
tack of live ticket that I know what the score
was going and and on the weekends, if they showed
the game on TV, I tried to screen it. If
often they don't because there's obviously a lot of lots
of other games happening at the same time. There's actually
a fan radio. There's there's fans who do who go
to every game, who record on the radio. So I
tuned into that and there's you know, that's quite quite
(12:01):
quite good, good value because they sort of commentated a
bit out of the box. So yeah, that's how I
follow normally during the season, and then once they get
into the playoffs so I can watch more games, and yeah,
so's it's yeah, early mornings often you know, with a
coffee rather on an r rather than with a beer.
But I got to experience that at the stadium, so
(12:23):
that was great, and you know, a great party afterwards,
and yes, just great.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
So you're back home now, your life's back to normal.
Do you sort of thing did that actually happen? It
must be surreal to be back home with your family,
back into normal life. You have hug your kids again,
and in life goes on, but you'll always have this.
But there's a feel as though, you know, it's quite
surreal that it actually happened.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Yeah, absolutely, it does feel quite surreal coming back. I
was away for part a week and and what it
makes it even more surreal is just just the people
that wrote me, who you know, who saw me young
the news on the TV, and people haven't seen in
so long, and broughte me messages and and even I
can tell you that the club held a parade on Saturdays,
(13:04):
so a couple of days after an official parade, a
big two to eight, and so I went there with
a mate just to soak it all in and and
celebrate and chance and then eighty thousand people on the streets.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
It was.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
It was really magical. But what happened as well as
we walked across to meet some out of friends, and
that was even more surreal. It was just every hundred
meter or soil or fifty meters, someone has come up
and recognize me and want to do a selfie because
they then here was the guy from that happened all
the way from the Zellnest copy. Hey you the Kiwi,
you must be the Kiwi and it was just so surreal,
(13:34):
even you know, even the players. After after the game,
we've got to meet some of the players, and the
captain came along with the trophy and and I just
thought I'll ask him for a selfie, you know, like
a lot of people do. And and I turned and
he looks at me and said, yeah, that's right. And
he says, hey, you're the Kiwi that came all the
way across to the other side of the world here
to watch us play. I can't believe this. I take
my hat. I take my hat first. Just all these
(13:56):
things are just so surreal, so you know it was
it was just acceptable. Yeah, a bond in a lastime experience,
I say wonderful.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Well, as a ci fi van. There's a lot of
super fans listening to the show. We think we support
our teams, but this is next level stuff. Mate. I'm
so pleased you got to do it. I'm so pleased
you got to experience it. It sounds, as you say,
like a once in a lifetime experience. Although who knows,
if they make the final again, you might have to
head back over. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but this is wonderful, mate.
Thank you for joining us this afternoon to tell us
(14:24):
the tale. It's a it's a cracker mate. I really
appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
No worries, happy to do it. Thank you very much as.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Well, Jason, No, thank you very much, indeed, Fabian. Amazing
stuff for Fabian Herzog there forty hours from Auckland to
Switzerland to watch his team win it for the very
first time. That's the Swiss Ice Hockey Championship in overtime.
What a journey. Something he'll have to tell us grandkids
about and well with the aid of that interview they
(14:53):
can hear all about it. Wonderful stuff. Thanks Fabian.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Good to chat to you for more from Weekend Sport
with Jason Fine. Listen live to News Talk said B
weekends from midday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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