Lessard: “Sorry babe, I have to support the local team”

It’s not always easy to explain how, when, and why someone starts following and perhaps loving a sports team. However, for 30-year-old Stephen Lessard, it’s a different story. In a short period, he has become a passionate supporter of Frölunda, against all odds. Now, he and his British friend Joe have season tickets at Scandinavium, an unexpected friendship that has only grown stronger through their shared love for sports. But let’s start from the beginning.

Stephen Lessard grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In the summer, the peninsula on the American East Coast is somewhat of a tourist paradise, while winters are more inhospitable.

“One way to get through the winters is hockey,” says Stephen when reached by shl.se during a temporary visit home in the United States over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“If you grow up in these parts, there are no alternatives; you become a Bruins supporter,” he continues. “My family is very hockey-oriented, and I’ve played hockey throughout my upbringing.”

“Blank ice as far as the eye could see”

With two older brothers, Stephen Lessard had natural line mates but also competitors, and he admits that much of his upbringing revolved around hockey.

“Some of the best childhood memories I have are when we went out to a lake in winter and played pickup hockey with friends. No boards, no protection, just blank ice as far as the eye could see. That’s hockey in its purest form.”

As mentioned, his favorite team was the Boston Bruins. Stephen Lessard explains that he has been a passionate supporter for as long as he can remember and has had several favorite players over the years.

“Absolutely, Brad Marchand, Joe Thornton, Brian Rolston, P-J Axelsson have all been favorite players for me. But the big idol was Patrice Bergeron. He has always been there and been a great role model. It was emotional when he ended his career.”

First step towards a new life

Up to this point, possibly with the exception that Stephen had a soft spot for Per-Johan “Pebben” Axelsson, there were no connections to Sweden and Frölunda. But that was about to change.

“In 2019, I met a girl from Sweden who was an au pair in the USA,” Stephen tells. “Before that, all I knew about Sweden was Ikea and that Swedes were good at hockey, haha. Honestly, I probably couldn’t have placed Sweden on a world map without confusing it with the other Nordic countries.”

But that changed with his girlfriend Lydia. As it happened, she was not only an au pair but also a big HV71 supporter.

“So that was my introduction to the SHL; I started watching HV71's games with her,” Stephen explains. At this point, there wasn’t much indicating that Stephen Lessard would become a devoted Frölunda supporter. However, Lydia’s time as an au pair was coming to an end, and the couple was looking at options to move to Sweden.

“We didn’t really know where we would live. I preferred to live in a larger city, like Stockholm or Gothenburg, but Lydia got to decide,” Stephen says.

Lydia applied to and got accepted at the University of Gothenburg, but there was a catch: the pandemic had gripped the world, and the only way for Stephen to move with her to Sweden was to get a job.

“So in April, I got a job at a high school in Gothenburg, and we could start planning the move to Sweden,” Stephen explains.

Moved to the other side of the world – greeted by the icons of his hometown

The move took place in July 2021, and quite immediately, Stephen Lessard received signs that he had landed in the right place in his new home country.

“Basically, the first thing I saw when I stepped off the plane at Landvetter was a restaurant with green signs. As I got closer, I saw big pictures of Tom Brady, Brad Marchand, and wondered what this place was. It turned out to be O’Learys with some connection to Boston. That’s when I felt like I was home, haha.”

Besides a bit of luggage, Stephen Lessard brought his strong interest in sports and hockey to Sweden. The only team in Sweden he had any connection to was HV71, but they had been relegated to Hockeyallsvenskan. That’s when TikTok became the start of a completely different relationship.

“I have a TikTok account (@stephen_lessard) where I document life as an American in Sweden and started posting content when I settled in Gothenburg. I posted a video when I was in town and saw a Frölunda game on a TV screen and got a reaction from Frölunda’s official account. I sent them an email on a whim, saying it would be fun to do something together.”

“They invited me to a game, and when I got there, I met a representative from Frölunda who gave me a scarf and took me down to rinkside, where I got to stand right where the players come onto the ice. From that moment, I was hooked,” Stephen laughs.

“Sorry babe, I have to support the local team”

That, combined with HV71 not playing in the SHL, sealed the deal.

“I didn’t really feel like following a team in the second division in a city that was several hours away, so I told Lydia, ‘Sorry babe, I have to support the local team.’ Looking back, it was the best thing that could happen, and if I had known more before I moved, I would have chosen Frölunda even earlier,” Stephen says.

This choice put him in a tricky situation with his Swedish family, where the in-laws and the brother-in-law with his partner (who also live in Gothenburg) all support HV71.

“It’s a bit sweaty when we visit Lydia’s parents at family dinners, and I have to defend Frölunda,” Stephen laughs. “But now it’s quite convenient because I can just refer to the SHL table.”

It’s not just in the family that there is a great interest in hockey; even at work at the American High School in Gothenburg, there’s a lot of hockey talk.

“Absolutely, many kids like hockey and follow the SHL. Fortunately, we have many kids from Gothenburg who like Frölunda and know that I go to the games. It’s fun to be able to talk to them about something other than school.”

“Even among colleagues, we have many hockey enthusiasts. In addition to Frölunda fans, I have colleagues who support Färjestad, HV71, Skellefteå, and Örebro, so there are some taunts, and we usually go to the games when their teams come to Gothenburg,” Stephen tells.

Unexpected friendship – Stephen and Joe found each other through their love for sports

However, it’s neither his partner Lydia, the brother-in-law, nor any of the colleagues he goes to Frölunda’s games with.

“No, it’s my friend Joe. He’s from London and is a big Chelsea supporter. We have a similar background; both moved to Gothenburg for love and love sports. He had never seen hockey in his entire life, but I took him to a game and started explaining the rules. In one game, we stood in the supporter section, and when they started chanting, we suddenly realized that we were both shouting and gesturing even though we barely knew what they were shouting. We just looked at each other and laughed.”

While it’s easy to understand that there are special matches when Frölunda faces HV71, there’s another team Stephen has developed a special rivalry with.

“Yes, without a doubt, the games against Färjestad,” he says. “One of my best Frölunda memories is the second game in the quarterfinals against Färjestad last season. I had only seen regular-season games and was completely taken by the atmosphere in the playoffs. Beating Färjestad in that game and then winning that quarterfinal series was really cool.”

Partner’s teasing – about constant purchases of Frölunda souvenirs

Stephen Lessard and his friend Joe have a special routine when there’s a game at Scandinavium.

“Yes, we always start with a Norrlands at Ölstugan Tullen on Avenyn. It’s a nice feeling to see people with green and white jerseys heading towards the arena. Then maybe we grab something to eat, preferably meatballs or something else typically Swedish, haha. After that, it’s time to enter Scandinavium, where I always take a stroll through the shop to see if there’s anything new. Lydia teases me because I always come home with some new merch, but I love it. We usually warm up at Legends Bar with a few beers and get ready for the game. By this time, we’ve become like a well-oiled machine and do all the steps at precisely the right time. We have our seats behind one goal and make sure we’re there before the intro song. If you’re not there when Frölunda hits the ice, you’ve done something wrong, Stephen asserts.”

The season has been a bit up and down for Frölunda so far, but Stephen Lessard is confident nonetheless.

“This league is cool in that way because it’s about fighting through the regular season, and then the playoffs are a whole different thing. The team that hits its peak form towards the end of the season and enters the playoffs in good shape has a chance to win, regardless of the position they finished in the regular season,” Stephen concludes.