UPPER DECK MY MVP CONTEST WINNER HEATHER PETRIE OF WINDSOR NAMED RED WINGS SUPERFAN
Upper Deck was searching for the biggest hockey fan in North America, and for the second straight year is running the My MVP contest. Earlier this week, Heather Petrie of Windsor, Ontario was selected from a final field of five candidates and named as the Red Wings Superfan and Team MVP for the Detroit Red Wings after winning a Twitter contest. Heather took home the Team MVP title for the Red Wings as well as a $500 prize pack from Upper Deck.
Heather will now compete for the title of Ultimate MVP against other Team MVPs from across North America through another Twitter vote. The Twitter vote opens May 14 at 11 a.m. PT and concludes on May 24. Fans can vote by going to UpperDeck.com/MyMVP, clicking on their favorite candidate’s profile and liking their Twitter post.
The winner will take home a $3,000 prize pack, that includes their own trading card in Upper Deck’s 2021-22 The Cup card set, a dream come true for any sports fan. Heather needs the help of fellow Red Wings fans to bring the Team MVP prize back home to Detroit!
Windsor Red Wings Superfan and Wing-Nut, hadn’t missed a single Wings’ home game since December 23, 2014, until Covid (245 consecutive games).
Petrie says, “My alter ego is “Wing-Nut,” see my Facebook fan page for pictures. I also belong to the Wings’ volunteer For-Em Club, who used to help out every game. I sat behind the home net for every warmup, and am the official goal judge for the equipment team’s pre-game puck toss, where they try to land pucks on top of the net. I was selected as Windsor’s biggest Wings’ fan in 2019 through a local radio station. My house is full of memorabilia, and I have several Wings’ tattoos! I eat, sleep & breathe the Wings!!
I am absolutely one of the biggest Canadian Wings¹ fans you¹ll ever meet! Until covid hit, I had attended every single Red Wings¹ home game, since December 23, 2014. 245 games consecutively in total, 246 if you count the Centennial Classic in Toronto! The happiest place on earth for me is standing right behind the Wings¹ net during warmups, as I feel like I¹m right in the action. I am the official goal judge for the Wings¹ equipment staff, who toss pucks every night and try to land them on top of the net before the players come out for warmups. I signal their points over to the bench with the flashlight on my phone. I love to dress up, bring funny signs, and be the Wings¹ number one fan.
I have always been a big Wings¹ fan, but my true passion started while attending Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It gets pretty cold up there during hockey season, so we kept warm inside while cheering on our favourite team! Being a Wings¹ fan so far up north was hard, but I never had trouble finding friends to cheer alongside me! I graduated Lakehead University with my Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (2009), and my Bachelor of Education (2010), and then my mom and I moved back to our hometown of Windsor, Ontario, also known as South Detroit. I attended my first game at Joe Louis Arena on December 6, 2010, and we showed up 2 hours early, before the doors had opened. My mom is disabled and it was freezing outside, but thankfully they let us stand just inside the elevator entrance doors. We witnessed many people coming in and signing in at a table, then heading upstairs. We inquired, and it turns out they were all volunteers heading up to hand out programs and giveaway items. I signed up to volunteer shortly after, and have now been a member of the Detroit Red Wings¹ For¹em Club since 2010. It¹s an amazing club that benefits Gilda¹s Club of Metro Detroit, and there are so many fun events, both at and outside of the rink. The For¹em Club is like my second family!
I volunteered avidly from 2010 to 2013. Then, for the 2013-2014 season, my mom offered to split season tickets with me! I quit smoking in August 2013, and many websites advised to spend the money I wasn¹t spending on cigarettes, on something I loved. My mom ended up paying for my first season as a gift for quitting smoking, but if I ever start again, I owe her that money back! My first home game as a Season Ticket Holder was October 2, 2013, where I purchased my first foam molded Wing-Nut hat. I developed my own costume, which has varied over the years but always included the tutu (thank you Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura), and Wing-Nut made her debut on October 23, 2013! I wore the costume for every season home opener, every Hallowe¹en, for the last home game of every season, every playoff game, and for any special occasions in between. I¹ve made so many unforgettable memories, taken so many photos with friends, family, and random strangers on the concourse, and met so many amazing people, I am truly grateful! As a season ticket holder, I still volunteered frequently, and attended many related events.
Over the years, I have had too many amazing experiences to list them all, but I¹ll highlight a few! Season Ticket Holder Open Houses are my favourite night of the year, where we get to meet players and receive autographs. We used to get photos with the players as well, that my mom and I used for our Christmas card every year! I always tried to think on something creative to say as we met the players, and I liked to keep things interesting. I learned how to say ³I love you² in Russian for when I met Pavel Datsyuk, and I always tried to make a connection with our Canadian boys. Nicklas Lidstrom¹s jersey retirement night on March 6, 2014 was a beautiful evening to witness! I was lucky enough to attend both the 2014 Winter Classic at the Big House in Ann Arbor, and the Centennial Classic in 2017 at BMO Field in Toronto! I attended every single home game for the Farewell Season at Joe Louis Arena during the 2016-2017 year, including the final game. I love The Joe, it was my home away from home, and it was magical. At Joe Louis Arena, it could be crowded at times on the concourse, but you never knew who you¹d run into. I met so many player alumni and family of players from both home and away teams, as well as I made so many friends that are like family with the arena employees. The Joe was my happy place in the world, and I still miss it every day. After the Farewell to The Joe season, I attended the inaugural game at Little Caesars Arena! LCA is a lot different than The Joe, but it¹s my new home, as that¹s where my heart and my team play! My 200th consecutive home game was on March 16, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena, and it was one of the best nights of my life! Of course I wore my Wing-Nut costume, and I got to ride the pre-game Zamboni with the Al Sobotka himself! He is the legend that spins the octopi over his head during playoff games. He did a couple extra laps of the ice and let me bring my sign with me! I took so many pictures, and had so many fellow fans cheering me on!
Unfortunately, due to covid, my experiences as a Season Ticket Holder and my nights at the arena came to an abrupt halt in March 2020. I am a Canadian Wings¹ fan, and therefore I am stuck on the wrong side of the border. I have so many amazing friends and colleagues that I now haven¹t seen in over a year, as I am unable to cross over. It breaks my heart to watch the warmups and games on TV, knowing I always have been and should be there. To cope, I have been working on my Wings¹ themed tattoo sleeve! I have Al the Octopus holding the Winged Wheel, centre ice at Joe Louis Arena, and The Joe itself tattooed on my upper left arm. I have a bit more to add, but I¹m hoping to have it finished next time I am standing at the glass for warmups! I also have a Facebook fan page, Wing-Nut, where I share some game highlights and my favourite Wings’ news. And of course, I’m still watching all the home and away games on TV, where I’m staying safe at home.”