Family, friends add to Vanek's legion of fans
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor
The young man walked out of the locker room and handed his used hockey stick to his father. His mother gave him a hug, and examined the redness on his forehead, a remnant from the helmet he had worn during the game just completed.

Cheering the Buffalo Sabres Friday night against Columbus are, kneeling, Werner Scheucher and Kerstin Sailer. Standing, Rene Schellnegger, Franz Sailer, Hana Vanek, Jarmila Vanek and Zdenek Vanek. Photo by David F. Sherman Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

There was little time to talk. He was off to his next game in Montreal. His family was flying back to Austria in the morning.

Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres enjoys a unique relationship with his family and a close-knit group of effervescent friends from his hometown in Graz, Austria, seven of whom were with him for 10 days this month.

While many American and Canadian families will take road trips to see their sons play in the National Hockey League, few from central Europe would make that effort at least once a year for eight years.

Last season, 12 members of the group participated in what they called "The Thomas Vanek Tour," seeing the Sabres play in Boston and New York City in addition to Buffalo. The friendly fans were easy to spot: each wore a black sweatshirt with a single white letter on the front.

When they stood in a row, their shirts spelled out the young Sabre's name.

"That was because one of the group was in advertising," explained Franz Sailer, who also made the trip this month. "Plus we wanted to be broadcasted," he said with a laugh. They were successful.

With him this trip was Franz's daughter, Kerstin; Vanek's mother and father, Jarmila and Zdenek; Vanek's grandmother, Hana; and two friends, Rene Schellnegger and Werner Scheucher.

Gathered around two tables at the Irish Times bar on Swan Street three hours before the start of Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the group had already made a mark on the pub's management. They had to promise to have a Sabres/Budweiser poster autographed by Thomas in exchange for a clean one to take home.

Souvenirs were a hot commodity even on this trip, as the shopping list included no fewer than 80 Sabre hats autographed by the popular left wing strictly for friends in Austria.

Vanek's father, speaking through the Sailers as able translators, recalled how his son first played in Canada with the Austrian national pee wee team when he was just 13. It was his initial Canadian TV appearance, and one of the spectators asked him for his autograph because "he knew it was going to be worth a lot of money."

Ice time in Graz, a city of 250,000 people, was limited, but Zdenek had played professional hockey and also served as his son's coach.

"Every team he has coached has come up in the top three in the league," Franz said of Zdenek, who nodded but waved his hands to dismiss the importance of his own accomplishments.

"Thomas heard about the NHL, and said, 'I will become an NHL player,'" said Kerstin. "He wanted to be the best every time, he always wanted to reach the peak in everything."

His career has had stellar beginnings. He left Europe at age 14 for Minnesota, where he played for Sioux Falls in the United States Hockey League for three years.

"We accepted his dream although it was very hard for us," Jarmila said through Kerstin. "We said, if you come back, we will be here for you."

Thomas was soon playing on an 18 and under team as a 15- year- old.

"He was leading the scoring list wherever he played," Franz said.

His University of Minnesota Golden Gophers won the 2003 NCAA championship, with the semi-final and final games played, ironically, at the HSBC Arena.

The crew from Graz was in Buffalo to witness the celebration. Not long after, the Sabres made Thomas their number one pick in the NHL draft. The family filled two hotel bathtubs with ice and beer.

"We wanted to have a big party," said Franz. "So we celebrated in just one room. Thomas was too young."

Franz said no one in the family was interested in how much money Thomas could make because he just wanted to play for the fun of it. He has not disappointed anyone, and is an idol at home.

After nearly making the 2007 Stanley Cup finals, the Sabres signed Vanek to a seven-year, $50 million contract on July 6, matching the offer he received from the Edmonton Oilers.

Thomas' 68 goals and 132 points at the start of the current season rank third among second year NHL players, trailing only Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.

When word of the $50 million deal reached Graz, a spontaneous celebration unfolded. Jarmila gestured in the form of tears that flowed down her face. Zdenek said he smoked a huge cigar.

Franz said Thomas, 23, is the second-most popular athlete in Austria, trailing only skier Hermann Maier, 34. The Austrian Press Agency pledged to cover the Sabres last season as long as the team was in the playoffs, another rarity among European media.

In contrast to the NHL, the Austrian Hockey League has only 10 teams, two of which are from Slovenia and one from Hungary. The Graz arena seats about 3,500, "but sounds like 20,000," according to Franz. The highest priced ticket is the equivalent of $20.

Zdenek follows most Sabre games through live video feeds on the Internet, despite the fact a game being played in Buffalo at 7 p.m. is taking place at 1 in the morning Austrian time.

Having seen Thomas compete in Canada, Minnesota, Rochester and at least two other NHL cities in addition to Buffalo, the Graz crew is very fond of the Queen City. They found the Irish Times during the NCAA Frozen Four because a sign in the window advertised free chicken wings with each pitcher of beer. It is now their favorite spot before and after games.

Friday night's game was a rare blemish on the group's excursion to the United States as the Sabres were shut out, 3-0.

With Thomas signed to a seven year contract, expect U.S. relations with Austria to continue on a positive note for a long time.

Or at least until the supply of Sabre hats holds out.

e-mail: dsherman@beenews.com