Rosemary, 82, loves HC Linköpings and has a tattoo of the club’s badge.

I fell into tears after the beautiful gift from the LHC fans

Linköping. She was uninterested in hockey for 66 years.

Today, 82-year-old Rosemary Johnson has a tattoo on her neck, an LHC club badge and a season ticket in her hand.

And it all started with Rastislav Stana.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the apartment, and on the kitchen table, home-baked cinnamon buns are crowded with some carefully arranged Coke donuts.

Rosemary Johnson doesn’t want to brag, but she points out that Coke cakes in particular are very popular in Talboda, an area a five-minute drive from the Sapp Arena in Linköping.

Here, on the fourth floor of the high-rise, she moved in in 2006. A year later, a 28-year-old Slovakian settled in the same building, and daily life has never been the same since.

– Before that I was not interested in ice hockey. I should blame Stana, Rosemary says and laughs.

Stana’s first name is Rastislav and he joined Linköping HC in January 2007 after being knocked out at Malmo earlier in the season. The Slovakian achieved great success and was a strong contributor to Linköping reaching the final in 2007 and 2008.

Her son told her that it was the future star goalkeeper of Linköping who had settled in the house.

– Huh? I said and had to read the mailbox. Then we started talking to him in the elevator and that was it. My grandson was completely saved in Stana. When she met him in the square, she was so shy that she turned her back to him, so he had to write his signature on her back. Then he said to me: “We know each other, after all. I am your neighbor.”

He apologized in the elevator

Linköping is still waiting for its first gold medal in the men’s category, and Rastislav Stana left the city and the club after a second loss in the final.

– When we met in the elevator, he said, “I’m sorry.” I said: There will be more opportunities. He wasn’t allowed to say anything to us, but then he disappeared. He got a teddy bear and drawings from my grandson, which were always in the kitchen window. When we saw that they were gone, we understood that he was gone. He brought everything with him.

Was this Rosemary’s last meeting with the Slovakian? non.

-He came here with his national team after that and I waved to him from the stands. My daughter Mary said: You can’t do that. I said sure I can. Of course I can wave to Stana. He waved back and we talked to him after that. He longed to be back here and the kids had to take pictures with him.

I was surprised by the tattoo

The rectangular hall is covered with LHC posters. There is also a match shirt signed by Rosemary’s great idol, club icon Magnus “Manji” Johansson. She herself is wearing this year’s match shirt and a white lion appears on the back of her neck.

“I’ve had this for ten years,” Rosemary says as she takes off her match shirt so she can fully show off her tattoo.

-I got it as a Mother’s Day gift from my daughter, as a surprise. I’m the one who’s always been very against tattoos. I said never in my life.

But it would be rude not to accept a gift, Rosemary thought as she walked into the tattoo parlor with determined steps.

– I’ll get a small one. I said at the foot. But he said it was not possible to make one that small. So you don’t really see the lines.

Rosemary allowed herself to be persuaded to join one low fat Bigger tattoo on neck.

-And then it became like this!

I laughed a lot.

– I couldn’t control it because I didn’t see it. Then they brought a mirror. Wow, was it that big…

So you got your first tattoo at 72 years old?

– Yes, I only have that. I have no regrets and really wear it with pride.

Can you imagine more tattoos?

– When the LHC takes gold. Then gold and year should be written under the club badge. I hope I can make it happen in time. You are somewhat close in years.

But you will go to hockey for many more years?

– Yes, at least another ten years, I said. Let’s hope so.

Grandson coup

The tattoo turns out to be the starting point for the chain of events that led us here.

-My grandson sent a picture of a tattoo to Corinne, without my knowledge. Suddenly my phone rang saying they wanted to interview me.

In an interview with local newspaper Kurin, Rosemary, who is originally from Kalmar, spoke of her beating heart for Klubin. But the script was also about the fact that nowadays it can be difficult to afford to attend all the matches.

LHC Hampus supporter Evald was moved, expressed his feelings in a supporters’ forum, and just a few hours later, fans excitedly collected two season tickets.

Zabina’s granddaughter then managed to lure Rosemary to Saab Arena by requesting a trip to collect her tickets.

“It was a lie. It was me they were going to surprise,” Rosemary smiled.

– They didn’t think I should sit at home on the couch and watch hockey, but rather I should be in the arena.

“I started crying – I became so happy.”

Corinne reporter Erik Wenell and club director Karl-Johan Stalhammar delivered a letter with the season tickets hanging on the refrigerator today. Additionally, they received restaurant seating for the home premiere.

– They provided food for five people. Me, my daughter and her three children. All five then received this year’s match jersey with all their signatures on it.

How did I make you feel?

– I started crying. I became very happy. I will go to every home game.

How much does hockey mean to you?

– It means everything. It gives me something to do and look forward to. If you live alone like me, with kids and a full-time job, you’ll end up sitting here. Then I have hockey to look forward to.

The LHC have finished in ‘no man’s land’, i.e. eleven or twelve in the table, in the past five seasons.

– Summer is so long, it’s miserable. As has been the case for the last few years, it’s over in March, and then it doesn’t start until the beginning of September… No, that doesn’t work. Oh, how sad that is.

Like many other LHC backers, Rose-Marie doesn’t have much to gain for her rival HV71.

– I remember when we signed Andreas Gamten. When he played against us, they shouted, “Yamtin, Jamin, you damned pig.” Then he came to LHC. Then it became: “Two james, two jams, our pig!”

I burst into a fit of laughter.

-If you are quiet during matches? forget that. I scream and scream, but I don’t say bad things to the referee. I can’t help but ask if he forgot his glasses at home.

Be a Celebrity: “Only positive comments”

Suddenly the cell phone starts ringing frantically. It’s Thursday, and the Swedish champions Växjö Lakers visit Linköping this evening.

It’s almost time to get off, so Rosemary takes the walker to the elevator and then takes the car to Saab Square, where she meets her daughter, Mary, and her granddaughter, Zimoni. Together they enter the hometown of the LHC, where Rosemary could be classified as a celebrity this fall.

-There is always someone who recognizes him. It is a nice. She didn’t imagine it would be this big. But I received only positive comments. There is no negative wondering why I should get help or anything. It’s great that everyone can enjoy it.

There’s more to enjoy this evening. From their seats behind the opposing players’ booth, Rosemary, Marie and Zimone watched Linköping defeat Vaxjo 3-2, the team’s third win in a row.

– It turned out exactly as I wanted. They scored and won, Rosemary says afterwards.

– In parts they played well. In the end, it was so exciting that you couldn’t sit still. Then we stood, cheered and clapped.

Rosemary will continue to do so until March, if not longer. Because she wants two things.

Shorter summer.

New tattoo.