The Hockey Phanatic was born and raised in Southern California. He has been a hockey fan and Kings fan since 1967.

He attended his first hockey game in December, 1967 when he saw the Kings play the St. Louis Blues at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The Kings won 4-0 as Wayne Rutledge recorded the first shut-out in Kings franchise history. The opposing goalie that night was future Hall of Famer Glenn Hall. Both goalies in that era did not wear facemasks. And very few helmets.