‘Everything about [my grandma] was what I want to emulate as a fan and why I’m so passionate.’

Commack

“My grandparents have been season-ticket holders since 1973. My parents are fans. My brother and I grew up going to games at Nassau Coliseum. When I was around 5 years old, I remember nudging my grandma next to me and asking, ‘Grandma, why did they blow the whistle?’ I learned my first rule, and from then on, it’s history.

“My grandma was an absolute badass. She eloped with my grandfather and had my uncle and my mother young. She focused on their education, plus my grandfather’s education first. She was the last to get hers. She became a lawyer at 50 years old. When it came to games, it was her time to be alive. She was my best friend when it came to hockey. Everything about her was what I want to emulate as a fan and why I’m so passionate. I want to continue her legacy.

“The necklace is the first and last pictures I have with my grandma. I feel like it encompasses all the love and time spent together throughout my life. Wearing this necklace feels like she’s still with me.

“The blue and orange lipstick started as a compromise. I was 16 and saw fans in the arena doing a full face of face paint. So I go to my mom, ‘Can we go to Party City so I can paint my face?’ She went, ‘Hell no.’ I found a company that makes blue and orange lipstick, and I said, ‘What if I just do my lips?’ She let me do it. People would come up to me and say, ‘That’s so cool.’ Little girls come up to me and ask what kind of lipstick I use. Any sports fan that wants to be proud, you can do a lipstick to accentuate your fandom.

“When I was about 17 or 18, people who had their own podcast reached out to me and said, ‘We see you’re a huge Islanders fan. We were wondering if we can get your aspect on the team.’ I was a guest on radio shows and podcasts, and people would say I should start my own. I started doing ‘Twitter Lives’ because I needed an outlet to rant after games, and I noticed the audience started to grow. I thought, ‘Why not? Let’s start a podcast.’ I had other hockey YouTubers I looked up to, and they all took me under their wing. They helped me set up so I can host the podcast in my dining room. My mother came up with the podcast name ‘Kim in the Crease.’”

Interviewed by Tracey Cheek