Arizona Icecats fans can be heard throughout the Tucson Convention Center screaming several different cheers throughout a hockey game. Whether it’s scolding the opposing team or praising the home team, their voices will be heard.

But through these cheers, one stands out most. It’s the one that starts behind the Icecats’ bench when a 6-year-old kid can be heard screaming, “”We want Weed.””

Throughout the arena, hundreds of fans seem to take their turn to show their love for Weed. During a game against Adrian College in January, a lady in the upper deck even held up a sign that read “”We can’t go without our Weed.”” Opposing fans always seem to have looks of disbelief on their faces as they begin to question the morals of the Arizona fans. That is until they realize that Icecats fans are not cheering for the love of an illegal drug, but for Icecats’ freshman defenseman Geordy Weed.

Weed has been a fan favorite since the Icecats’ home opener against DePaul on Nov. 8 when fans took their first glance at the name on the back of his jersey. With his rugged, blue-collar approach to the game, the average fan probably wouldn’t realize the benefits he brings to the team if it weren’t for his last name.

Though Weed skates around the ice as if he doesn’t hear a single word, he is completely aware of all comments made by fans.

“”It’s kind of hard to miss, especially when you have little kids behind the bench doing it,”” Weed said. “”I can’t help but laugh; it’s a good feeling hearing that chanted. I haven’t really had a big fan base in my 13 to 14 years of playing hockey. This has to be my first time for that.””

This isn’t the first time Weed has dealt with much attention to his name.

“”I’ve dealt with this my whole life; I’ve made a of bunch friends because of my last name,”” Weed said.

The Phoenix native decided to join the Atlantic Junior Hockey League after graduating from Brophy College Preparatory High School.

The AJHL is a league that consists of teams from the northeastern part of the United States, and is designed to give players exposure to be able to go on to play hockey at college programs. Weed played on the Northern Cyclones the last two years, a junior A team in New Hampshire, where he played with another teammate who also had a unique last name.

“”Last year on my team, one of my teammate’s last name was Beer, so it was Beer and Weed and the fans really got a kick out of it,”” Weed said of his time with former Cyclones teammate Brendan Beer.

Despite the fact that many fans cheer for Weed just because of his last name, it turns out that he is a pretty good hockey player. Throughout the season, freshman have seen their time on the ice go up and down – Weed has seen substantial playing time the entire season.

“”Geordy has played very consistent this year,”” said UA head coach Leo Golembiewski. “”… Not only is he a top-flight defenseman right now, but he’s going to have more puck handling and shooting skills by the time we open up next season. We’ll make sure of that.””

Weed, listed at a generous 5-foot-10, is not a prolific goal scorer but has been known to do all the intangibles – such as playing good defense or making big hits on players nearly twice his size.

“”He’s a solid defenseman,”” said associate head coach Dave Dougall. “”You get a lot of defensemen who are offensive minded … Geordy is more of a stay at home defensive guy and basically cleans up the front of the net. It’s going to be great to have him here another three years.””

Fans addicted to Weed will continue to come to games because of his name, but as his career as an Icecat progresses, everyone will begin to realize his worth as a hockey player.

“”Yeah, you want to have people respect you for your skill before your name,”” Weed said. “”I’m happy to be respected either way.””