On Sunday it was brought to our attention that John Fontana, one of the founders and the original managing editor of Raw Charge, had passed away on July 19th. Per a post on his Facebook page made by his brother, after living with a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type Two, John succumbed to pneumonia. Per the post, John was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing.
Some of our newer readers may not be familiar with John, or the origins of Raw Charge, but he is largely responsible for its existence. The site had its genesis in the form of Boltsmag back in February of 2004, a site John created along with Keith Short. In March of 2009, John and Cassie McClellan joined forces (and SBNation) to form Raw Charge. John, also known online as Johnny Fonts, would serve as managing editor until October of 2016, ending a run of 12 years covering the Bolts for the fans.
He started covering this team back when hockey in the south was still considered a novelty and the Lightning in particular had been considered a bit of a joke. He was there for the first Stanley Cup run, the lockout, the decline of the team, the OK Hockey Era, and the rebirth of the franchise under Jeff Vinik and Steve Yzerman.
He gave a lot of people, myself included, a chance to write about hockey and the Lightning. For better or worse, I would not be here right now if it wasn’t for John. I remember him as a supportive editor (who did not care for a writer making a point using all caps). I also remember his love of music and championing of local bands.
One of the odd memories that popped up when I heard the news was his enjoyment at placing Beatles gifs into the comments of game-day threads, especially Sgt. Pepper related ones.
Despite struggling with vision and other issues due to the Neurofibromatosis Type Two condition he wrote about the Bolts for as long he could and was very proud of the legacy he helped create with Raw Charge. When Raw Charge was cast out from SBNation/Vox Media in 2023 I was in touch with him and he was extremely concerned with what would happen with the archives of the site. I, for one, am glad that we were able to maintain ownership of that so that the entirety of the catalog remains online for viewing.
As John himself wrote back in 2004,
“I’m hoping that this site will show that there is support for Southern Hockey, which is routinely put down in various hockey-circles I come across. The Tampa Bay market is the premiere southern US market for Hockey. Yes, we’ve been to hell and back with regards to what the Lightning has gone through over the years – three owners (one of mysterious background, one of football background and currently an arena/sports professional), four 50+ loss seasons in a row, 3 venues (from the barn-like Expo Hall, to the Baseball-stadium-in-waiting Thunderdome, to Ice Palace / St. Pete Times Forum (AKA the Times Palace)…
But it’s the trials and tribulations that define fans and how devoted an area is to a team.”
Hopefully, we’re keeping that mission going.
A donation to The Children’s Tumor Foundation has been made in his memory.
Rest in peace, Johnny Fonts, and thank you for everything.