Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Our Fine Feathered Friends:
ith mere days till the post season and a firm stake at the top of the runnings (next to those pesky Blackhawks), it’s hard not to feel nostalgic as an Anaheim Ducks fan. This year could very likely end up mirroring the 2007 season when the Anaheim Ducks won the playoffs and brought the Stanley Cup home to Orange County. This year the Ducks hold their best record in franchise history (even better than the record held by the championship 2007 team),
and if they keep playing like they are, all the tea leaves and Voodoo and black magic in the world (never mind a Blackhawk or two) couldn’t stop them from capturing the Stanley Cup once again. With great expectations in the air, we thought we would take you on a tour behind the ice and chants and collective arm flapping. In the following pages, join us as we get inside Bobby Ryan’s head, find out what Teemu gets into when he’s off the ice, meet the announcers, chat up the Power Players, and learn insider tips from die hard fans. COMPILED BY: JENNIFER & AMY HOOD & NATASHA NIEZGODA PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JEFF FARSAI
WHAT’S IN A NAME A PRONUNCIATION GUIDE FRANCOIS BEAUCHEMIN Boh - sheh - MEH (The “N” is silent.) BRUCE BOUDREAU Boo - DROH ANDREW COGLIANO Cog - lee - ANNE - oh EMERSON ETEM EAT - um VIKTOR FASTH FAHst RYAN GETZLAF GETS - loff JONAS HILLER YO - nus Hill - er SAKU KOIVU SACK - oo KOY - voo SCOTT NIEDERMAYER NEED- er - MY - er
BY THE NUMBERS Number of seats in the Honda Center: Largest attendance at a Ducks game at the Honda Center at 102.5% capacity vs. the Chicago Blackhawks on March 20th:
Number of medals the Ducks players combined to win in the 2010 Olympics. The most of any team in the NHL, and tied for the most ever by an NHL team, the others being the 1998 Pittsburg Penquins and the 2002 Detroit Red Wings.
THE QUACK HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD
The year Disney’s “The Mighty Ducks” was released by Disney grossing $51 million at the box office. Disney founded the NHL team with the name based on the movie the following year.
The franchise record for most Goals in a Season held by Teemu Selanne
13
The franchise record for longest home winning streak made this year.
TEEMU SELANNE TAY - moo seh - LAH - nee
BRAD STAUBITZ STAW - bits
1992
Year Ye the Ducks became the first be California team to Ca win the Stanley Cup Finals. They became Fin the first west coast team tea to win the Cup Cu since the 1925 Victoria Cougars. Vic
LUCA SBISA SBEE - zuh
SHELDON SOURAY SOO - ray
17,174 17,610
2007
KYLE PALMIERI Paul - MARE - ee (Think Peter, Paul, and Mary.)
WWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW
48
The franchise record for most wins in a season held by the 06-07 Stanley Cup Championship team.
THE ANAHEIM DUCKS BY COUNTRY
1
1
3
6
1
11
Switzerland
Finland
Sweden
United States*
Italy
Canada
* ETEM IS FROM RIGHT HERE IN LONG BEACH.
DID YOU KNOW... Ryan’s worst fear is: bridges.
[FIG. 1]
[FIG. 2]
9 BOBBY RYAN
NO.
POSITION: RIGHT WING | HEIGHT: 6’ 2” | WEIGHT: 200 LBS | BORN: 3/17/87 BIRTHPLACE: CHERRY HILL, NJ | CURRENT RESIDENCE: NEWPORT BEACH, CA [FIG. 3]
AWARDS: Stanley Cup (2007 w/Ducks), Olympic Silver Medal
Q: Who is your favorite opponent to compete against? BOBBY RYAN: Anze Kopitar [FIG. 1] from the Los Angeles Kings. He always brings his ‘A’ game, and he’s fun to challenge yourself against.
Q: If you could receive a compliment from anybody in the league, whose would mean the most to you?
BR: Teemu Selanne [FIG. 2]. I’m obviously biased, but he’s the oldest in the league and probably one of the most well respected.
Q: Why are hockey players obsessed with golf? BR: I think golf requires everything from power to finesse and thinking. And it’s a relaxing social competition, which is different from what we normally do. Also, you can drink while playing it.
Q: If you started a band, what would you call yourselves? BR: Joffrey Lupul (former teammate in Anaheim), and I had a band a few years ago. We were called “Humiliation for a
Q
Good Cause.”
Q: What was your last internet search? Be honest. BR: Haha, last thing I googled were Julianne Hough [FIG. 3] images!
Q: Is there a specific charity you support? Why did you gravitate toward this particular organization? BR: Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim. I have a friend who has done a lot of work for them in raising money. I have been working with them for a few years now.
[FIG. 4]
Q: Outside of your teammates, which current NHL players do you admire most? BR: I admire Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings) [FIG. 4] the most. He’s the most talented player in the league. Q: Favorite show in your DVR queue right now? BR: My favorite show in my DVR right now is Shameless.
William H. Macy [FIG. 5] is the perfect actor for his part.
[FIG. 5]
A
FAMILY DYNAMICS: Since you know all your teammates’ personalities pretty well, give us the rundown on the Ducks team dynamics...
THE JOKESTER: Brad Staubitz He’s got the best one-liners in the league.
THE GU Y YOU BRING HOME TO THE PARENTS: Cam Fowler I have a feeling Cam could fool a few parents!
THE MOMMA’S BOY:
THE ALPHA MALE:
Luca Sbisa
Sheldon Souray Despite the way he dresses!
THE SOFT Y: Corey Perry Hands down. He loves his mix tapes!
8 TEEMU SELANNE
NO.
POSITION: RIGHT WING | HEIGHT: 6’ 0” | WEIGHT: 196 LBS | BORN: 7/3/1970 BIRTHPLACE: HELSINKI, FINLAND | CURRENT RESIDENCE: NEWPORT BEACH, CA
AWARDS: Calder Memorial Trophy, Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, Bill Masterton Trophy, Stanley Cup (2007 w/Ducks), Olympic Silver Medal, Olympic Bronze Medal RECORD BREAKING MACHINE Winter Olympic Games All-Time Points Leader (37 in 2010) NHL Single-Season Record For Goals By A Rookie (76 In 1992–93) NHL Single-Season Record For Points By A Rookie (132 In 1992–93) NHL Calendar Month Record For Most Goals (20 In March 1993) And more records in the Ducks franchise than you can count.
Q: Has the condensed season been rough? TEEMU SELANNE: Not really. The schedule is tough but it’s fun. It’s good to be back.
Q: What did you do in the off-season while you were waiting on the lock-out? TS: I did a lot of golfing. Spent a lot of time with family.
Q: Did you travel at all? TS: Actually I don’t travel much. We travel so much during the year that it’s just nice to stay home. I really enjoy it.
Q: What are your favorite things to do in Orange County in your down time? TS: We love going to Laguna Beach. And there are so many activities. It’s a special place. Q: Have you tried surfing yet?
Bruce Boudreau Suited up for our Q&A, Coach Boudreau means business. He’s poised, stern, and yet complimentary. There’s an obvious pride for his team, but a discipline not to brag. Our guess, he wants to keep their focus and after exchanging a few questions, it seems that this focus is the winning element for our Anaheim Ducks.
Q: Hi sir, so it looks like you’ll be working closely with Getzlaf for another eight years?
COACH POSITION: HEAD COACH | BORN: 1/9/1955 BIRTHPLACE: TORONTO, ON, CANADA CURRENT RESIDENCE: ANAHEIM HILLS, CA
BOUDREAU: Yes. Ryan is synonymous with Anaheim. And to get a big, number-one center, which is so tough to do in the NHL, let alone one as talented as he is, locked on for eight years is something that our ownership did a fabulous job at.
TS: Oh yeah. A couple times. It’s hard! Q: You guys have one of the best records in the NHL right now. How are you building on that for the post-season? TS: Well, we’re trying to build the momentum up for the playoffs. Obviously, there’s still a long way to go, but, so far so good. Everything is on the right track.
Q: What’s it like having one of your former teammates, Scotty Niedermeyer, as your Assistant Coach now? TS: It’s fun. Scotty is a great guy. Obviously he can help so many young guys with all his years of experience. It’s always great when the old great players stay in the game like that.
DID YOU KNOW... Teemu taught kindergarten for three years in Finland before he joined the NHL. Was voted “Sexiest Man Alive” by Finnish magazine “Eeva.” Has a twin brother.
Q: Sheldon Souray is a powerhouse. It seems like no one wants to get in his way? CB: Well nobody wants to get in his way. Even our guys don’t want to get in his way! He’s been known to have one of the hardest shots in the NHL and he keeps proving that. Q: Has the mentality of the team changed this season? Do you think the shortened and tighter season has led to a new winning momentum? CB: We treat each game as it’s own. We never sit and talk about the number of wins we’ve had over one particular team. We just get out there and do what we planned to do. Sometimes luck plays a part, but mainly we’re focused this year.
E of the D UC OIC V KS e h T
Phil Hulett POSITION: PUBLIC ADDRESSER
Q: Do you practice prior to every game? PH: 9ES WE ALWAYS REHEARSE lRST )T S LIKE PUTTING ON A
“
big TV show or stage show. We rehearse the lighting and the sound and what goes up on the video feed. Then we rehearse queues. Q: )PX NBOZ ZFBST IBWF ZPV CFFO 1"JOH GPS UIF Ducks? PH: Since 1997. I’m well over 650 games. Q: 4P ZPV LOPX UIFTF QMBZFST QSFUUZ XFMM 8IP T ZPVS favorite player? PH: Of course, Teemu Selanne! Q: 8IP T IBE UIF NPTU EJGÎDVMU OBNF UP QSPOPVODF PH: 4HIS YEAR HAS BEEN PRETTY EASY "UT AT lRST WHEN Viktor Fasth showed up, I was calling him FAST. And on opening night I called him that! Typically, I have a whole routine especially with the visiting teams. I write them all out phonetically. I go upstairs and meet with the visiting team’s play-by-play announcers and read the names out loud. When I screw up, they correct me. My philosophy is that when these players visit, they usually have some sort of entourage or family traveling with them. And I would hate to say somebody’s name wrong if mom was in the audience! Q: "SF ZPV GSJFOET XJUI the players? PH: Just like the Power Players, I am no allowed to fraternize with the players. That was a joke! I think they avoid me. Ha! No, we talk and see each other at various events. But they have their own lives and schedules, as do I. Q: So you have the best seat and have watched all UIF HBNFT 8IBU EP ZPV UIJOL UIF %VDLT OFFE UP EP UP defeat the Blackhawks for the number one position? PH: Good seat, indeed! I think they need to keep doing what they are doing! I have a feeling the Blackhawks will fall in the charts. They can’t keep it up forever. The Ducks have had an amazing start. The best start they have ever had. They’re playing faster. The young guys are raising the tempo of the game. We have three and a half strong lines; whereas, in the past, we have had two strong lines. Bruce Boudreau is doing an amazing job! They are obviously responding to his style, since he’s had the team for this full season. Q: So the announcer gig drew you into hockey. Do you live for the sport now? PH: Yes. Absolutely! And two out of my three daughters do as well. Q: Do your daughters ask you for things? [wink wink] PH: ,IKE DATESx YES� 4HEY lND A FEW OF THE PLAYERS rather attractive. But I won’t name names [as he coughs them under his breath]. But I’ll be honest. Guys can judge guys, and the Ducks have one of the prettiest teams. Those California boys from Sweden and Finland! Haha!
I’ll be honest... The ducks have one of the prettiest teams. �
Q: Within this short season, there’s got to be a play that stands out above the rest? SC: Cogliano had a three-goal night over in Phoenix. DAN WOOD: I was going to say Cogliano’s goal in Chicago that tried up the game, in which the Ducks ultimately won! SC: Yes, that game against Chicago ended in a shoot-out and we beat them on the road. I’d have to agree with Dan. That goal by Cogliano set us up to go into overtime and then a shoot-out. DW: It was a late goal too in the third period. So without that goal, we would have lost that night. SC: Yes, it was the best win of the season thus far. And it’s built a momentum toward securing a spot in the playoffs. Right now, we are the second best team in the league point-wise.
THE PLAY BY Radio PLAY Ducks STEVE CARROLL | PLAY-BY-PLAY RADIO ANNOUNCER DAN WOOD | RADIO COLOR ANALYST The play-by-play radio broadcasting room is no bigger than Harry Potter’s closet. But I will say, the four men who invited us into their little haven couldn’t have been more inviting. From shooting the breeze to giving me pointers on winning Fantasy Hockey, Steve Carroll and Dan Wood are two class act gentlemen in this sporting arena.
Q: So Steve, I hear congratulations are in order! 1000 broadcasted games with the Ducks!
STEVE CARROLL: Yeah! I’ve been with the Ducks for 13 years. It was nice. They threw a party for me. I had my wife here. I’m so used to being up in this announcer booth, so it was a different experience to be down on the ice with all the lights.
Q: Are you ecstatic to see Getzlaf for another eight years? SC: Oh yeah! That’s a guy the organization has to sign, because he’s one of the top players not only here but in the league. He’s a main staple of the organization. He was apart of our Stanley Cup championship team in 2007. And his position, Center, is hard to come by; especially one that can play physical and score numerous goals. And now Corey Perry is all signed up, so the team is looking good! Q: The camaraderie this year seems to be outstanding, even with the new additions. Do you agree? DW: I don’t know if it has to do with the shorter season, but they really have meshed well. Who knows what came ďŹ rst, chemistry or winning, but we have both! They do seem to get along very well and a lot of that can be accredited to the coaching staff. SC: One thing we have been able to do this year is that most of the players we acquired during the off-season have contributed. Dan Winnik our forward, three defensemen Bryan Allen, Sheldon Souray and Ben Lovejoy, and then our goaltender Viktor Fasth – everybody that we brought in here has contributed in some way. And that is unusual! That’s one of the reasons we’re winning. Typically, players need time to get comfortable and used to their teammates. But this group has a certain chemistry.
A Few Words From The Fans... The Lifer
Greg McDevitt 5-YEAR SEASON TICKET HOLDER & LIFELONG FAN
Q: How long have you been a season ticket holder? GREG MCDEVITT: Five years - after 2007. Q: So you missed the year of the Stanley Cup victory? GM: I boycotted the lockout. And of course it’s the year they win! Q: Have you always been a Ducks fan? GM: Since they existed. I have always lived in Orange County and I’ve been a hockey fan since I was 9-years-old. I remember my dad watching hockey games on the downstairs TV and I would watch them through the crack of my bedroom door. You see hockey was on too late at night for a nine-year-old. Q: Favorite game moment? GM: Bobby Ryan’s goal last year against Nashville. I think it was GAME lVE OR SIX (E SCHOOLED EVERYONE� )T WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US [seated in section 215]. He put everyone’s jaw on the ice. It was the best goal of the season, by far, bar none. And he ended up winning an award for it. Q: Favorite player? GM: Hands down, Teemu Selanne.
The Guy In The Know
Tom Roussel GRAND MASTER DUCKS WATCHER
r 1FU 1FFWF Don’t wear a jersey if it’s not for one of the two teams playing that night. Just because you have a jersey doesn’t mean you wear it. I could see why you would wear a Suns jersey if we play Phoenix, but why are you wearing a Calgary jersey, what are you doing? Kids are exluded of course. But adults, you should know better. r 1SF (BNJOH Noble Ale Works. Look for a guy with a Titleist hat playing cornhole. He’s there every time, and he’ll probably smoke you. The more beer he drinks the better he gets. But you can grab some beers before the game, park for free, and then walk over. It’s less than a mile. r -JGF TBWFS Sharks fans just can’t be trusted‌. Stay safe, GO DUCKS! r 5IJOHT * .VTU )BWF UP 8BUDI %VDLT 1. 3UNmOWER 3EEDS 2. Icy Beverage. 3. Lucky signed Teemu Jersey. 4. Tickets. Oviously.
“It’s 200 of the most beautiful girls in Orange County on the ice. I swear to God. You look around and you’re like, ‘This is not happening,’� says Anaheim Ducks Power Player Ashley Abate about trying out for the esteemed and coveted position as a Ducks’ Girl. And seriously, they are beautiful. Stunning. Fit to a T. And most of all, charming. But what does it take to become a Power Player? We asked Britnei and Ashley:
How to Be A Power Play Girl s 9OU MUST MAKE IT PAST THREE ROUNDS OF TRYOUTS &IRST IS THE SKATE AROUND )F YOU MAKE THAT CUT you then move on to an interview to test knowledge of hockey and personality. If you make THAT CUT THEN YOU ARE CALLED BACK FOR ANOTHER INTERVIEW !ND THEN THE lNAL TEST YOU MUST try on the uniform. s h)T S ALL ABOUT CONlDENCE )F YOU CAN SKATE THAT DElNITELY HELPS 4HEY PLAY MUSIC TO EASE the stress. Wild Wing is there and you get to interact with him. He’s dancing around and encouraging us to have fun. But, as soon as you get off the ice, they make a cut.� s 3KATING ISN T A MUST BUT MOST OF THE GIRLS CAN /NE 0OWER 0LAY 'IRL A THREE TIME AWARD winning Hong Kong Champ and future Olympic competitor and a couple of the girls play hockey regularly. s 0HYSICAL lTNESS IS A HUGE PART OF THE POSITION h7E DO CARDIO STRENGTH AND RESISTANCE training. A lot of planks and V-ups and a lot of isometrics.� s .OT ONLY ARE THESE LADIES RESPONSIBLE FOR BOOSTING AUDIENCE MORALE DURING A HOME GAME but they’re also responsible for keeping commercials on queue. Our lady Power Players are on a strict, 90-second time schedule to clean, clear and shovel the ice from the rink. If one OF THEM FAILS TO MEET THIS DEADLINE THE ARE ACTUALLY lNED�
She's Cold As Ice
YOUR POWER PLAY GIRLS
But even with all the stress, they love it and keep coming back. Why? “I’ve grown up with hockey,� says Britnei Miller. “My brother plays. I genuinely love hockey. The Ducks have always been my favorite team. It isn’t just a ‘cool’ job; it’s about being apart of the sport you love.� So who’s on the Power Players’ crush radar? It isn’t Bobby Ryan or Luca Sbisa. It’s Wild Wing! He’s their number one supporter and main man, and he loves all the attention. When guys are acting out of line with the Power Players, it’s Wing to the rescue. Another thing in his favor, he smells of Axe, which makes sense since he’s practically a professional hugger with all the love he gets from the fans and Power Players.
DID YOU KNOW... Originally, Disney owned the Ducks. Disney had an internal ‘no beard, no mustache’ policy for all their employees, which included Ducks players. There had to be an exception made for the Ducks because of the new NHL player tradition of growing playoff beards for good luck. The Zamboni goes 9 miles per hour.
TIX
Don’t miss a minute of the Ducks wild ride to the playoffs! Get your tix online at ducks.nhl.com. Tickets start at $16.