ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAMS

RYAN GETZLAF OF ANAHEIM DUCKS

Two championship-winning professional sports franchises call Anaheim home: Angels Baseball and the Anaheim Ducks. Catch all the action at the ballpark or at the rink to see what Anaheim has to offer in the sporting world. | By DAVID DELGADO

Anaheim Ducks

HOME: Honda Center 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim

FOUNDED: 1993. When the National Hockey League expanded and added two more franchises after the 1992 season, the Walt Disney Company decided to stake its claim in the NHL. The Ducks team was formed in 1993, named after the Disney film The Mighty Ducks.

REGULAR SEASON: October-April

HIGHLIGHTS: In 2007, after the Ducks shed “Mighty” from their name, they won their first Stanley Cup, defeating the Ottawa Senators in five games. The Ducks have won six Pacific Division titles in their history, have been to the Stanley Cup Final twice and the Western Conference Final five times.

NAME TO KNOW: Ryan Getzlaf, center and captain of the Ducks since the 2010-11 season. Getzlaf is the franchise leader in games played, points, and assists. The threetime All-Star and Stanley Cup champion recently surpassed 1,000 career points to add to an already illustrious list of accolades.

ABOUT THE COACH: Dallas Eakins is in his third season at the helm for the Ducks after four years leading the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

TICKETS: Visit anaheimducks.com or call 877-945-3946

Angels Baseball

HOME: Angel Stadium 2000 Gene Autry Way, Anaheim

FOUNDED: 1961. Originally founded as the Los Angeles Angels in 1961 by country crooner Gene Autry, the team moved to Anaheim in 1966 when Angel Stadium opened. It’s the fourth-oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball.

ANGEL STADIUM

SEASON: March-October

HIGHLIGHTS: In 2002, the Angels won the World Series as a wild card team by defeating the San Francisco Giants in a thrilling sevengame series. The Halos have collected nine AL West Division titles in their franchise history.

NAME TO KNOW: Shohei Ohtani won the 2021 AL MVP Award unanimously after a historic season as a two-way player. His elite performance as both a hitter and a pitcher in the same season has not been seen in the Major Leagues since baseball legend Babe Ruth over 100 years ago! Ohtani also started the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and the leadoff hitter, won a Silver Slugger Award and became the first player in Angels history to win the Edgar Martinez Award for most outstanding DH.

ABOUT THE MANAGER: Joe Maddon will begin his third year as the Angels skipper in the 2022 regular season. Maddon is a three-time Manager of the Year award recipient and a two-time World Series champion, in 2002 as a bench coach for the Halos and in 2016 as the Cubs manager, which ended a 108-year world championship drought.

TICKETS: Visit angels.com or call 888-796-4256

Athletes to Watch

SHOHEI OHTANI

It’s SHO-TIME once again! Ohtani was recently named the unanimous American League MVP after a 2021 campaign that saw him become the fourth Angels player to win the award, joining Don Baylor, Vladimir Guerrero, and Mike Trout. Ohtani hit 46 home runs, had 100 RBIs, stole 26 bases and led the AL in triples with eight. On the mound he was just as electrifying, going 9-2 in 23 starts with an ERA of 3.18 and 156 strikeouts. Ohtani joins Ichiro Suzuki as the second Japanese-born player to win the MVP award.

MIKE TROUT

Mike Trout has already put together one of the greatest careers in baseball history, as his accomplishments include three AL MVP Awards, nine All-Star selections, eight Silver Slugger Awards, two AL Hank Aaron Awards and the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award. The New Jersey native annually ranks among the league leaders in multiple statistical categories and is one of six players in AL history to win three MVP Awards.

TREVOR ZEGRAS

Zegras was the ninthoverall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft and has the potential to lead the Ducks’ attack as a topline center. He’s made a splash in the league with one-of-a-kind viral goals and show-stopping assists in his rookie year, earning the title of Rookie of the Month in December 2021. Zegras turns 21 in March 2022, so there’s plenty more to see of “Z.” Contributions from him and other young Ducks could help the team regain their status as a perennial contender in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.