Welcome to Next Impulse’s ‘NHL Center Ice Watch’ where we highlight certain NHL games that should have your curiosity for a variety of reasons. In our first edition we advised you to check out Danish Dreamboat Frans Nielsen and his fundamentals. Frans responded by scoring in that game and by tallying five points through three games this season. So this is sort of like the reverse Madden Curse. You can find our first post here.
Nobody could blame Mr. & Mrs. Henry Samueli for making some changes after buying the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim from Walt Disney Co. in 2005.
Samueli wanted to establish a new identity for the Ducks and he wanted to separate his Anaheim Ducks from the Disney Ducks that preceded them.
The Ducks new logo and color scheme are pretty mundane, but it did exactly what the Samuelis wanted and the franchise responded by winning the 2006-07 Stanley Cup.
Despite trying there best to distance themselves from the Disney Ducks, the Samuelis aren’t ones to ignore the past and have decided to do something very special for Ducks fans and hockey nerds all over the world.
On Sunday, October 13th the Ducks will pay homage to their roots by hosting a “Retro Night” when they take on the Ottawa Senators (the team the Ducks beat in the 06-07 Finals).
The best part of “Retro Night” will be the return of the jerseys the Mighty Ducks wore from 1993-2006. The announcement turned Sunday’s game into a must-watch for hockey fans. In addition to wearing the old school jerseys, the team will also be putting on a bunch of other ’90s-centric promotions:
Fans attending “Throwback Night” can anticipate an all-1990s experience. A special “93 Cent Menu” will be created for the evening, featuring $0.93 popcorn, a $0.93 fountain soda and a $0.93 sweet treat. Video elements will include look-backs at original Mighty Ducks opening videos and footage from the club’s inaugural game on Oct. 8, 1993 vs. Detroit at the then-Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. A majority of the original 1993-94 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim squad will take center ice for a pre-game ceremony and honorary puck drop. Fans can also look forward to early 1990s music, as well as early 1990s graphics and video elements as part of in-arena entertainment. A variety of retro merchandise will be available on Oct. 13 at the brand-new Anaheim Ducks Team Store, set to open on Oct. 10 (home opener vs. New York Rangers).
By no means are the Ducks one of the tradition laden franchises of the NHL. But, they do have a unique backstory that deserves to be observed.
Born from The Mighty Ducks Trilogy, the Ducks were a popular pick among the generation of fans that grew up in the ’90s emulating Charlie Conway’s triple deke and/or his leadership qualities.
On Sunday night we get to relive those carefree, wonderful days.
