Anaheim Ducks: A Family Affair

Photo: OC Register

By Michael Walters

On December 10th, 1992 the National Hockey League awarded a franchise in Anaheim to the Walt Disney Company. The name of the team was the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, which was derived from the Mighty Ducks hockey movies Disney produced.

In 1993, the NHL began its first season in Orange County, specifically in Anaheim. It was the beginning of Ducks hockey and it was also the beginning of a family love for the Ducks.

My mom, Linda Walters, surprised my dad and me with tickets to the Ducks first game on October 8th, 1993, which was part of a mini-plan. We went to the first game against the Detroit Red Wings and were instantly hooked. We bought season tickets for the following season and have been Ducks fans ever since. In fact, the entire Walters family became avid supporters of the team(as many other families had).

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At one of the first games I remember coming out of the tunnel in one of the 400 sections and I was trying to find my parents. My mom blew into an original Mighty Duck call and I immediately looked in the direction of the sound and saw where they were sitting. Another fond memory was listening to “Rock The Pond” on the radio when driving home from the games. My mom’s favorite players were Guy Hebert and Teemu Selanne.

There was sadness when the Ducks lost to the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, but that turned into happiness when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007, becoming the first California NHL team to win the championship.

A few years later in 2009, my mom had a brain aneurysm and nearly passed away as a result. From that time on I had to take care of my mom. I wanted to take her to a Ducks game, but she wasn’t in a stable enough condition to be able to attend. Instead, I would watch games with her since she was bedridden or I would give her updates when I would visit her weekly.

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Fast forward to New Year’s Eve 2019. Since 2009, I usually stayed home on New Year’s Eve, but this time my wife and I decided to go to Las Vegas to watch the Ducks take on the Golden Knights. During the game, I received the terrible news that my mom had passed away. It was ironic to me that she would pass away during a Ducks game.

After the road trip, the Ducks first returned to Honda Center was on January 5th, 2020 when they played the Nashville Predators. The Ducks public address announcer Phil Hulett was able to put a note up on the screen during the first intermission “R.I.P Linda Ducks Fan Since ’93”. Phil and I have become good friends and I appreciate that he was able to post the message to honor my mom. Phil has always been a class act and a good family friend.

The game itself was an emotional one for me because the Ducks fought the Predators in a back-and-forth contest with the Ducks pulling off a win in a shootout. I felt like my mom was there watching the game with me.

Shortly after this game, I planned the celebration of life for my mom on Saturday, January 18th, 2020. The Ducks had gone on a losing streak but they ended up winning back-to-back games the two days preceding her memorial service. It was the first time the Ducks had won two games in a row since November 1st, 2019. Again it felt strange to not think my mom somehow was involved in those wins.

The love my mom and I shared for the Anaheim Ducks is the reason I started DucksNPucks. I have met many great people from professional media that cover the sport of hockey, to professional hockey athletes, to avid fans that sit in the cheap seats with us during the Ducks games.

It’s amazing how my mom’s decision to buy tickets to the first Ducks game in 1993 could have such an impact. I will miss my mom and love her forever.

For more on how I became a Ducks fan click below or visit us at Podomatic, Spreaker, or YouTube.

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January 19th, 2019