No Ducks-Kings Alumni Game at Dodger Stadium

Jan 2, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view before the 2012 Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been customary for NHL outdoor games to include an alumni game. Some say that those games are even more special than the official game. Well, when the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are set to meet in Dodger Stadium, there will be no alumni game. Kings executive Kelly Cheeseman had this to say on why there won’t be an alumni game,

"“We went through that exercise ad nauseum to try to make that work, because … we were very excited about that possibility. But, unfortunately, just the logistics and the timing of our game, and the concerns of the ice conditions, aren’t going to allow us to pull off an alumni game …”"

I can understand certain possible weather problems that could occur, which would also effect the ice conditions. There is also the problem of actually filling out an alumni roster for the Ducks. The Ducks do have an Alumni Association and they do participate by creating lineups to play in tournaments. However, I believe that these alumni game rosters usually are almost up to 30 players and I don’t think the Ducks Alumni Association brings in almost 30 players for these small tournaments they participate in. Well, I guess none of this really matters since there won’t be an alumni game. However, I would have enjoyed possibly seeing guys like Steve Rucchin, Scott Niedermayer, Rob Niedermayer and Paul Kariya back in wearing a Ducks uni, especially if it would be a throwback.

Oh and speaking of throwbacks, the Anaheim Ducks twitter account tweeted this earlier today:

So, mark your calendars! “Throwback Night” is going to be Sunday, October 13th when Bobby Ryan visits Honda Center as a member of the Ottawa Senators! Fitting, isn’t it?