Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Whether the Anaheim-based hockey club is known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim or the Anaheim Ducks, one thing rings true for all fans of the game. The jerseys (usually) look awesome.
Some fans call their jersey a sweater. Unlike any sport, hockey jerseys’ adaptability as a long-sleeved tee during the fall, a sweatshirt during the winter, or a rolled up tee during playoff hockey in the spring, has been pervasive in the sports world. So comforting, light, yet having a pungent smell of a mixture of beer and popcorn that you don’t like but refuse to wash because of the autographs you got signed by that one player are among one of the reasons why you love your jersey.
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Once again, the Anaheim Ducks have undergone a jersey change, which the team unveiled at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia.
Throughout the team’s now 21-year existence, the Ducks have experienced a number of jersey changes. As a matter of fact, the word ‘jersey’ comes up sixty-three times on the Wikipedia page for the Ducks.
The first alternate and new sweater for the Ducks, the cartoonish image of Wild Wing who is somehow leaping out of an icy pond (even though there are no icy ponds in Southern California), made its appearance during the 1995-1996 season. Though dubbed one of the worst jerseys in the history of the National Hockey League, I myself enjoy this colorful and creative jersey that embodies the colorful style of the 1990s.
The second alternate sweater, and my least favorite one, was the sweater with the white body and stripes at the top, worn during the dry spell for the franchise during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
And finally, another classic sweater, first unveiled at Halloween night in 2003 versus the Boston Bruins (my very first Ducks game), consisted of a black body with an eggplant and stripe on the bottom and shoulders, with a “Mighty Ducks of Anaheim” script logo. This jersey would go on to become the team’s sweater during its 2006 playoff run. Whenever I see this black jersey, I think of the strong Cup-run that the Mighty Ducks had as a 6th seed, beating the heavy-favorite Calgary Flames. Whenever I see this black jersey, my memory of the infamous fight between Francois Beauchemin and Jarome Iginla is played through my mind. After the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the hockey world had seen firsthand that the Ducks were a franchise that could and would pose a major threat as a contender in the months of April, May, and June.
Subsequently, that same summer in the offseason, the Ducks had decided to drop the word ‘Mighty’ from their name, and change their style to a sleek black and gold look, shown by Corey Perry and Todd Marchant, and the rest was history for Ducks fans.
In more recent times, on October 13, 2013, the Ducks decided to celebrate the team’s twentieth anniversary by wearing their old Mighty Ducks jerseys. And guess what? The Ducks routed their opponent, the Ottawa Senators, 4 goals to 1.
Who knows what the 2014-2015 season will bring for Bruce Boudreau‘s (mighty) Ducks. Besides, the last time the team changed its look in 2006, it worked out pretty well, as the Ducks won the Stanley Cup. Not too shabby for just a wardrobe change.
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