November 23, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center
Ryan Kesler(17), defenseman
Hampus Lindholm(47) and defenseman
Sami Vatanen(45) celebrate with goalie
Frederik Andersen(31) the 2-1 victory against the Arizona Coyotes following the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
(American) Thanksgiving is already here, but the fourth Thursday of November is not often associated with hockey. Usually, this holiday is about ingesting indescribable quantities of food while watching terrific college and professional football games, both on the Thursday and throughout the weekend.
Football is king during Thanksgiving, but hockey is beginning to put its stamp on the American Thanksgiving festivities. The NHL has displayed some marquee matchups the past few years with the “Thanksgiving Showdown” on the NBC Sports Network, where hockey games are shown at prime-time on Black Friday. Although the Anaheim Ducks will not be on NBCSN Friday, they will be playing on national TV when the team takes on the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Friday afternoon.
Though American Thanksgiving is most commonly associated with food and football, it is also a time to give thanks and show appreciation. The Ducks are 14-4-5 through 23 games in the season, which is just over a quarter of the 82 game slate. In the spirit of giving thanks, here are some areas that the Ducks should be very thankful about during this young season.