Anaheim Ducks Fan Stories: Hockey Breeds Rebellion

There’s no hockey today, but that’s okay. Pucks of a Feather is finishing their Anaheim Ducks Fan Story series today which is the perfect cure for the post-loss hockey blues!

You probably read the title of this article and thought to yourself, “what the heck is this crazy lady talking about!” How do hockey and the Anaheim Ducks breed rebellion? Yes, I admit… I may have click baited you. However, in a roundabout way, I’m being completely honest. You may have to stick around and keep reading in order to find out what I’m talking about. I’m not going to let you off the hook that easy.

I figured I’d close out our Anaheim Ducks Fan Story series by finally telling my own. However, before you leave, please go read my co-editor, Chris Bushell‘s, fantastic fan story he published earlier this afternoon! It’s a great read!

Early in the summer, I wrote about my experience at my first Ducks game in Las Vegas with my uncle. However, this story is a little bit more meaningful to me. This is the story of how I became a Ducks fan.

If you’re new to Pucks of a Feather or haven’t had the chance to get to know me too well, I guess I better start by introducing myself. My name is Ciara Durant and I am a co-editor/site expert here at Pucks of a Feather. I am a 22-year-old native of Washington state. Living this far north, there aren’t a lot of Ducks fans where I’m from.

Living reletively close to the Canadian border, I get a lot of weird looks from Canuck fans when I walk around donning my “lucky Ducks beanie” and Anaheim Ducks t-shirts. It’s quite comical and has almost become a sport. Nevertheless, I proudly represent the Anaheim Ducks here in the Pacific North West. If you’re a Ducks fan in Washington, well, I wish we could be friends because it gets a little lonely up here all by myself.

Nevertheless, I am leaving for Arizona on Friday to start a new journey in life. So, hopefully, I find a Ducks fan or two in the Tuscon area. If not, I’m hoping this is the year I make it out to Honda Center for the first time! Anyways, before I get too off topic, this is my Anaheim Ducks fan story.

I Didn’t Grow Up on Hockey

Unlike most of my co-contributors, I did not grow up with the Mighty Ducks. I’ve never seen the Mighty Ducks trilogy, I didn’t get to see them raise the cup, and the only time I’ve ever seen Paul Kariya play hockey was by watching old clips on Youtube. Up until 2012, I have never even watched an NHL game, let alone heard of the Anaheim Ducks.

I was the kind of girl who hid in her room and played the same song on her guitar over and over again until it was, in my mind, absolutely perfect. I wanted to be an astronaut, amazed by the vastness and beauty of space. I had a strange obsession with dinosaurs and still do to this day.

My nose was always in a book. Several times I have I made the journey through Middle Earth with Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. I’ve sat in a black and white “utopian” world beside Jonas as he received memories from the Giver. One of my proudest days was when I received my first pair of glasses in the mail. I wore those things until the super glue holding them together disinigrated.

I am an introverted nerd at heart and I probably won’t ever change. Nevertheless, this is where the story becomes a little grim. I can’t go into full detail because I want to protect the privacy of my family, but life took a spiral down a rabbit hole around the time I entered into the sixth grade.

Growing up in a football family, I began to resent the sport. I had never liked it much to begin with because no one bothered to explain it to me. Nevertheless, I hated the fact that football was the one day my family ignored our issues and pretended like everything was peachy keen. This caused me to withdraw a lot because I didn’t want to be involved in what I considered to be a laugh in the face of my feelings. I’m an emotional human, what can I say?

I Was Hooked After My First Game

I had always had an interest in hockey. My dad had a girlfriend when I was younger who’s boys played in youth leagues. She also hosted players of the Thunderbirds when they needed a place to stay. Looking back, I wish I have asked her more questions and gotten into hockey a lot sooner.

I remember the boys and I used to set up nets in the cul de sac. They’d strap on their skates and dress me up as the goalie because they knew I couldn’t stop a goal to save my life (Jake, I have tremendous respect for what you do!) This, however, is as far as my interest in the sport went.

Fast forward to 2012, my junior year of high school. My family would always go watch the football games at the church we attended, just to hang out with their friends. I, on the other hand, stayed home and tried to entertain myself. I often even wore headphones to dinner just so I didn’t have to listen to them talk about the Seahawks every night. Pathetic, I know!

A family friend of ours and her husband moved up from Anaheim around the same time I entered my junior year of high school. She grew up watching the Kings and then the Mighty Ducks and was a huge Anaheim Ducks fan. I knew this, but I had no idea who the Ducks were. Like every other person I know in Washington, I just assumed she was an Oregon Ducks fan. I feel her pain now when people make that assumption. I have a treasure trove of Oregon Ducks coffee mugs from friends and family members.

Out of the blue, we started a conversation about hockey. I told her about my experience with it when I was younger and how I wished I would have been able to watch the NHL game growing up. She laughed and invited me over to her house if I ever wanted to watch a game. Of course, I didn’t take her up on the offer, because I had no way to get there and I knew nothing about hockey.

I came home a few days later to a Facebook message from her. She had sent me a video she thought I might appreciate. It was a video about Cam Fowler and Scott Niedermayer. Niedermayer was mentoring this young defenseman as he made his break into the big leauge. I had no idea who they were, but out of respect for her, I watched the video anyways. I thought it was so funny and a really cool story. Her next piece of advice would completely change my life.

“Download the NHL app on your phone and listen to one game. You may not understand at first, but that’s what google is for!”

The first game I ever listened, Corey Perry scored the game-winning goal. I cannot tell you who the Ducks played, what month it was, or how far into the season they were. I sat in my room, while my family was away at their football game, and I listened to my very first hockey game. I’ve been hooked every since.

The Anaheim Ducks Were My “Act of Rebellion”

In the beginning, I started listening to the games because I knew that my family would hate it. As I said, it’s Seahawks all day every day, even during the offseason. My entire family thought it was just a phase, and it was only a matter of time before I gave up on trying to understand this taboo sport.

I never stopped listening. Hence, why I say the Anaheim Ducks were my act of rebellion. It’s something I joke about, but in reality, I owe a lot to the Anaheim Ducks.

So, now that I was hooked on hockey, they didn’t know what to do with me. We didn’t have cable, so I was never able to watch the games. Nevertheless, if a hockey game was on, you bet I was listening.

Part of the reason I continued to listen to the games was that when the Anaheim Ducks were out on the ice, I felt like I was a part of something. When I was struggling with the circumstances of life, I had something to cheer for. Even if they lost, I was proud to be a part of Ducks Nation. I was as dedicated as they come.

I Owe Quite a Bit to the Anaheim Ducks and Ducks Nation

The Anaheim Ducks have been with me through every high and the lowest of lows. In turn, I have supported them as well. Even though I don’t personally know the Anaheim Ducks, I think of them as my family. When they win, I feel victorious. When they lose, it’s disappointing and I feel their frustration.

Most of my family and friends don’t understand the appeal to hockey. I just tell them, they never will until they sit down and watch a game with me. For many years, it’s just been me and the Ducks. Then, something wonderful happened.

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• Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
• How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?

Last season, just before the Anaheim Ducks made it to the playoffs, I was approached by Ed Stein, who, at the time, was the editor at Pucks of a Feather. He asked me if I wanted to write for him. Not only was my nerdy heart over the moon, but I was ecstatic that I had the opportunity to write about the Anaheim Ducks. If you don’t know me very well, aside from hockey and music, writing is my other passion.

I thought writing for Pucks of a Feather was one of the most amazing things to ever happen in my rather simple life. However, that was, until I started making friends who, like me, were just as dedicated to the Anaheim Ducks as I am.

Although some of us live what seem worlds apart, you guys have made me feel as though I am family. Your quippy post during the games make me double over in hysterics and I don’t feel ridiculous when you guys are, like me, calling for Carlyle to get the can.

You guys wouldn’t have called me crazy for watching the 2015 Quarter Conference Finals against Winnipeg in the breakroom at work because I guarantee that those of you who didn’t make it to the games were watching it too. You were probably even screaming louder than I was.

Being a Ducks fan is worth the losses and frustration because I get to share it with all of you. The wins are even better because celebrating alongside Ducks Nation is the greatest celebration there is.

The Anaheim Ducks and Ducks Nation have given me the courage to chase my dreams. I don’t mean to be all sappy, but I owe a lot to you. Thank you for being crazy, die hard, Ducks fans alongside me. It’s been one heck of a ride, and I look forward to many more seasons. Someday I will make it to Honda Center and I can’t wait to cheer with all of you in person!

We’d love to hear your story! Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook or Twitter to share your experience in becoming an Anaheim Ducks fan. Better yet, tell your story by writing for us. Just fill out the application above!