Anaheim Ducks Fan Stories: How I Earned My Wings
Pucks of a Feathers newest contributor, T.J. Watson, shares the story of how he finally earned his “wings” and became an Anaheim Ducks fan for life.
My name is Jonathan “T.J.” Watson and this is the story of how I earned my “Ducks wings” and became a fan of the Anaheim Ducks (then the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.)
As a kid, I was always into sports, whether it was watching, playing, or talking about them. Although hockey wasn’t the first sport I liked, that didn’t stop my mom from doing one of the best things she could ever do: introduce me to the Mighty Ducks movies!
Immediately, my heart was won as I got to see a story of the kids who were the underdogs learn how to fly. My favorite characters off the bat were Fulton Reed because he was a big guy who protected the flock, and of course, the Captain, the heart and soul the team, Charlie Conway.
Growing up, I always wanted to be like him, vocal, loyal, friendly and most importantly, leader. Although I loved the entire cast, those two were the main ones I ended up relating to the most.
My favorite quote from the Mighty Ducks trilogy is from D3 when Coach Orion renames Charlie the captain. “Don’t Be Careless, but don’t be careful either, you see your shot, take it, make sure it counts”. To see my favorite character, grow up and become the leader of the team inspired me too. I even nicknamed myself that as a kid too.
Fast forward to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. I was 10 years old and when I saw the Mighty Ducks were on TV. my mom graciously allowed me to see my favorite movie franchise come to life. I saw the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL franchise come to life before my eyes on ABC; I always treasured the pregame intro’s in which Gary Thorne told a story before each game.
The Day I Finally Earned my Wings
Although the Ducks lost to the Devils, June 7, 2003, was the night I finally became a fan of the Anaheim Ducks forever. Seeing their captain, Paul Kariya, get hit hard by Scott Stevens on TV, my heart fell, because at this time, this team became my legion of Superheroes.
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However, when Kariya came back, then launched that blistering slap-shot from inside the Devils blue line, it was then that I became an Anaheim Ducks fan. Hearing the words “Off the floor, On the boards, Paul Kariya!!!” being belted from Gary Thorne rang into my heart. It was that moment that I decided where my NHL allegiance would lie.
I’ve been a fan since then, and four years later, my fandom was rewarded when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup. I still remember watching all the games at home and how I felt when we finally got the Cup.
I remember the lows as well, like losing in 2014 to LA and in 2015 to Chicago. The most crowning moment that made it all complete is when I flew a few years ago to Anaheim to see the regular season finale against LA and the day before, I got to take pictures and get autographs from most of the players.
Although I tried to look professional, in my heart, I was fulfilling a life-long dream and was jumping up and down inside. The best part was they won the game in overtime as Shea Theodore, aka “Super Shea to the Rescue”, scored the OT game-winner. I currently watch/listen to the games on the radio and I even came up with nicknames for the players too.
Being an Anaheim Ducks fan is a huge honor and for my story to finally be published is a dream come true. I own a few jerseys, including one that’s personalized, and though I fulfilled my dream to visit Anaheim once, I would like to return to see them in the playoffs, or better yet, the Stanley Cup.
I also would like the Mighty Ducks to have a modernized TV show. If other Disney classics have been re-modernized, how come this Disney sports classic can’t?
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If you want to share your story too, become a part of the team here at Pucks of a Feather! Before you leave, check out the fan stories of our other contributors as well: Chris Bushell, Jake Robles, Jonathan Maxfield, Michael Brenner, and Ciara Durant.