The definitive guide to all the details you may have missed in the Anaheim Ducks' schedule reveal

The Anaheim Ducks recently released their 2026-27 season schedule and while we previously covered the can't miss games for the upcoming season, there's still plenty of interesting references and not so subtle jabs at the opposition, thrown into the reveal. With the summer months upon us and the news cycle slowing down until the inevitable Cutter Gauthier contract extension announcement, here is a deep dive on all the details you may have missed from the Ducks' Pokémon themed schedule drop.

10/4: vs. Florida

Migration season

This can be a reference to either the Ducks coming back home after the offseason or the Panthers making the cross-country trek to the West Coast.

Rat toss (8): Summon an unnecessary number of dirty rodents.

Brady Tkachuk wears the number 8 and was recently traded to the Panthers from the Ottawa Senators.

Championship hangover (120): Does 120 damage. This card cannot participate next season.

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups and sustaining injuries to key players, the 2025-26 season was a lost cause for the Panthers. As for the 120 reference, the only number that made sense was the actual number of Florida Panthers living in the wild, according to floridapanther.org.

Weakness: June exhaustion

As a tie-in to an earlier reference, three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances will eventually decimate a team's health.

10/7 and 4/3: vs. Edmonton

Pillow fight

A reference to Connor McDavid's quote about how non-competitive the Pacific Division was last season and how the Oilers could not overtake the division lead, despite the struggles of their rivals.

Inconclusive evidence (0): Does 0 damage, but all Oil Country fans suddenly become experts on the NHL rulebook. Specifically rule #78.

A jab at the Oilers from the Ducks' Game 4 win, in round one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ryan Poehling slipped the eventual game winner under Tristan Jarry and after a lengthy review, the goal stood, despite fans being unable to clearly see the puck cross the goal line entirely.

Generational panic (29): This card does 29 damage to the opponent, but 97 damage to the believers of Oil Country.

29 is Leon Draisaitl's number and he carried the mail for the Oilers against the Ducks in the playoffs, banking 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in six games. McDavid, on the other hand, was stifled and registered 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists). With the Oilers failing to exit the first round, the Ducks sent their opposition into an existential crisis.

Weakness: Goal line

Another jab at the goal line goal, which resulted in the Ducks taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

10/13 and 11/15: vs. Calgary

Duck, duck, douse

A play on "duck, duck, goose" and the Ducks had a long history of beating the Flames, especially in Anaheim.

Fire sale (89): Discard all progress. Start over.

89 is the year the Flames last won the Stanley Cup. The Flames have also been a perpetual rebuild, after the Matthew Tkachuk trade.

Early tee time (04): This card leaves the battlefield immediately after attacking.

04 is a reference to the Flames' loss in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning and early tee time is a jab at the Flames not making the playoffs.

Weakness: Round 2

The Flames have had a poor record in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and have not moved passed that point, since their Stanley Cup Final loss in 2004.

10/27 and 12/16: vs. Vancouver

Lottery tears

The Vancouver Canucks have never picked first overall in the NHL draft and despite having the best odds this past season, they fell to third place.

Cup parade route (0): This attack has never been used.

Self-explanatory and humorous, as the Canucks' latest Stanley Cup Final loss happened in 2011 against the Boston Bruins.

Franchise cornerstone (43): Choose your strongest card and immediately trade them.

A nod to the Canucks trading their captain and best player, Quinn Hughes, to the Minnesota Wild last season.

Weakness: The draft lottery

Just adding more salt to the wound for the Canucks and their bad luck in the draft process.

11/11 and 1/30: vs. Nashville

Rock bottom

The Predators have spent the past two seasons near the bottom of the Central Division and have not made the playoffs since 2024, when they lost to the lottery cursed Canucks in the first round.

Smashville (55): This attack sounds tougher than it is.

A play on the Nashville name and how supposedly tough the team is. 55 is either a reference to their number of fighting majors in 2022, which coincided with a first round loss to the Colorado Avalanche, or the tough guys who wore number 55 for the franchise, such as Jordin Tootoo, Danny Markov, Shane O' Brien, and Cody McLeod.

Country roads (30): Opponent gets distracted by obnoxious singing.

Country roads is a nod to the song made infamous by John Denver and has become an honorary theme song during the various Team USA competitions the past year. 30 could be a reference to Yaraslov Askarov who was drafted by the Predators and was traded to the San Jose Sharks.

Weakness: Father time

A majority of the Predators best players are over the age of 30, which includes Juuse Saros (31), Roman Josi (36), Filip Forsberg (31), Jonathan Marchessault (35), Ryan O' Reilly (35), and Steven Stamkos (36).

11/25 and 3/22: vs. San Jose

The tank

Not only is this a reference to the SAP Center being nicknamed the Shark Tank, but the Sharks have been tanking since their last playoff appearance in 2019.

Reverse sweep (14): Lose after leading 3-0. Your opponent will go on to win the Stanley Cup.

In 2014, the Sharks were up 3-0 in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. And as the description would suggest, the Kings regretfully moved on to win the Stanley Cup.

One-man army (71): This attack loses 15 damage for each teammate in play.

Macklin Celebrini wears number 71 and 15 could be a reference to his point total after the first 9 games for the Sharks, last season.

Weakness: Chaparones and curfews

A subtle jab about the young age of the Sharks' core group of players and prospects.

11/27 and 4/6: vs. Los Angeles

Royal wipeout

Royal would be a moniker for the Kings and wipeout is a reference to losing control of a surfboard.

Box office bust (10): Huge expectations. Mixed reviews.

Nice double entendre, as Hollywood is a filming location for movies, but the box office has had mixed results lately. However, 10 is a reference to Artemi Panarin, who was traded from the New York Rangers to the Kings at the deadline last season. While Panarin had decent regular season numbers with 27 points (9 goals, 18 assists) in 26 games, he disappeared in the playoffs with just 3 points in 4 games.

Avoid the oil (97): This card may have dodged an oil slick, but it still cannot surf past Round 1.

The Kings got swept in the first round of the 2026 playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. In their four previous playoff appearances, the Kings lost in every first-round matchup to Connor McDavid (97) and the Edmonton Oilers.

Weakness: Regulation wins

Last season, the Kings had 20 overtime losses, which led the entire league and helped buoy their qualification for the playoffs.

12/4 and 2/24: vs. Seattle

Rain city rampage

The Seattle Metropolitans defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 1917 to claim the first Stanley Cup for the United States.

Unexpected playoff run (23): Can only be used once.

In only their second season, the Kraken made an expected run in the 2023 playoffs by knocking out the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, before falling to the Dallas Stars in the second round.

Forecasted showers (365): Flood the battlefield. Both players skip their next turn.

A hyperbolic reference to how often Seattle experiences rain.

Weakness: Expectations

Fairly or not, the expectations for the Kraken have been compared to their expansion brethren, the Vegas Golden Knights. And while Vegas has experienced immediate success, the Kraken have only one playoff appearance in five seasons.

12/22 and 3/20: vs. Vegas

Gambler's ruin

The concept that a gambler will eventually go bankrupt, after not reducing their bet after a loss.

No further questions (70): Take another turn after this one. This card takes 100 damage. Forfeit your 2nd turn from now.

After eliminating the Ducks in the second round of the 2026 playoffs, the Golden Knights made a kerfuffle about allowing media access to their players. Consequently, John Tortorella was fined $100,000 and the Golden Knights had to forfeit their second-round pick in the 2026 draft.

Long-term vacation (95): This card cannot attack during the regular season. During the playoffs, heal all damage miraculously and gain +100 attack.

A nod to how the Golden Knights would manipulate the long-term injured reserve system, to circumvent cap restrictions in the regular season for playoff success. Most notably, the Golden Knights used this tactic with Mark Stone, who has a cap hit of 9.5 million.

Weakness: Fans who watch hokcey

A jab at how Vegas is not a traditional hockey market.

12/27 and 3/30: vs. Colorado

Peak collapse

Despite winning the President's Trophy last season, the Avalanche got swept in the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Regular season blizzard (55): This card buries everyone October-April, then proceeds to melt.

A tie in to the above reference, as the Avalanche also had an NHL leading 55 regulation wins.

298 goals: Does massive regular season damage. Looks great on marketing graphics.

Also, another reference to the Avalanche's insane regular season and dismal postseason success, as the team led the league with 298 goals for.

Weakness: The injury report

One of the key factors in the Avalanche being swept in the conference final, as both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar were dealing with injuries.

1/28 and 2/11: vs. Chicago

Back in my day

A reference to the Blackhawks being an Original Six team and how the franchise is nostalgic about the glory years of the 2010, 2013, and 2015 Stanley Cup victories.

Original six lecture (6): Does 6 damage, then talks about history until the opponent leaves.

Also, a tie-in to the above reference and how Original Six fans have a tendency to gloat about team history.

One-man highlight reel (98): Does 98 damage but your team still loses.

Connor Bedard wears number 98 and even though he does most of the heavy lifting for the Blackhawks, the team still loses more than it wins.

Weakness: Current standings

The Blackhawks have finished in last in the Central Division for four consecutive seasons.

2/9: vs. Detroit

One more year (10): This attack is delayed one turn.

The Red Wings have failed to make the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, which is now the current record for the NHL.

Pedal to the metal (91): This attack does 91 damage before February. Afterwards, it does 0.

Last season, the Red Wings were mathematically eliminated for qualifying for the postseason after a loss to the New Jersey Devils in game 80, which left the Red Wings with 91 standings points and just two games to go.

Weakness: March

Keeping in line with the lack of postseason appearances for the Red Wings, the team has a history of flaming out in March, just like this past regular season.

3/18: vs. Utah

Frozen expectations

A play on the high hopes for the franchise and the team's name; Mammoth.

Packed overnight (24): Discard your old franchise and move this card to another arena. Remove all damage.

The Arizona Coyotes were sold to Ryan Smith in 2024, and the new owner moved the flailing organization to Utah and rebranded the team, ending any affiliation with the history and records of the Coyotes.

Extinction event (72): After game 3 of the first round, your entire team forgets the need for wins in the playoffs.

After game 3 in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, the Mammoth had a 2-1 series lead on the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the Knights went on to win the next three games in the series and eliminated the Mammoth. 72 could be a reference to the incoming former Islanders captain, Anders Lee, who was acquired this past offseason.

Weakness: Team history

If we forget that the Mammoth were once the Coyotes, then the team has a very short history. Even though the records for the Mammoth will not be tied to the Coyotes franchise, the roster is definitely made up of players and staff from those years in the desert.

Fan appreciation night 4/3: vs. Edmonton

Heart of Anaheim

Unquestionably the most valuable card in the entire pack and a nod to the team's formation in 1993.

Mask on (89): Flock around and find out. When activated between October and June, negate all incoming damage and reflect each attack back at the opponent.

Mask on is clearly a reference to in the franchise's infamous Wild Wing mascot and logo design. 89 is a reference to two of the retired numbers for the Anaheim Ducks, Teemu Selanne (8) and Paul Kariya (9).

Flying V (27): Time to take flight. Instantly knocking out all opposing cards.

Flying V is pulled from the original Mighty Ducks movie, which served as inspiration for the creation of the real-world hockey franchise. 27 is a reference to the other number retired by the Anaheim Ducks, Scott Niedermayer.

Weakness: None.

Perfect. No notes.

1/3: vs. Philadelphia

Brotherly "love"

Nickname given to the city of Philadelphia, which is ironic, considering how fans of the Flyers and even the organization itself, treats opposing teams.

Offer sheet obstacles (48): This attack is unsuccessful, as it was in the past. Repeat indefinitely.

A definite shot at the Flyers' failed offer sheet attempt of Leo Carlsson from the Anaheim Ducks. Daniel Briere is the current GM of the Flyers and wore number 48, when he played for the organization. 48 is also the original number worn by Shea Weber, who the Flyers tried to sign with an offer sheet in 2012.

Broad street bullies (91): This attack self-inflicts 91 damage to their fanbase, rather than the opponent.

Broad street bullies is the moniker given to the Flyers teams of the mid 1970s, that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. 91 is clearly a reference to Carlsson and with Anaheim matching the offer sheet, the Flyers are still without a number one center.

Weakness: Swedish centers

Again, another reference to the failed offer sheet of Carlsson.

Final thoughts

If you've stuck with us for this entire article, we thank you and there are definitely some references that we missed along the away. Give us a shout or leave a comment on social media, for anything that we missed or got wrong. Huge thanks to the Anaheim Ducks staff and the illustrators for these cards. This schedule reveal will probably go down as the best in Anaheim Ducks history.

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