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The Ducks will play their first home game of their 31st season on Wednesday as they face the NHL’s newest entity, Utah HC, while debuting a fresh on-ice projection system and introducing this year’s 21st Duck.
Pageantry abounded during the 30th anniversary season, including before the Ducks upset the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 in last year’s home opener. But the new presentation, building off what teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens have done in the recent past, will add to this year’s fan experience.
Few fans could compare their experience with that of this year’s 21st Duck, Emma Melin. The Placentia native embodied the “characteristics of perseverance, courage, inspiration and significant contributions to the community,” as she has raised awareness about severe food allergies. Melin, 9, suffered her first dangerous episode at 9 days old and has since endured at least five anaphylactic reactions that caused her to stop breathing.
While so many harrowing experiences due to exposure to allergens could have made her reclusive, Melin isn’t living in any sort of bubble. Her community presence as “Allergic Emma” has helped promote awareness and wellness, while her personal life has included outgoing endeavors, including the Ducks’ “Learn Her Way” program.
During one of her on-ice sessions, Ducks goalie Lukáš Dostál surprised a “speechless” Melin with a custom jersey and the news that she was this year’s 21st Duck, something her mother Rose said “meant more than (she) could ever put into words.”
“I’m not going to lie, I was probably more nervous than before the game, because it’s a big honor,” Dostál said. “For us as an organization, it means a lot, so we want to make sure it’s a great experience.”
"When I met the team, I was speechless. It was so fun."
We're thrilled to introduce the inspirational Emma Melin as this year's 21st Duck and honor her at tomorrow night's Home Opener at @HondaCenter! Watch her get a special surprise from Lukas Dostal and skate with the team. pic.twitter.com/LupSqYy10D
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) October 15, 2024
Dostál appeared unfazed as he shut out the San Jose Sharks in the season opener, a game punctuated by goals from Isac Lundeström and a resurgent Trevor Zegras on Saturday. He watched as the newest Duck, veteran goalie and recent waiver claim James Reimer, took the net for a 3-1 loss in Vegas the following night, when Troy Terry fired in the Ducks’ lone goal.
Utah HC, which relocated from Arizona this season, shares a claim with Vegas as the only two franchises to win the first three games in their history. The Ducks squared off with Utah in their final preseason game, a 5-2 victory for the hosts at Honda Center.
“Utah is going to be one of the fastest teams we play,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said afterward. “They were missing six or seven really good forwards that are going to really personify their team identity, which is speed, and their D get up into the play.”
In that game, Utah winger Dylan Guenther put five shots on net, the same number of goals he has scored in three games to pace the NHL and garner its First Star of the Week honor to kick off the campaign.
“In that type of game, you’ve got to move the puck quick. You can’t use your legs to carry the puck, you’re going to get swallowed up by either forechecking pressure or back pressure,” Cronin continued. “They’re a good team, they’ve got a lot of weapons offensively and they’re tenacious.
The Ducks will play their first home game of their 31st season on Wednesday as they face the NHL’s newest entity, Utah HC, while debuting a fresh on-ice projection system and introducing this year’s 21st Duck.
Pageantry abounded during the 30th anniversary season, including before the Ducks upset the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 in last year’s home opener. But the new presentation, building off what teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens have done in the recent past, will add to this year’s fan experience.
Few fans could compare their experience with that of this year’s 21st Duck, Emma Melin. The Placentia native embodied the “characteristics of perseverance, courage, inspiration and significant contributions to the community,” as she has raised awareness about severe food allergies. Melin, 9, suffered her first dangerous episode at 9 days old and has since endured at least five anaphylactic reactions that caused her to stop breathing.
While so many harrowing experiences due to exposure to allergens could have made her reclusive, Melin isn’t living in any sort of bubble. Her community presence as “Allergic Emma” has helped promote awareness and wellness, while her personal life has included outgoing endeavors, including the Ducks’ “Learn Her Way” program.
During one of her on-ice sessions, Ducks goalie Lukáš Dostál surprised a “speechless” Melin with a custom jersey and the news that she was this year’s 21st Duck, something her mother Rose said “meant more than (she) could ever put into words.”
“I’m not going to lie, I was probably more nervous than before the game, because it’s a big honor,” Dostál said. “For us as an organization, it means a lot, so we want to make sure it’s a great experience.”
"When I met the team, I was speechless. It was so fun."
We're thrilled to introduce the inspirational Emma Melin as this year's 21st Duck and honor her at tomorrow night's Home Opener at @HondaCenter! Watch her get a special surprise from Lukas Dostal and skate with the team. pic.twitter.com/LupSqYy10D
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) October 15, 2024
Dostál appeared unfazed as he shut out the San Jose Sharks in the season opener, a game punctuated by goals from Isac Lundeström and a resurgent Trevor Zegras on Saturday. He watched as the newest Duck, veteran goalie and recent waiver claim James Reimer, took the net for a 3-1 loss in Vegas the following night, when Troy Terry fired in the Ducks’ lone goal.
Utah HC, which relocated from Arizona this season, shares a claim with Vegas as the only two franchises to win the first three games in their history. The Ducks squared off with Utah in their final preseason game, a 5-2 victory for the hosts at Honda Center.
“Utah is going to be one of the fastest teams we play,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said afterward. “They were missing six or seven really good forwards that are going to really personify their team identity, which is speed, and their D get up into the play.”
In that game, Utah winger Dylan Guenther put five shots on net, the same number of goals he has scored in three games to pace the NHL and garner its First Star of the Week honor to kick off the campaign.
“In that type of game, you’ve got to move the puck quick. You can’t use your legs to carry the puck, you’re going to get swallowed up by either forechecking pressure or back pressure,” Cronin continued. “They’re a good team, they’ve got a lot of weapons offensively and they’re tenacious.
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
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