Just a little something to pass a non Ducks game day...

This past weekend, my bestie and I went to an Ontario Reign game. The tickets were a birthday gift she had given to me back in November and something we had both been looking forward to attending since then. The both of us, having grown up within 10 miles of the arena, were excited to check out the facility. Citizens Business Bank Arena is surprisingly small with approximately 9,700 seats for hockey and very cozy inside. We had great seats at center ice which provided for a nice view of the entire arena...and offered up some fabulous gems.

So, here's a bit of the fun from the game on Saturday evening...

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The Ducks held their second annual Skills Showdown Saturday afternoon at Honda Center and Teemu Selanne's team once again claimed the Porcelain Pig. After six different skill events that saw participation from the entire active Ducks roster and selected youth from the Junior Ducks program, Team Selanne (wearing black jerseys) defeated Team Perry (wearing white jerseys) 12-10.

After Murray and Boudreau finished their comments, the team took the ice for a brief 20-minute practice and warm-up prior to the beginning of the Skills Showdown. Joining the Ducks on the ice was Francois Beauchemin's son, Samuel, who completely stole the show.

He was passing back and forth with his dad, Perry, and Bobby, and the goalies were letting him score on them. When the Ducks were whistled to skate hard, little Beauch was right with them, chugging out strides during the sprints and gliding during the breaks. It was freaking adorable.

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While I'll have a full breakdown (with video!) of the Skills Showdown tomorrow, I wanted to highlight the other critical piece of today's event at Honda Center. Before the actual fun began, General Manager Bob Murray and coach Bruce Boudreau spent about 30 minutes answering questions and giving an overall State of the Franchise. Murray and Boudreau covered a range of topics and made several interesting statements ranging from the state of the farm system and their goals in the draft to a not-so-subtle message that some of the team's best players need to start delivering more effort.

I did my best to take notes about everything Murray and Boudreau touched on, but I'm only one man with a legal pad. I feel that the following notes accurately summarize the high points, but please do not take any of these as direct quotations.

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Over my tenure as a Ducks fan, I've been to five Casino Nights (1998, 1999, 2000, 2010 and 2012). The event has gone from a small event held on the 300 level of The Pond, to a slightly larger event at a hotel, to the carpet covered ice of the Honda Center. Of all of the Casino Nights I've been to, this year was - by far - the most fun.

With the exception of my first three Casino Nights, the event revolves a theme. In 2010 it was disco, in 2011 it was western, and this year it was white. (I'll be honest, up until the event, I was referring to it as the "Klan Rally".) The players are (un)willing participants being dressed up to fit the theme which usually involves some ridiculous costume. This year the players were allowed to wear whatever they wanted as long as it fit with the theme (only exception were white Vans that will be signed and auctioned off later). This freedom of uniform, I think, made the players more comfortable, which lead them to spend more time hanging out with the fans.

My highlights of the night were worth every dollar of the $100 ticket (bonus - it counts as a tax deduction).

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My best friend Mini (yes, it's a nickname) and I love road trips. Just hanging out with each other and listening/singing along with our favorite music for a few hours on end is priceless in our book. So when I had the brilliant idea to head out to Phoenix and back, in record time I might add, we decided to go forth and prosper! We were way more successful than the Ducks were of course, but we expected that!

So, while you’re waiting for the turkey to be stuffed...down your throats, enjoy a fun filled timeline of our roadie to the desert and back!

Tuesday 6:15am, text to Mini: "What are the chances you can get tomorrow off on such short notice? I’m thinking...roadie to Phoenix!"

Fast forward through a bunch scheming text messages of potential lies to bosses and finger crossed wishes...

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SK:

I always enjoy Face-off Fest (even though we all keep calling it Fan-Fest, I suppose it's time we use the right phrase...).

The players, regardless of the outcome of their recent game, are always happy to see the fans. At least they put on a pretty good show pretending they're happy to be signing hundreds of autographs, listening to the same stories over and over again and smiling for countless photos.

I was a bit sluggish getting to the Honda Center, but once I did arrive it was obvious that there would be no time for watching the practice if I wanted to get any autographs as the lines were already beginning to get quite long.

I did, however, take a peak inside at one point to catch the team working on the special teams units. I watched as the power play group was running through a few formations. The basic lesson: cycle, cycle, cycle until someone can pass to Corey Perry parked in front of the net, or Teemu Selanne streaking to the open slot. No surprises there.

Back to my only goal of this day: Selanne.

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ROBBY:

On Saturday, the Ducks held their annual Faceoff Fest, an exclusive event for season ticket holders where you can get autographs, skate on the ice at Honda Center, tour the locker rooms, and more. Last year was my first Faceoff Fest, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. It was held on a Thursday night and it was pretty easy to navigate around the event and get autographs at will.

This year? Not so much.

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JEN:

These past few months in the hockey world have been tough. I think it's time for a little distraction, and remember the simple things that make us laugh. Like, conspiracy theories that are built off of the results of charity sushi rolling events involving members of your favorite hockey team.

This coming Monday, September 12th, the Ducks will be having their 3rd Annual "Ducks in a Roll" contest at Ra Sushi in the Tustin District. Yours truly will be in attendance, along with Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and new Duck Andrew Cogliano. The guys, along with a fan, will be creating sushi rolls for guests and judges. The winning roll will be featured on Ra's menu at all Southern California locations. $2 from each roll purchased throughout the season will be donated to the Anaheim Ducks Foundation. Hooray charity!

Ok, now that we've got the boring stuff out of the way, it's time for the conspiracy theory. The Ducks player that creates the winning roll is...waiiit for it...CURSED! Why do you ask? After the jump, you'll find the reason to start wearing your tinfoil hat this Monday.

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