[Ed. Note: Every day this week, the AC Staff and a few Duck Buddies gave each other Ducks related Secret Santa gifts. To close out this festive occasion, our favorite Ivy Leaguer not named George Parros, Kristen, gives a humongous big gift to District 5 Hockey MVP, Chris. ]
I have not had the pleasure of meeting Chris personally, but he has documented his hockey-related likes and dislikes in various places on the interwebs. He's cool because his hockey fandom predates the Ducks (if you read his SB Nation bio, you'll learn that he became a hockey fan after watching the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals). And like me, he's also a fan of the NHL in general.
I wanted to give him a gift that reflected a significant moment in both the history of the Ducks and the history of the NHL. A gift that would remind us all of better days. And I found this on eBay:
As you can see, it's a signed photo of Ilya Bryzgalov holding the Stanley Cup in 2007. Why Bryz? He was a backup goalie then, and he's not a Duck now. But Chris knows why I chose this. As an NHL fan, he knows that Bryz - king of the rambling rant - is the breakout star of HBO's 24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the Winter Classic. And the picture reminds all of us that we were the first California team to grasp Lord Stanley's Cup. Something that Gretzky's Kings couldn't do. It reminds us of a time when we actually, you know, won things.
Merry Bryzmas, Chris!