You may see this a few places elsewhere today, but every year it just reminds me that, as Ducks fans, we must give thanks.

Who do we thank? 

The Los Angeles Kings. 

How does that taste in your mouth?  Kinda makes your face turn into that uncomfortable sour puss expression for the moment, doesn’t it?

If you don’t know where I’m going with this, shame on you. 

Today, 22 years ago, the Kings traded for The Great One, and changed the way Southern California embraced hockey…forever.

As Ducks fans (and hockey fans in every city dubbed a “non hockey market”) we must be thankful for what the Kings accomplished for the Golden State when they brought Wayne Gretzky to this market. 

I’m not saying the boom is necessarily still being felt today, but it definitely helped accomplish a ripple effect in terms of growing hockey in the unlikeliest of places. 

I was thinking about all of the things that would be missing from my hockey life if that infamous trade had never happened, and this post, for one, is a great start.

I most likely wouldn’t dedicate free time to writing about the Ducks.  Or about hockey in general for that matter. 

I probably wouldn’t even be a hockey fan come to think of it. 

I wouldn’t know the Canadian National Anthem, and I wouldn’t have a clue who Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and for the sake of it all, Teemu Selanne was in the scheme of things.  (Even Selanne’s return to Anaheim would be lost on me). 

I definitely wouldn’t have one eye glued to the internet waiting to hear about Ilya Kovalchuk‘s contract status.  Actually, I’d probably see the news scrawl on Sports Center one evening and go ballistic about the contract in general (wait, that happened anyway).

I’d certainly be asking others about “icing” rather than answering the question myself.  And there is no way I’d have an opinion on possible changes to the overtime procedure being evaluated in Toronto.

July 1st would simply indicate the second half of the year; and upon hearing about a 49-year Cup drought in Chicago it would simply make me think they were having serious pottery issues.   

I probably would have changed the channel on the gold medal game during the Olympics this past February, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have a calendar, team photo and countdown tracker on my desk at work.

I would still be a sports fan, but, admittedly, the chances that I’d be a hockey fan aren’t likely. 

I’d definitely be missing out on the greatest sport on earth.

One thing is for certain…

Without Gretzky’s arrival in Los Angeles, the likelihood of Anaheim having a team is slim. 

This means, in a round-about way, without that trade, the Stanley Cup still wouldn’t have found a home in Southern California.

As a Ducks fan, and a hockey fan in general, I’m thankful for what that infamous day has meant to hockey as a whole. 

I show my appreciation today by reminding you all that there are only 43 days until the pre-season begins again. 

Until next year…Happy Hockey Thanksgiving!

GO DUCKS!!!