If a recent HockeyFest at the Valley View Casino Center is any indication, the people of San Diego are passionate about the return of professional ice action after a nine-year absence.
“We were thinking a turnout of 500 people would be good and 1,000 would be great,” said Ari Segal, president of business operations for San Diego’s new entry in the American Hockey League (AHL). The local team will serve as the top minor league team of the National Hockey League (NHL) Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
But when people began lining up at 7 a.m., Segal and other Ducks’ officials began to realize the extent of San Diego’s excitement.
By the time fans waiting in lines, which stretched around the Midway district arena and down a nearby street, were able to enter the building a 30-minute delay in the ceremony had been announced.
An eventual crowd of 8,500 erupted in ear-splitting cheers as Mighty Ducks owners Henry and (observing) Susan Samueli and team CEO Michael Schulman, wielding sledgehammers, broke down an ice wall to reveal the name and familiar logo of the newest edition of the San Diego Gulls.
As a mass of orange and blue streamers fell from arena rafters, fans saw the new logo features lettering in the Ducks’ windswept style and subtle color additions that will reflect the team’s new colors of black, orange and blue.
The logo unveiling was such a well-kept secret that even fresh new team merchandise at stands was shielded from view until the two executives completed their task.
The Samuelis realized the community’s love for the Gulls name.
“While we initially considered several options, it quickly became clear that the obvious affinity and affection the fans have for the Gulls name,” the couple said in a release. “We enthusiastically embrace the history and tradition of hockey in this market and plan on adding to its legacy with a community-first organization and winning product.”
That community-first approach will include expansion of the team’s hugely successful High School Hockey League, which currently boasts two local teams and its “Learn to Play” program that provides free hockey equipment to put kids on the ice for lessons from Ducks players.
“We plan to become more than just San Diego’s hockey team, but rather a part of the city’s DNA and fabric,” Henry Samueli told the crowd.
The Samuelis acknowledged that when discussions began three years ago about creating a Pacific Division of the AHL, they immediately focused on San Diego and its colorful hockey history.
Another attraction is San Diego’s proximity to the Honda Center in Anaheim, where the Mighty Ducks play, allowing players to be quickly moved between teams.
“San Diego has been clamoring for professional hockey since it left nine years ago,” Segal said recently. “We’ve been exploring ways to bring our affiliate here for seven years.”
That effort is already paying off, as over 1,500 deposits on season tickets were received before the HockeyFest event.
HockeyFest marked the beginning of San Diego’s newest “ice age.”
The sport first appeared locally at a downtown rink known as Glacier Gardens in 1941. Since that time, San Diego has been home to eight professional teams in at least nine different leagues. Most recently, the Gulls played from 2003-2006 in the East Coast Hockey League.
On hand for the festivities were former Gulls Martin St. Amour, Brad Belland and hockey legend Willie O’Ree, a member of the Western Hockey League team when the Gulls name and sports arena both made 1966 debuts.
O’Ree, who turns 80 in October, made sports history as the first black player in the NHL, and continues to serve the league as an ambassador. The 27-year resident of La Mesa was clearly the choice of autograph hounds.
The event also served as a homecoming for the son of O’Ree’s coach.
David McNab, an original Ducks player and now senior vice president of hockey operations, is the son of Max McNab, who moved his young family from Vancouver, B.C. to Point Loma when he was named the first Gulls’ head coach in 1966.
The younger McNab recalled how his older brother, Peter, served as the original “Sandy Gull” team mascot who led the team onto the ice at each home game. Peter, a 1970 alumni of Point Loma High School, went on to a lengthy NHL career in which he scored 895 points on 405 goals and 490 assists.
David, who was 8 years old when the family arrived, described his family’s love for the area and what it was like to come back to the former San Diego Sports Arena.
“I know my father would be proud to know hockey is back in San Diego,” McNab told a cheering crowd. “For my family, these were the best years of our lives as far as hockey was concerned. Walking through the building today was like going back to 1973 in a time machine. This is fantastic!”
Other California members of the Gulls’ new Pacific Division (with parent clubs) are Stockton (Calgary Flames), Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers), Ontario (Los Angeles Kings) and San Jose (San Jose Sharks).
The 34-game home season begins in October. For season and individual game ticket prices, go to sandiegoahl.com.