The Anaheim Ducks arrived in New York with barely enough time to unpack before facing the Rangers, turning a routine East Coast swing into a 15-hour travel ordeal that included two airports, two aircraft and a late-night ride into Manhattan.
Anaheim is scheduled to open its four-game road trip Monday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET. The Ducks reached their hotel at approximately 2:30 a.m. Monday, then returned to the ice for an 11:30 a.m. morning skate.
From Orange County to LAX and finally Newark
The club’s travel day began Sunday morning in Southern California. Players, coaches and staff reported to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana at 8:30 a.m. PT for a planned 9:30 departure.
The team aircraft, however, was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport. Anaheim left John Wayne by bus at 10:30 a.m. and boarded the plane at LAX about an hour later.
What followed was a long wait on the tarmac. Mechanical trouble prevented the aircraft from leaving, keeping the Ducks aboard until 5 p.m. PT. The group was then told to switch planes.
After deplaning, the traveling party walked roughly 50 feet to a replacement aircraft, settled in again and finally departed at 6:05 p.m. PT. The flight landed at Newark Liberty International Airport at 1:45 a.m. ET.
Defenseman Nick Jensen summed up the strange itinerary simply: “I think we hit everything yesterday.”
The late arrival did offer one small break: with little traffic on the roads from Newark to Manhattan, the Ducks made it to their hotel by 2:30 a.m.
Football helped pass the hours
Defenseman Jackson LaCombe said the club made the best of the extended airport stay, spending much of the afternoon watching NFL RedZone and playing cards.
“We watched football, snapped cards around a bit,” LaCombe said. “Honestly, everybody was good with it the whole time. It was good camaraderie hanging with the guys.”
The timing helped. With NFL games on throughout the delay, LaCombe said the group recognized that a Sunday disruption was easier to handle than being stranded on a quiet weekday.
“It kept the spirits high,” he said.
Forward Cutter Gauthier called the trip a new experience but said the Ducks could not let it become an excuse against the Rangers.
“Definitely a first,” Gauthier said. “You can’t really prepare for something like that. It was unfortunate. But if we complain about it, it’s not going to help us win tonight. We’ve moved past it and we’re focused on New York.”
Morning skate goes ahead
Despite the short night, Anaheim stuck to its game-day routine and took the ice Monday morning. Forward Frank Vatrano said getting moving was preferable to staying in the hotel all day.
“It’s better than just sitting in your bed all day,” Vatrano said. “We tried to get out here and move around.”
Coach Joel Quenneville liked the response from a group dealing with jet lag and a three-hour time change.
“It was a long shift,” Quenneville said of the trip. “I thought we had a decent practice today. Let’s be ready to play tonight. They handled it like pros, and here we are. Let’s play hockey.”
LaCombe said the club’s approach is straightforward after an afternoon nap: put Sunday behind them and get ready for the Rangers.
“It was definitely different, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “It happens. You’ve got to forget about it and go play.”
