With the preseason less than a month away, hockey fans in Southern California are getting that itch. Even more so with our 90-100+ degree weather right now, the ice is calling! Since there aren't any real live games yet to feed the hunger, Ducks fans will settle for the next best thing:
Talking to other Ducks hockey fans who share and understand the same addiction. And what better place to do this than the Ducks-sponsored hockey exhibit at the Discovery Science Center!
The first Ducks Tweetup was held here Wednesday night, thanks to organizers and Duck fans extraordinaire Suz and SK. Suz actually deserves the credit (and blame) for helping yours truly onto the Twitter bandwagon and introducing me to so many incredible Duck fans.
I'd never actually visited this exhibit before, although I drive past it almost every week off the 5 Freeway. Special thanks to the Discovery Science people for letting us congregate and see their exhibit for free.
The actual exhibit is full of Ducks logos and branding, with life-sized pictures of the players, replica banners, and donated hockey equipment. Visitors can rotate through the various stations, learning about aspects of the game and the science involved.
I need one of these for my house!
How JS Giguere and Jonas Hiller move in these heavy, bulky things is beyond me!
In the Ducks "locker room," visitors learn about the diet and exercise routines players must adhere to. 
A simulated player (I think it's Corey Perry? I didn't actually look) shoots foam pucks at visitors who attempt to play goalie in front of the net...
... while a second simulation involves the visitor trying to shoot pucks past Jiggy. Yours truly actually tried this one. My result? Three goals out of five shots, average puck speed of 25mph, yay! Never mind that I fanned twice and missed the net entirely once.
Ducks PA announcer Phil Hulett goin' five-hole
Other exhibits showcase reaction time to sight, sound, and touch stimuli; a real zamboni and how it re-ices the rink; the physics behind different kinds of ice skates and their blades; the use of friction between the puck and the ice; a "penalty box" which tests math skills; and a broadcasting booth.
I personally liked the Stanley Cup champion memorabilia exhibit:
I need one of these for my house too
The best part of the evening was getting to meet a lot of the Ducks friends I had made through Twitter.
SK and Suz, the lovely ladies who made the night possible
Oh, and let's not forget the awesome chocolate Duck-cakes provided by Meringue Bakeshop.
They were almost too cute to eat. Almost.
Next post? Coverage of the Shoot for the Cure and Fedorin Cup events this Saturday. Go Ducks!!!
In praise of Bobby Ryan
"The biggest thing is just his poise and his hands are unbelievable. I played with [Evgeni] Malkin and [Sidney] Crosby, and those guys are probably the two best in the league. Bobby's hands are right with those guys... He's a superstar in the making, it seems."
---Ryan Whitney, former Ducks defenseman
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Ducks Tweetup at the Discovery Science Center
Labels: pictures, special events
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5 comments:
I'm so glad you were able to make it! It was a great experience and I really hope we are able to do another one soon! :)
I had so much fun hanging out!! =D
It was totally awesome meeting the both of you too! I'm looking forward to pre/post-game brews with y'all once the season starts!
This was a great write-up on the event. It was so much fun to meet all the other Ducks fans and to see the exhibit.
Can't wait for the next one.
Suz
Thanks, Suz!! You and SK did such a great job hosting, rock on!
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