OK, so there is actually one inconvenience for long-suffering Ducks fans who are experiencing a wild playoff run, the team’s first since 2018.
“It was a lot easier to plan your vacations,” Kozo Shimano said before Game 3 of the Ducks’ second-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday at Honda Center.
His friend and suitemate Ed LeBeau agreed.
“It used to be 44 games and go play golf,” LeBeau said and laughed. “Now it’s 44 games and bonus hockey.”
“I’ll take this.”
They weren’t the only ones who rather enjoyed having their late-spring free time interrupted by a Ducks postseason run that few saw coming. Even the fans who thought a playoff appearance was possible — a new coach and a lot of young talent spark hope, after all — didn’t imagine a first-round victory and strong play in the second round were within reach this season.
This was supposed to be a season that was a step toward a bright future, but it’s turned into one that makes the future appear a lot closer than it once did.
It’s a reward of sorts for the fans who stuck with them during a long postseason drought that rarely even included contention for a playoff spot.
Of course, Irene and Ross Amador of Irvine became season ticket holders during that drought. Well, it was a return for Irene, whose family had tickets for the Mighty Ducks’ inaugural season.
“We had Ducks tickets,” she said. “Then we had Angels tickets. And we always had Chargers tickets until they moved to L.A.
“I’ve always been a glutton for punishment. But when you love a team …”
Ross Amador, whose son Thomas played for the Junior Ducks, has been enjoying the playoff run and season altogether, but he acknowledged he didn’t take his wife’s suggestion to bet on the Ducks to win the Stanley Cup before the season.
Irene Amador said she enjoyed the atmosphere in Honda Center even when the Ducks were struggling and said she wasn’t going anywhere as a fan.
“My thing is supporting a team and staying with them,” she said.
Linda and Robert Pagan know the feeling. They were in the same Section 414, Row B seats they’ve had for years, well before the puck dropped Friday night.
They make the drive from Torrance to Anaheim on a regular basis, and Robert Pagan had a quick answer when asked if they ever considered quitting on a team that hadn’t delivered in so long.
“Never,” he said emphatically. “We were here when they won the Stanley Cup in 2007 and in all the good years that followed.
“We weren’t going anywhere. This organization is full of classy people. And now they’re looking really good again.”
Linda Pagan, like so many Ducks fans, is excited about the team’s future.
“They’re so young and so talented,” she said.
LeBeau, who lives seven minutes from Honda Center in the Floral Park neighborhood of Santa Ana, was among the fans who weathered several frustrating seasons.
Occasionally, the draw on the ice was one of the best players in the league — visiting with another team — but he also simply didn’t want to give up the experience.
“When you really like watching hockey and you really like a game, it’s hard to describe,” he said. “If you didn’t go anymore, you think: What am I missing? You get that FOMO.”
Shimano has a pretty good feel for what could be missed. He’s been with the Ducks since the start, experienced their first playoff series, the first time they advanced, the 2003 trip to the Stanley Cup Final and, of course, the 2007 championship.
Postseason visits were the norm. Long runs and championships always were the goal.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Shimano, who lives in Dana Point. “You get used to that. Then, those bleak years, it was sad. You know they’re trying and they can’t win as many games as they used to.
“So I had no expectations for this season. It’s been quite a pleasant surprise.”
Shimano also got a nice reminder of a bonus for those who spend big and pay for an all-event suite at Honda Center.
The playoffs are included at no extra cost.
“Of course, I didn’t get that benefit for a long time,” he said and laughed.