GUN WATCH : Ducky Idea

Professional hockey, the sport that gave us goon squads, thundering body checks and wayward sticks, appears to be taking a turn on the ice in Anaheim as a responsible community citizen.

The Mighty Ducks expansion franchise of the National Hockey League has scrapped its way to a respectable start this season as the new kid on the block. It has had to establish territory, as any neighborhood upstart would. But whatever aggressive posturing there may be in a mere game, the owner, the Walt Disney Co., would do a service by going ahead with a proposal to alleviate a real menace to the fans’ world outside the arena--namely the terrible proliferation of firearms.

Joining the national tide of businesses and governments looking to entice gun owners to turn in weapons, the company is working with Anaheim police to establish an exchange of hockey tickets for guns.

This would be no self-serving gesture from a new team merely trying to boost its box office. The Mighty Ducks already have had 14 sellouts and have averaged 16,829 fans in the new 17,174-seat Anaheim Arena. A Mighty Ducks ticket is a desirable possession among sports fans.

Disney also plans to build a team practice rink that would double as a community youth center, perhaps creating a hockey program aimed at troubled youths.

By buttoning up these proposals, the entertainment giant can signal its intention to be an innovative and positive community force as it contemplates an ambitious expansion of Disneyland in an increasingly urban area.