ANAHEIM : Ducks Youth Hockey Fulfills Pet Cause

Officials from the Mighty Ducks will hold a press conference today to announce details of a youth hockey program the team intends to organize this year, Anaheim city officials said Tuesday.

Ducks officials said only that the charitable organization will be known as Disney Goals and the team will make a substantial financial commitment.

The announcement will be made at 10 a.m. at the Anaheim Arena.

Youth hockey is a pet cause of Disney Chairman and Ducks President Michael Eisner, whose son, Anders, has played goalie with a team out of Glacial Garden Ice Arena in Anaheim. Eisner is also a major patron of USA Hockey, the governing body of amateur hockey in the United States.

Team and city officials have previously said they are working on a joint venture to build an ice rink that would be used as a practice facility for the Mighty Ducks, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co., and a community youth center focusing on youth hockey.

City Manager James D. Ruth said a couple weeks ago that the plans for the rink are in the formative stages. He said under the team’s proposal, the city would provide the land and the Walt Disney Co. would build the facility.

A specific site has not yet been chosen, but city official said it probably will be built in downtown Anaheim.

Ruth also has said that the hockey program being discussed by the team was going to be aimed at troubled youth to steer them away from gangs and drugs and into organized sports.