Yes, You <i> Have</i> Seen the Rink in ‘D2’ Before

When “D2 The Mighty Ducks” gets to its climactic scenes, local hockey fans may find themselves doing a double take.

The film’s big game, in which the Ducks square off against the imposing Icelandic team in an international tournament, was filmed at Anaheim Arena. The rink is home to the first-year National Hockey League team known as the Mighty Ducks, the Walt Disney Co.-owned franchise named after the company’s 1992 sleeper film hit about a misfit, overachieving crew of young skaters.

“D2,” opening Friday, is the sequel to that film. This time around, the young bunch is tapped to represent the United States in the Junior Goodwill Games and heads from its native Minnesota to Southern California--only to be seduced by the local lifestyle, leaving coach Emilio Estevez to whip them back into shape.

The production was filmed at Anaheim Arena for several days in July, drawing some 12,000 unpaid extras for one day of shooting when filmmakers needed a full crowd. The crew returned to re-shoot a few scenes in August, temporarily displacing the professional Mighty Ducks during training camp.

Fans of the Mighty Ducks--the NHL team--can hardly have missed the fact that the sequel is coming. A lengthy promotional trailer for the film has been a featured attraction at home games.