Players Had Plenty of Adult Supervision

The Mighty Ducks’ two-game trip may have ended on a negative note with a 2-1 loss to Nashville on Saturday, but for the group of fathers who accompanied the team, the last few days were nothing but a positive experience.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said John Carney, who traveled from Rhode Island to watch his son, defenseman Keith Carney. “It brought back a lot of memories when Keith was a youth hockey player and we traveled on the weekend to play five to six games.... Just to get together and hanging out with all the fathers was great. All of the fathers really appreciate how we’ve been treated by the organization.”

This is the first time that the Ducks have had a “Dad’s Trip.” Although none of the fathers of the European-born players made the trip, the fathers of nine players and Coach Mike Babcock went along.

“The players would not be here without a great foundation,” Babcock said. “It’s a nice way for the guys to say thanks.... You get so much back when you treat people the right way. Since Bryan [Murray] has taken over as the general manager here, and with the support that he’s getting from the Disney corporation, you can see such a great job in this area.”

The fathers spent Wednesday with their sons and, from a luxury suite, watched the Ducks’ overtime victory over Calgary at the Arrowhead Pond.

They accompanied the team on its charter flight Thursday to Dallas for Friday’s game, a 4-2 victory by the Ducks, and continued to Nashville.

“It’s been such a great experience,” John Carney said. “But it would have been even better if we had won and the fathers left with a 3-0 record. That way, we knew the fathers would be invited back again.”