California rising
Decades after Gretzky, hockey thriving in Golden State
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/01/2018 (2786 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Wayne Gretzky wasn’t at last night’s Winnipeg Jets game against the Anaheim Ducks. But the Great One’s influence could certainly be felt throughout the jam-packed rink, and around the entire state of California.
More than 25 years after he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, one of Gretzky’s greatest contributions to the game is what he’s done to help it grow in this market.
While some southern U.S. states, such as Florida, North Carolina and Arizona, continue to struggle with their NHL teams, there’s been no such worry about the three California-based squads. Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose are extremely healthy franchises and perpetual contenders in the Pacific Division with a fierce in-state rivalry.

Youth hockey has exploded, and California has become a major destination for minor league tournaments. New rinks are popping up as the demand increases for ice.
The American Hockey League now has a division featuring five California teams — including one market in San Jose where both their NHL and AHL teams play out of the same building. The only other North American market that can make that claim is Winnipeg. (Toronto also has an NHL and AHL team, but they play out of different arenas).
“When the Los Angeles Kings acquired Gretzky, that was the tipping point that this was going to be a serious market for hockey. They brought the best player at that time in the world into their market. And you could see the development of youth hockey programs, the number of rinks have been built, the junior Kings program, the junior Ducks program, my son’s part of the San Diego Junior Gulls program. So there’s a lot more involvement,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle told the Free Press on Thursday.
The former Jets defenceman (and Manitoba Moose head coach) is in his second stint behind the bench with Anaheim, having spent a total of nine seasons there.
“The No. 1 thing I’ve stated all along is the elite athlete in the U.S. customarily had picked baseball, football or basketball, and now hockey is one of the sports of choice. When you have 35 plus million people living in one state, there’s a lot of athletes to choose from. I think that was the tipping point of when youth hockey started to grow in California,” Carlyle said.
According to U.S.A. Hockey, California had 29,849 registered hockey players during the 2016-17 season. That’s the sixth-most in the United States, behind Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.
A decade ago, California had just 19,660 registered hockey players.
Chase De Leo, a speedy forward drafted 99th-overall by the Jets in 2014, is in his third pro year of hockey with the Moose. He was born in La Mirada, a suburb of Los Angeles. And he represents one of the surest signs of a sport taking off in a state — the development of a high-level pro athlete.
“I think anyone that’s been in California, it’s a fun place to be. Good weather, nice place to live. I think all the players who spent their careers, or finished their careers playing for the Kings or the Ducks or the Sharks, they love it so much and they come back there, they end up coaching and being involved in the game, and then their kids end up playing in California,” De Leo said.
De Leo said the Ducks winning the Stanley Cup in 2007, and the Kings accomplishing the feat in 2012 and 2014, has also helped the game take off locally for the younger generation, in much the same way Gretzky gave a boost for a previous generation.
“Having us, the Kings and the Sharks be pretty good teams for the last 10 years I think really helped the minor hockey leagues to get the kids involved. They’re building new rinks every year, because we don’t have enough for kids to play at,” Anaheim defenceman Francçois Beauchemin told the Free Press Thursday prior to playing the Jets.
The 37-year-old Quebec-born defenceman is in his 14th NHL season. This is his third stint with the Ducks since 2005, with a total of 10 seasons spent in southern California.
“I think you can really see things coming up. The AHL for sure helps, as well. Not every family can afford to come and see NHL games. But to have the opportunity to see some American Hockey League games, some high school teams are really good in the area, too. So you have a lot of options,” Beauchemin said. “The growth of hockey here has been huge.”
He said the intense rivalries between the Ducks, Kings and Sharks help market the game, especially to newcomers.

“It’s good for the sport, it’s good for the fans and it’s good for the players as well. The intensity level goes up when we play those teams,” Beauchemin said.
De Leo, 22, said his family owned a plumbing supply company and didn’t push him towards the sport as a kid. He started off playing roller hockey, which is also very popular in the state, before moving to the ice.
He said a VHS tape he got as a kid of the Colorado Avalanche in the 1990s was played on a loop in his home and made him an instant fan.
“I would watch it every single day, over and over again after school, and that’s what drove me,” he said.
Getting ice, and at a reasonable rate, is still a challenge in the area. And it can be a considerable expense for those who play the sport.
“I don’t think parents get enough credit from coming from California, who travel with their kids and let them live their dreams,” De Leo said. “That’s what motivates me every day. Doing it for myself, obviously. But for them, too, and all the sacrifices they made.”
He also hopes to help inspire the next generation of players.
“Obviously, it’s exciting when you see anybody from your home state take off and get notoriety,” De Leo said.
mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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