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Many National Hockey League (NHL) arenas are going fan-less during the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the Anaheim Ducks and Mercury Insurance have partnered to bring hockey fans an in-home Jumbo Tron experience with “My First Car,” an inside look at their favorite players’ fond memories and firsts behind the wheel.
“Hockey is the best sport in the world to watch live and, even though we have to stay home for now, we weren’t going to let the pandemic get in our way of bringing fans a more intimate hockey experience this season,” said Erik Thompson, Mercury’s vice president of advertising and public relations. “The insights shared on a Jumbo Tron screen are typically reserved for in-arena fans – rarely do Ducks fans get to see the candid player footage that runs during timeouts or intermissions unless they’re at Honda Center to experience it first-hand.
The ‘My First Car’ series is our way of bringing this experience into fans’ living rooms, because we all miss going to Honda Center.
To view the Anaheim Ducks My First Ride sizzle reel video, visit www.nhl.com/ducks.
Here are a few interesting things fans will learn about their favorite players’ first car:
- Centerman and Captain Ryan Getzlaf squeezed his 6’4” 200-plus pound body into a 1989 Honda CR-X. “It was a great car. One of the smallest cars at the time. It’ll make you laugh that I was sitting in it,” said Getzlaf. According to J.D. Power NADAGuides.com, the vehicle sported an original base MSRP of $10,930.
- Goalie Ryan Miller drove a white 1995 Ford Bronco and loved listening to six-time Grammy award winning artist, Outkast. Fans looking to score an iconic Bronco like Miller’s first ride will have to pay more than $20,000 on average for a used Bronco, according to recent listings on Autotrader.com.
- Right winger David Backes didn’t let a speck of dust land on his “purple-hued” 1996 Ford Taurus. “I almost washed the paint off of it,” said Backes. Fun fact: The third-generation Ford Taurus replaced the Ford Thunderbird at NASCAR racetracks across the U.S. in 1998.
- Left winger Rickard Rakell drove his host family’s 2000 Cadillac El Dorado when he came to the U.S. “One memorable moment for me was when I got pulled over for speeding. I knew he (police officer) was going to stop me, so I had turned my lights off at the end of the street. He was nice to me and gave me a warning,” said Rakell. Insurance tip: Speeding tickets can make your auto insurance rates go up, so it’s best to follow posted speed limits and keep the speeding on the ice rink.
- Centerman Adam Henrique drove “the old farm truck,” a 2005 Chevy Tahoe.
- Centerman Derek Grant owned a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner with a seriously loud sound system. “My dad made me turn the radio down when I drove up our street,” said Grant.
- Right winger Carter Rowney drove a red 1995 GMC Sierra. “I had subwoofers in it and 50 Cent had put out a new album and I would play that album non-stop,” said Rowney.
- Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk owned a 2004 Audi A4.
- Defenseman Cam Fowler drove a 2010 Black Ford Focus.
- And, defenseman Josh Manson went to the dealership with his dad to buy an all-black 2001 Volkswagen Jetta for his first ride.
The video series will also be viewable on the Anaheim Ducks and Mercury Insurance YouTube channels and other social media pages.
The Mercury Marketing Team is made up of professionals in the fields of Content Creation, Public Relations and Social Media. The team works together to deliver professionally written and researched content to provide information for consumers.