Inside The Box
RYAN KESLER is letting Lauri Korpikoski have it. Kesler, the Ducks' gritty center, and Korpikoski, the Oilers' third-line winger, had a brief skirmish on the previous play, and now Kesler is sharing his plans for future engagements, punctuated with a generous mix of f-bombs. I know this not because I've hidden a bug in Kesler's helmet but because I'm seated in an ice-level box at Anaheim's Honda Center for the teams' Feb. 26 game.
As part of their "Between the Benches" experience, the Ducks make four seats in the box available for approximately 20 games a season at $5,000 a pop. The NHL's version of courtside seats come with a stadium tour, a pregame meal, valet parking, a framed photo and a vantage point previously unavailable to the public. Fans are separated from the players by only a pane of glass, allowing them to see what the players see, hear the coaches bark out line changes and feel the banging of the bench door. If they're lucky, they'll end up in the middle of two players yelling at each other.
Anaheim is one of only three teams (with Chicago and Minnesota) offering such a comprehensive package, although other teams sell between-the-benches seats. Regardless of the perks, the experience is hard to beat. "I guess the coach could let you sit on the bench," says Ducks CMO Aaron Teats, "but I don't see that happening."
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NICK FORRESTER FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (DUCKS)
Ducks in a Row Rinkside seats put you on the bench—almost.