The Ducks are expected to travel the most out of any team in the NHL during the 2024-25 season.
The NHL schedule can take a toll. There are long plane rides, back-to-back's and different altitudes and climates. Not to mention time changes when traveling across the country.
According to Sound Of Hockey, the Ducks are expected to travel the most distance out of any team in the NHL during the 2024-25 season, racking up a whopping 50,943 miles. The Edmonton Oilers place second with almost 1,000 miles less at 49,960. No. 3 is the Seattle Kraken, coming in at 48,431.
The Ducks find themselves in the middle of the pack regarding road trips (18), but that only further emphasizes the amount of travel they have while on the road. In comparison, the Kraken only have 13 road trips, the second-fewest amount across the league.
Anaheim will also exceed the average number of miles traveled throughout the 2024-25 season (40,382) by more than 10,000 miles. The amount of traveling they will have to do is almost 20,000 more miles than the team that will have to travel the least in 2024-25, the New Jersey Devils, at 31,080 miles.
The Ducks also find themselves in the middle of the pack when it comes to the number of back-to-back games they'll have to play at 13. However, all of these games come on the road––as is customary for back-to-back games.
Another obstacle that affects the Ducks is the curfew at John Wayne Airport, the closest international airport to both Honda Center and Irvine, where the Ducks' practice facility is located.
Due to a curfew established in Orange County's General Aviation Noise Ordinance (GANO) in December 1971, flights cannot depart from John Wayne from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday through Saturday and cannot depart from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Sundays. Arrivals are prohibited from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday through Saturday and from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Sundays.
This creates problems for the Ducks, mostly when it comes to returning from road trips. They can not fly home right after a road game has ended. Instead, they have to fly into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and then bus back to Orange County. What could be a 1 a.m. arrival and then a short drive home now turns into almost two hours before getting home.
Now, that might not seem so bad once or twice, but those hours begin to add up after a few occurrences. Sleep is important for not only the players but the accompanying staff as well. No one likes getting less sleep than they have to.
The Ducks have just three home games in the first month of the season, which means they'll be flying early and often to begin the season. They'll begin and end the season on the road as well.
First, they'll face the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights to begin October before finishing out the season with games against the Minnesota Wild and the Winnipeg Jets. Both sets of those games are back-to-backs, by the way.
The Ducks will certainly be racking up frequent fliers miles if anything during the upcoming season and it's easy to imagine that all of this travel could take a toll at some point, whether it's players getting sick or just general tiredness. Their athletic training staff could have their work cut out for them.