Anaheim Ducks Chris Kreider And Jacob Trouba Drop Dynamite First Pitch Performance
This one was a beauty
There's going to be a New York Rangers reunion out in Anaheim this season between Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider.
But before they hit the ice, the two were battery mates for a top-tier ceremonial first pitch at an Angels game.
You may recall that last season was a rough one for the Broadway Blueshirts, and that resulted in something of a fire sale. Trouba — who was wearing the "C" at the time — was shipped to the Anaheim Ducks in the middle of the season, while Kreider was traded in early June.
The two will reunite on the ice when camp starts soon, but on Friday, they had to hit an Angels game and handle first pitch duties.
Kreider, Trouba, and the Ducks mascot Wild Wing hit the field at Angel Stadium, with Kreider going to the mound while Trouba hopped behind the dish.
And what followed was some ceremonial first pitch magic.
Now, if you've been reading my ceremonial first pitch analyses over the years, you'll know that the gold standard was the pitch that John Daly threw at a Cardinals game in 2022. It was just perfect.
Now this one? It doesn't beat Daly throwing a crisp heater (after probably lighting one up out in the parking lot) while wearing flip-flops, but it was still solid.
Kreider gave us a real-deal pitch with a wind-up from the rubber and threw what at least looked to be a strike from the video the Ducks posted. As for Trouba, he handled it without any issues.
The only thing that some may knock is Kreider wearing a glove on the mound. I have no problem with it since it's just there for balance, but some are militantly against adults wearing gloves.
But what a show, and I think the Ducks are a team that could surprise some people. They've got a really good mix of veterans like Kreider, Trouba, and Radko Gudas, along with some exciting young players like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier.
The Pacific Division is typically dominated by the Oilers and Golden Knights, with the Los Angeles Kings looking good last year and the Flames just missing out on the postseason. There's some room in there for them to maybe eke their way into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.