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Kenan Thompson Shows Off Newest Duck Jersey

The Saturday Night Live actor gifted a Ducks jersey on a recent appearance on late night television.

Jacob Punturi

Mar 18, 1998; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov (35) on the ice against the New Jersey Devils at Continental Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY NETWORK
Mar 18, 1998; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov (35) on the ice against the New Jersey Devils at Continental Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY NETWORK / Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports
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It's been 30 years since the beloved film The Mighty Ducks took the NHL and hockey world by storm. The film launched the careers of many actors, engrained Emilio Estevez into the hearts of millions, and launched the Anaheim Ducks into another level of popularity.

Three decades later, and the Ducks still fly together. One of the actors from the movie and current Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson recently appeared on the Late Night with Seth Meyers and discussed how the movie still impacts his life. He played Russ Tyler, who introduced the Ducks to the greatest secret weapon on ice: the knuckle puck.

The movie was a huge step in Thompson's career, but it's also come with other perks. One of them is that the NHL and the real Anaheim Ducks have an excellent relationship with Thompson and many of the movie's cast members. As a token of this, the team sent Thompson his own personalized jersey.

The jersey is the newly designed Ducks uniforms that the team will begin wearing next season. The one they sent Thompson came with a special customization. Inscribed on the name and number plates were Thompson's character name and number from the movie. Thompson displayed his gift proudly to host Seth Meyers.

"I wanted you to have that," Thompson said.

Immediately after the kind gesture, he asked for the jersey back while the two laughed about it.

"I kinda would like to have it (the jersey)." he said.

The Ducks changed their uniforms for the 2024 season. Describing it as a "brand evolution," in their press release, the franchise's logo and jerseys have undergone some upgrades. The rebrand brings back the frequently requested duck mask as the primary logo, with some minor tweaks.

Heading into the new season, the Ducks are hoping the new uniforms are just a part of the organization's next steps. With a young core and a stacked prospect pool, they are getting closer to competing in the Pacific Division. In the meantime, the team could probably use some help from Russ Tyler and his signature knuckle puck.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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