Anaheim Ducks and the Offspring bring punk rock energy onto the ice with Come Out and Play Night
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Thousands of cheering fans surround the ice at the Honda Center.The arena is loud, packed with fans in Anaheim Ducks jerseys.
As the puck drops and the action starts, players zoom back and forth until — boom! A shot, and the Ducks score.But when the music hits for the first goal of the game, it’s not the typical “We Will Rock You” by Queen.
It’s “Come Out and Play” by local heroes, and one of Orange County’s most influential punk bands, the Offspring.To celebrate the third annual Come Out and Play Night, the Ducks have once again collaborated with the band for an evening of hockey, music and special exclusive merchandise for fans.
The event will take place Tuesday at the Honda Center against the Vancouver Canucks.The collaborative effort began in 2024, but at the time, no one knew if it would last, including the Offspring’s guitarist, Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, who told The Times in a phone interview from Canada while on tour with Bad Religion that he and the band hoped it would be more than a one-time event.
“This was the first time we’d ever teamed up with an organized sports team, and the fact that it’s an Orange County team, where we grew up, made it feel right,” Noodles said.“It’s been really fun, but we had no idea how long it would last.
Now it’s three years later.”Merit Tully, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of the Ducks said that the concept for the collaboration between the club and the Offspring came organically as part of an evolution the organization was going through.“We started putting a lot more emphasis on the in-arena experience a little over three years ago.
That gave us the opportunity to rethink music, not just as something played between periods, but as something that could really elevate the experience for fans and players alike,” Tully said.“As this was happening, we approached our 30th se...