They Talk a Different Game

You've heard all the flapping about a new name for Emilio Estevez's favorite hockey team, right?

From the way the wide-eyed new owners of the Anaheim club talked Monday, it has already been changed.

From Ducks to "Duck!"

Henry Samueli, considerably off his quacker buying a team in a league that doesn't exist, filled his introductory news conference with his only tangible sports asset.

"It's about passion!" he said, and, as we soon learned, he wasn't ordering iced tea.

Duck!

Samueli waited all of about five minutes before nudging neighbor Arte Moreno, announcing a 5% drop in ticket prices.

"We didn't think about beer; our focus was on tickets, which we think is the most important thing," he said.

Duck!

Samueli had yet to break a manicured sweat before firing a shot at the Kings, claiming his team would be better, although nobody asked.

"We want fans in Southern California to come watch the best hockey in Southern California -- and that's going to be here," he said.

Duck!

As the first local owner in Orange County pro sports history, Samueli quickly sneaked in a punch at absentee owners, notable in that their ranks include the Kings' Phil Anschutz.

"It's very important to have hometown ownership," said the Corona del Mar resident. "You can sense when other owners don't live there. Decisions are made on business reasons, not passion reasons."

Duck!

Samueli thinks so little of the name "Mighty Ducks" that he is going to put it to a fan vote.

It seems clear that, at the very least, the name "Mighty" will be stripped from the name after next season to sever the team's connection to a children's movie.

"If the majority of fans want to change it, we'll change it," he said. "It's their team."

Duck!

Samueli deftly sideswiped Angel owner Moreno when he openly laughed about the possibility of adding "Los Angeles" to the name of the team.

"The Mighty Ducks will always be Anaheim," he said. "The team plays in Anaheim. That's what its name should be."

Duck!

Samueli strung the team over a smoldering media fire by hiring controversial Brian Burke as general manager.

Burke, a former league official and general manager in Hartford and Vancouver, is suing a writer, claiming defamation of character, has openly supported thug Todd Bertuzzi, and generally works with all the subtlety of a leaf blower.