"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."
"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."
""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 season, and we were really leaning into our Orange County roots.""
Thousands of fans at the Honda Center experience hockey punctuated by the Offspring's "Come Out and Play" as goal music, replacing typical stadium anthems. The Ducks and the Offspring present a third annual Come Out and Play Night featuring hockey, music and exclusive merchandise, held against the Vancouver Canucks. The collaboration began in 2024 and developed into a recurring local partnership embraced by the band. Teaming with an Orange County franchise reinforced regional ties and fulfilled expectations. The club retooled its in-arena approach to use music intentionally to elevate the atmosphere for fans and players while leaning into Orange County roots.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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