Artist Linsangan Shows His Love for the Ducks Through His Illustrations

As the Ducks embark on their 25th Anniversary season, there is one fan in particular who will likely be keeping his eye on the puck, watching for those highlight reel goals, with his marker in hand and sketch pad at the ready.

Ducks fan David Linsangan spends his days teaching science to teens at Ross Middle School in Artesia. While he is passionate about his role as a science teacher, Linsangan finds a unique joy in creating art. And more often than not, he draws inspiration for his pieces from watching his favorite team on the ice, as he did last season when center Adam Henrique made his way to Anaheim.
After being traded to the Ducks last November by the New Jersey Devils, Henrique had only been with his new team for a few weeks when he found himself back at Prudential Center for a match up against his former team. The forward made the most of his homecoming by scoring what was arguably one of the goals of the year in the NHL.
Midway through the second period, Henrique flipped the puck over former Duck and new Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen - one of the key pieces of the trade - and then skated past him, scoring on goaltender Corey Schneider with a beauty of a backhand.
After seeing Henrique's brilliant display, the artist in Linsangan came up with a way to honor the newest Duck's goal through the creation of a flipbook. Posted by Linsangan in a short video clip on Instagram and Twitter on his @mrlinsanganart accounts at the end of the regular season, the nearly 80-frame hand drawn piece memorializes one of the season's top moments.

"I know [Henrique] has seen it, and he liked it," Linsangan says.
And with nearly 100,000 views on Twitter alone, Ducks fans seem to like it too.
"It's a bit of a release," says Linsangan of creating art. "Science is a lot of fun, but I also have a huge creative side."
That creative side in Linsangan was apparent from an early age. As an only child growing up in Los Angeles County who loved sports and comics, Linsangan spent much of his free time drawing. He followed the sports teams his dad loved - the Lakers and Dodgers. But he found a new favorite sport with the arrival of hockey to Orange County.

"The original Mighty Ducks movie came out when I was about 10 years old," Linsangan says. "Once the team came to Anaheim, I was an instant fan. It's the only sports team that I chose myself."
Linsangan played golf for Carson High School, but he spent hours glued to the television watching Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne create hockey magic on the ice. Free time spent drawing took a temporary back seat to roller hockey pickup games in the backyard with friends, as they tried to emulate the moves of their favorite players.
After playing golf for Cal State Dominguez Hills and graduating with a degree in athletic training and science, Linsangan began teaching. He got married in 2007 (the same year the Ducks won California's First Cup) and eventually moved with his new wife to Orange, which allowed for more attendance at Ducks games.
Although he had stepped away from art for a number of years, a project request from a cousin brought Linsangan back to his love for drawing. Now with four children ages 10 and younger, he uses art as a way to express his creativity, connect with his kids and celebrate his favorite hockey team.
"A few years ago, I started attending warmups at Ducks games with my kids, and I'd bring posters I had drawn of characterizations of the players," Linsangan says. "In 2017, I made a drawing honoring the 10th anniversary of the Ducks' Cup win. It's awesome to see all the players' reactions."

While he historically has kept with marker and paper as his primary mediums, Linsangan recently began exploring the digital side of art, utilizing Photoshop and a drawing tablet. During the countdown to the start of the season, he generated images of players coinciding with their jersey numbers and shared them on social media.
"Digital is more forgiving than markers," Linsangan said. "But more than anything, I like the fact that I can explore. I love to see the growth in quality in my drawings."
Five years ago, Linsangan decided to strap on the skates and learn how to play his favorite sport by participating in the Anaheim Ducks Adult Learn to Play Program.
"The game of hockey is amazing," Linsangan said. "It's not like any other sport. It takes so much skill. It's such a rush."
His 7-year-old son is also on the ice through The Rinks Hockey Initiation Program. Linsangan's favorite current Duck is defenseman Hampus Lindholm, but his all-time favorite will always be Kariya.
"Creating art through hockey combines a lot of things that I love," Linsangan says. "If people like it, and the players see it and like it, I think that's pretty cool."