'NHL Backstory' podcast debuts, reliving unique moments in League history

NEW YORK - Today, the National Hockey League announced the creation of NHL Backstory, an NHL Studios Podcast that aspires to relive unique stories and significant milestones in the League history. Throughout the NHL's 100-plus years of existence, the League has seen countless moments that have reshaped the hockey landscape and grown the game in unexpected ways.

In collaboration with ESPN's release of E60 Once Upon a Time in Anaheim, the first episode of NHL Backstory will debut on Sunday, June 11. Narrated by ESPN personality Arda Öcal, the premiere episode, Quack … Quack … Quack will explore how Disney's Mighty Ducks movie franchise inspired the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, an NHL Expansion Club that took the Southern California city by storm in 1993.

NHL Backstory will go behind the scenes to rediscover the stories of how particular events helped reshape the game -- like how a hockey trick shot by Ducks' Trevor Zegras broke the internet and turned nightly highlight reels into must-watch television. Or how a late-night meeting at Nassau Coliseum helped shape a billion-dollar industry. Or a deep dive into the evolution of puck and player tracking technology and the millions of data points that NHL each game produces. Each episode of NHL Backstory will share firsthand accounts from players, coaches and executives who made it all happen, and how each step along the way helped make dreams a reality.

NHL Backstory Ep. 1: Quack … Quack … Quack!

In the first episode, host Arda Öcal explains how a frustrated screenwriter took his love for hockey and turned it into a Disney mega-franchise. But that is only where the story starts. Within just weeks of the movie's release in 1992, The Walt Disney Company was awarded one of the NHL's newest franchises -named the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Going deep behind the scenes, the podcast shares discussions with key architects - including NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Steve Brill, Michael Eisner, Jack Ferreira and the Club's first draft pick Paul Kariya (selected fourth overall in 1993) - to discover how a movie about some mischievous hockey misfits morphed into an NHL team that would subsequently make the Stanley Cup Final a decade later (2003) and ultimately win the championship in 2007.

"NHL Backstory is a perfect companion for hockey fans like me, who love to research unique moments, like this one, to get more insight into the NHL's rich history," said Öcal. "It is a crazy story and at first glance, even those in the boardroom were not prepared for its ultimate success. I also hope the podcast and documentary address one of the deepest secrets in film - the fact that the Flying V is actually offside and the Mighty Ducks teams in the movie got away with it!"

The NHL Studios Podcast lineup also includes popular shows like NHL Fantasy On Ice™, NHL Draft Class™, NHL @TheRink™ and The Chirp with Daren Millard. Fans can download individual episodes of the series at www.nhl.com/podcasts. NHL Podcasts is an NHL Studio Production. NHL Podcasts are available on Castbox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iheartradio, iTunes, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio.

E60 Once Upon a Time in Anaheim

A new edition of ESPN E60 tells the true story of The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a professional sports team that was inspired by a hit Hollywood movie. Disney's The Mighty Ducks, a film about a group of misfit kids in Minnesota who rose to become hockey champions, led to the formation of a franchise that overcame a slow start to go on a dream run to the Stanley Cup.

Once Upon a Time in Anaheim (an E60 Duck-Umentary) debuts Sunday, June 11, at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN, available immediately after the initial airing for on-demand streaming on ESPN+.

The documentary features interviews with key members from the original Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, including Stu Grimson and Guy Hebert, in addition to 2003 heroes J.S. Giguere, Paul Kariya and Steve Rucchin. Franchise icon Teemu Selanne also appears to discuss his initial years with the club from 1996-2001. "The Mighty Ducks" actors Marguerite Moreau and Shaun Weiss in addition to film's creator, Steve Brill are also featured in the documentary.

Fans can view the full trailer for "Once Upon a Time in Anaheim,"

.