The connection between hockey and the Angels runs a little deeper than just Angel Stadium being a stone’s throw from the Honda Center, the home of the Anaheim Ducks.
For one, Trevor Gretzky, the son of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, currently plays the outfield for the Angels’ Low-A Burlington Bees team. A late addition to the squad as he spent the first few weeks in the Angels’ extended spring training, Trevor is currently slashing .257/.333/.429 for the third place Bees.
The other connection is Kirk McCaskill, a starting pitcher for the Angels from 1985 to 1991, who was an All-American hockey player for the University of Vermont, and was even a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, for being the best collegiate hockey player, in 1981. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Winnipeg Jets in 1981, and even though he had decided on baseball, he did play one season of minor league hockey for the Sherbrooke Jets during the 83/84 season in which he played 78 games. McCaskill was drafted by the Angels in the fourth round of the 1982 draft, and went on to win 106 games and fashion a 3.86 career ERA during his seven years as a Halo, his best year being the dramatic 1986 season in which he went 17-10 with a 3.36 ERA and 202 strikeouts. He is currently lives near San Diego and is the manager of the Torrey Pines High School baseball team.
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