Gustavo Canals says he owes everything to the “Mighty Ducks”.
The assistant athletic trainer for the American Hockey League affiliate Florida Panthers discovered and fell in love with hockey in Charlotte after watching the 1992 Disney hit as a child in a Puerto Rican family near Washington.
“That’s what really drove it,” Canales said. “Seeing all the kids that come from different backgrounds in the movie. It was great to see that and take it, knowing that I can do it too.”
The film inspired Canals to follow his hometown Washington Capitals, a team that had just been formed. Alex Ovechkin and: Nicklas Backstrom.
“Ovechkin, Backstrom, (Mathieu) Perrault, all those guys, like, have been an influence on me, pushing me more and more to go into hockey,” he said.
Canals said he’s just as proud to be in his fourth season as an assistant coach with Charlotte, with his Puerto Rican roots and being among the growing number of coaches of Hispanic heritage in professional hockey.
Their ranks include Thomas Alva, who spent 22 seasons with the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Atlanta Thrashers and Philadelphia Flyers before joining Charlotte as head athletic trainer in September.
James Garcia is the head athletic trainer and manager of sports medicine for the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks in San Jose through 2024-25. Haley Cruz is in his third season as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego. Jacqui Gutierrez was hired in July as an assistant coach in Hershey, the Capitals’ AHL farm team.
