It makes sense that the first Southern California captain of the San Diego Gulls lives with his toes in the sand along Mission Beach. It’s a board-check of a surprise, though, that he hangs out with chickens, goats, pigs and more when he really wants to relax and reset.
At Chase De Leo’s family hobby farm in La Mirada, the veteran center trades skates and flip flops for dusty cowboy boots. And there’s no resident of the acre and a half farm he’s more eager to see than Hansel, his 30-year-old miniature donkey.
It’s his ee aw-ing, braying buddy.
“I guess I’m a bit of a California cowboy,” De Leo said. “I just turned 28, so I’ve had Hansel my whole life. He’s pretty much my brother.”
The unique relationship — a hockey player and his waist-high companion — has led to a unique bobblehead.
The Gulls will hand out figurines of De Leo riding Hansel while wearing his game sweater, boots and hat to the first 8,000 fans who attend Saturday’s “Country Night” game against the Iowa Wild at Pechanga Arena.
Back at John and Janie De Leo’s family farm, 10 dogs, six cats, four pigs, three goats, two guinea pigs, two pet birds, another donkey and untold chickens fill the air with sound and the yard with … well …
“We’ve got a lot of poop to clean up,” De Leo said. “It’s quite a crew. It’s never a dull moment at the De Leo household.”
A puck-chasing Dr. Dolittle?
“I was always the fun house to go to when we were kids,” he said. “It was pretty much a free petting zoo, but an expensive petting zoo for my parents. My mom just loved having animals to care for and love.
“I left home at a pretty young age. I think my mom was trying to replace me when I was gone. When I would come home in the summer, there would be one or two new baby-somethings. There was always a little surprise waiting for me.”
One surprise was a pig named Ophelia — “like that song by The Lumineers” — who was a birthday gift two years ago. She lived in De Leo’s bedroom for the first two months. She hung out on the couch and watched movies with the family.
When she was small, initial trips to the barnyard were met with head-butting goats and bullying pigs.
“She was literally the size of a beer can,” De Leo said. “She couldn’t fend for herself. Fast forward to now, she’s like 300 pounds and now all the animals are scared of her.”
Unplugging at the farm has become sleeve-rolling therapy.
“With hockey, it’s a great reset for me,” De Leo said. “For me, recharging my batteries is leaving my phone inside and going to the barn to do chores for a couple hours.
“During COVID, I realized how much work it is taking care of that many animals. Our family has a plumbing supply business. (John’s) up at 5 a.m. cleaning and feeding the animals. He works until 4, then at 5 it’s feeding time again. It’s a lot of hard work. It’s a good lesson for me.”
No connection resonates, though, like the one with Hansel.
“He looks just like the donkey from ‘Shrek,’ ” De Leo said. “He’s gray and has a black stripe down his back. He’s an interesting guy. I’ll sit in his stall and he’ll rest on me and rub on me.
“He’s like a big, fluffy dog. His favorite thing is peppermints. He can have like 100 of those. It helps his garlic-y breath. He’s a fiend for those things.”
So the captain is being immortalized in San Diego with his four-legged friend.
“Being captain is the biggest privilege,” De Leo said. “Being born and raised in Southern California, my parents had to sacrifice so much for me to play. On the East Coast and Canada, hockey is right in your backyard.
“My mom almost got arrested because I missed so many days of school. Every single week, we were flying to Michigan or Chicago for competition. I’m so grateful my parents put me in this situation.”
Now, De Leo will bobble his way into franchise lore.
“Seriously, it couldn’t have turned out any better,” he said. “My grandma is 88 and watches every game. I brought my bobblehead to her and I thought she was going to start crying.
“I’ve always wanted to be on a bobblehead. And I’m with my favorite animal.”
No shovel needed.
