Some line up as early as 4 a.m. for chance to buy playoff tickets.

More than 500 of the mightiest Ducks fans and newfound , hockey enthusiasts huddled beneath drizzly skies at the Arrowhead Pond on Thursday, some arriving as early as 4 a.m., for tickets to the team's first-ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals. Just before 10 a.m., ticket sellers called out a random wristband number, and a very surprised Jerry Marsilio popped out from under a barricade to be first in line. The Westminster resident bought 16 tickets - eight each for home games Wednesday and Friday against the Minnesota Wild. He laid out $1,152 - $72 a pop - for seats in Section 430. "They're not bad seats," said Marsilio, 39, who arrived at 7:30 a.m. "I'm just happy I'm going." Wearing a big grin, Bill Chapin, director of ticket sales for the Mighty Ducks, savored the crowd bustling around him. . The team gave out 450 wristbands and organized a second line for the additional fans. "I am the busiest man in Orange County right now," he said. Chapin said he's been getting calls from practically everyone he's ever known. "I've had a lot of colleagues calling, a lot of family calling, a lot of friends and a lot of people I haven't talked to for a long time," he said. Today, Arrowhead Pond and Ducks staff, along with city officials, will enjoy a BBQ lunch courtesy of Brad Mayne, manager of Dallas' American Airlines Center. Mayne lost a bet on the Dallas Stars-Ducks series to Pond general manager Tim Ryan. Mayne, the Pond's general manager when it first opened in 1993, will don a Ducks jersey and serve up BBQ beef at the Pond. Another bet is on the line as Mayor Curt Pringle placed a friendly wager with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly for the Ducks-Minnesota Wild series. If Anaheim takes the series, Pringle will receive a Best of St. Paul Care Kit that includes the book "How to Speak Minnesotan," Summit Beer, a huge Pearson's Salted Nut. Roll, and Minnesota Public Radio's powder milk biscuits and designer ketchup.