“Our expectations are that we are going to try and play an up tempo game,” said Randy Carlyle, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Head Coach, after the first day of work. “Our players seem to have responded positively to that in the sense that there are more smiles on their faces today.”

“We don’t want to limit people’s growth,” says Carlyle. “There’s competition here for positions. There are people here trying to make a first impression. I think that is positive for our organization and our team.”

“Training camp is not fun, especially the first day,” added Carlyle. “It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s about work. We understand the players are getting a first opportunity to be put through their paces.  Our work ethic and our commitment to conditioning will be very, very high. Because you work hard, it’s an expectation that you are not doing us any favors. That’s expected.”

Players participated in the first scrimmage of training camp, a game won by the white squad, 4-2 over the black team. Carlyle says the pace of the scrimmage was good.

“I think that is always a good starting point,” says Carlyle.  “We want to be able to involve four and five people in the game as much as possible. Move the puck, move yourself. That’s very important for our group.”

As far as the conditioning level is concerned, Carlyle says the organization did a testing of the rookie camp and a testing for all the veterans.

“The level of conditioning was almost identical, which was a pleasant surprise,” mentioned Carlyle. “For some of these players who haven’t played for fifteen or sixteen months, it shows there has been a commitment to preparation. That’s always a positive. But again, that’s what’s expected. Our expectations are not limited to just showing up and working hard. We have another level and another gear that we are going to push for. And we are going to continue to push for it. This is just the first day for our preparation for the season.”

During the initial day of camp, Sergei Fedorov centered a line with Teemu Selanne on the right side and Todd Fedoruk on the left.

“That’s a choice that we made,” added Carlyle. “We want to make sure that our skill players feel comfortable that they can go into any rink, in any situation and not have to worry about intimidation. That will not be an issue for this group.”

 On the mix of veteran and young players in training camp, Carlyle says he’d like the younger players to get an opportunity to play with some of the veteran guys.

“It’s a privilege,” said Carlyle. “It’s something that’s been earned from the kids who went up to San Jose and had some success in the rookie tournament.

Mighty Ducks center SERGEI FEDOROV says everybody tried hard during the first day of camp.

“It was good to see,” said Fedorov. “It was a good atmosphere. Guys worked hard and tried to compete. It was a good showing.”

Fedorov says the new rules in the NHL will be exciting for the fans.

“I do welcome changes,” said Fedorov. “I do appreciate what the league is trying to do as far as hooking, grabbing, and putting both arms around you. It’s gotten a little bit out of hand. I wish them all the best with that. I hope everybody realizes what we have to do, which is skating and keeping the opponent in front of you.”

Fedorov says he played with Teemu Selanne during a couple of all-star games.

“Some of his tendencies, I do know,” added Fedorov. “I just have to get quicker because he is a pretty quick player. Overall, it’s just getting used to each other in team practices and getting used to that team tempo.”