Ducks Off the Ice by Adam Brady

Thank You, Fans

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:55:00 EDT

The Playoff Beard

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:20:00 EDT

By Adam Brady AnaheimDucks.com This feature also appears in Ducks Digest, the official publication of the Anaheim Ducks. It is a Stanley Cup tradition almost as engrained as the Cup itself. The longer and thicker it gets, the better you’re doing. And there is a certain point of pride in growing one to the point of unruliness and maximum scruffiness. It’s the playoff beard, a long-held tradition in which players grow their facial hair at the start of the postseason and refuse to shave until their team is either eliminated or they are lifting the Cup over their heads. The custom is believed to have started with the great New York Islanders teams of the 1980s, which must have been doing something right, since they won four straight Cups. Some say it goes back to the elite Montreal teams of the late ‘70s. Either way, it has spread well beyond the NHL – to minor, junior and European leagues and, in the case of the Ducks, even to many of the male team employees. The frequent itchiness and grumblings of wives and girlfriends is a small price to pay for such a sacred custom. Among the legendary Ducks, Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer each had bodacious beards by the time they captured the Cup with a Game 5 victory over Ottawa in the Stanley Cup Final. Goalie J.S. Giguere did not grow one that year, but had a strikingly thick one by the time he was handed the Conn Smyth Trophy in a seven-game defeat to New Jersey in the 2003 Final. For most of the current Ducks, growing playoff beards is on the agenda, with high hopes that they will be forced to keep it for a very long time. Although, some players have greater expectations for their whiskers than others. Ben Lovejoy I actually have a pretty manly playoff beard, even though I do not enjoy having facial hair. It itches, and I get made fun of around here because I’m a bit of a germaphobe. I like keeping clean and nicely shaven. But I do it because it’s an important tradition. It’s the profession I’ve chosen, and I’ve been lucky enough to go on some long playoff runs and grow it out because of it. You tough it out because it’s that sort of bunker mentality. Everyone grows one, and I look forward to having a beard for over eight weeks coming up. Emerson Etem I’ve got a little something going, not too much. When it grows, it comes in pretty thick. It’s nothing special, nothing really to brag about. I usually grow it out, but I’ve got to start like a month and a half before. It takes quite a bit of time. Once it gets going, it’s greasy and nasty. Kyle Palmieri I’m pretty excited about it. I had a little one going last year when we were in Syracuse [of the AHL], but it was only for a week or two. I’m really looking forward to it this year. It comes in very fast for me. It gets thick, but it doesn’t really grow that long. I don’t think I’ve gone past two weeks or so, because it can look pretty bad. Bobby Ryan I’ve done it in the past and I’m going to do it again. I don’t trim it. I just let it get wild. Pretty soon my face will turn a shade of red from the hair color. Francois Beauchemin It’s part of the tradition and I don’t trim it at all. It gets pretty good. Toni Lydman I’ve been trying every time, but my growth isn’t strong. It’s tough to tell. Trust me, I don’t have to touch it. It’s barely there. Jonas Hiller I’ve been working on once since Christmas, but as you can see, it’s not really successful so I’ll probably have to skip that. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot growing. Secondly, I don’t really like it under the mask. It starts to get really itchy, and I never really got into it. I tried a couple times, but it [felt] more annoying than having it help me. Matt Beleskey Yeah, I’ll be growing one. It won’t be much, so I’m not going to trim it or clean it up. Meanwhile, opinions vary on who will have the best and worst beards, but one young Duck was an almost unanimous choice: Etem “Palms” [Kyle Palmieri] would be top 3 on the team for sure, since he’s so hairy anyway. I bet Bobby can grow a pretty good one. We have a pretty clean-cut team for the most part. The worst would probably be Viktor [Fasth]. Probably the nastiest and grossest is Sami [Vatanen]. Lovejoy Palmieri is a fairly hairy dude, so I think he would grow a very grizzly beard. As for the others, some of these European guys might struggle. Viktor [Fasth] seems into his appearance, and I look forward to seeing him and Jonas try and grow nice beards. Ryan Palmieri, definitely. Daniel Winnik is pretty hairy, and I think Ben Lovejoy can grow a pretty strong playoff beard too. The worst? Cam Fowler and Corey Perry, hands down. Palmieri I’d say I’m in the running for the best, but there will be a couple guys who can definitely grow a nice one. Bobby already has a good one at times. I’ve seen pictures of “T” [Teemu Selanne] from ’07. I expect him to have a good one. Lydman Palmieri is good, Beauch [Francois Beauchemin] might be good. Maybe Sheldon [Souray]. Bryan Allen might be a sneaky strong playoff beard guy. The worst would be me, maybe Viktor. I don’t think Hillsy [Hiller] has a good one.” Hiller Palmieri would have the best, probably. Bobby Ryan’s looking pretty good right now. Shelly [Souray], the new addition, I don’t know how he’s looking. Daniel Winnik could be a good one too. It’s definitely interesting. Corey Perry would be the worst. It’s out there. I don’t want to throw myself under the bus, but it’s Corey Perry. Beleskey “Palms.” I mean, just look at his face. The worst would probably be me or Toni Lydman. Beauchemin Shelly, Palmieri, Bobby. I don’t know about Daniel Winnik’s beard. For the worst? I’d go with Teemu. He’s got that weird jawline beard thing going on.”

Roommates -- 'Emer' and 'Holly'

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:14:00 EDT

Ducks youngsters Emerson Etem and Peter Holland have grown quite accustomed to each other this season, and it’s clear in the way they talk about living together. For most of the season, the two have been roommates on the road and live in the same hotel (though different rooms) in Anaheim. Although, Holland recently was sent down to Norfolk of the AHL. After a practice a couple weeks ago, the 20-year-old Etem and 22-year-old Holland gave very tongue-in-cheek accounts of what living together is like. In fact, both came across as surprisingly sarcastic and funny when talking about each other. What do you like about living with your roommate? Holland: The list of what I don’t like is a lot longer. No, “Emer” is a lot of fun and we have a lot of fun together. He’s someone to go out with for bites to eat and we hit the beach a little bit. He’s from close by [Long Beach], so I’ve had a chance to meet his parents and see where he grew up, which was kind of cool. Etem: He’s a funny guy. He can get on my nerves a little bit sometimes, but he’s a good guy. We have our inside jokes and we have quite the chemistry. We like the same things, and we’re always doing things together. It works out pretty well. What don’t you like about your roommate? Holland: He’s left me behind twice at the rink so far this year. We’ve been driving together for a long time up here in Anaheim and somehow he’s managed to forget me. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I’ve managed to straighten him out. Etem: He’s pretty selfish. I have my car here, so if he needs a ride it’s always on me. The other day he had a test for a college course he’s taking, and I had to drive him 20 minutes out of my way. He said, “You can stay here and wait for me while I do my test or you can leave.” So I just took off back to the hotel, and he tried to make me feel bad about it. The fact that he made me do that on our off day was quite selfish. Holland: He likes to be a little bit late in the mornings, which is getting a little old – especially because he’s the driver and I have to wait for him. He’s a young guy, still maturing, so you’ve got to babysit him a little bit. Etem: My buddies come to a lot of the games, and we want to get a bite to eat after the game. I’m the type where if I’m ready to go, I just go. If my buddies and I are talking about it, I tend to forget about Peter and go with my buddies [laughs]. Who controls the remote on the road? Holland: There is a lot of pressure to have the remote. Someone is always not happy. But we’re pretty good about sharing it. Etem: Going back to being selfish, we check into the hotel, we lie down, he grabs his computer and tosses the remote back to me. He expects me to do all the controlling when I just want to sit back and relax. Someone’s got to do it, but the fact that it’s me every time gets kind of frustrating. What do you typically watch together? Holland: Traditionally we try and see what kind of movies are on TV and we’ll try to come to an agreement on one. We get along pretty well on that. Etem: Usually I just throw it on SportsCenter. I’m that basic guy. At the end of a long day of travel or practice or whatever, when you get to the hotel you just want to keep it simple, and sports is usually the way to go. What is the situation like at the hotel at home? Holland: He’s on the VIP floor at the hotel, but he has to insert a key to get to that floor. When he does that, I like to hit all the other buttons to make him stop at every floor on the way up, just to let him know he’s not that special. I don’t know why he’s on that floor and I’m not. He got a king-sized bed and I’ve got two doubles, but I have more room for activities in my room, so it’s kind of nice. Etem: I think the VIP floor has its perks, but it has its disadvantages. Me being the wiser one, they put me up there in case I need to come down and check on him. You need a room key to get up there, and I don’t think they want him bothering me too much. How do you think he could describe you as a roommate? Holland: If he didn’t tell you I was a great roommate and a great friend, he’d be lying. Etem: He would probably talk bad about me, but I know what he’s all about. He’s kind of fake and puts up that fake vibe [laughs]. I’ll just let that one go and maybe have a talk with him later.

You've Gotta Love Lovejoy

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:29:00 EDT

Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy was a popular figure in Pittsburgh during parts of five seasons with the Penguins, and in two-and-a-half months in Anaheim, it’s been easy to see why. It’s not just that Lovejoy has been playing very solid defense for the Ducks since they picked him up in a trade for a fifth round pick on February 6. And it’s not only that he frequently delivers hits that typically reflect neither Love nor Joy. Talk to him away from the rink, and he’s a very easy guy to like. The 29-year-old from Concord, New Hampshire has a slow, methodical way of speaking that is often packed with flashes of humor – almost like he’s thinking of the perfect way to deliver a sentence as he’s uttering it. For example, here is him earlier this year on why he earned the nickname Rev, after Reverand Lovejoy from “The Simpsons” (which is reflected in his Twitter avatar): “When I first became a pro hockey player, people started calling me Rev. I watched the show growing up, so I knew it well. All the guys in Pittsburgh called me Rev pretty regularly. We were in Canada one day watching Sportscentre. I made a play and the announcer called me ‘The Reverend!’ The next day Mike Rupp, who was then my teammate in Pittsburgh, came in and couldn’t believe the announcer knew my nickname. Rupp wasn’t a ‘Simpsons’ fan, so he didn’t know. It has very little to do with my religious affiliation. It’s an uncommon name and that character has made it famous, so I’ve embraced that.” Today I was talking to Lovejoy about a feature we’re developing on playoff beards, and he good-naturedly admitted that he’s a longtime germaphobe. “I’m a chronic handwasher,” he said. “I don’t like shaking hands, I don’t like touching things. People give me a hard time for not being a dog lover or an animal person. It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t enjoy touching things.” I asked him if he shakes hands of goes with the Howie Mandel fist bump. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/11/25/deal-or-no-deal-host-howie-mandel-and-his-ocd “I will tough it out,” he said, “and then pull out some hand sanitizer when I have to. I carry that with me all the time.” I asked how long it’s been the case. “It’s been awhile,” he said. “My teammates here have recently discovered it. I get a hard time, but I think they understand.” That being said, he has high hopes for the playoff beard, and he couldn’t have put it any better: “I actually have a pretty manly playoff beard, even though I do not enjoy having facial hair. It itches, and usually like keeping clean and nicely shaven. “But I do it because it’s an important tradition. It’s the profession I’ve chosen, and you tough it out because it’s that sort of bunker mentality. Everyone grows one, and I look forward to having a beard for over eight weeks starting in May.”

Take This Job...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:18:00 EDT

WE ASKED THE DUCKS… What was your first job? Teemu Selanne When I was 15, I started working with a construction company carrying bricks and helping all the guys there. I lasted just one summer. It was hard work, but it’s a great workout and I treated it that way. I didn’t need any workouts after that. Sheldon Souray My first actual job that I actually had to go to work, I had to clean engine parts for semi-trucks. My hands were in Varsol (solvent) all day scrubbing oil, sludge and filth off of old engine parts. I was 15. I didn’t last that long. Maybe a couple weeks, until I burned the first couple layers of skin off my hands from being in those chemicals all day. Francois Beauchemin It was delivering the Le Journal de Montreal back home. I was 12 years old, and I had to go every morning delivering 120 newspapers. It was around 4:30 to 5 in the morning before I went to school. It was all year long. They only didn’t deliver newspapers on four days the 25th and 26th of December and January 1st and 2nd. I loved it. It gave me money to buy some stuff. Bobby Ryan When I was 14, I was a skate guard at a rink in Westminster during open-ice skates. I handed out rental skates to people, and I had to make sure when people fell they were okay. My mom worked at the rink too, so that’s how I got that job. I got free ice time, so that was cool. Matt Beleskey When I was in Grade 9 or 10 I was a mover. I moved furniture for two summers in Barrie (Ontario) for the Rockbrune Moving Company. It was crazy hours. You’re there at 7 until you’re done, but it was good money then. Those summer days it got a little hot, but it was good. Peter Holland The only thing I really did was work at hockey schools in Brampton (Southern Ontario) when I was 12 or 13. I worked with a guy named Joey Simon that I actually still work with. He ran March break camps and stuff like that, so I’d go out there and help him out. I’d help him push pucks around and help teach little kids what I knew at the time. It’s something I knew how to do, so it was fun. David Steckel I worked in a plant in Wisconsin in the shipping and handling department, so I drove forklifts. I was 16 years old. Toni Lydman One summer when I was 17 I was basically shoveling dirt. That was tough. I quit the job after two weeks because it was getting too hard with hockey practices. I got too tired and had no energy. My friend was telling me “You’re not getting any money then,” so I convinced him to work there too. He lasted two weeks. Kyle Palmieri I worked at a hockey pro shop shooting on goalies in New Jersey. I was probably 12 or 13. It was only for the summer, in the offseason. One of my coaches was a goalie coach and I basically went in and shot on goalies. I basically got paid to shoot pucks, so it was pretty fun. Ben Lovejoy When I was 15 or 16 I worked at a summer restaurant. I cooked French fries and fried fish in a Frialator machine. I would leave super greasy after an eight-hour shift. The restaurant was called The Baited Hook. Viktor Fasth I was moving a library that was changing locations, all the books. I had to place all the books in the right order in boxes. I was probably 13 or 14. It was paid but not much. I didn’t enjoy it, but it was only a four-week job. It was during the summer between schools. It was good to get some money. Emerson Etem I was a newspaper delivery boy when I was around 11 years old. It was called the Beachcomber. I would strap on my roller skates and get around 500 papers. My dad would come home early from work and help me roll them. If he didn’t, then I’d have 500 papers to roll by myself. Then I’d go out. It would probably take me from 5- to 9 p.m. It was quite a shift. I probably did this for three or four months. It was every two weeks and it wasn’t too bad, but it was a battle. I enjoyed it because I was getting paid at that young of an age. The little that was coming in I was happy about.

Hard-Hitting Questions for 'Beauch'

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:46:00 EDT

He’s been unquestionably Anaheim’s best defenseman this season, and should be ranked among the best in the league, but Francois Beauchemin’s name hasn’t come up much when talks arise of Norris Trophy candidates. “It should come up,” Bruce Boudreau said a few days back. “On what he’s done and where we are in the standings and how much he plays and how important he is to us — all those factors.” Beauchemin leads all Ducks defenseman in points this season with 22 in 41 games, and he trails only teammate Sheldon Souray for the league lead in plus-minus at +23 (matching his Jordanesque uniform number). But the numbers hardly do justice to Beauchemin’s game, as he routinely is throw onto the ice to shut down the opponent’s top forward line, blocking shots, delivering bone-jarring hits and eating up minutes on the penalty kill. So naturally, that type of play is an open invitation to put Beauchemin through a round of our Ducks Off the Ice pop culture and personality questions. After a 40-minute practice today, the Ducks had their last team signing of the year, which also means free lunch for the players. Beauchemin sat down alone with a club sandwich at a table set up on the Honda Center concourse, a perfect time to pepper him with a few hard-hitting ones: Q: If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be? Beauchemin: Oh, that’s a tough one. [Long pause] Wow. Like an actor? Anyone. Could be an athlete. [Longer pause. I check the recorder to make sure it’s running] You gonna run out of batteries there? No, it’s fine. I would say Tiger Woods. Are you going to watch The Masters? Oh yeah. We just did a Masters pool this morning and we pick eight guys. He was definitely one of my picks. Who is your celebrity crush? [No pause this time.] Kate Beckinsale. Which song do you hate? My son [six-year-old Samuel] loves Justin Bieber, and I think he’s a little annoying. He also listens a lot to Gangnam Style, which I don’t like but I’m getting over it. What TV shows do you watch religiously? The Voice. I love that show. Grey’s Anatomy. Those are the two my wife and I watch regularly. What movie have you seen the most? Probably Any Given Sunday and Men of Honor with Robert Deniro and Cuba Gooding Jr. You can eat, by the way. [Opens sandwich but hesitates to start on it.] What’s a food you refuse to eat? I used to hate tomatoes, but I don’t know if it’s my age or anything, but lately I’m eating them a little bit more. I don’t say not to too much. I like pretty much everything. [Getzlaf walks by, heading to the food table and asks, “What’d you go with, Beau?” “The club, but I can’t tell you if it’s good yet.”] What gameday superstitions do you have? It’s more of a routine than a superstition. I get up, drop my kids at school, get a coffee and some breakfast, come here for the skate. Then we go eat at the same place all the time. I usually nap from 2 to 4, then I’ll stop at Starbucks again on the way to the arena. I used to drink green tea before every game, but I’ve switched to coffee. Do you have any phobias? Heights. Any time I’m on top of steps or an elevator and I can see down, that worries me. Flying is okay because I don’t really look down. Teemu is a bad flyer. Yeah, I’m not that bad. What athlete would you trade places with? [Getzlaf sits down at the table and Beauchemin motions toward him.] I’d trade cars with him. How about non-teammate? [He thinks for awhile before Perry sits down and offers Tony Stewart, the race car driver.] Beauchemin: Yes! Tony Stewart. Thanks, Pears. I don’t know if you’d call him an athlete, but he would be a good one. Who is the funniest guy on the team? [Getzlaf: Sbisa is the funniest looking.] I think Cogs is pretty funny. He jokes around a lot. [Getzlaf: In a weird way though.] Yeah, in a weird way. Who is the best-dressed guy on the team? Shelly [Sheldon Souray] is trying. He’s into the fashion. I wouldn’t say he’s the best-dressed, but he’s the most fashionable. He comes out with stuff that nobody else would wear. He’s got a few tattoos. Do you have any? No. It’s never been my thing. You’re French-Canadian. What’s something in French that doesn’t really translate to English? I think there are more English words that you can’t translate into French, but I can’t think of any right now. Give me something that sounds better in French than English. [Getzlaf: Nothing.] Hey, hey … There are certain things, but I don’t think I can say any of them.

Cam and Palms -- Roommates

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:51:00 EDT

Ducks youngsters Cam Fowler and Kyle Palmieri have roomed together on the road the entire season and recently talked about the experience. (This feature also appears in Ducks Digest, the official gameday publication of the Anaheim Ducks.) What do you like about your roommate? Kyle Palmieri: We’ve been good friends since our first year at the [USA Hockey National Team Development Program], so it’s been five or six years now. I wouldn’t say we grew up together, but when you think about it, over the past five or six years spending that much time with one guy as a common denominator is pretty awesome. We’re lucky enough to room together. I think we get along really well. I know we have fun together. Cam Fowler: He’s fun and he’s a good guy. We know each other well from the national team so we have some familiarity there and he’s always keeping me on my toes. He’s very quick-witted. He’ll give it to you but he’s able to take it. He’s always joking around sarcastically but he’s fun to be around. Do you have any complaints? Palmieri: The only thing is, one of us needs to establish control of the remote. That’s the one thing. Neither of us likes controlling it, having that kind of pressure. So we usually do a little scoring competition during pregame skates or practices on the road. The loser has to take control of it for the next little bit. Neither of us really wants it. We watch all the same shows but there’s a lot of pressure to put on the right one. Fowler: He doesn’t like to control the remote so we battle with that a lot. We started that [scoring competition] now because it ends up someone just throws the remote at the other person and you just deal with it, so we’re trying to fix that. What do you two usually watch together? Palmieri: We watch a lot of Seinfeld or if there are any good movies on we’ll throw those on. Just whatever is on, really. Doesn’t matter to us. Fowler: We like movies. We watch Seinfeld and Big Bang Theory, stuff like that. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve learned about your roommate? Palmieri: The weirdest thing is him setting a second alarm but still getting up on the first one. And then he just lets the second one go while he’s in the shower. It’s frustrating, to say the least. Fowler: He’s just getting hairier day by day. Who takes more time getting ready? Fowler: I think we’re pretty much the same there. Palmieri: It’s pretty equal. We both take a pretty long time, but nothing ridiculous. Nothing like Nick Bonino. He’s the worst. There’s not much hair to move around, but he takes his time on each piece. What do you think your roommate would say about rooming with you? Palmieri: I’d say he’d have the same complaints like no one takes control of the remote. And I think some of my sarcasm kind of wears on him a little bit. I’d say those are his two biggest complaints. Fowler: He would say I’m a great guy to have and he’s lucky to have me.

Pet Ducks? No, Ducks Pets

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:21:00 EDT

In honor of Animal Shelter Night, which the Ducks in conjunction with OC Animal Care during Sunday’s game with Detroit, we asked the Ducks wives and girlfriends to send in photos of their guys with their pets. Below is a collection and some info on the pets. Side note: My favorite part of gathering this information was when I talked to Francois Beauchemin about his big dog, . I mentioned that Bobby Ryan had two cats? “Two cats??” he said with a laugh. “How aggressive.” Corey Perry Dog’s name: Max The dog is originally from Ontario, Canada and belonged to Corey’s girlfriend Blakeny, but Corey “adopted him” two years ago. Ryan Getzlaf Dog’s name: Mia Bear She was adopted in Newport Beach four years ago, and Ryan and his wife Paige like to take her to a dog beach in Huntington. Francois Beauchemin Dog’s name is Buster I got him in February 2010 in Toronto, a couple weeks before I got trade back here. Bryan Allen Dog’s name: Tank Tank is going to be 10 years old this year and was adopted in Kingston, Ontario. He was brought from Florida (where Allen played previously) to Orange County via a service that drives pets to new homes. Allen’s wife says that Bryan like to “share his food with him.” Bobby Ryan Cats’ names: Prince and Pelle. Prince and Pelle are 3-year-old brothers that were adopted in Newport Beach as a Valentine’s Day gift in 2010. Nick Bonino Dog’s name: Kali Nick has had Kali for just a month, adopted from Russo’s in Fashion Island Brad Staubitz Dog’s name is Mabel Mabel is just over a year and a half and was adopted in Staubitz’s hometown of Sarnia, Southern Ontario, “so she’s a little Canadian pup. We had to drive her down here when I signed here because she was only six months old.

Got Milk, Teemu?

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:37:00 EDT

Teemu Selanne, Sportsman

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:43:00 EST

It didn't get the same fanfare as some of the other Ducks' trip to Angels spring training camp, but Teemu Selanne and some other Ducks spent their off day in Phoenix enjoying a different sport. Selanne, Francois Beauchemin, Matt Beleskey and Jonas Hiller went to Phoenix International Raceway for the Subway Fresh Fit 500, a NASCAR race won by Carl Edwards. The four players got the VIP treatment (as you'll see below), and even though he's a huge racing fan, it was the first NASCAR race Selanne had ever intended. It got me thinking: We know Selanne can play a little hockey and has been known to be a pretty decent golfer, but what other sports does he like to watch? What did he play growing up? After today's practice at Honda Center, I asked if he had a few minutes to talk. And even though he initially said, "About what?" instead of his traditional "No problem" we ultimately sat down and talked some sports. How was the NASCAR race? It was awesome. We got the royal treatment. We got to go into the pits, see the pits stops and all the garages and the drivers’ meetings. It was a special day. Obviously I have been to a lot of Formula 1 races and Indy races, but not Nascar. It was interesting to see what the most popular sport in North America is all about. Do you follow Nascar at all? Not at all. I watch some highlights, but I don’t follow it as a fan. So where were you during the race? We started out in the pits and watched the start and the first 25 laps or so. Then we went to a suite, where we could see the whole track. What sports do you usually watch? Besides Formula 1 and rally cars, I watch a lot of soccer, a lot of golf. It’s funny, but as long as I’ve lived here, I love to watch baseball and football playoffs, but regular season I don’t pay attention much at all. But playoffs, it doesn’t matter what sport you’re watching, it’s interesting. What’s baseball like in Finland? We have Finnish baseball, called Pesäpallo, and it’s a little different. The bases are in a different order. We have home runs, but when you hit it, it has to land in a certain area where lines are. It doesn’t matter how far you hit it, you just have to have the right pace and aim. The other team’s pitcher has to land the ball on a plate. It’s a fun game. It’s fast-paced. I played it a little bit in school. It’s funny, as big as hockey is in Finland, Pesäpallo is actually our national game. That’s kind of like out here, baseball is considered the national pastime, but football is way bigger. Yeah, same thing in Finland with hockey. Do you watch much football? Not a lot, but I definitely watch the Super Bowl. This year I had a few families over for it. I don’t really root for anyone. I just hope for a good game. What else did you play when you were younger? I played a lot of soccer, ice bandy – which is like field hockey with ice skates – and then track and field. I played a lot of tennis, not in competition, but in the summertime I played almost every day. Especially when I was younger, I didn’t like running or doing the weights to stay in shape. I just played tennis and squash and soccer. When the hockey season was over, the gear went into the garage and all the same guys played soccer. When I was 16, I played ice bandy, soccer and hockey on the Finnish junior national teams. I tried to play all the sports as long as I could, but now that’s almost impossible. If you want to play at a high level, you need to make a decision and concentrate on one sport. So I went with hockey.

Angels for a Day

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 19:10:00 EST

“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Fowler. “Just to be a part of this for a day, to see the way they do things here, was a lot of fun for us.” By Adam Brady AnaheimDucks.com Off days on the road are rare for NHL players, and you could have hardly picked a better one for three Ducks on Sunday afternoon in Arizona. Cam Fowler, Nick Bonino and Viktor Fasth – along with Ducks coaches – made the 20-minute trek from their hotel in Glendale (where they played the Coyotes last night and will again Monday night) to Angels spring training camp in Tempe. They spent the morning with the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium as the team got ready for an afternoon game with the visiting Chicago Cubs. PHOTO GALLERY “It was an unbelievable experience,” said Fowler, who grew up a Tigers fan back home in Michigan and played second base for Pioneer High School. “Just to be a part of this for a day, to see the way they do things here, was a lot of fun for us.” The day started with the Ducks sitting in on the Angels’ morning meeting, a session that took on a lighter air thanks to manager Mike Scioscia. While giving the visitors an idea of the preparation the team goes through each day, he targeted the Ducks players (as well as some of his own) for a number of jokes and jabs. “Just to see how other sports and managers and coaches handle their group was a great experience for me,” said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau. “I found it not only entertaining, but enlightening. You come and see the complex and how organized everything is, everybody in different areas and knowing where they’re supposed to go, it’s pretty impressive. And the talent here is incredible too.” Fowler took on Bonino in a hitting contest judged by Scioscia and Fasth, with Fowler taking the victory in a close race. The three Ducks were challenged to show their baseball talent after the meeting. They were suited up in Angels gear – t-shirts, shorts and caps – and given a bat to take over to one of the facility’s auxiliary fields. They first spent a few minutes hitting tossed balls into the back of the batting cage, with Fasth clearly the least experienced of the three. The 30-year-old goaltender had never even attended a baseball game while growing up in his native Sweden, let along swung a bat. “We don’t have a lot of baseball over there,” Fasth said. “But this is fun. I’m just trying to do what I can.” Later Fowler took on Bonino in a hitting contest, with several Angels prospects looking on and rooting as the two Ducks took turns in several rounds of five-pitch sessions. Scioscia and Fasth (whom Scioscia continually called “Swede”) served as judges for the competition, giving points for hard-hit balls, with Fowler winning by a slight edge. “I was just trying to stay in there and stick to my own game,” said Fowler, who couldn’t wipe the smile off his face the entire afternoon. “’Bones’ came up with some clutch hits that kept him in it, but I was able to win it in the end.” Some fans think Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos and Cam Fowler look alike. You be the judge. Fowler’s prize? Buying lunch for the 70 players and coaches in camp “That’s what the winner gets, I guess,” Fowler said. “Maybe they’ll send me a bill. ‘Bones’ lucked out, I guess.” The trio was then taken over to a bullpen area, where they each stood in at the plate as perennial All-Star Jered Weaver hurled 90-mile-per-hour fastballs by them. “We just stood in front of him to see what it looks like,” Fowler said. “Nobody even dared try to hit it. That would make us look stupid.” They watched actual Angels batting practice on the Tempe Diablo field, then headed back to the clubhouses and getting more well-wishes from the Angels before heading out for the day. “This was pretty cool,” said Bonino, who tried to keep it quiet that he grew up a Red Sox fan. “Cam and I already said we’re wearing this back to the hotel lobby, gear and all. It’s really cool for them to bring us in and let them know what it’s like to be in their shoes a little bit. It’s really fun.” Added Fowler, "It was just cool seeing everybody and for them to allow us to come in there and see what it’s like for them. It’s always great for a professional athlete to see how the guys in another sport carry themselves day in and day out. We’re very thankful that they let us in and have some fun with them.”

Oscar Time with Bruce

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:05:00 EST

With the Oscars coming up this Sunday, there is no better Duck to talk to about the nominated movies than Bruce Boudreau. Bruce is a huge movie buff who, thanks in part to the lockout, says “I’ve probably seen every movie out.” (It’s not quite true, but it’s close.) So following an arduous Ducks practice yesterday afternoon, after he had spent 20 minutes with reporters talking [of course] Ducks hockey, I chatted with Bruce for a conversation about the other topic near to his heart. First off, are you even going to be able to see the Oscars? We have a game that night. Yeah, my wife is a little upset because we have the game and we’re bussing to LA afterward. She loves watching the Oscars, as do I, but for different reasons. She wants to see what everybody’s wearing. I just want to see who wins. I want to see if my movie won, because you’re right in there whether it’s your favorite movie or actor or actress, you want to see them win. Years ago, I used to like to see which song won, but I don’t pay much attention to that anymore. And I always remember, it was probably 1977 or something, Neil Diamond came out with Barbra Streisand and sang, “You Don’t Send Me Flowers” and the crowd went nuts. I thought that was pretty cool. Let’s talk about this year’s Best Picture nominees, starting with Argo. It was a good movie. The only thing I didn’t know about Argo, and subsequently found out, is that the ending isn’t really the ending. It’s more of a Hollywood ending. But I really liked the story, partly because a Canadian was so instrumental in it. But any of those true stories, that you don’t know the full story about, are often very interesting, and I thought Argo was very good. What about Lincoln? I saw it four times. No you didn’t. Seriously? Yeah. The first time I had to walk out because I had an important phone call. The second time I fell asleep. The third time I didn’t realize it was as long as it was, so I didn’t plan well and I had to leave early. I had a space of maybe two-and-a-half-hours and it was a three-hour movie. The fourth time I sat by myself and watched the whole thing. I love those history-related movies and I thought Lincoln was very good. I really enjoyed it. How about Daniel Day-Lewis in it? Well, he won with There Will Be Blood and I remember him in My Left Foot, so he’s a very good actor. I imagine he’s the front-runner. Have you seen any of the foreign films nominated? No, especially because I haven’t had a lot of time since the season started. I’ve maybe seen one or two on the road. If one of those foreign films make it in, then I’m done, because I have no idea what they’re talking about. Those artsy movies. There is one foreign film nominated called Amour. Yeah, didn’t see that. I don’t want to see it “any-mour.” How about Zero Dark Thirty? I thought it was very slow to start off with, but very good at the end. I was really anxious to see it, because the story itself was crazy. We don’t know what those people go through. That part was great to me, but I just thought it was very slow in getting all the characters into it. It was like watching a Marvel movie that hasn’t been shown yet because they have to get all the characters in sync. Silver Linings Playbook? I really liked it. It was different, wasn’t anything that I expected. I thought it was a really good movie. The ending really came together for me, but there were parts where I was going, “What is this?” Then all of a sudden it came together. When I leave the theater feeling good about the movie, then it’s worth it. Bradley Cooper was good. Yep, Bradley Cooper was good and … who was the girl? Jennifer Lawrence. Yeah, she was really good. She was good in Hunger Games, but this was a totally different side? You saw Hunger Games? Yeah, I did. I see everything. Did you see Django Unchained? Again, a really slow movie with some tremendous dialogue in there. But too phony for me. Like, he shoots 100 people in the house and never gets winged once. And I thought the way they made the blood spatter was a little much, but that’s Quentin Tarantino, so… Les Miserables? My wife wanted to see it. I saw so many movies around Christmas, and before every one they had this five-minute dissertation on Les Miserables that it made me not want to see it. I felt like I saw it 20 times already. Are you a musicals guy? Yes, love musicals. Beasts of the Southern Wild? Haven’t seen it, but I’m going to. Going down the list here … Life of Pi? Didn’t want to see it. It looked interesting, but I’m not really into fantasy. So what’s the favorite? I want Argo to win. That was probably the most entertaining one that I’ve seen in the past year, and I’ve always like Ben Affleck’s stuff. We’re going with Argo.

"Reverend" Lovejoy

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:50:00 EST

When the Ducks traded a fifth-round pick for former Pittsburgh defenseman Ben Lovejoy on Wednesday night, they not only got a solid defenseman, but a guy with a likeable personality to go with his colorful name. And since there's obviously no better way to gauge someone's character than by scanning their Twitter feed, I did that with Lovejoy's and asked him a few questions about it. The first thing you see is that his Twitter account name is @RevLovejoy6, a nod to the character "Reverend Lovejoy" on the Simpsons that is the genesis of Ben's nickname, "Rev." He even has a picture of the reverend as his profile photo. The rest of the account name is the number Lovejoy wore in Pittsburgh, which he has secured with Anaheim. Here are some of the sample tweets I asked him to explain: My Mom goes into UMASS Hall of Fame today. Wish I could be there & wish I had her scoring touch. umassathletics.com/sports/w-lacro… — ben lovejoy (@RevLovejoy6) January 26, 2013 "My mom went into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame last month. She was a two-time All-American and still holds all sorts of schools records and NCAA records for scoring. I played at Dartmouth, but unfortunately, while I got some of her athletic skills, I did not get her goal-scoring touch." OMG totes going to see @justinbieber with my besties 2nite. — ben lovejoy (@RevLovejoy6) November 20, 2012 [Laughs.] "Sidney Crosby has a box at Consol (Energy Center) for every event. He gives all the hockey games away to charity. He’s very generous to the guys on the team if we want to go to concerts. During the lockout, there were 10 or 12 of skating in Pittsburgh to stay in shape. We all, with our significant others, went to the Justin Bieber concert. It’s something I’m glad I went to, but I will not be a regular or go to too many more Justin Bieber concerts. It was a cool experience, and I don’t usually tweet like that. It was just kind of spur of the moment. While I was there, I figured I’d throw out something funny like that. People appreciated it. "It was crazy. We were up in the balcony in the box, and the floor was shaking. We’ve played some big hockey in that place, but from 4-year-old girls to 80-year-old women were absolutely screaming for Justin Bieber. It was a show. He’s obviously a talented entertainer and it was cool to see." Great to be in Hanover for @dartmouth_mih game last night. 1st time I've seen @nicklovejoy play in six years. Brown tonight, Go Big Green! — ben lovejoy (@RevLovejoy6) November 3, 2012 Vote for Matt Lovejoy @mlove40 lacrosse.com/sections/mllpo… twitter.com/RevLovejoy6/st… — ben lovejoy (@RevLovejoy6) July 24, 2012 "I’m the oldest of three boys. I have a hockey-playing brother who is a junior at Dartmouth and I have a lacrosse-playing brother who just graduated from the University of Virginia and was a rookie this year in Major League Lacrosse. He had a great year. He’s a very good lacrosse player" I'm giving up on Breaking Bad.12 episodes in and i'm bored. — ben lovejoy (@RevLovejoy6) September 4, 2012 "I thought the first two seasons were very slow, but I did stick it out and, like everyone else, I’m very into it" 2nd wedding anniversary. Think my wife is still happy she couldn't resist my frat basement wheels 7+ years ago? twitter.com/RevLovejoy6/st… — ben lovejoy (@RevLovejoy6) July 17, 2012 "We started dating at Dartmouth, and I was in a fraternity. There are no bars or clubs in Hanover, New Hampshire. The main social scene is fraternity house basements. I was joking with her that that’s where she fell in love with me"

Giving "Face Off" a Whole New Meaning

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:50:00 EST

We had an Instagram contest during Wednesday night's Ducks Face-Off Fest for season ticket holders in which we encouraged attendees to send in pictures from the event with the hashtag #DucksFOF. A fan known as tigerlilycoconut on Instagram took top honors, solely for her idea to (apparently) ask several Ducks to make their weirdest face before she snapped a shot. Some are better than others (in other words: well done, Jonas Hiller; what the heck, Nick Bonino?). Here is her collection:

Etem Alive

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:03:00 EST

When Emerson Etem made his NHL debut Tuesday night in San Jose, it was more than just a seminal moment in the 20-year-old’s life. Etem, a native of Long Beach, became just the 13th player in NHL history born and trained in Southern California to appear in an NHL game. (Nine of those 13, incidentally, have come since 2005-06. Even before that debut, Ducks fans have been intrigued by Etem (partly because of his SoCal roots) since he was nabbed 29th overall by Anaheim in during the 2010 NHL Draft in Los Angeles. (I remember being in Staples Center that night and high-fiving a co-worker next to me as soon as Ducks GM Bob Murray announced the pick with the words, “From Long Beach, California…”) We already know a lot about Etem, but here’s a little more, courtesy of a chat I had with him following practice Wednesday afternoon, and just before he’d sign hundreds of autographs for season ticket holders at the annual Face-Off Fest event. First off, who’s your Super Bowl pick? I’m gonna go with the Ravens. I’m a Raiders fan, so I can’t cheer for a team right across the Bay. How did you grow up a Raiders fan? When they were in LA when I was a kid, I rooted for them. I know they haven’t been here for awhile, but I still root for them. Last movie you saw? Gangster Squad. Fantastic. Great acting. What’s your pick for the Oscars? I saw Zero Dark Thirty, which I assume is up for Best Picture. It was alright, kind of slow. What else is up for it? Mmm, Lincoln? Oh yeah, I saw that. That was good. I’ll pick that. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be? Is Barack Obama a celebrity? Definitely. Tell me why. Well, he’s the president. He’s the leader of the world, so I could learn a lot from him. So you’re going to have to win a Cup in the next four years. That’s one way to meet him. Yeah, I guess so. I’ll take that for sure. Your celebrity crush. Not Barack Obama, right? [Laughs] No, no. Charlize Theron. What music do you listen to? Lots of reggae. Rebelution, SOJA, Iration. [Note: I had to Google the spelling of all three of those.] Have you always listened to reggae? Yeah, for sure. I started out with Sublime, since they’re from Long Beach. I was into ska and reggae from the start. What’s something on your iPod that you’re embarrassed about? I’m not a huge fan of country, and somehow I have that Chicken Fried song on there from way back. You gave in and downloaded that one? Yeah. [Laughs.] Now that you bring it up, I’ve got to get that one off there. What’s a TV show you can’t live without? I’m watching Workaholics right now. That’s my go-to right now. That’s really funny. They just started a new season. Favorite restaurants? Nick’s Burritos in Seal Beach, for sure. Mexican food is my favorite, so SuperMex, Taco Surf, places like that are my favorite. Anything fancier than that? Uh, not really. That’s probably as fancy as it gets for me. What’s something you refuse to eat? I eat pretty much … actually, brussel sprouts I hate. What’s your go-to karaoke song? I’m terrible with lyrics, so… Well, they’re written out for you on the TV screen. Yeah, I know, but even still. [Laughs.] Actually, Smith-Pelly knows I struggle with lyrics too, so there’s this rapper named Chief Keef [again, I had to Google], and he put the lyrics on the screen for me in the hotel room the other day, and even as the song was going, I was reading the lyrics and still messing up. I’m terrible. What superstitions do you have before a game? I put all my equipment on from left to right. So, left skate before my right, shin pad, so on and so forth. What’s the best thing about being a pro athlete so far? It’s early on, but the treatment is good. Everyone is so nice and respectful. Everyone likes to have fun, and everyone likes to win. The travel is a lot easier. I’d much rather take the plane than ride the bus. Did you have long bus rides in juniors? Yeah, one was 33 hours, from Medicine Hat [in southeast Alberta] to Portland [Oregon]. That was a long one. We broke it up on the way there, but on the way back it was straight through. That was a rough one.

It's Opening Niiiiiiight

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:08:00 EST

As Ducks fans, we’ve been waiting nine months (a whole pregnancy) for this night, the home opener at Honda Center. The opponent – a Canucks team whose own home opener Anaheim spoiled last Saturday – hardly matters, just that hockey is back in this building. Incidentally, the Ducks are the last team in the NHL this year to have their home opener, and we’re pumped beyond belief – we know that. But how pumped are the players? They’re professionals, many of whom have played in their share of home openers. Heck, Teemu Selanne himself has played in 19 of them. How much do they get energized from the thunder of a sold-out crowd, the hoopla surrounding a night like this? The answer? Plenty. And not surprisingly, Teemu gave the best take on it all. “When the crowd is loud for something like this, that’s where the final energy comes from. I don’t think the fans even realize how big of an influence they can be for their own players. I remember when Michael Jordan did something unbelievable in a game a long time ago and somebody asked, ‘How did you do that?’ and he said something like, ‘I don’t know where that came from. I wasn’t prepared to do that. But the energy I got from the fans in the building made me do it.’ “He said there is no way you could see half of those great plays in the game if there are no fans creating that atmosphere and bringing that ‘pump’ into your body. It’s absolutely huge.” (As if you weren’t going to be loud enough tonight, that might push you even more.) Here’s a few more Ducks on a night like tonight: Devante Smith-Pelly: “Yeah, you can definitely tell when the crowd is into it. That always helps a little bit when they’re loud and cheering you on. You’ve just got to use that energy in a positive way. You can’t be running around trying to make a big hit or make a beautiful play to make the crowd loud. You’ve got to focus on playing your game, and the crowd will take care of itself. “But especially after a lockout, the fans sticking by us during the whole process, of course we’re excited to finally get the chance to play in front of them. Andrew Cogliano: “Any team would feed off of the crowd being into it and being loud. You just get more excited, you get more adrenaline. It creates an advantage. I’ve played in some pretty loud buildings, and this building when it’s going, it really loud and really good. Hopefully tonight is one of those nights. “It’s a different scenario with this season because people have been waiting for a long time. Obviously with people in Anaheim and this area, they love the team and we have a lot of fans. It’s exciting for them and exciting for us that we were able to go on the road and get a couple wins and feel good about ourselves, and now we’re able to come home and hopefully carry the momentum.” Peter Holland, who is making his season debut tonight: “Obviously when the crowd is into it and they’re cheering for you and they’re excited for hockey, it definitely gets you going. That being said, you kind of need to calm yourself down almost. You don’t want to get too high or too low. Bruce talked this week about trying not to get too distracted. I think he said 17 of the 29 teams who have had their home openers have actually lost. He attributed it to guys being distracted, getting tickets for friends and family members, getting caught up in the whole hurrah of it all.” Boudreau gave his team that 17-out-of-29 stat yesterday, and clearly Holland listened. I talked to Dan Winnik a little earlier in the week and he pointed out how in Vancouver’s home opener last Saturday, the Canucks came out a little too pumped up, and the Ducks pounced on their way to a 7-3 win. As Boudreau told me this morning, it’s an exciting night, but it’s his job to make sure the guys don’t get carried away with it. “I was a player for 17 years, so I know what it feels like. It’s exciting, but you want to try and keep everyone’s emotions on an even keel. They usually because they have so many things going on the day of the game, and we’re trying to eliminate that as much as we can, so they can focus. “That being said, I think anytime you play at home, you’re excited, so I’m absolutely pumped up.”

His Name is Luca

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:55:00 EST

As the first post on the new Ducks Off the Ice blog (see below), I could think of no one better to talk to than Luca Sbisa. The young Ducks defenseman has always been a talkative guy with a good sense of humor, and I figured he would eat up some questions that had nothing to do with hockey. I wasn’t wrong. I sat down with Luca after practice this afternoon at Honda Center, as he joined the other Ducks in signing hundreds of photos, pucks and other items for Ducks charity initiatives. He’s our conversation: AB: First off, who do you like to win the Super Bowl? LS: [Blows air out of his mouth] I don’t even know. I’ll use the Swiss excuse that I was in Europe for awhile, so I haven’t really caught up. I would say … actually, the Ravens. They’re still in it, right? Yep. Ravens or 49ers. That’s what’s gonna happen. Those are the two teams that are in it. Okay. That’s how much I know about it. Let’s go with the 49ers. Last movie you saw. Zero Dark Thirty. I thought it was good. It made it way better because it’s a true story. The last 30 or 40 minutes were good, even though I knew what would happen. What’s the best movie you saw this year? Lawless. It’s about the moonshining era. Shia Labeouf. Tom Hardy. I liked that one. Who’s your celebrity crush? There’s so many… [Thinks for awhile] … Adriana Lima. What celebrity would you most want to meet? Tiger Woods. Why Tiger? Because he’s a really good golfer. But I also want to ask him about a few things that went down [smiles]. What music are you listening to lately? Temper Trap is one of my favorite bands. Who? [Thinking he said “Temperature App,” which I assume is something you use on your phone to check the weather.] Temper Trap? They have that song Sweet Disposition? Oh yeah [Pretending I’ve heard that song before]. Yeah, I just like that alternative music, just hanging out at home. What’s something on your iPod that you’re embarrassed to admit to? I think I have a Britney Spears song on there. Kyle Palmieri, signing at the table next to him, cuts in: “The new one?” Yeah, probably that one. Me: Hit Me Baby (One More Time)? Yeah, probably. I don’t know who put that on there, but … I have some Britney Spears I’m not proud of. What TV show is your favorite? It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That’s a must-see. I gave up on that after a few seasons. Should I get back into it? You should. It gets better. Best show there is. Favorite restaurant in Orange County? Anaheim White House. Good food, good owner, they do good things in the community. Favorite websites? Uh, I just go on the same sites every day. TSN, NHL, anything sports. What was the best part about living back home in Switzerland the past few months? Just being able to see family and friends on a regular basis. I was playing two hours from my hometown, so I got to see my parents and buddies a lot. It was just good to be back home for a bit. Where were you living exactly? Lugano. Really nice, 20 minutes from Lake Como, 50 minutes from Milan. Pretty cool city, actually. Isn’t Lake Como where George Clooney has a house? [Without hesitating] Yeah, I hung out with him a couple times. A few espressos and stuff. Really??? No.

Teemu Bobblehead Video Outtakes

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:52:00 EST

You may have remembered me mentioning a few days ago that Teemu got a look at the bobblehead doll of his likeness that's part of the Ducks Die Hards membership kit, and insisted it didn't look like him. Here's some outtakes from the video they shot with him to promote the bobbleheads and the kit. (Please excuse my voice trying to convince him it looks enough like him.) Again, if you're in the bobblehead CLICK HERE and join the Die Hards today.

Ducks Blog is Changing

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:49:00 EST

Change, the wise people say, is good. And in sports especially, change is frequent. Teams change players, change coaches, change strategies, change lineups. Hockey teams change line combinations, change defensive pairings, even change goalie pads. So with that in mind, we’re making a change to what was once known as Ducks Blog, which has been on this website since the magical Ducks Stanley Cup run of 2007. We’re rebranding this space Ducks Off the Ice, and we think you’re going to like it. Having talked to a number of Ducks fans, what they all want is a closer look inside the players’ personalities. They can see what they do on the ice; they want to know what the Ducks are like as people. They want a look “behind-the-scenes.” And we’ll give you that through player chats, little tidbits from inside the locker room and the road, and whatever else comes to mind that gives you a closer look at the Ducks. You won’t see anything about penalty kills, defensive zone coverage or forechecks in this space. You’ll read about player likes/dislikes, what they watch and listen to, what goes on in their lives away from the rink. I’ll be more likely to ask Cam Fowler what he thinks will win the Oscar for Best Picture than what the key is to quarterbacking the power play. For the on-ice stuff, I will continue to write stories and features elsewhere on the site, and you can still can still follow my live game logs during every home game as well as my Twitter (@adamjbrady). So keep coming back to this space to see the latest about the Ducks away from the ice. And if you have any suggestions for good topics, fan input is always welcome. You can email me, communicate with me on Twitter or post a comment below. I hope you’ll be as excited about this as I am.

You Ready?

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:30:00 EST

Countdown to opening night

Bruce Welcomes Back the Fans

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:20:00 EST

He did this in one take, just so you know. Guy's a pro.

Teemu's Bobblehead

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST

The guys in charge of our ever-growing Ducks Die Hards booster club have created a membership kit that's better than ever, the highlight of which is a Teemu Selanne bobblehead doll. They brought the ball to Teemu today to take a look at, and to record a quick video promoting it. He took one look at it and said, "That doesn't look like me. It looks like Cam Fowler!" I tried to convince him that it did resemble him, but to no avail. He did relent a little bit and at least admit, "Well, the hair looks like me" and posed for this quick photo. If you're interested in the bobblehead (and why wouldn't you be?) go to AnaheimDucks.com/DieHards and join today. Not to sound like salesman guy here, but the whole kit is only $45 (the bobblehead itself might be worth that).

24/7, Ducks Prospects Style

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:17:00 EST

We all love the 24/7 shows on HBO, and probably wish they had a version with the Ducks. Well, this comes pretty close. Earlier this season, AT&T Uverse put together a show called American Hockey League, a behind-the-scenes look at the Norfolk Admirals. You can see some of the more popular Ducks prospects like Emerson Etem, Kyle Palmieri, Peter Holland and Brandon McMillan, both on the ice, around their apartments and ... elsewhere. For example, one highlight is a trip to the tanning salon with Holland, Mat Clark and rookie Hampus Lindholm, in which they make the pasty Swede get in the booth and convince the girl to turn it to a very dark shade. Watch it here: http://uverseonline.att.net/play/tv/show/u-verse-exclusive/p/video/dk___dk_exc_sp0101_jan13.mp4

Training Day

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:09:00 EST

I was walking down the concourse at Honda Center at the end of the first day of Ducks training camp, just a few steps in front of a family of obvious Ducks fans, when I heard it. "This," an eight-year-old kid said, "Was the best day ever." Frankly, I couldn't have agreed more. Considering what hockey fans have endured the past few months, and bearing in mind how quickly things had to come together after the final seal of approval on the CBA late yesterday, the fact that we had more than 2,500 people watching the first day of practice this afternoon was nothing short of inspiring. And as you'll read in this story on today, the Ducks took notice of the fan turnout. Meanwhile, we've got a few great photos to capture the day.

Right On, Schedule

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:31:00 EST

The moment that so many of us having been waiting for -- ever since we heard a new CBA deal was in place -- has finally arrived. And now we know so much more about how we're spending our next four months. The schedules for all 30 NHL teams, including our Ducks, were officially revealed today, and as expected it's a 48-game slate that unfurls on January 19 and features only opponents within the conference. Also as expected, the Ducks will open on the road, facing Vancouver a week from today (A FREAKIN' WEEK FROM TODAY!) and then Calgary two nights later. They open at home against those same Canucks on January 25 and then face one-time playoff rival Nashville back at Honda Center the very next night. The season ends a few weeks later than normal -- April 27 at home against Phoenix. And in between, is a pretty wild ride. Because it's a compact schedule (48 games in 99 days), there are definitely some quirks, including two instances in which the Ducks play the same team three games in a row (somewhat like a mini playoff series). The Ducks play at Phoenix on March 2, at Phoenix two days later (Angels spring training and Ducks hockey anyone?) and then home against Phoenix another two days after that. Anaheim is at Dallas April 1, home to Dallas on April 3 and home again to the Stars on the 5th. And if you like your Ducks-Red Wings games, you're going to love the weekend of March 22, when Anaheim faces Detroit that Friday and again on Sunday. That's part of a home stretch in which the Ducks play Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Monday at Honda Center (yikes). More scheduling quirks: Within the Pacific Division, the Ducks will play San Jose and Dallas five times each, but the Kings and Phoenix four times each. The always highly anticipated Kings games (even more so this year) come February 2 at Honda Center, Feb. 25 in LA, April 7 at home and April 13 at Staples Center. Of the 24 home dates, 13 will take place on weekends (six Fridays, three Saturdays and four Sundays). The Ducks face in 10 back-to-back sets of games and take a season-long six-game road trip from Feb. 6-16 that includes stops in Colorado (Feb. 6), Dallas (Feb. 8), St. Louis (Feb. 9), Chicago (Feb. 12), Detroit (Feb. 15) and Nashville (Feb. 16). Now, some business: Individual regular season tickets for all Ducks games at Honda Center will go on sale Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. As a special promotion for Opening Night vs. Vancouver on Jan. 25, fans that purchase an individual game ticket will receive a voucher good for 50% off a future game on the 2012-13 schedule at Honda Center (excludes Terrace Value price point). Fans can secure seats now by becoming a 2012-13 Anaheim Ducks Season Ticket Holder. Season Ticket prices have been lowered up to 35% from 2011-12 and start at $12 per game. For more information on Season, Premium and Mini Plan ticket packages for the 2012-13 season, call 1-877-WILD WING or visit AnaheimDucks.com.

Sight for Sore Eyes

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:53:00 EST

In seven years doing this job, I've looked out onto the Honda Center ice and seen Ducks skating out there hundreds of times. But I can't remember it being a more beautiful sight than it was this morning. The start of training camp is still a few days away, but as they have been doing for the last several months, Ducks players skated informally together to prep for the eventual start of the season. With the Collective Bargaining Agreement having been ratified yesterday, they were able to do it at Honda Center for the first time since last spring. And while no hockey player looks forward to practice, they all seemed thrilled to be out there. "It’s nice to be back," said Corey Perry while changing out of a red Ducks practice jersey. "It was an extended summer, that’s for sure. Everyone is excited to get back and get going again." "It feels like old times again," said Ryan Getzlaf. "It’s definitely nice to be back here and it’s an exciting time for us. Being away from here sucks." Getzlaf is one of those players who looked at the extended time off as bittersweet since it allowed him to spend time with his now two-year-old son and another baby born to him and wife Paige a couple of weeks ago. "It was nice to be around for that," he said, "but I’m ready to get back to work." Teemu Selanne had a similar sentiment: "There are kind of mixed feelings because I really enjoyed the time off. But the same hand, after awhile, it got old." (Ah, how I've missed "same hand" for the past few months.) "You're a hockey player and you want to play hockey," he continued. "You start missing the game more and more. The only way to handle it is to stay positive and optimistic and make sure when things start you’re ready. It was hard for everybody, but I’m so happy it’s over. Selanne was inevitably asked if this is his last season, and he said he's approaching it just like he has the last several. "It's my last season, right?" he laughed. "Of course it is. Like always." Selanne, who turned 42 last July, certainly can't complain about a 48-game season, but he says it changes the approach for all of the guys. "Every game is going to be like playoff hockey, and every point is going to be critical to making the playoffs," he said. "If you look in the past years, how exciting it is in the last few games of the season, it’s that same challenge again. There is no room for error. The schedule doesn’t let you get down for too many games in a row. You can’t afford to do that. "At the same time, a one-week training camp? I really like that." That training camp will likely start Sunday, with the Ducks playing their first game on the road on the 19th, though nothing is official as of yet (soon though). Either way, no team has long to get ready for game time. "Everyone is going to have that breaking-in period, because there is nothing that can compare to playing an actual game," Getzlaf said. "We’re going to do our best to be as ready as we can for that first game, and we’re looking forward to it. "We’ve been skating and everything for four or five months, but this is probably the longest that anyone’s gone without playing a game in a long time. That part will be an adjustment. It’s an exciting time for us. We’ve got a few new bodies and we’ve got some things we’re going to have to work through, but everybody looks good out there." Added Perry, "Everybody is really going to come together this year. It’s a good group of guys in here, a lot of different personalities that will really mesh well. There are some new faces with the old faces, but it’s going to be nice." Perry said that even the car ride from his home in Newport Beach to Honda Center was enjoyable after all this time. "Driving up here, getting back into the routine and skating with the guys, it reminds you of what you miss and why you play this game."

Game On

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:09:00 EST

Say what you want about Christmas, but right now I can't imagine anything better than what I woke up to yesterday morning. If you're like me, you opened your eyes, rolled over to pick up your smartphone and saw some form of this news: The NHL and the Players Association have tentatively agreed on a deal to end the lockout. We can't comment too much until a deal is ratified, and we won't go into the details of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but it's enough to say this: HOCKEY IS BACK Nothing is set in stone yet, but here is what we do know: - The season will start as either a 50-game schedule on January 15 or a 48-game schedule on January 19. It should be known that the Ducks won't open at home on the 19th because of a show at Honda Center that goes through the 20th. - The Ducks schedule, in addition to the schedules of the 29 other teams, is being mapped out as we speak and will be released in the coming days. Soon after that is released, tickets will go on sale for individual games, mini plans, etc. - We will also soon know more on when training camp will open. Keep an eye on this website and our social media outlets for any breaking news on that front. Bottom line, we're all happy to have Ducks hockey back, especially judging by this smattering of fan responses on social media to the news: http://storify.com/AnaheimDucks/ducks-fans-rejoice-upon-hearing-of-cba-agreement

Johnny B. Good

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:34:00 EST

In case you've missed it, there's been some captivating hockey going on the past couple of weeks, also known as the World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia. It's compelling to hockey fans, but especially to Ducks fans now that three Anaheim prospects (all drafted in 2011) have made it to Saturday's gold medal game. Defending champion Team Sweden, which earned a berth into the final with a 3-2 shootout win over Russia today, has a forward corps that includes right wing Rickard Rakell (taken by the Ducks 30th overall in '11) and center William Karlsson (53rd). Rakell leads Sweden and ranks tied for fifth in the tournament with five assists, while Karlsson has two helpers in five games. Hampus Lindholm, taken in the first round by the Ducks in 2012 and playing well at Norfolk this year, has missed the tournament with an injury. But one of the biggest starts of the tournament is Team USA goalie John Gibson, who (39th overall pick in '11), who helped the Americans to the gold medal game with 33 saves in a 5-1 win over Canada in today's semis. Gibson leads the tournament in goals-against average and save percentage, and is tied for first in wins (4-2, 1.42 GAA & .954 SV%). If you don't already know about Gibson, he's a big boy (6-3, 212 pounds) who has shined the last couple of seasons with Kitchener of the OHL. He put in some time at Ducks training camp last year, and Ducks fans last saw him at last summer's conditioning camp.

Picture Time with Brandon McMillan

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:29:00 EST

Ducks fans certainly know Brandon McMillan -- the young winger currently playing for Anaheim's AHL affiliate in Norfolk -- but they're never known him this well. Brandon's father Rick, who lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, recently sent in some childhood photos of his son to the PR guys in Norfolk because he thought they'd get a kick out of them. They forwarded them on to us, and we thought it would be fun to get both Brandon and his dad to reflect on them: Brandon: I don’t really remember this one, but that’s probably something for Christmas or something where they wanted to get a nice little picture of me. My grandma has a picture of me from every grade, and she probably did my hair and put a little bowtie on me for that one. I definitely don’t have that outfit anymore, but maybe I should upgrade my wardrobe and see if I can get one. Rick: I think he was three years old or so there. Usually his mom or grandma dressed him up like that and did something funny with his hair. You can see how he dresses now with Troy Bodie in this photo from the Admirals Christmas party. That's kind of a good then and now [laughs]. Brandon: I spent a lot of time with my grandma when I was little, and she used to do this little cowlick with my hair. Obviously I don’t look very pleased at the moment. That’s definitely not a hairstyle I’ll be trying to bring back. Rick: I think that was his first haircut. He wasn’t one for sitting in the chair for any great length of time, but we managed to settle him in for a bit, and grandma asked them to whip something up on top there. Brandon: That was a Meet the Canucks day, one of the highlights of my life when I was younger. I think I was 8 or 10 there and I lived in a little town called Tsawwassen, about 30 minutes from Vancouver. You got the opportunity to meet all the players. Todd Bertuzzi was my favorite player when I was growing up, so getting the chance to meet him was huge. And then obviously playing against him last year and the year before was a pretty cool experience as well. Rick: Bertuzzi must have been in his early 20s there and Brandon would have been around 8. I was at the game last year in Detroit, sometime in November, when Brandon played with the Ducks against Bertuzzi. A co-worker and I went down to Windsor and took the bus over to see the game, and it blew me away to see Brandon playing against him. Brandon: This one with Mark Messier was the same day. It was pretty cool meeting a legend like him, and I got to meet him later in life when his son tried out for the Kelowna Rockets, where I was playing at the time. He’s just a classy guy and one of the best hockey players to ever play. Brandon: That was a plaque for Athlete of the Year for my school in Grade 7. I’m there with my mom, dad and sister. I played basketball and ran track back then, along with hockey. I don’t know where that Afro came from, but that was my style back in the day. I liked the long curly hair coming out of the back of the helmet, so I’m looking to bring that back maybe. Rick: He liked to have a lot of hair when he was a kid, and that was pretty much a fro. Brandon: That’s probably one of the first days of one of my first years playing hockey. That was outside our house and I was heading out to morning practice. Back then you had to get ready at home and ride to the rink in all your gear. Those are classic Canucks jerseys. Those were the Canucks jerseys back then, and they wore those when they made it to the Stanley Cup Final in ‘94. Rick: Brandon would always be well-dressed before we even got out of the house. He’s got everything tied on there. I think he was five years old and we were taking him to a little tykes program down there in Delta. Brandon: That’s my sister Melissa and me. We’re either camping or we’re at a fireworks show in Vancouver. That’s definitely a cute little picture of us. I got along with her when we were younger, but now she’s in her teenage years and gets a little bit on my nerves. Rick: That’s down in English Bay. We used to go down there in the summer and take in the fireworks. You know how it is with brother-sister love. It takes awhile to get past who gets the most attention from mom and dad. Brandon: This was in Vancouver at the old Coliseum where the Canucks used to play. My mom surprised me and took me to an event where they had all of the Hall of Fame pieces, including the Cup. I remember we actually got lost in downtown Vancouver trying to find the Coliseum, and my mom was a little bit nervous, but we got there eventually. It was a pretty cool experience. Brandon: I’ve never seen this picture before, but the sweatshirt comes from my dad’s side of the family. They’re all from Cold Lake, Alberta, north of Edmonton. That must have been my dad’s old hockey gear because that helmet is made of foam and the gloves are pretty old. Those are definitely some antiques. Rick: That’s my old equipment from when I played in Alberta. You can see it’s a pretty wicked helmet, and I wore that when I was a kid. The gloves are from when I was a teenager. Aren’t those cool? Original leather, but a little too big for Brandon at that time. Brandon: I think I was 14 or 15, and it’s a little spring hockey team we put together, and we won the tournament. There are a few AHL players in there. Right to my right is Tyler Johnson, who played in Norfolk last year and is now at Syracuse. Martin Jones, the goalie on the left, plays in Manchester. Patrick Wiercioch is right above Martin Jones and he plays in Binghamton. Right to the right of him is Landon Ferraro, who plays in Grand Rapids. Probably more than half of those guys still play hockey and a few of them play pro. Ray Ferraro, who played in the NHL for a lot of years and is now a TSN announcer, is on the far right. He was a coach on that team. It was a pretty good team. The coaches were making fun of me because I hadn’t won anything before, so they let me hold the trophy.

A Special Moment on the Honda Center Ice

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:14:00 EST

We had a pretty cool moment at Honda Center this evening, as Ducks season ticket holder Angel Castro of Santa Ana got engaged to his girlfriend Melissa at center ice. Tonight is a holiday skating event for Ducks season ticket holders and mini plan holders, and Angel arranged the moment with his ticketing rep, Daniel Alvarez. He convinced Angel that they won a contest that included a signed Ryan Getzlaf skit and the opportunity to skate on the ice before the event started. After hitting the ice with three of their cousins and posing for pictures with the stick, Angel slowly got on one knee and whispered his proposal. She said yes. Here are a few photos.

Blast from the Past

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:56:00 EST

A couple of us here in the office were reminiscing about the '09 playoffs, when the Ducks knocked off the top-ranked Sharks and went seven games in a grueling series with Detroit (the eventual champ). We remembered where we were and how much is broke our hearts when Dan Cleary scored the series-clinching goal for Detroit with little time remaining in Game 7. It all prompted me to go back and look up my blog post from that day. Here's a portion: After it was all over, Detroit coach Mike Babcock called it “the best series I’ve been in since I’ve been in the league. For sure, the hardest series, most even, the least room.” Later, he added, “What made this series so hard, what people don’t understand, is the people that have won know what it takes to win and they don’t give in." And that's exactly what you can say about the Anaheim Ducks the past two months, a thrill ride that has us all in disbelief that it's come to a seemingly sudden end. I watched the game last night in a Newport Beach sports bar with about 30 fellow staffers, and there was a mix of reactions when that final horn sounded on the season. Some gazed at the TVs in disbelief. Some stared at their feet. A couple of the girls even cried. All of us felt sick to our stomachs. "Well," a friend of mine said, "at least we didn't go down like [expletive]s." (And by the way, he and several of his fellow Ducks ticket sales guys shaved their playoff beards into mustaches and took this photo today.) It's pretty ironic that we're heartbroken the Ducks didn't make the conference finals, when not too long ago we didn't even think we'd be here at all. But this team teased us by never quitting. They teased us by charging into the playoffs, knocking off the top seed and fighting to the finish in a Game 7 against what is probably the best team in the league. To come that far and to come that close only made the elimination that much more heartbreaking. But, you know what? We wouldn't want it any other way. Sure the ending was harsh, but my what a great ride. “When you’re that close, when you’re tied with a few minutes left, it’s a tough way to lose," Niedermayer said. "There are no easy ways to lose, I guess. It’s pretty disappointing, and you always think you can do more, but you look around the room, how some of these guys battled. There are a lot of guys who worked extremely hard. So I’m proud of a lot of guys, for sure.” I think we all are.

Making One School More Beautiful

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:20:00 EST

Yesterday, on a day typically reserved for pounding on keyboards, taking meetings and exchanging emails, the Ducks staff did something much cooler -- we made a school more beautiful. Dozens of staffers, along with Ducks coaches, a broadcaster, a certain future Hall-of-Famer and several fans, were among the 150 volunteers to take to Mattie Lou Maxwell Elementary School in Anaheim as part of the Anaheim Ducks Power PLAY! campus makeover project. It was Veteran’s Day, so the students had the day off, but the school’s teachers and staff also took part in the project, which involved the beautification of several aspects of the campus. Throughout the day, you could walk around the grounds (as I did) and constantly remark to yourself, “Wow, this is really cool.” At one corner of the campus, a street hockey rink was being installed with the help of Ducks TV color analyst Brian Hayward. At another, raised garden beds and picnic tables were being put together -- which was the area I was assigned to. (I’ve never spent so much time with a power drill in my life.) On several of the buildings and handball courts, murals were being meticulously colored in. And all around the campus, trees were being planted, and among those getting his hands dirty while clad in the event's orange t-shirt was one Scott Niedermayer. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau and his family lent a hand as well, with Boudreau walking around and joking with the volunteers, brushing some paint on his t-shirt and face because he joked that it made him look busier. "It's pretty eye-opening to see how many people are out here working away and changing this school," Niedermayer told a local reporter. "I think when the kids get here tomorrow morning, they're going to be in for a pretty big surprise." Indeed, all of this will be unveiled to the kids today in a special ceremony. The day will double as one of the Ducks' Reading is the Goal days in which staffers (including myself) read to kids in their classrooms, followed by street hockey and an assembly. Mattie Lou Maxwell was chosen for this project from among more than 300 area schools as one of the first schools in the Ducks S.C.O.R.E. program (www.ducksscore.com), which was developed in 2005 with the goal of making a positive impact with youth in local schools and hockey communities throughout Southern California. The kids at Maxwell will hopefully feel that impact, one that was certainly made on all of us who got to be part of that project. To me, that was most evident at the end of the day, when all of the work was finished. A good part of the staff stood with each other in our orange t-shirts, laughing and sharing old stories for another hour or so. We were surrounded by these beautiful murals, fresh planted trees and gardens and I kept thinking to myself: It isn't that we have to be here. It's just that we want to be. Frankly, I can't wait to be back there again today when the kids see it all.

Episode 2 of Bruce Uncensored ... Kind Of

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:12:00 EST

In the second episode of our new web series -- Bruce Boudreau Uncensored ... Kind Of -- the Ducks head coach touches on more topics, including his first hockey memories and the experience of being on HBO's 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: The Road to the Winter Classic back when he was Washington's coach in 2010. While he talks about how thorough HBO was covering him and his team, what fans remember most from that series is how many expletives Boudreau used in an intermission locker room talk to his team during the first episode. "It's funny. First of all, they aired it on a Wednesday or a Thursday night, and I knew they were airing it that day. I asked our PR guy if I cursed in the first episode. He looked at me and rolled his eyes and he said, 'Yes. You used the one certain word 17 times in 41 seconds,' which I don't even remember doing. I remember doing it every other time because I was [conscious] that the camera was rolling. "The next day, once my mom watched it, I got a pretty good tongue-lashing from her. She told me not to use those kinds of words on TV anymore because she wouldn't be able to go out in public anymore. So, I got chastised by my mother for swearing." The rest of episode 2 is below, and in case you missed it, here's episode 1. Look for the next segment soon, and if you'd like to submit .

Bruce Uncensored ... Kind Of

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:04:00 EDT

In the first episode of our new web series -- Bruce Boudreau Uncensored ... Kind Of -- the Ducks head coach touches on a number of topics focusing both on and off the ice. Included in the discussion are players currently at AHL Norfolk he's excited about, the proudest moment of his hockey career and the his most embarrassing moment as a coach. Here's a snippet: "We were playing on the day after Christmas when I was coaching in Hershey, and we had to go to Bridgeport. What we would do was, we would get in our sweatsuit [for the bus ride] and it was a four-hour drive to Bridgeport. And when you get to the game, you put your suit on. It just so happened that day, when I was changing for the game, I’ve got my shirt and my jacket and everything else – I forgot my pants. "After the laughter from [assistant coach] Bob Woods and our GM subsided, it was, “I’ve got no pants. What are we going to do?” So, we decided, Okay, me and Bob would wear sweatsuits on the bench that day. At the last moment, our radio guy was named John Walton, and he was wearing pants. So on the bus, I said, 'Come on. Let’s switch.' And he says, 'You’re never going to get into them. They’re a 32 waist.' But I did. “Believe it or not, they were tight. They were so tight, I never moved one inch from behind the bench. If the puck had been shot at me, I was done. I couldn’t move. I could barely breath. Bob was doing line changes, and I was just holding my breath the whole game. We had quite a laugh about that afterward, because we won the game. Off the top of my head, that’s about as embarrassing as I could get.” Here's the rest of episode 1. Look for more segments down the road.

Our Game

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:10:00 EDT

A longtime colleague is leaving the hockey industry for another opportunity, and this morning wrote a farewell email to everyone he worked with that included this: All I can say is thank you so much for giving me a little slice of my life that I’ll never ever forget. Through the insanity of every workday and the hours a person in your positions need to be put in to help your clubs be successful -- Never, ever forget that you work for -- hands-down -- the greatest game in the entire world. I defy anyone to watch another sport and say their players are as rugged & dedicated as they are gentlemen and approachable off the ice. These days, especially, those are words to live by.

A Mighty Anniversary

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:59:00 EDT

Chances are you didn't realize this, but today is the 20th anniversary of the opening of a Disney movie called The Mighty Ducks, which was released to audiences on October 2, 1992. Chances are you DO know this, that the Disney movie -- starring Emilio Estevez as "a self-centered lawyer sentenced to community service coaching a rag tag youth hockey team" -- spawned two sequels and of course led to the creation of the Disney-owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The movie got middling reviews and grossed just $50 million at the box office, it still resonates today (although, I have to admit, I never saw the movie myself). Although the team was purchased from the Walt Disney Co. by Henry and Susan Samueli in 2007, the spirit of the old Mighty Ducks still lives on to this day. That iconic logo is still displayed on the Ducks' popular third jersey, and the memories of that movie, and its effect on fans' love for the Ducks and hockey, still lives on to this day. On the Ducks Facebook page, we asked fans to share what that movie meant to them, and here are some of the best responses:

Blasts from the Past

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:33:00 EDT

David McNab, the Ducks Assistant General Manager and a Ducks exec since the team was founded in 1993, has treated some of the staff lately by bringing in some archives from his late father Max's NHL career. A few days ago, he brought in the Detroit Red Wings jersey (they were of course called "sweaters" back then) that Max wore during the 1950 Stanley Cup Final. Here's David posing with the sweater. This morning, McNab showed off a couple more beauties. This is the replica of the top of the Stanley Cup that each player was awarded back in those days (teams didn't start giving rings until the late '50s). It may be hard to see, but this side of the cup says DETROIT HOCKEY CLUB, INC. and below is reads MAXWELL MCNAB. The other side: NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE, followed by STANLEY CUP WINNERS 1948-50. Meanwhile, this very chalice was awarded to each player on the team with the best regular season record (what is now the Presidents' Cup). Very cool for David to bring this in and give us all an up-close look at some hockey history.

When Contact Us Makes Your Day

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:31:00 EDT

See, sometimes the Contact Us emails can just warm your heart, like this one we got this morning: Hi. I'm Chandler. I'm 13 years old and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I don't have any idea why I love the Ducks but I have since I was 6 years old. I have traveled down and watched a game and I saw one in L.A. too. I am a huge Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan fan. All I want to say is thank you. Thank you for being examples to me to try hard and do my best in life. Not just in hockey but in school and other things as well. Thank You!

A Somber Anniversary

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EDT

It was one year ago today that a plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team of the Kontinental Hockey League crashed in Russia as it was taking off for the season-opening game in Minsk. Forty-four people died in the crash, including former Ducks defenseman Ruslan Salei, whose life was honored with this incredible sand animation tribute prior to the inaugural Ruslan Salei Memorial Tournament in Minsk. Here is the blog post I wrote that tragic day: Ruslan Salei 1974-2011 The horrific news hit most of us as we woke up this morning: A charter plane carrying members of the Kontinental Hockey League club Lokomotiv crashed shortly after takeoff near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia. Among the at least 43 people who died in the crash were several former NHLers, including coach Brad McCrimmon, Pavol Demitra, Karlis Skrastins, Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek, Jan Marek and Alexander Vasyunov. For Ducks fans, the crash hit even closer to home as it was later determined that former defenseman Ruslan Salei was among the victims. Salei was 36 years old and left behind a wife, Bethann, and three kids. Salei, known by many as “Rusty,” was an icon in Ducks (or rather Mighty Ducks) history, having been drafted ninth overall by the organization in 1996 and playing the next 10 years in Anaheim. He still ranks fourth in team history (and first among defensemen) in games played with 594, trailing only Teemu Selanne , Steve Rucchin and Paul Kariya. Known more as a shutdown defenseman than a goal-scorer, Salei still scored one of the biggest goals in Ducks history, an overtime game-winner in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against New Jersey on May 31, 2003. It was a goal that put Anaheim back in a series they had trailed 2-games-to-none, and Salei and the rest of the Mighty Ducks ultimately fell in seven games. Here’s video of that memorable goal: Unlike some of the players on that team, Salei didn’t get the chance to relive the glory of the Stanley Cup Final, as he left Anaheim as a free agent for Florida following a 2005-06 campaign in which he helped the Ducks make an improbable run to the conference final. Salei scored three goals in that postseason and on the defensive end was a major reason Anaheim upset Calgary and swept Colorado that year before losing to Edmonton in five games. Salei spent close to two seasons with the Panthers before being traded to Colorado at the trade deadline in 2008. He spent two more seasons with the Avs, and last season reunited with former Mighty Ducks coach Mike Babcock in Detroit, where he had two goals and eight assists in 75 games. After playing 917 NHL games in 14 seasons, plus 62 postseason games, he signed with Lokomotiv in July. All the while, Salei's family kept a house in Orange County, a place the Russian-born Salei felt at home after a near-decade in Anaheim. Ducks fans’ appreciation of Salei’s time here was never more evident than the first time he came back to Anaheim (with Colorado). After a video tribute to Salei during a timeout in that game, Ducks fans gave him a standing ovation as he acknowledged them from the bench. (Some fans have built a makeshift shrine around the Duck statue outside of Honda Center this afternoon.) More important than the key goals, rocketed slapshots (he’s still seventh in franchise history in shots on goal) or jarring body checks, Salei was remembered for something more significant – as a great teammate. Teemu Selanne played with Salei during the 2005-06 season, as well as during Teemu’s first stint in Anaheim, from 1996 through 2001. Selanne was noticeably emotional when talking about Salei following an informal skate at The Rinks – Anaheim ICE. “He was a really good friend of mine and we always kept in touch,” Selanne said, struggling to find the words. “We played cards together a lot and had a lot of dinners together. I was so sad to hear about this and I still can’t believe it. When I heard the team went down in a plane crash, I was hoping he was hurt or something and wasn’t on the plane. What a sad, sad story. This is a dark day for everyone. He was such a great guy, a real team guy, always chirping. The kind of guy you really want in your dressing room. He played hard and he … just an overall great guy. Teemu said he heard the news from his wife when he woke up this morning. “She told me there was a plane down in Russia and a hockey team was on it. I was almost scared to go on the internet and see which team it was, because I knew there was going to be a lot of people I knew very well. I played with [Karlis] Skrastins and I knew [Pavol] Demitra very well. I don’t even have all the names yet, but those are the ones I heard right away. It’s so sad.” Todd Marchant, who was a teammate of Salei’s on that 2005-06 team, also spoke about his memories of Rusty. “He was great He was the type of guy that when he came into the room, he could lighten it up with a joke or just the way he talked. His personality was infectious. He just had this way about him. He didn't back down from anybody. He was always a guy who would stand up and hold people accountable. He was in charge of the card games on the planes. He was a great teammate and certainly a great friend. It's just a tragedy that his life had to end so soon. “My nickname on the team was ‘T-Bone’ and he used to call me ‘Ribeye.' For whatever reason, he always called me ‘Ribeye.’ We got along great. We would always go out to dinner. He always was the type of guy who wanted to be around the team and his teammates. He and I actually kept in contact periodically after he left the team when he was in Florida, Colorado and last year in Detroit. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to his family, his wife and his three children.” Francois Beauchemin, who was a fellow blueliner with Salei in 2005-06: “He was a great guy and we had a lot of fun together. I remember plane rides after games, playing cards, having fun and hanging out. It’s so sad. I heard it this morning after I got up. You turn the computer on and it’s the first thing you see. You think of his wife and their three kids. It’s just a sad day. "Rusty would joke around, be sarcastic. Everybody loved him and it’s a sad moment for everybody.” I had a few interactions with Rusty that season, but the one that stands out is the time he jokingly complained that the kids in his neighborhood were always knocking on his door, yelling, "Hey, Salei!" and asking him to play street hockey with them. He, of course, always obliged, conjuring an image that always made me laugh -- a 6-foot, 220-pound NHL defenseman knocking the puck around in the street with a bunch of 10-year-olds. Salei was just one of the many who died in the crash, the latest tragedy in what has been a dreadful summer for the game of hockey, one in which we’ve already seen the shocking deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak. Now this, the tragedy of losing an entire team to a plane crash, leaves us at a loss for words. Said Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, "This is the darkest day in the history of our sport. This is not only a Russian tragedy, the Lokomotiv roster included players and coaches from 10 nations. This is a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community." Everyone on that flight will be remembered, but for the Ducks community, the loss of a longtime favorite is overwhelming. “He was too young to go. They all were,” Selanne said. "He was a father of three kids and … it’s just so sad.”

Another Killer Mask for Hiller

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:01:00 EDT

Jonas Hiller, who has sported an assortment of intriguing masks during his tenure with the Ducks, has struck again with a new one for this upcoming season. The Goalie Guild website has revealed the new mask, designed again by the Switzerland-based company Airxess. Writes The Goalie Guild: When it comes to the authentic artwork created by Switzerland’s Airxess for Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller, there’s no denying that their ideas, designs, and themes are as fresh as they come. Creating a new identity for one of the world’s finest puck-stoppers may seem like a tedious task, but when you pair him up with one of the most creative mask artists in the world, ideas flow continuously. Since 2008, thanks to our great friendship with Airxess owner Alec Voggel, we’ve been so very fortunate to witness and promote this continuous flow of Hiller’s new ideas and identities. From the early days with his first Tornado masks, to last season’s ultra-popular “Murdered-Out” black matted and special “Movember” masks, Hiller and Airxess never fail to prove that they’re one step ahead of the goalie mask design curve. According to Voggel: “Hiller wanted to represent the Honda Center and the California surfer’s lifestyle, and on the back, his Poseidon has returned! It wasn’t on his last mask, but now it is coming out from his number-one on the backplate in a very detailed way,” Alec explained. “Of course, the black is flat for all of the fans who wanted to see Hiller wearing a flat black mask again!” Here are a few looks at the new mask, and the rest can be found here: http://www.padstracker.com/2012/09/05/airxess-hiller-strike-again/

Bruce Looks Ahead

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:24:00 EDT

Bruce Boudreau talked a bit this week with FoxSportsWest.com's Jon Rosen on a number of topics regarding the upcoming season. Rosen pointed out that Boudreau's teams have averaged 106.7 points per 82 games the last five seasons, a pace bested by only San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan (107.8) and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma (107.4) among current NHL coaches. A few snippets from Boudreau: On the battles at the forward positions in training camp "I did get the sense that there's going to be a lot of people pushing for jobs. You throw in [Kyle] Palmieri and Peter Holland into that mix, and even guys like Patrick Maroon . . . those guys all had really good years. [Brandon] McMillan in Syracuse. There are guys that are going to be pushing other guys for a job. Competition makes players play better. I think with our depth and the minor leagues from last year, I think it'll be a real bonus, and it'll show well in camp this year. I was just putting down lines for camp, and we're pretty deep on all the training camp teams. "I think that's what you want through the organization, leadership, that the young guys coming up are going to be seeing that the other guys not only got a chance to play, or we gave them a chance to play, but that they're pushing to stay here. That they'll know that there's opportunities for them. When you give them the carrot, usually they respond to that pretty well." On the defense "We're bigger and stronger back there, and Toni Lydman should be healthy this year. He wasn't healthy at all last year. So I think that's a big plus. And Cam Fowler is another year older and another year with experience under his belt. I just think with the addition of Souray and Allen, we're a bigger, stronger team. The elite teams – most every NHL team now – their forwards are getting bigger and bigger, and you need some of those big, strong guys to be able to move them in front of the net. I think we'll have that capability this year, more than we did in the past." Check out the rest of the story here: http://www.foxsportswest.com/08/28/12/Boudreau-ready-for-first-full-season-in-/landing_ducks.html?blockID=782001

A Golden Homecoming

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:41:00 EDT

There are countless special moments that make this job fun, but the best ones are those that come when you least expect it. I'll admit that coming into these London Olympics, women's water polo was not among the sports I was expecting to ardently follow. But here I was last night, joining a group of about 50 people (which included a giant duck) at John Wayne Airport to welcome home gold medal-winning water polo player Courtney Mathewson. Here's how it all came about: A couple of weeks ago, we got word from a fan on Twitter that during the NBC telecast of the USA-Spain game on August 1, play-by-play announcer Doc Emrick (who happens to be a legendary hockey announcer) reported that Team USA attacker Courtney Mathewson was a huge Ducks fan who was sporting the team's gear around the Olympic Village. We learned Courtney goes to several games a year with her husband Chris Morinello and his family, who have been season ticket holders since '93. We attempted to get ahold of Mathewson through her Twitter account (I also messaged Chris on Facebook) to see if we might get a ahold of a picture. Not long afterward, she emailed me this photo, which could hardly have been more perfect. We posted the photo on Facebook and Twitter, which got a great reaction from Ducks fans. Needless to say, we followed the progress of Courtney and the U.S. team, all the way through their triumph over Spain in the championship game last week, as they captured the first women's water polo gold medal in U.S. history. Over the weekend, Chris messaged me to let me know they were planning a homecoming for Courtney at John Wayne Airport on Monday night and asked (half-jokingly) if Wild Wing could be there. Of course, we jumped at the chance, and we got Wild Wing to join the large group of friends and family (not to mention more than a few curious onlookers) for the surprise homecoming. The group could hardly have been more enthusiastic, making signs for the occasion, including the letters C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y, and chanting "USA! USA!" as she came down the escalator to our waiting area. The look on a tired Courtney's face (she had endured 14 hours of flying from London to Chicago to OC) was priceless, especially when she saw Wild Wing, who presented her with the Ducks jersey with MATHEWSON and her number 7 on the back. Below is one of the great photos we got of the moment, and click here to see the rest. Meanwhile, later last night I got this tweet from a gold medalist that pretty much made my summer: @adamjbrady is seriously THE man!! Thank you so much! #lovetheducks — Courtney Mathewson (@CLKMathewson) August 14, 2012 Finally, we got the whole scene on video, which you can watch below. We left out the part in which Courtney reveals that one of the first things she can't wait to do after getting home is eat at Chipotle. Thank you, once again, to Courtney for being so gracious and representing Ducks fans in one of the cooler ways imaginable. Can't wait to see her again, this time wearing that jersey at Honda Center.

Souray Says...

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:01:00 EDT

New Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray could hardly have been more gracious, personable and -- no other way to put it -- chatty during his live chat with fans we held this afternoon. He made it clear early on that no question was off limits, and he talked plentifully about how much he was looking forward to the Ducks and what he could bring with the team. Meanwhile, he delved into his off-the-ice side when he talked about what he's been doing this summer, his favorite TV shows and movies, and even his year-and-a-half-long relationship with WWE superstar Kelly Kelly. A few highlights: On why he chose Anaheim One of the reasons was that they are really close to being back to a playoff team. They're closer than people give them credit for. Another reason was that I know a couple guys on the team, Saku being one of them, and I know his commitment to winning a Stanley Cup. I talked to him before free agency began about the Ducks and what went wrong last year. I felt that I could probably come in and help out, be a piece of the puzzle moving forward and get this team over the hump. Third reason, is I'm close to my family over here. My young daughters are here and I can be a part of their lives on a more consistent basis. All of that is important to me. On who he's looking forward to playing with I'm excited to get back and play with Saku. I played with him for 7 years in Montreal, and I'm a huge fan of his. His story is pretty well-documented and he's been an inspiration to so many people. I'm looking forward to getting back and playing with him. I'm also looking forward to getting on the other side and not having to defend Perry and Getzlaf. That will be a nice change. My arms were getting tired of cross-checking Perry every game. On how he met Kelly Kelly I met her through a mutual friend and we kind of kept in contact and that was it. We've been together about a year and a half. One thing we've been lucky to do as athletes is meet a lot of people -- other athletes, celebrities, actors. You get to meet so many different people from so many walks of life. Some you like, some you don't. I like her a lot more than other people. On whether he felt this morning's earthquake I actually didn't. I must have been training too hard. I thought it was just me putting the weights back on the floor. You can check out the entire transcript here. Sheldon seemed to have so much to say about a number of topics, but we had to wrap up the chat eventually. Definitely looking forward to talking with him more this season.

Getting to Know Sheldon

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 13:05:00 EDT

We will be holding a live chat with Sheldon Souray on Wednesday at noon (one of the preferred times of day fans voted on through Facebook and Twitter). I'm looking forward to getting to know a little bit more about one of the newest Ducks. If you would like to have an email reminder of the event sent to you, go to this page. You'll be able to submit questions during the event, but if you'd like to do it in advance, use the #AskSheldon hashtag on Twitter or submit it in the Comments on our Facebook page.

How Teemu's Return Looked on Social Media

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:42:00 EDT

It's beyond ironic to consider the social media impact that Teemu Selanne's announcement had today, considering that when he came into the league, there was no Facebook, there was no Twitter, heck, there was no internet. We were calling friends on our rotary phones to talk about what we watched on our black and white TVs that night (okay, maybe that's a stretch). But the strategy were here in Ducks land used to release the announcement, then the reaction that announcement got throughout the day, was slathered in social media -- and that's a pretty cool thing. Letting you in on a little something, this video we used to spring the announcement was actually shot back in May, before Teemu headed to Finland for the summer and his current vacation in Italy (not a bad life he leads). It was shot with a "just in case" intent, even though most of us here were pretty certain he was coming back for another year. (For whatever reason, this one felt more assured than some of the offseasons in the past.) In the days leading up

Allen's (New) Town

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:02:00 EDT

Slightly overshadowed by the Sheldon Souray during the flurry of deals on Sunday's opening day of free agency was the acquisition of defenseman Bryan Allen, who last played in Carolina. Allen is a big, strong dude at 6-5, 226, a shutdown defenseman who loves to block shots (as witnessed by the 188 he knocked down last year that was fourth in the NHL). He's also by all accounts a solid guy who was one of the veteran voices in the Carolina locker room the past couple of seasons. In other words, Ducks fans, we're gonna like this guy. I got a chance to talk yesterday to Bryan over the phone, as he and his wife Lexie and two kids are spending time in their summer place in South Florida. Bryan and Lexie, both natives of Kingston, Ontario, are currently working on getting their U.S. citizenship. Here's that Q&A.

Ducks Add and Subtract

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 10:35:00 EDT

For any hockey fan, July 1 is one of the more intriguing days of the offseason. It's the opening day of free agency, when many teams make significant additions to their rosters, while also going through the tough experience of enduring some losses. The Ducks did all of that during a flurry of activity yesterday afternoon, as Bob Murray's phone likely had smoke coming out of it by the end of the day. Anaheim brought in no less than four players and saw two free agents sign with other teams. First the additions, which included three veteran defensemen -- Bryan Allen (formerly of Carolina), Jordan Hendry (Chicago) and Sheldon Souray (who played last season in Dallas). The Ducks also brought in some forward depth in locking up 27-year-old former Montreal Canadien and Minnesota Wild (Wild man? Wild player?) Brad Staubitz with a two-year deal. Let's start with Souray, the 35-year-old vet with a big body and an atomic bomb of a shot that was once measured at an unofficial record speed of 106.7 mph (at a skills competition in Edmonton in '09). Bob Murray indicated going into free agency that he wanted to get bigger on the blue line, and he has that in Souray at 6-4, 237 pounds. He'll also be huge on the power play, having once scored 26 goals for Montreal and 23 for Edmonton. He had six goals and 15 assists last year in Dallas to go along with a +11 rating. Before making the deal for Souray, Murray got endorsements from a number of Ducks vets, including Saku Koivu, who played with him in Montreal. "Quite honestly, I talked to a few veterans on our hockey team and they definitely said go forward and get this guy if you can, so I did." Along with his other attributes, one thing Souray can do is talk, as evidenced in this lengthy conference call with reporters yesterday afternoon. A few snippets: On coming to Southern California, where his kids live: "I was always hoping. In an ideal situation, this would have been it. Sometimes you just never know. When this opportunity presented itself, it was really a dream come true so to speak. It worked on so many different levels that I couldn’t be happier with." "I don’t think it’s been any secret how important my family is to me and the decisions I’ve made in the past regarding my family. I’ve been out in Southern California since 2001. To be able to come home and be this close, I’ve always played my best hockey when I’ve been around my family, when they’ve come in to visit and when I’ve been able to spend time with them. There are some things that are probably a little bit more important than hockey. To be able to combine those two things, I really truly feel that I have my best years ahead." Here's a look at some of the reaction on Twitter to the Souray signing, including a tweet from Souray himself. We'll have much more to say about Souray, who brings a ton of character to the room, in the coming month. Along with him, even more size and experience on the back end came to the Ducks in Allen (a gritty defensive defenseman with a ton of leadership attributes) and Hendry. “We’ve got a number of young defensemen on our team,” Murray said. ”I don’t feel we’ve supported our younger defensemen with enough size and oomph in the last couple of years. I said at the middle of last year, it wasn’t going to happen again. “We were going to go and surround them with some bigger veteran guys. You can never have enough defenseman, especially in the Western Conference. It’s the decision we made and we moved forward today.” We also move forward without a couple of guys who have been staples of the Ducks the past few seasons -- George Parros and Sheldon Brookbank. First Brookbank, who had his best year as a Duck last year and decided to test the free agency market, getting rewarded with a nice two-year deal from the Blackhawks. And of course it's tough to say goodbye to Parros (who signed a two-year deal with Florida), a fan favorite pretty much from the moment he joined the Ducks in the beginning of that 2006-07 Stanley Cup season. He was beloved not just for the way he threw fists on the ice, but what he did off it. He was always friendly with fans, oftentimes funny and an enthusiastic participant in a number of charity efforts, including his own annual donation of his long hair in his Cut for the Kids, which benefited the Childhood Leukemia Foundation. Behind-the-scenes, he was always willing to do what he could to help, realizing the importance of marketing the game in Southern California. That included this iconic video with the line, "Papers down, ladies. It's game time!" Letting Parros go was something we all saw as a possibility, however, especially after Murray said at Select-a-Seat, . “George wants to play every night and every game, and we don't know if that can be the case." Parros himself had a nice message of goodbye to the fans on Twitter: I would like to say thanks to the Samueli's, the ducks organization and especially the fans, I leave ANA with a heavy heart...I am forever grateful to my teammates and fans who I have forged relationships with that will be with me always! ... That being said, I am excited to start a new career in FLA and am looking forward to bringing the stache to the sunshine state!!! So we say goodbye to George, say goodbye to Sheldon (becoming possibly the first team in NHL history to lose a Sheldon and gain one in the same day) and look forward to what the Ducks did bring in for 2012-13 and beyond. Meanwhile, there is another piece of free agency news that Ducks fans are all waiting for with baited breath, and we will likely have something to report on that this week.

Ryan Getz Questions

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:57:00 EDT

This afternoon Ryan Getzlaf took part in a Google+ Hangout set up by Sportsnet in Canada, in which he was streamed live via webcam from his offseason home in Kelowna, BC and answered questions submitted from fans throughout North America. Here are some highlights (you can watch a replay of it here): On his first career goal: That was a pretty special day, especially scoring it in Joe Louis Arena in that. I tend to score a lot of goals against Detroit for some reason. I was at the point for some reason, probably shouldn't have been there. I took a slap shot from the point and it went in over the shoulder. It was just one of those pucks that found a way in. On people saying he should shoot more: I always answer, "What would Corey Perry do if I was shooting all the time?” On his brother Chris, a wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League: Rider Nation is pretty strong, so when I go back home, people know my brother more than me. We had competition growing up, but he helped push me when I was young. I always wanted to be involved in what he was doing. My brother is like my best friend, and he took a back seat to a lot when I got attention at a younger age. He developed into a football player at like 22 or 23. By that time, I was already in the NHL for a little while. When he went through it, I got to sit back and support him, and show up at his games and help him through the process I already went through.” On playing baseball as a kid (when host Jeff Marek said he heard he was a great catcher with a gun behind the plate, Getzlaf said, "That must have come from my mom."): Growing up, I always believed in playing different sports, and so did my family. We didn't want to focus on one thing. I played baseball, volleyball, football and all that stuff. As you get older, you kind of have to pick a route and that's when I leaned toward hockey. I was very involved and I loved baseball. I loved being outside. I was a catcher, so I got to be in control a little bit, which is a good thing for me. I loved football, but I think I was better at baseball. On making those sketches with Bobby Ryan for the NHL Awards: I'm sure it was a lot more fun for me than Bobby. We had a good time with it. We were skeptical about it, and I was worried about it because I didn't want to put out a thing where we think we're better than the States. We had a lot of fun with it, and it's something you don't experience a lot as a player as far as all that goes into it. On seeing the game grow in Southern California: It has a lot. When the Samuelis came in, they took a lot of interest in the team and building it to where it is now. They've bought and refurbished a lot of rinks in the area and built things up that way as well. It's been very encouraging. On wearing shorts to the rink: It's unbelievable. It's a different feeling, that’s for sure. I drove a convertible to the rink every day for the first couple of years. It's a little easier to get up and go to the car when you don't have to remote start it from the house first. On pregame rituals: I'm not superstitious at all. I try not to worry about things I can't control. The problem with superstitions is when they don't go your way, suddenly you have a problem. Anyone who's played with me will tell you I'm pretty relaxed before the games. On tinkering with equipment: I'm more of an old-fashioned guy when it comes to the equipment. When I find something I like, I don't change it. That's tough in our league because people want you to use the newest equipment. There are guys who struggle with that. But as Teemu Selanne says, "You're either a stick guy or a skate guy, and if you're both, you're in trouble." On Selanne retiring: I have five hockey sticks in my garage signed by him saying it's his last year, and "Thanks for everything.” This year I was convinced he was retiring and he gave me another stick. It's now in that pile. On Selanne playing at this level at his age: It doesn't amaze me because I know him and see him every day and see what kind of shape he's in. I'm surprised he hasn't stepped away, but at no time has he shown he can't play anymore. He's still young at heart and wants to be around the guys and keep playing. Other guys step away when it's time for them to leave, but he just hasn't reached that level. On his summer plans: I like to relax as much as possible. We try not to travel too much. We live in Kelowna, BC in the offseason, and we love being on the water. I have a gym at my house that I work out in until August, and then I go into town and skate with the guys. On next season: We're looking forward to going into camp and having our coach set and we're expecting good things. We're excited about going into camp with this group. I know Bob [Murray] has some work to do, but we're excited and ready to go.

Goodbye, Lubo; Hello, Future Ducks

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:43:00 EDT

The trade that was rumored to go down didn't happen, but the Ducks did make a significant deal during last weekend's NHL Draft in Pittsburgh. Near the start of Friday's first round, Visnovsky was dealt to the New York Islanders for a 2013 second round pick. In Lubo's 2 1/2 seasons here, Ducks fans had grown fond of his sunny demeanor off the ice, as well as a rocket of a shot on it. But while Visnovsky had a career year two seasons ago, he was plagued by shoulders injuries last year and struggled. He's going to be 36 years old, and with the Ducks looking to get younger on the back end, it was a deal they felt they had to make. "He’s an offensive defenseman," Bob Murray said. "We have some younger players who are offensive. It’s a hockey move. We’re attempting to change a little bit of the look of the defense. It’s one step at a time. This is the first step in trying to change the look on that back end." Meanwhile, Visnovsky's cap hit of $5.6 million (cash hit of $3 million) this season -- the last year of his contract -- was also a factor. "In no way, shape or form is this an attempt to move money," Murray said. "It’s an opportunity to spend that money elsewhere." What the Ducks do with that money will be seen this summer, but not long after that trade, they bolstered their corps of defensive prospects when they took Swedish d-man Hampus Lindholm with the sixth overall selection in the Draft. It was a pick that came as a surprise initially, until you examine Lindholm a little more closely. He's a big kid at 6-2, 196 pounds (and getting bigger) and by all accounts is a strong skater who blew scouts away during his VO2Max test at the NHL Combine. His time of 14:40 was more than a minute better than the next-best guy -- second overall pick Ryan Murray. During the Draft broacast on NBC Sports Network, Pierre McGuire called him a "steal" at No. 6. Here's what Ducks Director of Amateur Scouting Martin Madden said about him: "Overall, nobody is as strong in every aspect of the game at this point and projecting forward. What we like the most about Hampus is his poise and the fact that he can still play with passion. He can push the pace while a poised game. He’s a very mature kid and he’s still growing, still getting bigger. "He comes from a very good family. He’s been put in positions of responsibility for the last few years. He’s played with men. He’s just a very even-keeled, quietly confident individual. That is what impressed us." Here is what Madden said about the possibility of the Ducks trading down in that first round, as was speculated by some before the Draft: "We did our homework and figured that (Lindholm) was probably the guy who we were going to get. He was a guy who we wanted. Even though the outside perception is that we might be able to trade back, through the due diligence we did, we couldn’t afford that luxury. "We were going to lose him and going to lose the two other options that were alongside of him in order to drop back to the options that ended up being available on draft day. It would have taken another first round pick for us to move back and that didn’t come, so we weren’t going to risk losing him for a second round pick. That is how that came down." On Saturday, before a lot of Ducks fans on the West Coast had gotten out of bed, Anaheim made a popular pick in Nicolas Kerdiles (pronounced Kuhr-dee-less). The 6-2, 201-pound left winger was born in Texas but grew up in Irvine, and becomes the first Ducks draft selection raised in Orange County. And he can play. He led the U.S. National Under-18 team with 20-22=42 points in 50 games last year and won gold as a member of Team USA both the 2011 and 2012 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championships. Kerdiles, who will be at this week's conditioning camp at The Rinks - Anaheim Ice, has committed to play at the University of Wisconsin in the fall. He grew up going to Ducks games, including the '07 Cup clincher, and compares his game to Ryan Kesler's -- definitely a good sign. "He’s just a smart, hard-working player," Madden said of Kerdiles. "He’s a two-way player and has a big shot. I really like the release on his wrist shot. It allows him to score goals at this level and I think it will allow him to score at the next level as well. He should be able to work his way up the lineup. His versatility was very enticing." Here's a lot more on Kerdiles, including a Q&A with him from Saturday and this feature story on him by Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. The Ducks took 22-year-old goalie Frederik Andersen in the third round (87th overall), who played in 39 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League last season and put up these garish numbers: a 1.67 goals-against average with seven shutouts and a .941 save percentage. He's a a native of Denmark who played for his national team at the last four IIHF World Championships. Here's a little bit more on him and the Ducks' next five picks on Saturday.

Is It October Yet?

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:28:00 EDT

Considering it's late June and the start of the hockey season is almost four months away, it was a pretty eventful day here at Ducks headquarters. This morning came the official release of the 2012-13 schedule, which has the Ducks opening the season at home against the Sharks. This afternoon came an announcement that had been speculated for the past several days -- that the Ducks have changed their AHL affiliation to the Norfolk (Va.) Admirals. First the schedule, which rolls out with four straight games at home against San Jose, Dallas, Carolina and Edmonton. Unlike last year, there are no mammoth eight-game road trips, the longest being four different five-gamers. The first of those is an intriguing one in late October/early November, when the Ducks hit Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Philly and Ottawa. The latter two being back-to-back weekend games with 10 a.m. Pacific puck drop times (love that). That's followed by the longest homestand of the season, a six-gamer against Vancouver, NYI, Buffalo, Columbus, Tampa and LA. Speaking of LA, the Ducks end the season against them at Staples Center on April 13 and host them here at Honda Center on November 18, January 2 and March 6. Meanwhile, we have the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving matinee against Chicago on November 23 and the now-traditional New Year's Eve game against Colorado on ... you know when New Year's Eve is. Here's the rest of the schedule, which includes a link for downloading it to your Outlook calendar, iPhone and more. Now, the AHL affiliation. The Admirals were admitted to the AHL as an expansion franchise for the 2000-01 season, and they were affiliated with the Blackhawks until 2007. They were the Lightning's affiliate the last five years, including this season when they went a ridiculous 43-3 in their last 46 games (including 28 in a row) and rolled to the Calder Cup championship. And they have some great fans as well, as attested to in this Puck Daddy piece as well as this video in which the crowd helps an 8-year-old anthem singer when she forgets the lyrics. Trent Yawney, who took over as associate head coach of the Ducks' affiliate in Syracuse in January last season, led the Crunch to a 15-3-1-1 record in the last 20 games and a berth in the playoffs. Yawney will be the coach in Norfolk, where he previously helmed the Admirals from 2000-05. His 24 years of experience in pro hockey include serving as a Ducks scout in 2007-08 and part of last season. Marty Wilford, who was an assistant coach with Syracuse last season, will serve that same role in Norfolk. The Admirals play in a pretty cool-looking arena called Norfolk Scope, which happens to feature the world's largest concrete dome. - - - Those who are still fans of Sammy Pahlsson will be interested to know that the 34-year-old who last played with Vancouver has signed a three-year deal to play with Modo of the Swedish Elite League. Pahlsson, who was with the Ducks from 2000 through 2009, played previously for Modo from 1994 through 2000. I've told this story before: I was always a big Sammy Pahlsson fan when he was with the Ducks, so much so that when he was traded away in '09, someone dropped on my desk an autographed photo of him that had "Goodbye Brady, My Love" scribbled on it (here's the photo). It's still on my bulletin board and to this day, I don't know who did it. I just know it wasn't Sammy.

Feeling a Draft

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:09:00 EDT

The NHL Draft is coming up on Friday and Saturday, with the Ducks owning the sixth overall pick in this thing. In the lead-up to the Draft, we've got lots of content to tide you over, including some cool flashback videos covering some pretty popular recent Ducks draftees:

Ducks Execs Cover Myriad Topics at Select-a-Seat

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:44:00 EDT

The Ducks held their annual Select-a-Seat event for season ticket holders on Saturday, the highlight of which was a panel that included Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray, Executive VP and COO Tim Ryan and coach Bruce Boudreau, who participated in Q&A sessions with the fans. Season ticket holders are allowed into the event in shifts, and those three took part in Q&As throughout the day. In the morning, they were joined on the stage by Ryan Getzlaf, and in the afternoon, Luca Sbisa. The panel spoke on a number of topics, and then opened things up to questions from fans. A few highlights: Murray opened by talking about Teemu Selanne: “Bruce and I happened to see Teemu yesterday or the day before. He looks great and is actually training already, which is a very positive sign. He's heading home next week, and he's coming in to see me Monday morning. This is all very positive, because it's the way we've done it the last four or five years. I'm very hopeful and very positive in Teemu coming back. I'm not positive, but I think he's thinking about it.” Murray indicated that he is currently in talks with free agent Sheldon Brookbank (to whom he’s offered a contract) and will talk with fellow free agent George Parros next week. “George wants to play every night and every game, and we don't know if that can be the case,” he said. “We're committed to playing four lines. We're no longer going to be a team that plays 2 1/2 lines. We did win a Cup playing three lines, but I don't think you can do it anymore. Certain people are going to play some nights, and certain people are not. We want people who buy into that program. If they don’t buy into it, they’re not going be here.” Added Boudreau, “We all love George. But if you look at the beginning of the season, the physical players are needed an awful lot more than at the end of the season. That’s just the way it worked this year. When you start the season, you’ve got to establish your physicality and protection of stars and all of that. But if you look at the rest of the league, come January and February, a lot of enforcers are being sent to the minor leagues or not dressing. “As a team that needed to win almost every game in the second half, we had to go with four lines so we wouldn’t exhaust everybody. So there are going to be games where George didn’t play. He has to understand that, and if he does, then great. If he doesn’t and he wants to play a lot of minutes every night, then he’s a free agent and he has the ability to do so. It doesn’t take away from the fact that we really like George. Murray also said that free agents Jason Blake and Niklas Hagman will most likely not be back with Anaheim next season. “I’ve already told Jason that I don’t think he’s coming back,” he said. “Nick Hagman is not coming back. In an attempt to get a little bit faster … we got smaller, and we need to get bigger again. You can’t do that unless somebody goes and somebody new comes in. So that’s the situation with a few of those guys. Murray on the upcoming draft: “This is a funny draft, and I don’t think you’ll see a lot of movement during it. It’s one of those drafts where, if you’re picking 4 through 16 or 17, you have a chance of doing just as well at 17 as you do at 4. Right now, centers are at a premium as much as defensemen are. If we stay at the sixth pick, we’ll get a defenseman or a centerman, one of the two, which is very good because you build your team from those guys. But if you want to make changes to your hockey team, this is the point in time you do it. The next couple of weeks could be interesting.” Murray On Emerson Etem: “Emerson had a great year this year in juniors. But the most impressive thing he did this year was when he went to Syracuse and joined them at the end of the year and in the playoffs. He came in as a 19-year-old kid taking a professional’s spot because somebody has to go out of the lineup for him to play. He got better, not just game by game, but shift by shift, and the night we got beat out he had two goals and an assist and was our best player. He has grown as a professional very quickly and he has a chance to make our hockey player next year. The plan is not to add many more than one young player at the beginning of next year, because we want to get off to a good start and it’s time to start moving forward. Emerson will have a crack at a top-six spot, and if he’s not in the top six, I don’t see him anywhere else in the lineup. He’s not going to stay here to play three or four minutes a night. Murray on the Ducks signing goalie Niklas Fasth last month: “The last couple of years have been tough for our goaltenders, with Jonas going down two seasons ago and Dan Ellis getting hurt last year. Fasth had an unbelievable record in Sweden and he’s not a kid, he’s a veteran who has played. Jonas won’t have to play as many games and our goaltending is in a good situation.” Murray on the Justin Schultz situation: “We’ve offered him everything we could have. This is not a money situation, because we actually offered Justin, before our last game of the year, we offered him absolutely everything we could to have him play for us. This is a situation where a young man wants to check out all 29 teams before he signs. It’s especially frustrating for us because last December when we were in Chicago, he sat with me and we discussed the rest of his career and him playing for us as soon as his season at Wisconsin was done. It would have been a great chance for him to come in and play 10 to 15 games for us and jumpstart his rookie season. He said to me, ‘Mr. Murray, I can’t wait.’ So it’s extremely frustrating, but we haven’t given up. We’re going to continue to try and sign him, and if we get to that 30-day point, we’re going to send another offer. We’ll just see where it goes. I’m not giving up on Mr. Schultz yet. If Justin doesn’t want to be here, we’ll move on.” The speaking sessions weren’t all business. The always-engaging Boudreau talked about how much he loves the show Storage Wars and spoke at length about that show and another favorite, Pawn Stars. At one point, Luca Sbisa said into his mic, “You definitely watch too much TV.” Boudreau responded, “I could be watching game video instead, and saying things like, ‘Luca, you’ve got to protect the middle of the ice…’” Boudreau continued, “It’s either that or get on the treadmill” and after getting a laugh from the crowd, he turned to Sbisa and said, “I knew you wouldn’t have the guts to say that one.” “I can’t say what I’m thinking right now,” Sbisa replied. And finally, with Game 6 going on up the road tonight, here’s what Getzlaf said about the frustration of watching the Kings in the Stanley Cup Final: “It’s hard because you want to be back there, especially when we’ve been there and won the Cup before. I know what those guys are going through right now, and I want to be back in that position. It’s hard, especially when they’re just up the road, and knowing the start we had last year took us out of that. LA snuck into eighth, and if we could have just gotten there, we could have been in the same position. It’s motivation for next year. They’re where we want to be right now. We want to be the elite team in Southern California, and that’s part of the mindset going into next season.”

A Bittersweet Anniversary

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EDT

As we get closer to the possibility of having to share this date with another team up the road, it's more appropriate than ever to commemorate a very special anniversary for Ducks fans and for me personally, I'm re-posting this piece (with a slight adjustment) that originally ran June 6, 2008:

As anniversaries go, this one will always be a little bittersweet for me.

Six years ago on this day, my mom passed away after a year-long battle with lung cancer. One of my reasons for moving down here and taking this job in 2005 was to be closer to her and my dad in her final months. And I know she would have loved to see what I experienced in this building on the night of June 6, 2007.

So you can imagine that when I watched Chris Pronger carrying the puck from behind the net with the seconds ticking down to zero, Ryan Getzlaf shaking his gloves off his hands like an excited little boy and jumping into J.S. Giguere's arms, the crowd noise reaching a level like none I'd ever heard before, fireworks popping, black and orange confetti falling from the sky and the victory song from "Rocky" coming on ... well, you can imagine it was a little emotional for me.

And my father -- the guy who grew up on the East Coast rooting for Gump Worsley, Rocket Richard and the New York Rangers, who played hockey through high school, who went to some of the first Mighty Ducks games in 1993 and remembers thinking the Pond was too pretty for a hockey arena -- was here that night. He's been here for almost all of the home games since then.

He was part of that roaring crowd, he saw the fireworks, picked confetti out of his hair (and still has some of it under glass at home over a team photo), saw the Stanley Cup being passed around by the players on his favorite team -- his son's team. When all of it finally died down that night and he was heading out of the arena, I called him on his cell phone. He answered it with one word:

"Unbelievable."

Five years later, I can still remember it well. It really was unbelievable.

One more thing:

The final horn that night sounded at 7:35 p.m. Pacific time -- the exact moment the Ducks officially became Stanley Cup champions. That's about the time that tonight's Game 4 might be ending too. But no matter what happens in that game, when the clock strikes 7:35 tonight, maybe call a friend, turn to a loved one, someone who shared that magical night with you -- and propose a toast.

I know I will.

OC Boy Comes Home

Thu, 31 May 2012 17:45:00 EDT

The Ducks announced earlier today that they signed 25-year-old winger Ryan Lasch, who last year led the Finnish Elite League in scoring while helping his Lahti Pelicans to the league finals. But here's why this is such a big deal: Lasch, a speedy scorer who played four seasons at St. Cloud State before heading to Europe, is the first Orange County-born player in the history of the Ducks organization. I spoke to Lasch from his home in Lake Forest earlier today and here's the Q&A.

Where Have We Seen This Before?

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:06:00 EDT

As we begrudgingly watch them barrel through these playoffs all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, we can't help but notice some paralells between these Kings and a certain Western Conference champion from 2003. The Kings had 95 points in the regular season to earn the eighth seed in the West, although they've looked like anything but an 8 seed as they've steamrolled through the postseason with a 12-2 record and an unprecedented eight straight playoff road wins. They dispatched the No. 1-seeded Canucks in five games, the 2-seeded Blues in four and the 3-seeded Coyotes in five. The 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim also had 95 points, but earned the seventh seed in the West. They went on to sweep the 2-seeded Red Wings, edge the 1-seeded Stars in six (including an epic five-overtime Game 1) and down 6-seeded Wild in a sweep. Meanwhile, both teams were riding an incredibly hot goaltender, though Jonathan Quick's outstanding postseason (1.54 GAA and .946 SV%) doesn't quite compare to the all-time great playoff run J.S. Giguere put together in '03 (1.62 goals-against average and five shutouts, including a perfect 7-0 in overtime and a Conn Smythe). Want more similarities? How about celebs in the stands? 2003 2012 Further, when the Mighty Ducks won the West in '03, captain Paul Kariya didn't touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, out of traditional superstition.... ... nor did Kings captain Dustin Brown when LA won the West on Tuesday night. Depending on what happens in tonight's Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 (or a possible Sunday Game 7), both the '03 Mighty Ducks and '12 Kings could be facing the New Jersey Devils in the Final. We know what happened to those Mighty Ducks -- a crushing 3-0 defeat in Game 7 in New Jersey. What happens with these Kings remains to be seen -- but you know we'll all be watching. I want to know, Ducks fans, who would you rather see the Kings face in the Final? The Devils can clinch a trip to the Final with a win in over the Rangers in tonight's Game 6 in New Jersey (5 p.m. Pacific on NBC Sports Network). Based on what we've seen in this Devils-Rangers series, New Jersey appears to be playing slightly better hockey and would appear to have the edge on knocking off the Kings. But an LA-New York Final (featuring a Rangers team America got to know during HBO's 24/7 series) has a little more flair than an LA-New Jersey one.

The Tennis Balls Get Some Blog Love

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:55:00 EDT

If you're a reader of this blog or my live game logs, you may have seen mention of the The Tennis Balls. They're Dawn and Lewis, a husband-and-wife duo of diehard Ducks fans and season tickets holders who wear neon yellow sweatshirts to every home game. They sit a few rows behind the net in section 215 at Honda Center, and certainly stand out in a crowd. They were even more conspicuous when they attended Game 5 of Coyotes-Predators in Phoenix, when they were two very noticeable blips among the otherwise whited-out crowd at Jobing.com Arena. Jenelyn Russo, who writes a very good blog for OC Family called When Girls Love Hockey, just put together a very nice piece on The Tennis Balls, including this insight into the history of their sweatshirts: Dawn doesn’t recall the year exactly, maybe 2005, but she and Lewis were on their way back from a trip to Mammoth and had to rush home and get changed before heading to the Ducks game that night (totally committed fans, of course). They ran out of the house, wearing only Ducks t-shirts. When they got to Honda Center, Dawn knew she would be freezing inside without a sweater or a jacket. So they grabbed the only thing available to wear—bright neon yellow sweatshirts that Lewis had in the back of their car. A custom home builder, Lewis had purchased several of the sweatshirts for his employees and sub-contractors. They had no idea that wearing those sweatshirts that night would have such an effect on their lives as hockey fans. In the midst of a frustrating multiple-game losing streak, Anaheim won that night and all of their fellow Ducks fans who sit around them declared the day-glo sweatshirts the reason for the win. And they insisted that Dawn and Lewis wear them to every game going forward. So for the most part, they have. As expected, the Tennis Balls (who have "adopted" the Coyotes as their playoff team), are at Game 5 between the Yotes and Kings at Jobing.com Arena tonight.

Fasth Times

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:01:00 EDT

The Ducks made a pretty major move in bolstering their depth in net when they signed Swedish goalie Viktor Fasth to a one-year, one-way contract yesterday. The 29-year-old Fasth played with AIK Stockholm this past season and had five shutouts with a 2.12 GAA and .931 SV% in 46 games. For his efforts, he was was named the Goaltender of the Year in the Swedish Elite League for the second straight year. The last player to do that? A guy named Henrik Lundqist (from 2002 through 2005). The 6-0, 192-pounder also played six of Team Sweden's eight games in the recent IIHF World Championships, going a respectable 4-2 with a 2.34 GAA and two shutouts. Fasth, who many considered to be the best free agent goalie in Europe, will be given the opportunity in training camp to be the backup to Jonas Hiller. Fasth and and Jeff Deslauriers are both under contract. Dan Ellis, who missed most of last year with a groin injury, is a free agent. Iiro Tarkki, who spent some time with the Ducks this past season (winning his only game) and led the Crunch to the postseason, signed a two-year deal with KHL team Salavat Yulaev last week. “I’m really happy and looking forward to joining the organization,” Fasth said over the phone from Sweden yesterday. "It’s a dream come true for me. I’m really excited. "The Ducks showed a real big interest. I had the feeling that they wanted to give me this chance and they believe in me. That is very important for me." To learn more from Fasth, here's a video feature done on him during the Worlds. "I talked to the guys this year during the World Championships and started getting some information on how it is out there," Fasth said. "I asked how Anaheim is and I got just got words about it. It made me feel really happy." Speaking of words, another intriguing part of getting Fasth in here is the endless possibilities for great headlines if he has a strong game. Granted, the name is actually pronounced "Fahst" but still, how about: FASTH BEATS QUICK Ducks goalie shuts out Kings FASTH AND FURIOUS Rookie's 42 saves lead Ducks to win FASTH AND FLASH Ducks netminder shuts down Red Wings as Selanne nets the game-winner (Wishful thinking) Got any good ones, Ducks fans? Put them in the Comments below or tweet them using the hashtag #FasthPuns. Bruce Boudreau was a guest this morning with host Mike Ross on Hockey This Morning on NHL Home Ice, and as usual had a few good nuggets to offer. As hard as it is for all of us to see two Pacific Division rivals in the Western Conference Finals, he did have a good spin on it. "It gives you hope," he said. "When I was [with the Ducks[, we played Phoenix four times and beat them three times and lost the final game against them in a game where Mike Smith was Mike Smith. He was outstanding, but we outplayed them [this year] pretty badly. And they’re there where they are. "With LA, we played them three times and beat them once in the last minute. We lost to them once with an empty net and once by one goal. You know that you’re competitive and right there. And we played them at times when they needed to win desperately." That's one of the many reasons Boudreau has high hopes for next season. "I think we’re there. We’re close," he said. "And who knows, we get off to a little bit better start next season and I think we’ll be a team to be reckoned with." Another reason for optimism are the young guys who will be given a good chance to make the Ducks roster out of camp next year. "Kyle Palmieri led the American League in goals and he’s a guy who’s up and coming. We’ve got guys who can score that are young. Emerson Etem scored 61 goals in junior, and he’s a guy who will be given a real good shot. "We’re just looking forward to playing again. We think we can make a splash next year." Boudreau was asked to reminisce about the time back in November when he was fired by the Capitals and hired by the Ducks not long afterward. "We move around a lot, so we better have some strong wives and children behind us," Boudreau said about the coaching profession. "When it happened, to be able to get a job as quickly as I was able to was pretty satisfying. I didn’t know anybody on the team, and on the flight from Washington to California I’m sitting there going, “What am I getting myself into?” But it was great to see somebody had taken an interest and thought you did a good job. That was really neat."

Has It Really Been Five Years?

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:43:00 EDT

With their bitter rivals from up the freeway blasting through this postseason -- 11 wins in 13 games and one win away from the Stanley Cup Final -- your average Ducks fan probably can't help but reminisce. It was five years ago this spring that the Ducks seemingly steamrolled their way through the 2007 playoffs on their way to a Stanley Cup triumph. Those Ducks went 16-5 over the likes of Minnesota, Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa, with a lineup that included three definite Hall-of-Famers and had at least one promiment hockey writer calling them the best team of all time. A sample: That Ducks team featured three sure-fire Hall of Famers in Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne; an incredibly potent kid line featuring Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner; two excellent goalies in J-S Giguere and Ilya Bryzgalov; tons of toughness and the premier shutdown line of Sammy Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen. But as good as those Ducks were, it's fascinating to think how even they needed some good fortune that postseason to earn the right to lift that Cup. That's the nature of hockey and the nature of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, how the smallest breaks, tiniest bounces can be the difference between getting your name on that Cup and being just a contender that came oh-so-close. And if you're into anniversaries, you may just have been reminded of that fact yesterday. For it was on May 20, 2007 -- Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena -- that made all the difference for that legendary Ducks team. Unable to muster anything against Red Wings goalie Dominic Hasek, the Ducks were in desperation mode down 1-0 in the closing moments of the game, in danger of going down 3 games to 2. But Pavel Datsyuk was called for interference with 1:47 remaining and the Ducks pulled J.S. Giguere to give them a 6-on-4 skating advantage. And then this happened: Scott Niedermayer's shot from the slot clicked off the stick of Nicklas Lidstrom and fluttered past Hasek with 47.3 seconds remaining to tie the game, with the usually graceful Niedermayer falling on his face just before getting mobbed by his teammates. It's unquestionably the biggest goal in Anaheim Ducks history, followed closely by this one: In overtime, Wings defenseman Andreas Lilja turns the puck over with pressure from Andy McDonald, Selanne picks it up, goes familiarly to the backhand and pops the water bottle 11:57 into OT to give the Ducks the shocking victory. (I was in the building that day and five years later I can still recall the sounds of Detroit fans cursing and banging the backs of the seats in front of them after that goal.) Two days later the Ducks won Game 6 at home -- another good break for that team, as Detroit clawed back from a 3-0 deficit and nearly tied the game in the closing moments of a 4-3 Anaheim win. Fifteen days after that, the Ducks were Stanley Cup champs.

Bobby With Another Beauty

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:38:00 EDT

You may have missed it since it happened during today's play in the IIHF World Championships in Helsinki, but Bobby Ryan had another gorgeous goal to add to his already crowded career highlight package. Playing (with Cam Fowler and Kyle Palmieri) for Team USA against Luca Sbisa's Switzerland side, Ryan showed the skills he's developed after years of playing warmup soccer with his teammates. A Max Pacioretty pass from behind the net was much too high for Ryan to get a stick on, so he kicked the puck to himself with the left boot, than batted it in out of mid-air. Check out the video, along with Fowler's pretty tap-in goal that helped USA to a 5-2 victory over the Swiss and a No. 2 seed in the quarterfinals. Team USA faces Finland in the quarters on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Pacific, a game that will be televised on NBC Sports Network. Team Canada (with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry) plays Slovakia at 3 a.m. Pacific. (If you're up at that ungodly hour, it will also be on NBC Sports Network.)

In Bruce We Trust

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:28:00 EDT

The Ducks gave a strong vote of confidence to coach Bruce Boudreau this afternoon, signing him to a two-year contract extension with the intent of making him Anaheim's coach through the 2014-15 season. It's a well-deserved gesture to a coach who quickly made himself at home in this organization, and led the Ducks to a 27-23-8 record after taking over for Randy Carlyle on the night of November 30. He also helmed a blazing January and February that had the Ducks playing as well as any team in the league after a wickedly frustrating first half of the season. Off the ice, Boudreau could hardly be a more likeable guy, friendly with fans and media alike, often funny and always willing to do what he can to promote hockey and the Ducks in Orange County and beyond. I've always thought the biggest compliment you can give a person of stature (athletes, celebrities, etc.) is that they "get it," meaning they understand the importance of being cheerful and engaging with the public. Teemu Selanne is a guy who "gets it." And Bruce Boudreau absolutely "gets it." Today he had a conference call with media from his offseason home in Washington, DC and was his jovial self. After the Ducks PR guy introduced Bruce on the call, he got on the line and said, "Atta boy, way to work." He was asked how the deal came together and said that although he and Ducks boss Bob Murray had been talking about it for awhile, "At the same time it took 10 minutes. We haven't been in the same place at the same time much this offseason. We finally met in Toronto last week, went an saw an AHL game together and just chatted. "We both have the same vision and we're on the same page, so it seemed like a good idea. I think this team has just started going where we want to go. We competed with all the teams that are in the playoffs now." Asked how much the extension adds some stability, he replied, "You put enough pressure on yourself to win all the time, but at the same time it's important to have stability and have the players know that someone is going to be around for a long time.It's always great that the GM and ownership have that much faith in you, and it's my job to justify it." The conversation turned to the Western Conference Finals between the Kings and Coyotes and Bruce was asked for his pick, once again showing a firm grasp of the Anaheim-LA rivalry. "As much as I didn't really want to do it, I picked LA to win the West," he said. "I thought they were the toughest team we played, especially down the stretch when teams had to win. "Whatever it is, a new team is going to be in the Final for the first time in a long time, and I think that's great for hockey. I'm happy that it will grow hockey in Southern California, and to me that's really important for the game. But, I've got to be honest, I'm not going to sit here and say I hope they win. It all depends on who their opponent is in the Final, by the way." That drew a laugh from the media on the call, since Boudreau's old employer, the Capitals, is heading toward a Game 7 with the Rangers right now. He went on further about the Kings: "My feelings are going to be day to day. Is it motivation for us if they do win? Is it going to make the rivalry more intense because we won one and they won on the last five years, two California teams winning the Cup since 2007? They haven't won anything yet, so they've got a ways to go, but the way they played the first two series, it's not out of the realm." No matter what effect the Kings' success has on the already passionate Ducks-Kings rivalry, it sure is nice to know we'll have Boudreau on our side for (at least) the next three seasons.

Pacific Heights

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:05:00 EDT

In case you missed it last night, the Phoenix Coyotes wiped out the Nashville Predators in five games to earn their first-ever berth in the Western Conference Finals and a series with the Kings. It's a testament to the strength of the Pacific Division that those two teams have advanced to the NHL's version of the Final Four. Sure, this year's division champ (Phoenix) had a lower point total than the other division winners (Vancouver and St. Louis). But the three-way battle for that division title (which included San Jose) wasn't decided until the last day of the regular season, and it's largely due to fact that each of the Pacific's teams beat up on each other all year. For example, the Ducks went 3-3-0 against the Coyotes this season, and 5-1-0 against the Sharks, who finished seventh in the Western Conference. (Although, Anaheim was a disappointing 1-3-2 versus LA this campaign.) While both Western Conference finalists are considered "division rivals" of the Ducks -- and there is unquestionable disdain between the Ducks and Kings, not to mention Ducks/Sharks -- it's pretty hard to hate the Coyotes. As a hockey fan, how do you not root for Phoenix (as long as they're not playing the Ducks), when you consider the distractions they've overcome to become among the class of the Western Conference? For the past several years, the team has endured bankruptcy (ultimately being purchased by the NHL in 2009) and constant rumors of being relocated to other cities, including the likes of Winnipeg, Quebec, Hamilton, Ont., and Seattle. Through it all, they've managed to win hockey games -- a lot of hockey games. Since making the change behind the bench to former Dallas coach Dave Tippett, the team has made the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Now they've advanced the conference finals for the first time since they entered the NHL as the Winnipeg Jets in 1979. (Plus they used to have Bryz, and we've always liked Bryz.) You would get no argument in proclaiming that yesterday was the best day in Phoenix Coyotes history. In the afternoon before Game 5 against the Preds, they held a press conference in which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the team would be purchased by a group led by Greg Jamison, former CEO of the Sharks. Not only that, the intent of that ownership group will be to keep the team in its current home in Glendale. A few hours later, the Yotes took down Nashville 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Jobing.com Arena in which everyone wore white. (Well, almost everybody. I believe you may recognize Mr. and Mrs. Tennis Ball, whom you can see during every Ducks game at Honda Center? They apparently made the road trip for this one.) With the Kings having pulled off a mildly surprising sweep of the No. 2-seeded Blues on Sunday, we've got what should be a thrilling Western Conference Final that will start sometime this weekend (schedule won't be released until later this week). What sounds better to you? Stanley Cup Champion Phoenix Coyotes or Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings? I think I know the answer but give us an answer below anyway and feel free to elaborate in the Comments.

Bruce Likes LA

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:07:00 EDT

Bruce Boudreau is currently writing a playoff blog for the LA Times, in which he begrudgingly admits he likes the Kings (currently up 2-0 in their conference semifinal series with St. Louis) to come out of the West: It’s hard to say this, but the most impressive team so far has been the Kings. I’ve said from the beginning of the playoffs, they are as well-rounded a team as there is right now. Darryl [Sutter] does a really good job implementing his system and makes great adjustments during the course of a game. It’s quite a battle when you face them. Boudreau writes that he believes it will be Kings-Rangers for the Cup. In case you didn't already know, six Ducks are playing in the IIHF World Championships IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, which will be played May 4-20. Bobby Ryan, Cam Fowler and Kyle Palmieri will skate for USA, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf with Canada and Luca Sbisa with Switzerland. While the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds of the tournament will be split between sites in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden, all six of the Ducks will only be playing at games in Helsinki at Hartwall Arena. The semifinal and medal round games will also take place exclusively in Helsinki. Here's a schedule of the games involving the Ducks. Games involving Team USA (including Saturday's match with Team Canada) will be televised on NBC Sports Network. We'll be providing coverage (including video highlights) on AnaheimDucks.com as well as our Facebook and Twitter.

Palmieri Q&A

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:08:00 EDT

Our Ducklings in Syracuse hit a bump in the road in the Calder Cup Playoffs when they fell 5-1 at St. John's (Winnipeg affiliate) last night in Game 3 of their first round series. The Crunch trails two games to one in the five-game series, hoping to prolong a season in which they finished a blazing 15-3-1-1 to earn a postseason berth. Winger Kyle Palmieri was a part of that run (despite spending part of it up with the Ducks) and had an outstanding season in Syracuse, scoring 33 goals in 51 games. I spent some time with on the phone with the bright and affable Palmieri this morning, and you can read that Q&A here.

Bizarre Final Four in the West

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:45:00 EDT

The Kings' first-round ouster of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Canucks had to remind Ducks fans of their team gloriously doing the same thing to the Sharks back in the 2009 playoffs. And LA making it to the second round is just one piece of a pretty unorthodox Western Conference Semifinals round. Just imagine your reaction if three years ago -- that same year the Ducks took down SJ and nearly got past Detroit -- someone had told you that the Kings, Coyotes, Blues and Predators would be the final four teams in the West. That year, only St. Louis made the postseason, and the Yotes and Kings were 13th and 14th in the conference (each 12 points behind Anaheim in eighth). It's all a testament to the parity brought on by the post-lockout salary cap era in the NHL, as each of these teams took down some pretty heavy hitters in the first round, all in five games. Along with LA taking out last year's Western Conference champs, St. Louis got by the Sharks, Phoenix knocked off Chicago in a series in which the first four games all went to OT, and Nashville handed Detroit a five-game defeat (the Wings' hadn't lost in the first round since 2006). Meanwhile, this comes courtesy of STATS LLC (and passed on by Thomas LaRocca of FoxSportsWest.com): The last time a conference semifinal round had zero teams with a previous Stanley Cup title was the 1983-84 postseason (the semifinal teams in the Campbell Conference that season were the Blues, North Stars, Oilers, and Flames). 2011-12 Western Conference semifinalists Blues 142-170 all-time in postseason games. 24 postseason series wins all-time. Advanced to Stanley Cup finals three times (1967-68, 1968-69, and 1969-70) Kings 73-114 all-time in postseason games. 12 postseason series wins all-time. Advanced to Stanley Cup finals once (1992-93) Predators 18-27 all-time in postseason games. 2 postseason series wins all-time. Furthest postseason advancement = 2nd Round (2010-11 and 2011-12) Coyotes/Jets 36-73 all-time in postseason games. 3 postseason series wins all-time. Furthest postseason advancement = 2nd Round (1984-85, 1986-87, and 2011-12) Combined all-time postseason records for Blues, Kings, Predators, and Coyotes/Jets: 269-384. Here's another look at it. Just came across this beauty of a Fox promo for the NHL Playoffs on the Grantland website. There are no words.

A Letter from Winnipeg

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:18:00 EDT

I got this email over the weekend, a nice reminder of what guys like Teemu and Saku, and the Ducks organization, mean to people: Hey, Adam! I wanted to write and say thanks for the work you do on your blog -- we don't hear much from the media out here in terms of what's happening with the Ducks, so being able to check out the message board, news links, and your blog have been really great! My brother and I were in Anaheim from March 23rd to the 30th. He was a part of the teacher's convention that had been happening that week at the Convention Centre, and we wanted to do as many things as possible while we were there, including Disneyland & going to the Bruins and Sharks games at the Honda Center. It was spring break week for us (I work with kids who have disabilities and special needs as a teacher's assistant), and what a week it was! We had an amazing time there! Watching the sun rise over the Anaheim Hills in the morning, a California tan, hockey games, Disneyland, and fireworks every night....it doesn't get any better than that!!! Honda Center staff, when they realized we were from Winnipeg, were terrific to us, and the fans sitting around us at the games were so welcoming and fun. We may be known as "Friendly Manitoba" out here, but Ducks fans are great, too! The last time we were in attendance at a game at "The Pond" was in 2001. It was an incredible feeling to be a part of the atmosphere again. My family and I have known Teemu and Sirpa Selanne since Teemu started playing in Winnipeg. They lived on the same street as my aunt and uncle, and they were so much fun to get to know. We've been to Anaheim a few times since he and Sirpa have lived in California, and have connected with them. We weren't able to see Teemu play in Winnipeg when he came with the Ducks in December -- it's not easy to get tickets for games here -- most go to season tix holders, the rest are sold for higher than normal prices....so we figured that coming back to Anaheim was the way to go, and were happy it all worked out. It's much easier (and cheaper) to get tickets for games in places like Anaheim, Calgary, even Edmonton. It sounds crazy, but it's true. For us, spending the money to come to a place like Anaheim was totally worth it, and we would absolutely do it again. We surprised Teemu after the practice at the Honda Center on the 24th...we made it just in time seeing as we had gone to Anaheim Ice first. He said he had been looking for us when he was in Winnipeg, and we were all disappointed that it hadn't worked out. I'm happy for him, and for his family, that coming back to Winnipeg was a good time for them. Seeing Teemu again & getting a chance to see him play live & score some great goals, together with having the opportunity to meet Saku Koivu, was terrific. Our dad passed away from kidney and liver cancer in 2008 after a long and hard fight -- Dad always thought of Saku as an inspiration with how he fought cancer and won -- so it was a real honor to be able to meet him. I'm glad, too, for all of the hard work & visits the players & others in the organization do for all those who are sick in hospital and beyond. From someone who's been through it -- helping someone who is terminally ill -- it means an awful lot to see and hear about what goes on to put smiles on people's faces. I've seen the various videos from the website, and have read the stories together with my family. All of it puts some smiles on our faces, knowing that there are people out there who care. Looking forward to reading more on your blog. All the best to you and the rest of the organization as you prepare for next season! Cheers, Michelle Enns & Jody Lagacy Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Bobby Ryan, Cat Person

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:17:00 EDT

The Day After

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:16:00 EDT

It's somewhat of a somber day at Honda Center, as the players are long gone after yesterday's "last day of school," there are no games or practices on the horizon and the ice is being melted as we speak. Players came and went throughout the day yesterday, having their meetings, signing various objects for charity (as somewhat captured in this video) talking with the media, and saying their goodbyes (hopefully for just the summer). Here are a few items of note from the media sessions: • Teemu Selanne didn't elaborate too much further from what he's already said about whether or not he'll come back for a 20th season. But he did say, "Obviously, there's a lot of question marks there. It comes automatically, the feeling, 'Is this over right now?' Mixed feelings. You still want to be in the playoffs and not finish the season there." And he mirrored the sentiment of us all when he said, "It's going to be tough to watch the playoffs this year." • Speaking of players considering retirement, Lubomir Visnovsky admitted he thought about it after enduring what he thought might be, "[the] worst season ever for me" after strugging with injuries all year. "I was very mad during the season because I [didn't] feel comfortable," he said. "My confidence was very low…[But] I want to play. I want to be here with my teammates." • Two other Ducks played with injuries this year and will have that taken care of this offseason. Toni Lydman will have work done on his knee and Francois Beauchemin is scheduled to get a torn labrum repaired Thursday in LA. • Saku Koivu addressed the fact that his contract is up this summer, and reiterated that he'd like to come back to the Ducks. "We've enjoyed it a lot," Koivu said of playing in Anaheim. "Everything that we looked for has happened except the success in the playoffs. When you're family's happy, you feel comfortable. I don't see a reason why I should go and look for something else. “I want to be a part of something good. I want to be part of these guys [and] to make the playoffs and make a push there. I’m confident and I’m hoping that things will work out there in the next little while and we can hopefully be back for next year.” Of impending contract talks, he said, "It’s too early to say right now. We’ll see. I’m confident we’ll get things done.” • Bruce Boudreau spoke to reporters well after the meetings were over and remained his jovial self while remaining solemn over a season that ended without a postseason appearance, a rarity for him. "It’s a very difficult time," he said, sporting a two-day-old beard growth on his face. "I’ve been lucky enough starting in juniors to be on seven championship teams. When you’ve tasted that, you want it every day. You get spoiled and then find out how difficult it is when that’s taken away. I don’t want that taken away. I want to live in that high-rent area again." And he looked forward to his first training camp with this team. "They will be reminded about it every day in camp. We’ll have t-shirts or something. We’ll have reasons to remember it, whether it’s video or some other reminder that this isn’t going to happen again." Boudreau will be on ESPN's SportsCenter on Wednesday night doing playoff analysis, as well as CBC's Hockey Night in Canada this weekend. Meanwhile, his other offseason plans are to just find something, anything, to do. "I know my wife will kick me out of the house anyhow, because I start to lose it. I’m pretty well born to be a hockey guy, and that’s what makes me work. Her to-do list is for me to get out of the house. Otherwise I just follow her around and it drives her nuts. If I’m at home for more than a day, I’m like a whipped puppy just following her around and going, “What are you doing, what are you doing?” She hates that. She’ll sit there and say, “Is there not a game of golf you can play somewhere?” She’s the only wife I know that wants you to go out and play golf. I’m lucky that way." And more on next season: "When they come to camp, we want them to be prepared to go from the first day ... We’re going to be in shape, but it means that systematically and team-wise, we will be structured to know exactly what we’re going to do from the drop of the puck in game 1. You just look at the starts of the teams that I’ve been on. It’s a formula that works and it’s one that’s going to work again. If we have a good start, then we won’t be sitting talking like this at this time next year" The Ducks will get a better idea of just how much a rookie could potentially impact them next season when the NHL Draft Lottery is held tonight at 5 p.m. Pacific. The Ducks have a 6.2% chance to win the lottery, which would move them up a maximum of four spots into the second slot. - - - For a reminder or more cheerful times, the NHLPA just release this video that Bobby Ryan shot during the Skills Showdown back in February. Good stuff.

The Last Day

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:03:00 EDT

It's kind of like the last day of school here today at Honda Center -- always a somber occasion as the Ducks players come in to have one-on-one meetings with coaches and management, clean out their lockers, sign oodles of objects for our Community Relations purposes, spend some time with media and generally say goodbye for the summer. This one is even a little more gloomy, as it comes on the heels of a mostly disappointing 2011-12 that ended last Saturday with a somewhat fitting 5-2 loss in Calgary. The only positive was Bobby Ryan scoring his 30th and 31st goals of the season, making him the only active player besides Alex Ovechkin (and the 16th all time) to score 30 in each of his first four NHL seasons. But while we might reflect a little on that, and this frustrating Ducks season, today will be a lot about looking to the future -- and about one player in particular. For the sixth straight summer, we'll be wondering if we've seen the last of Teemu Selanne here, or whether he'll come back for at least one more season. He will certainly be asked about that by reporters when he's on his way out the door today, and it was a topic after that game (could it have been his last?) on Saturday. "If this was my last game, that's fine. I can live with that," Selanne told reporters in the visiting locker room at Scotiabank Saddledome. "Obviously it's a little more tougher to swallow that we didn't make the playoffs. Because I really believe that we have a better team than we played this year. That's the toughest part. Everything else, I'm fine with." Selanne led the Ducks in scoring with 66 points, and that along with his 26 goals kept him climbing up the NHL's all-time lists. "I really do think that I can play well," Selanne said. "But, same hand, I don't know if you always have to play as long as you can. You know that it's going to end somewhere. "My dream always was that I can retire with my own terms. I'm healthy. And I (can) still enjoy the game and life after hockey." (Ah, "same hand." I'm gonna miss that someday. Hopefully, not soon.) And while Teemu's words might might not be the most encouraging to Ducks fans, Ryan provided some optimism with his remarks to the OC Register. "There's nothing different to him alluding to it being his last game," Ryan said. "My gut feeling is that Teemu comes back and grants us another year. You never know. He's at an age where he's got four kids doing different things. They're all busy ... they're starting to drive and things like that." (So...they can drive him to the rink then, right?)"He's got a lot on his plate so you can certainly understand if he goes the other way. I have a gut feeling he'll be back. We'll see." We'll definitely cover that topic more today and in the days leading up to Teemu's self-imposed July 1 deadline (when NHL free agency officially opens.) Keep an eye on AnaheimDucks.com, as well as our Twitter page and Facebook page for updates from today. Some nice tweets from the players after the end of the season:

Getz the Victory

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:36:00 EDT

The games may have taken on a different meaning these days, but they can still make you leap off your couch and shout "OH MY GOD!!!" at the TV screen. That was at least my reaction last night when Ryan Getzlaf did this: (Could the Edmonton announcer be any less excited?) Getzlaf's breakaway backhand goal 1:12 into overtime not only gave the Ducks a nice 3-2 victory, but it was a shining light in a personal season the Ducks captain said recently he'd like to "forget about." Getzlaf took more than a month to score his 10th goal of the season, but took only one game to score his 11th. This one made it easy to forget what Andrew Cogliano called, "a pretty bad game for us." "J.D. was really good," Bruce Boudreau said of Jeff Deslauriers (24 saves), who earned the win against his former team. "And thank goodness that he was really good in his return to Edmonton. Because we weren't good. The fans did not get their money's worth today." The Ducks were boosted by another former Oiler, Cogliano, who sniped one in from the right wing circle late in the second period. Then just 36 seconds later, Devante Smith-Pelly created a rebound in deep, and Bobby Ryan popped it in for his 29th of the year. That opens the door for some intrigue in the Ducks' season finale tomorrow afternoon in Calgary. If Ryan scores a goal, that would give him 30 in each of his first four full NHL seasons. The only active NHLer who has done that is Alex Ovechkin and there are only 15 guys in the history of the league who have done it. "It’s not something I’m thinking a lot about, but being able to reach that point every year for the first four seasons of a career would be a really cool thing," said Ryan in a chat we had a week ago. "But it really hasn’t weighed on my mind too much during this last little stretch. I’m starting to think about it more and how nice it would be, but it’s really an afterthought. "It would be a cool number to reach, especially to be listed with a guy like him." Meanwhile, what the heck is going on with this guy's jersey last night? Is that a Mighty Ducks logo ironed onto an Oilers jersey?

Ups and Downs in Vancouver

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:09:00 EDT

If there is anything that a 5-4 shootout loss in Vancouver told us, it's that the Ducks could have done some serious damage in these upcoming playoffs. If the Ducks had snuck into the eighth spot, they would have likely faced the probable No. 1 seed Canucks, a team they seemed to have no trouble keeping up with last night. (They went 2-1-1 against Vancouver for, interestingly enough, the fourth straight season.) Yes, they ultimately went down in a shootout and yes, they lost the lead three different times. But taking that team to a shootout in their building -- while chasing their go-to goalie in the second period -- showed once again how good this Ducks team can be (and could have been in this postseason). Anaheim scored four times on 15 shots against Roberto Luongo, who has not enjoyed success against the Ducks in his career. He has a career 3.22 goal-against average against Anaheim, second-worst against any team, and his .894 save percentage vs. the Ducks is his worst career mark against a team. He had a 5.77 GAA in three games against Anaheim this season. And of course, there is this indelible moment in the '07 Playoffs. Last night Luongo gave up goals to Perry, Smith-Pelly and Pelley (no, that's not confusing at all) and a mildly important one for Mr. Ryan Getzlaf. The captain's wrist shot between Bobby Lu's wickets late in the first period gave him 10 goals in this mostly frustrating season. It was also the first time he sent the red light spinning since March 2. “Yeah, I guess it’s gone,” Getzlaf told the OC Register, seemingly talking about a proverbial monkey on a proverbial back. “The other night at home, I felt like I was shooting the puck and couldn’t score if my life depended on it. Tonight was one of those where I kind of missed my shot. I think Lui was pretty [ticked] that I missed it as well.” “That’s the new gameplan. Take a shot and shoot somewhere else, I guess.”Smith-Pelly's tap-in of a nice Bobby Ryan pass on the doorstep gave the Ducks a 4-2 lead that marked the end for Luongo. But the Ducks couldn't hold the lead and ultimately succumbed in the shootout when the 'Nucks scored on all three attempts against Jonas Hiller (who was reportedly heated afterwards). The Ducks have a couple more chances to end this thing on a good note when they play the final two games at Edmonton tomorrow and finish 2011-12 on Saturday afternoon in Calgary.

Die Hards Indeed

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:42:00 EDT

The name bestowed upon the Ducks booster club -- Die Hards -- has never been more appropriate than it was over the weekend. A group of about 50 of them took an overnight trip to Glendale to watch the Ducks play the Coyotes on Saturday night, and I was lucky enough to tag along with some other staff members from our Fan Development department. Only for a bus trip to Phoenix could I justify waking up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, but there I was joining everyone else in the morning light at Honda Center to start the six-hour bus ride. And it was a ride made a little more palatable by the events planned by the FD guys, including Ducks trivia for prizes and a playing of the always-welcome 2007 Stanley Cup Champions DVD. Once in Phoenix, we enjoyed pretty much everything but the final result of the game, a 4-0 loss in which the Ducks couldn't get any of their 44 shots past goalie Mike Smith. Before going into the arena, we were treated to a tailgate with a few passionate Coyotes fans, one of which had a sweet pair of tattoos on his calves (see below). After the game, all of the Die Hards were brought down to an area near the locker rooms, where they were able to see the Ducks on their way to the bus. Teemu Selanne and Bruce Boudreau were among the Ducks nice enough to stop and chat for a couple minutes and pose for pictures before heading out of town. Even Senator John McCain, who attended the game and visited the Coyotes locker room afterwards, stopped to say hello. (I posed for a picture with him, but my buddy's phone died right as he snapped the shot.) That was followed by some postgame merriment in the Westgate bars and restaurants that surround the arena, then another six-hour trip back to Anaheim the next morning. Once there, the obvious thing to do was take in another Ducks game, as each member of the club got tickets to that night's home finale against the Oilers. All in all, a great (though quick) trip and a great group of fans. Can't wait to do it all again next year. A few photos from the trip: An enthusiastic group at the start of the bus ride to Glendale. Couldn't believe how many Ducks fans were in this Chester Fried/Taco Bell Express. What a coincidence! Staffer Jason Cooper expertly hosting Ducks trivia. "Coop" in front of our Glendale home for the night. This guy loves his Yotes. Our group at Jobing.com Arena, with the popular "Uncle Jody" in the foreground. This t-shirt was shot from a cannon and fell into my lap. Power Players (and Die Hards members) Erin and Fiona pose with it before giving it to a Coyotes fan. Teemu poses with the Die Hards after the game. Slightly less enthusiastic on the bus ride home. Home sweet home.

It's All About Teemu

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:39:00 EDT

You might have to go back to June 6, 2007 to find a cooler moment inside Honda Center than the one we experienced last night. With exactly five minutes left in the Ducks' home finale, just before a faceoff in the Anaheim zone, Teemu Selanne was shown on the HondaVision -- first on the bench and then jumping on the ice for the draw. The image brought a spontaneous standing ovation from the overflow crowd of 17,266, many of whom were holding aloft signs pleading for Selanne to come back for (at least) one more year. Selanne's teammates took their cue, standing up on the bench and banging their sticks on the wall. Here's what it looked like, although the video can't possibly do it justice. You had to be here to really take it in, to hear that seemingly neverending roar, to sense the goosebumps on your arms and, just maybe, feel a little moisture in your eyes. In a nice move, linesman Derek Nansen waited to drop the puck while the cheers went on, and if Selanne himself hadn't tapped him on the rear with his stick, he might have never dropped it. "It's unbelievable," said Selanne, who got another chance to feel the love from the fans when he was named first star of the game. "It's almost funny that they're chanting for an old guy like me. I've always had a very special relationship with the fans ... Obviously I'm going to have another tough decision to make again." Said Devante Smith-Pelly, who was four months old when Selanne made his NHL debut, "I got goosebumps when they were chanting 'One More Year' for 'T.' It's amazing to see how loved he is." It's only a shame that the moment came in the midst of a 2-1 loss to the Oilers in our last chance to see this year's Ducks at home. But in typical Selanne dramatic fashion, he appeared out of nowhere to come within inches of tying the game in the final seconds. With the Ducks net empty, Selanne picked up a bouncing puck at center ice, blazed down the left wing, got bumped in the circle and fired a desperation shot that goalie Devan Dubnyk turned away. It's probably good that he did though, or we'd be spending this morning trying to put the roof back on Honda Center."On the last play of the game, I have no idea where he came from," Ryan Getzlaf said with a shake of the head. "He came flying through the middle there. His skating ability and sense of the game is unmatched by a lot of people. I thought it was going to be his glory at the end of the game there." If that last burst of speed showed anything though, it told us once again that Selanne is still at the top of his game ("I still feel great," he said). As it was, he did score Anaheim's only goal, in the first period. Actually, Teemu scored three goals in the first period -- but two were from the wrong Teemu. The Oilers' 21-year-old Finnish winger Teemu Hartikainen scored his first two of the season -- the first just 15 seconds into the game -- and that was all Edmonton needed, despite the Ducks outshooting them 33-15. It is believed to be the first time in NHL history that two guys named Teemu scored in an NHL game. "Must be a good name," laughed Selanne. "I like that." Selanne said he talked with Hartikainen a bit around the faceoff circle in the second period and added, "Obviously it's funny that most of the kids are really young. They could be my sons." Yes, he'll be 42 (although he hardly looks it on the ice) this July 3, two days after he says he'll let all of us know his intentions for next season. But come on, he's gotta come back for one more year, right? Heck, why not five more? "I really would love to give an answer," he said last night. "But obviously I decided already a long time ago that emotions go high and low during the season. You've got to get the right feeling. That has been happening for me in the summertime. "When it's time to start pushing and working out and getting ready for the new year, that's the time you have to be ready. That's the time you have to decide if you're ready to push yourself. It's a long hard process." And not too easy for us either, as we'll spend the next few months holding out hope. The hope that we can see this guy play in this building again. The hope that we can have more moments like the one we experienced last night. Here are some of the best tweets from last night (and click here for even more):

9 Goes for 30

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:22:00 EDT

Despite the Ducks’ elimination from the postseason, there is still some intrigue packed into their remaining five games (starting with tomorrow night in Phoenix). Wednesday night against San Jose, Bobby Ryan scored a second period goal to reach 28 for the season. If he gets two more goals, he will be one of two active NHL players to score 30 goals in each of their first four full seasons. The other? A guy named Alex Ovechkin. In fact, only 15 guys in the history of the NHL have done it, many of which did it during an era when goals were easier to come by than they are today. On the way to LAX for an afternoon team flight into Phoenix, I talked for a few minutes with BR about the significance of 30 and some other topics: What does 30 goals mean to you? It’s not something I’m thinking a lot about, but being able to reach that point every year for the first four seasons of a career would be a really cool thing. But it really hasn’t weighed on my mind too much during this last little stretch. I’m starting to think about it more and how nice it would be, but it’s really an afterthought. Do you realize that Ovechkin is the only active guy who has done that? I didn’t until you just told me. I always just thought it would be something nice to achieve. Personally myself, I wanted to hit 30 and then keep going and move on to higher numbers. That’s taken a backseat because of the year and the start we had. It would be a cool number to reach, especially to be listed with a guy like him. You’ve been moving to different lines a little bit this season after skating for so long with Getz and Perry. How has that been for you? Style-wise, I always meshed well with Getz and Pears, but the problem with our line is we all like to cycle the puck and hold onto it. We weren’t getting enough attack on the net. Sometimes things have got to change. Usually I go down and get different looks on different lines. I’ve always been okay with it and I’ve never really been upset or anything like that. I just try to embrace whoever I’m playing with. I think I’ve found something good with Bones (Nick Bonino) lately and maybe we’ll create our own little duo going forward. It’s been a disappointing season for the team, but what kind of grade would you give your season individually? Well, it’s obviously not going to be a passing grade, but I split the season mentally into two different parts, and that’s before Bruce and after Bruce. When Bruce came in, I was able to put the slow start and the losing attitude we were having for a little while behind me. I’ve just kind of embraced what he’s asked me to do and try to learn from it. I really like our relationship, and since Bruce has been here, I’ve come into my own a little bit. I’ve found some chemistry with Bones and we’ve been able to go on a little run. Before that it was an ultimate fail, and after that it’s gotten subtly better. What I’m looking at is setting it up for next year and looking for stuff to build off of at the end of this season. How have the players responded to Bruce? Bruce has come in and he moves mountains just by talking to the guys in the room. Everybody has embraced the system he’s brought in with him and it’s been a huge plus for us. You’ve frequently been the subject of trade talk. Does that weigh on you or do you get used to it? You never get used to it. You can say all the clichés that I’ve heard before, but it’s really tough, especially when you build a home somewhere and you finally have some roots. I try and leave everything at the rink and not take things home with me. You need to separate your personal life and your business life and just try and enjoy yourself outside the rink. But it’s not easy. Several weeks ago, you talked about wanting to be the guy who steps up into a more prominent role if and when Teemu Selanne retires. Can you get into that a little bit? A lot of people read too much into it and took it out of context. All I was saying is, Teemu is 41 and at a certain point, we have to prepare as a team for life after him. That could be finding a guy who can take that second-line role, filling it in with trades or draft or free agency or whatnot or creating a line that I can be the pivot point on and I can help bring guys along in that role. Teemu has done that for me, and other guys in the past. We have to be ready to do that at some point, and personally, I would love to do it. I think I’m ready to take on a bigger role and I’m ready to anchor a line. And I think I can really embrace the role he’s taken in the community. What are the plans for the offseason? I’m going to go over to Finland with the U.S team for the World Championships in May. Then when I get back from that, I’ll be packing up again for my place in Idaho and spend most of the summer there.

Bittersweet Night for Ducks

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:58:00 EDT

The inevitable became official at 9:03 p.m. Pacific time last night. When the Dallas Stars finished off a 3-1 victory in Edmonton, it hammered home the final nail in the Ducks' coffin, mathematically eliminating them from the 2012 postseason. But as we looked down at our laptops and phones and got the expected-but-still-sombering news, we ultimately looked back up to the ice and saw an Anaheim team that hardly looked like a non-playoff contender. The Ducks were at that time in the middle of beating a good Sharks team for the fifth time in six games. Teemu Selanne netted a pretty tip-in goal just before that Dallas score became final to give Anaheim a 2-1 lead that eventually turned into a 3-1 final thanks to the weirdest goal we've seen in a long time. With Antti Niemi sent to the bench for an extra attacker, Corey Perry collected the puck at center ice with an empty net in front of him. Instead of firing the shot, he unselfishly dropped the puck to linemate and friend Ryan Getzlaf, sitting on nine goals since March 2. Getzlaf, with pressure from Brent Burns, actually missed the net with a backhand. The puck hit the end boards and came back to Perry, whose shot was denied by Dan Boyle's slide into the net, knocking it off its pegs. Officials deemed Boyle intentionally knocked the net off and awarded an automatic goal to Perry, leaving him with a sheepish grin and Getzlaf with an incredulous one. (According to Rule 63.6: "When the goal post has been displaced deliberately by the defending team when their goaltender has been removed for an extra attacker thereby preventing an impending goal by the attacking team, the Referee shall award a goal to the attacking team.") Later in the locker room, Perry walked from the workout room toward curious reporters and said with a smile, "I have no idea. That's all I got." So in their last game, the Ducks have a puck that goes in the net and is ruled no goal, then three nights later get a goal when the puck never goes in. It's a strange game, and a strange way to end what was a rather gratifying win against a bitter rival, one that knocked the Sharks all the way from the Pacific Division lead into eighth in the West. But when that victory comes on the same night the Ducks are officially eliminated from the playoffs, the painful question lingers: Where were wins like that in the first three months of this season? "I think this team really deserved more than we’re getting right now," said Selanne, fully conveying the bittersweet sentiment of the night. "We all know the first half was so bad. The second half we had to do some miracles. It doesn’t really happen in this league very often. That is very disappointing. "Hopefully everybody remembers this when it’s October and November. Those points, you can’t get them back right now. This league is tough. You have to be consistent and be able to play 82 games. That is why some players and teams are better than others. They find a way to do the job every night." He paused. "The first half," he said, "we bailed out." Whether Selanne is part of that team in October, he wouldn't say, but he did joke that he'd be around to remind them about it whether he's in uniform or not. For now, we'll watch these last five games and hope they're not his last five games. Meanwhile, we'll keep one eye on the out-of-town scores and those Western Conference standings. And if the Sharks don't make the playoffs for the first time in eight years, we'll have the satisfaction of knowing the Ducks had a lot to do with that.

Ducks Know the Way to (Beat) San Jose

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:34:00 EDT

The Ducks have all but their heels left hanging on the metaphoric cliff of official playoff elimination, but that hardly dampens their motivation to take down the Sharks tonight at Honda Center. There is the matter of a fierce rivalry with their in-state foes, and an opportunity to make a serious statement with a fifth win in six games. But there is also the opportunity to do some damage to San Jose's playoff hopes for the second time in nine days. The Sharks have won three straight after a 5-3 defeat at home to the Ducks a week ago Monday, putting them on top of the Pacific Division -- for now. They're just a point in front of Dallas and Phoenix and two in front of the Kings (the Stars and Kings each tonight). If the Ducks down the Sharks tonight, they could not only lose their lead in the division, but they could tumble as far down the standings as seventh in the West. And even further motivation comes from the fact that ... well ... our guys simply don't like their guys. "We like visiting that city," Bruce Boudreau said a day after that satisfying win in San Jose last week. "We hate them, but we like visiting that city." Asked about the "hate" factor yesterday, the soft-spoken Cam Fowler said, "It's a strong word, but we definitely dislike them. Not to say we don't have respect for them because they're a great team. But the Kings and the Sharks and the Ducks, I think, all have a strong hate for each other. That's just how it is." Luca Sbisa told the OC Register, "Just as much as we hate the Kings, we hate the Sharks. They're always good, right? They're always up there, and we don't really like that, either. You want to give it to them as much as possible, and I think they want to do the same thing." Again, the Ducks could be officially closed out from the postseason in the middle of the game tonight, as both LA-Calgary and Dallas-Edmonton drop the puck a half hour before Anaheim-San Jose does. But whatever happens on the NHL scoreboard, that won't influence the Ducks' approach tonight or in any of the last six games. "We have an obligation to every team in our conference to play the best we can and put the best lineup out every night," Boudreau said this morning. "We're looking to win. We're not looking to get into the lottery, we want to be as good a team as we can the rest of the season."

A Bruce of Fresh Air

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:49:00 EDT

There is little question that this 2011-12 season is one tinged in frustration. An incredibly difficult first half gave way to a great January and February, but the Ducks ultimately ran out of fuel and now stand on the brink of official elimination. But while this campaign has been the proverbial rollercoaster ride, one thing that has been consistently refreshing is the presence of head coach Bruce Boudreau. Since arriving in Anaheim in the beginning of December (after a November 30 hiring), Boudreau has been extremely candid, oftentimes funny, continually kind and generous with his time. Meanwhile, he's maintained a passion for winning that led was reflected in his success in his previous job in Washington, and shined through in Anaheim during most of these last few months. Boudreau showed a little of that passion Sunday night, when officials overturned what would have been a tying goal in the third period vs. Boston, citing goaltender interference. "Every now and then," he told reporters today, "I lose it. That fire is the Boudreau his players have seen at times over the years, and which revealed itself during a few salty tirades that aired on HBO's 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic last season. But away from the rink, Boudreau is a soft-spoken, witty 57-year-old father of four (three sons, one daughter). That's a side of him that revealed itself during an enjoyable hour-long Q&A with host Steve Carroll and fans on an episode of the Off the Ice show, taped last week at ESPN Zone and aired on AM 830 radio. Carroll started off the session by apologizing to Boudreau for interrupting his dinner, to which Boudreau replied, "I don't think you have to worry about me starving." He again showed his grasp of Anaheim's rivalry with fellow California teams when talking about a big win in San Jose the night before. "We like visiting that city," he said. "We hate them, but we like visiting that city." Later he talked about about his time coaching in the Kings organization, which was met with boos from a few fans. "I know, I know," he said. with a smile. "They fired me, so the hell with them too." Asked about jobs he's had outside of hockey (aside from a hockey school he's run for 30 years, which wife Crystal helps with), he spoke about the time he was 16 and he and some friends found a job planting trees. "So, you're supposed to dig a little hole and plant a pine tree every five feet. By mid-morning, I had gone through two buckets and everyone else had gone through maybe a half bucket. The boss comes up and says, 'You're unbelievable. You're great,' and I said, "Yeah, I'm really scurrying through this. Give me another bucket." So he started to watch me a little more closely, and what I was doing was digging a hole and putting about 12 trees worth in there, just stuffing them in there. He saw that and fired me on the spot. That job didn't go well." Another time he spent part of a summer working as a bartender in his buddy's pub. "After about a week, I didn't charge anybody for any drinks," he said with a laugh. "I would just be giving drinks out and shots. I just wanted to get everybody drunk. He said, 'This isn't working out well,' and he fired me too. "I need to stick to hockey. It's the only thing I know, and the only thing I've been able to do well. We've got to keep this gig going for awhile." On the difference between media here and back East. "In the East Coast, they're not looking for hockey knowledge or looking for the answers. They're looking for dirt. They want to make headlines where you've said something or you're criticizing somebody. This year I sat out Ovechkin for one shift against Anaheim, and it made headlines all across North America the next day because they made it bigger than it was. I wasn't thinking anything except that I wanted to win the game that night, and he wasn't playing that well." On Teemu Selanne: "I told some of the reporters, I think he's the greatest athlete on Earth. I mean that in all seriousness. Take all the other major sports in the world. Is there a 41-year-old guy in any sport who is at the top of his game still? Football, basketball, there isn't even a pitcher in baseball who is still at the top of his game. For his age, he is the most phenomenal athlete that I've met. "As to what he's doing next year, I don't think he's going to make up his mind until July. Once he starts taking time off and starts missing it again, he's going to want to play. I don't know what his plan is though. He's got four kids that he follows around all over the place. Whatever it is he decides to do, he's earned the right to do it. The man has given his whole life to hockey." On having played and coached at so many different levels of hockey: "It really gets you to understand people. That was the biggest thing. Even at the NHL level, to know what a player is going through and be able to put yourself in that's position, I think that's really important. If you can relate to what they feel, then you can understand what they're going through and you know how to treat them, whether to give them a kick in the butt or a pat on the back. You just need to know when to do it. "The thing that comes to my mind is talking to a player whose wife is pregnant. He's not playing well, and you're asking him what's wrong, and he doesn't want to tell you. Then you talk to another player and he's like, "Listen, Matt hasn't slept in three weeks. He's sleeping in the rollaway because his wife can't sleep and the baby has colic and you're wondering why he has no energy in the game. It's sort of an insight and now you know what the deal is, instead of thinking that he's dogging it or not working." And on his approach to the remaining games: "I expect to win all [of them]. That's what we thrive on. We've had two bad games since January 1 (6-2 at home vs. Dallas and 4-2 loss to LA on the road). Every other game we're either in the game or winning the game. I don't see why we can't strive to win them all. Until they elimate us, we're gonna go down fighting. Even in the last game of the season, if we're playing somebody and it doesn't mean anything to either team, we want them to think, Holy crap, are they gonna be good next year. That's the situation and that's what's gonna happen. "I think we have the basis for a really good hockey team for a really long time. I'm excited about being part of Ducks hockey for awhile." That's something we can all agree on.

The Goal That Wasn't a Goal

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:19:00 EDT

Twelve hours later and around here we're still thinking about the goal that was taken away. The word "frustrating" has been used in this space and elsewhere on a number of occasions to describe Anaheim's 2011-12 season, but frustration reached a whole new level last night. In a hard-fought battle with the defending champion Bruins, the Ducks appeared to get the tying score with 12:38 left in the third, when Matt Beleskey one-timed a shot from the circle through an Andrew Cogliano screen and past goalie Marty Turco. And although it was immediately ruled a goal on the ice by referee Brad Watson right behind the net, the four officials conferenced afterward and overturned the call. It should be noted that there was not replay review, only the officials discussion, since goaltender interference is not a reviewable offense under NHL rules. Still, it left the Ducks, their fans (among the 17,395 in attendance) and especially Bruce Boudreau absolutely incensed. Here's the whole thing: The announcement from PA announcer Phil Hulett was, "No goal. Player in the crease." But being in the crease is only an infraction if a player "maintains a significant position in the crease impairing the goalkeeper's ability to defend his goal." Although Cogliano never made contact with Turco, officials decided he interfered with Turco's ability to make the save. Cogliano: "At the end of the day, I didn’t touch him whatsoever. "I didn’t know it was goalie interference. I asked the linesman and he said he thought maybe I was impending him from making a save. I thought he was kind of set before the puck went in. The puck was already going in before he was trying to make a save. That is just how it goes." Boudreau: "There was no explanation given to me. None ... Sure, they got another goal. We would have played completely different if there was a 2-2 tie with 10 minutes to go. We would have tried to take into overtime because one point to us is really important right now." Indeed, the call hurt even worse when Brian Rolston scored on the rush six minutes later to put the Bruins in front 3-1. And even though the Ducks crawled back on a Lubomir Visnovsky goal with 2:29 left, that was as close as they would get. The loss left the Ducks on the brink of official elimination, but not quite there, as games from around the league could seal it over the next two nights. But a victory would have been a third straight gratifying one for Anaheim, which slowed the rival Sharks' playoff climb last Monday night, then knocked off the NHL-best Blues on Wednesday. Now the Ducks look at these final six games, starting back here Wednesday night against those same Sharks, this way: "We'll continue doing what we we're doing, which is playing hard," Boudreau said. "We get a chance to stop San Jose. Let's prevent them from making it. Let's do whatever we can to win."There's a lot of character in that room. So let's show the world (why) we had one of the better records in the NHL from the beginning of January."

Thank You, Oak Grove

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:45:00 EDT

Once a year I go and speak to kids at Oak Grove Elementary School in Aliso Viejo, whose principal Mrs. O'Connell-Bogle is a longtime Brady family friend. More than 250 fourth- and fifth-graders gather in the auditorium to listen to me talk about my job and the Ducks in general. It's always a fun (and ego-boosting) time, especially the question-and-answer session in which the kids get extra motivated because I sprinkle in trivia questions and reward correct answers with foam Ducks pucks. (That tends to cause a near riot, but it's worth it.) They ask questions like, "Who's your favorite player?" or "Where do you sit during the games?" or "What other sports do you like?" One of the kids asked if I was related to Tom Brady, and it took me a couple seconds to decide whether or not to lie and say I was. I always bring my Ducks Stanley Cup Champions ring when I speak, partly to show it off to the kids and partly because one of the fourth-grade teachers, Mr. Elliott, is a die-hard Kings fan. I make sure to point out to the kids that the Ducks have won a Cup and the Kings never have, and Mr. Elliott inevitably gets his revenge (see below). I spoke there a few weeks ago, and just yesterday the thank-you notes from all of the kids came pouring in. I read through all of them, which were very nice, and I wish I could answer all of the questions in them. The notes from Mr. Elliott's class all were decorated with a drawing of me wearing Kings gear. Inside, each of the notes contained lines like, "Did you know that the Kings logo is attractive?" or "Did you know the Kings are higher up in the standings than the Ducks?" or "Did you know ducks are far down the food chain?" or all of the above. (Some even apologized on the back, admitting that their teacher made them do it.) Here are some of the better drawings of me in Kings gear: Some other highlights from the thank-you notes (followed by my comments in italics): - Dear Adam Bradie... Close enough. - I've got a song for you: Brady, Brady you are awesome, Brady, Brady you are awesome, you have the ability to be on stage, Brady, Brady you are aaawesome Think I could get a CD of that? - I don't really like writing, but whenever we do it in class, I sometimes get carried away. You and me both, kid. - My teacher handed out Ducks reading logs and if you read 120 minutes (like me), at the end of the month you can win two tickets to a Ducks game, a Ducks hat, bookmark, foam puck and pen! It really got me inspired to read very big novels. Whatever works. - Did you know that ducks are unhealthy? Not sure how to answer that. - When you were a kid, I bet when you liked to write about things and draw, and you can type and post pictures now! Time really flies by. You're telling me. - That ring was shiny, but those are fake diamonds. Thanks for that - Thank you for coming to our school. That's like once in a lifetime. Not so sure about that. - Who is the guy under the Ducks mascot costume? Costume? What do you mean? - This paragraph is going to have a lot of questions, so get ready! Who is your favorite player on the Ducks? Do you have fun when you write? I think I saw you at a Ducks game before. Do you go to different schools to talk about what you do? Do you hate the Kings? What is your favorite sport to play? Head is still spinning. - Sincerely, Kelsi P. Donaldson P.S. I'm a girl Got that. - You're the best Ducks blogger in the world. Well, top 10 at least. - I hope you write a lot of good stuff on your blog. Keep hope alive. - Adam, you are a cool guy. I wish you were the coach of the Ducks. I agree with half of that.

Blue Crush

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:21:00 EDT

If the Ducks have an eye on the future, they had to like what they saw last night. Anaheim's first three scorers in a fulfilling 4-3 win over the top-ranked Blues -- Cam Fowler, Nick Bonino and Devante Smith-Pelly -- average 20.67 years of age, and they set the table for relative old guy Jason Blake to net the clincher in the third. With the Ducks nine back of the eighth spot with seven games left in this topsy-turvy season, meaningful wins are hard to come by. But Anaheim has managed to get a couple in a row, slowing the rival Sharks' postseason climb on Monday night and taking down the team with the NHL's best record last night. The Blues have 100 points, were the first team to clinch a playoff spot when they beat Tampa Bay last Saturday night and came into last night's game with a ridiculous 37-0-1 record when scoring at least three goals. But the Ducks tarnished that mark, becoming the first team to score four goals on stingy goalie Jaroslav Halak since the Blue Jackets on December 18. Three different times last night the Ducks went down a goal, and three different times they caught the Blues, taking their first lead when Jason Blake banked one in off the back of defenseman Ian Cole's skate. "I saw [Evgeni] Malkin do it last night," joked Blake, who was looking to feed a crashing Teemu Selanne. "I knew 'T' was going and I just threw it. Fortunately it went off their defenseman's foot or leg or whatever it was." To those in the crowd, it looked initially like Selanne might have jammed it in, and even he and Blake weren't sure. "I said, 'That went off you, right?'" Blake said. "And he goes, 'Something hit me. But they've got video, so we'll just check it out.' It was all good fun." That may not have been the prettiest goal in the world, but the ones that the 20-year-old Fowler, 23-year-old Bonino and 19-year-old Smith-Pelly had definitely were. Fowler hammered home a slap shot on a first period power play after Ryan Getzlaf gave him a nifty between-the-legs touch pass at the point. Getzlaf also came through on Smith-Pelly's big tying goal in the third, pushing his way behind the net before delivering a backhand pass that DSP chipped through. And sandwiched in between those, Bonino picked up a loose puck after Kyle Palmieri's shot was blocked, then expertedly waited out Halak before slinging it just under the crossbar. Meanwhile, Jonas Hiller did his thing two nights after finally getting a night off, making a number of athletic saves among his 35 on the net, including a few while the Ducks clinged to that one-goal lead over the final six minutes. And the Ducks got a little inspiration from Bruce Boudreau after a sluggish first period that followed a day of only off-ice workouts for the team. He told reporters that he told his guys, "if you're going to play like this after a day off, you won't have any more days off. It's pretty simple We looked like we were in mud. And we were looking in awe at the St. Louis Blues because they're No. 1 in the league." It's hard to believe, after watching the way they played the last two games, that the Ducks still sit in 12th in the West, well short of a playoff spot with seven to go. (If there ever was such a thing as an at-large berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Anaheim would almost certainly be the top candidate.) As it is, the Ducks can only look at those last few games and keep giving it all they have. "I think that's the professional thing to do," Blake said. "It's been obviously a crazy season. We're trying to win hockey games. It doesn't matter if you're in it or out of it or you're fighting or whatever the situation may be." Said Bruce Boudreau, "I don't think at any point we've just thrown in the towel. It's the same as the season. We were dead and buried in December and January. We're still not eliminated yet." - - - If you were in the arena last night or watching the game on TV, you might have seen the feature below on the Ducks getting fitted for the Lady Ducks Fashion Show luncheon, being held today in Newport Beach. The highlight of the video is Lubomir Visnovsky's outfit, complete with blue pants, which leads him to claim, "I'm like business man from Slovakia from 1985." Take a look: - - - Last but not least, a great tweet last night regarding the Ducks' diversity:

Blues Travelers

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:58:00 EDT

Okay, it just may be safe to say it: The St. Louis Blues are for real. The same Blues who have made the playoffs just once since the lockout, the same ones who started the season 6-7-0 before firing coach Davis Payne, have 100 points and were the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot. The Blues are one of eight teams in the NHL this season to fire their coach, but replacing Payne with Ken Hitchcock (a former Cup winner in Dallas) has had a pretty clear turnaround effect on the team. Hitchcock took over the team early enough in the season to get the Blues to buy into a defensive-minded system that has them leading the NHL by a mile with just 1.85 goals-against per game. That's why they're a ridiculous 37-0-1 when scoring three or more goals. They've got a young and talented back end that includes guys like Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk (whose brother Keith happens to be a Ducks staffer), as well as a stellar goaltending duo of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak. Elliott leads the NHL with a goals-against average of 1.62 (1.62!) and a .937 save percentage, while Halak is second in goals-against (1.85) and fourth in save percentage (.929). They've pretty much split time in net this season, with Halak having 42 games played to Elliott's 33, but Halak will be in net tonight against the Ducks at Honda Center. Bruce Boudreau this morning was asked about Halak's playoff performance against his No.1-seeded Washington Capitals in 2010, when the goalie led the Montreal Canadiens to a first round series win in seven games. "I'm still mad at him," Boudreau said, not exactly smiling. Meanwhile, the Blues don't even have a player among the top 60 scorers in the NHL. Their leading point-producer, TJ Oshie, is currently 69th in the league with 50 points. "They're a good hockey club," Boudreau said of the Blues this morning. "It's not going to be easy. It never is against these guys." And get this: The Blues have been doing this all season despite having a pretty decent amount of injury problems. In fact, for the first time this season, St. Louis practiced yesterday at Honda Center with its full opening night roster (and mid-season acquisitions) on the ice, though some of the guys out there aren't ready to play yet. That included Alex Steen, Matt D'Agostini and Kris Russell, who are all out with concussions. Steen has been out since December and has been in California receiving therapy in a hyperbaric chamber. Also on the ice but questionable was David Backes, who has a foot injury, and definitely out tonight is former Duck Andy McDonald, who has a bad shoulder. The Blues, who are in the second leg of a seven-game trip, are 6-1-1 in their last eight games, including a 3-1 win over Anaheim at home back on March 8. Tonight the Ducks look to keep intact that same Ryan-Bonino-Palmieri line that rang up eight points in the 5-3 win in San Jose two nights ago. Look for Devante Smith-Pelly to possibly join Getzlaf and Perry on the top unit. Jason Blake and Niklas Hagman, who were held out of the game in San Jose, are possible to be in the lineup tonight, according to Boudreau. Also, Jonas Hiller looks to be back in there after getting a "rest" following 32 straight starts. One cool thing if you're at the game tonight: The Ground Zero American Flag will be presented tonight during the national anthem, and later available for viewing on the concourse near Section 209.

Sharks Attacked

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:42:00 EDT

With their playoff hopes having faded to a flicker, the Ducks will mostly have to take on the role of spoiler during these final three weeks. And there aren't too many teams in the league they'd rather spoil things for than the San Jose Sharks. For the time being, the Sharks are in the unfamiliar position of being on the outside of the playoff race, sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference. A win last night over the Ducks at home would have, incredibly, vaulted them all the way up to third, since they would have taken over the Pacific Division lead from Dallas. But the Ducks made sure that wouldn't happen, at least for one night, twice scoring on the shift right after a Sharks goal and lighting the lamp five times in an unfriendly building for a satisying 5-3 win over their rivals. Jeff Deslauriers, who got the surprise start to break Jonas Hiller's string of 32 in a row, was rusty at the start, but got better as the game went on in earning a 27-save win. "Our team's got a lot of pride and we've played awfully hard from January," said Bruce Boudreau, who has had a pretty good sense of the intra-state rivalries since he got here a few months ago. "Whenever you can sort of derail, a little bit, a California team, you like to do it." The Ducks have certainly done that this season, having won four of five games against San Jose (they play the final game of their series a week from tomorrow at Honda Center). Boudreau, who hadn't given any indication after the morning skate that he was going with anyone but Hiller, didn't even tell Deslauriers himself until that morning, reasoning that the 27-year-old “might be a little nervous and not get a good sleep.” Said Deslauriers, “I was more excited than nervous, but you always have butterflies going into a game. Any game I’m going to play I’m going to have those. That’s normal.” Boudreau also sat down veterans Jason Blake and Niklas Hagman, and made Bobby Ryan (who just turned 25 on St. Patrick's Day) the "old guy" on a relatively new line with center Nick Bonino (23 years old) and Kyle Palmieri (21). Last night, the trio (the PBR line, if you will) looked like they'd been playing together forever, combining for eight points -- Ryan had a first-period goal and two assists, Bonino had a career-high three helpers and Palmieri had big second-period insurance goal and an assist. "It's fun getting a win," Bonino said, "but to do it against the Sharks is that much better." Palmieri's goal, which gave the Ducks an all-important two-goal cushion late in the second, was a thing of beauty. Ryan gave him a pretty drop pass on the rush, and Palmieri's first shot was knocked down by the stick of Douglas Murray. But the kid followed up by sneaking the puck in behind goalie Thomas Greiss from a bad angle. Take a look: Meanwhile, Francois Beauchemin pinched in on the power play to get a first period goal, Corey Perry nicely followed up after Ryan Getzlaf was denied on the breakaway, Nate Guenin gave the Ducks three unanswered on his first goal since opening night vs. Buffalo and George Parros beat the tar out of former teammate Brad Winchester. All in all a pretty good night. The shame of it all is, there haven't been more of those nights in the last few weeks. But if battling a desperate San Jose team in their barn was a challenge, the Ducks will face another one tomorrow night against St. Louis at home. The Blues have surprised everybody by already clinching a playoff spot with a league-high 100 points. It's the first of three straight home games for the Ducks, who have just eight games remaining (four at home and four on the road).

Weekend Burnings

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:46:00 EDT

Slow starts, rocky finishes, the Los Angeles Kings and the Nashville Predators. They all proved troublesome for the Ducks this past weekend at Honda Center, and they've all afflicted them during this rollercoaster season. A loss Friday night to the KIngs was the fifth in six games with the Ducks' old rivals, and a defeat yesterday evening to a newer rival, the Predators, gave Nashville a season series sweep and six straight wins going back to last year's contentious first-round series. Friday night, the Ducks had a rough first period against the Kings, falling into a 3-0 hole before valiantly fighting back and coming up just short in the final minutes (getting ultimately done in by an empty-net goal). Last night against Nashville, the Ducks instead jumped in front 1-0 on a beauty of a shorthanded goal by Devante Smith-Pelly. But they couldn't get anything else past goalie Anders Lindback and gave up two to the Preds in the third, then a later empty-netter to clinch it. Playing the second of a back-to-back, Nashville seemingly waited for the Ducks to provide an opening and attacked (I suppose that's why they're called the Predators.) “They never beat themselves. They hang around," Bobby Ryan said of a very good Predators team. "They just continue to be there and be in your way and chip away at things. "They’re almost sneaky. Because it doesn’t feel like they’re getting chances and then all of a sudden, it’s a quick one.”An attempt to wipe out the one-goal lead was flipped on them again by another empty-net goal in the lingering seconds, this time by David Legwand with 16 seconds and change left. It was a frustrating way to go for the Ducks, especially against two teams you love to beat and hate to lose to, no matter where anyone stands in the race for the playoffs. Tonight the Ducks turn around and face yet another bitter rival, this time on the road, as they take on the Sharks up in San Jose. The Sharks go into this one in an unfamiliar spot in the standings, ninth place in the Western Conference but just a point out of seventh and eighth with games in hand on both. Despite a recent drought in which they went 3-8-4, they beat Nashville at home on Thursday and Detroit there Saturday. They're actually also just a point out of the Pacific Division lead, which would catapult them to third in the West. The Ducks would love nothing more than to make sure they go nowhere on that ladder tonight, in what always is an unfriendly building. More than that, they'd like to turn the tide on a frustrating weekend that was the continuation of a tough stretch following that inspiring surge in January and February. "You learn to hate it and you never want to do it again," Boudreau said. "That's what I get out of it when something like this goes on and you start losing and you get frustrated like we did a little bit at the end there. "You remember those things for awhile. And you come back, knowing you don't want to go through that feeling again." Boudreau indicated that Hiller would go again tonight but that backup Jeff Deslauriers, "will play before the year is out. At some point [Hiller] is going to get a rest." He also said that Toni Lydman, who missed last night with an upper body injury, is feeling better and will be available. Here's a photo you don't see every day (that's Chuy from the Chelsea Lately show, in attendance last night):

Kings for a Day

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:38:00 EDT

It's Rivalry Week in Anaheim -- three straight games against hated opponents, all of which have a history of animosity and tooth-and-nail games with the Ducks. Two nights ago it was the Red Wings -- a team the Ducks have faced in the postseason five times -- which the Ducks promptly trounced 4-0 at Honda Center. Tonight it's the Kings, a team the Ducks have never battled in the playoffs (the first time they both made it in the same year was last season), but one they have battled 107 times over the years. Sunday it's the Predators, a relatively fledgling rival that was born from a treacherous playoff series last year that Nashville took in six games. Both rivalries have something in common: No matter where the teams are in the standings it always feels like a playoff game. It's gratifying when the Ducks beat either of those teams. But I enjoy beating the Kings just a little bit more, mostly because of the geographic proximity of LA, meaning we run into their fans just a little more on an everyday basis than we do Wings fans. That's why last year, when the Ducks beat the Kings on back-to-back nights to leapfrog them into the fourth spot in the West, was so exhilarating. Passing them this season is a little more remote of a possibility, since the Ducks currently trail the Kings by seven points in the standings with 11 games to go. But that doesn't make tonight any less intense, especially since the Ducks have lost four of the first five to LA this season, and Anaheim pretty much needs to win them all from here to the finish line to maintain its postseason hopes. "It’s a playoff game for us, but playing the Kings, it’s a big rivalry, right?" said Luca Sbisa this morning. "Guys are going to be extra fired up and they’ll be fired up as well. It’s going to be pretty emotional and a fun game to watch. "It’s going to be a physical, emotional hard-nosed game. The guys like games like this, and the fans do too." Now whether Sbisa and Corey Perry will play in this game remains to be seen. Bruce Boudreau didn't seem optimistic when he stood in front of reporters this morning, despite the fact both Perry and Sbisa skated with the team. "They’re starting to skate in practice, but I don’t know whether they’ll be back tonight or Sunday," he said. "It looks sooner than later though and not another week. It looks like they’ll play before the San Jose game [Monday]." Both remain gametime decisions, but with so few gametimes remaining, Boudreau said, "We don’t have the luxury of waiting for anything. If they’re able to play, they can play." Perry took a few one-timers this morning and said the shoulder, which he injured last Saturday in Dallas, felt "alright." He added, "Each day it feels like it’s getting stronger, so that’s a positive sign. It’s a tough decision. You don’t like sitting out, but you don’t know how it’s going to feel taking a check or whatever. It’s a lot of hockey and a lot of banging and battling for position. It’s playoff hockey, so it’s going to be tough out there. We’ll see how it is." "It’s tough. It’s been a long time since I missed a game, especially with the dogfight we’re in, to make a push for the playoffs the last 10 or 11 games. It’s definitely not fun watching. Riding the bike and watching on TV isn’t what you enjoy doing." Asked about his status, Sbisa said, "We’ve done a lot of treatment the past few days. It’s feeling much better, but it’s a gametime decision. I don’t want to say I’ll be able to play and not be out there. We’ll see how it feels tonight. "You’ve got to be mobile out there, and if you’re not, guys can just take you out. You’ve got to make sure you’re 100 percent because if you’re not, you’ve got guys like Nate Guenin. You don’t want to make a selfish decision and go out there for two or three shifts and then call it a game. If I play, I’ve got to be 100 percent." Translation: Both of those guys are more likely to be in there Sunday. Even without both of them on Wednesday, the Ducks looked very strong against the Red Wings, thanks in part to two goals by Kyle Palmieri. The 21-year-old skated with Getzlaf and Perry this morning, and figures to be on the top unit with at least Getzlaf this evening. Palmieri wasn't even brought up to Anaheim until last Monday (in the wake of Perry's injury) and was leading the AHL with 32 goals. Boudreau was asked today about whether he'll be up here for the rest of the year. "He’s the best scorer in that league, so you’ve got to weigh one versus the other," he said. "You’ve got to think about Anaheim first, but at the same time, do we know him well enough to know where we slot him next year? Every day you take it and see where it is. If he keeps doing what he did last game, he’s not going anywhere."

Kyled In

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:39:00 EDT

I typically call my dad on my way out of the parking lot after Ducks home games, most of which he has just attended. He’ll answer the phone, not with a hello, but with some kind of statement about the game. It’s stuff like, “Heck of a win” or “Tough one tonight” or maybe just, “Selanneeeeeeeee.” Last night, he had a whole new one ready for me, one I never thought I’d hear before. “Who needs a Perry,” he said with a smile I could hear through the phone, “when you’ve got a Palmieri.” Indeed, the second straight absence of Corey Perry last night was overshadowed by the work of the 21-year-old Palmieri, who had two goals and contributed to another to help the Ducks trounce the Red Wings 4-0. It was a depleted Red Wings squad, which again was missing stalwarts Nicklas Lidstrom (bruised ankle) and Pavel Datsyuk (knee surgery). But I don’t care if it’s the entire Grand Rapids Griffins roster wearing those red-and-white unis with the winged wheel. The Red Wings are still the Red Wings, and there is nothing quite so satisfying as beating them. And shutting them out, well that’s a whole different story. Last night’s blanking, thanks in part to 23 saves by Jonas Hiller, was only the second time in history the Ducks had shut out Detroit (the last coming in May of 1997) and the first time at home. And it came on a night when the Ducks were also missing minutes-eating defenseman Luca Sbisa, who missed a second straight game with back spasms. “Really?” said Bruce Boudreau after being told it was just the second shutout in 72 games against Detroit. “That seems…that’s really wild.” All the scoring the Ducks needed was provided by a 21-year-old who came into the game with two career goals, and a 41-year-old who had 659 in his back pocket. Both Palmieri and the aforementioned Selanneeeeeeeee scored in a three-goal barrage in the second period, and it was Palmieri’s pressure on goalie Joey MacDonald, that made Bobby Ryan’s goal in that period possible. Selanne led things off in that period with a workmanlike power play goal, forcing the puck past MacDonald after Cam Fowler had thrown it on net from the wall. It was his 1,400th NHL point, and it came in front of his boyhood idol Jari Kurri, who happened to be at the game, just two nights after Selanne passed him on the NHL scoring list. Later in the period, Palmieri provided a beauty of a goal, stripping the puck from a helpless Brendan Smith before going right to the net and backhanding it top shelf (please excuse John Ahlers calling him Bobby Ryan on the video). It looked a little like a certain Ducks legend doing much the same thing in a certain overtime game against the Wings back in ’07, but we won’t go there. Later in the period, Palmieri hovered over MacDonald enough to force him to stick away Ryan Getzlaf’s pass right to the actual Ryan, who promptly banged it home. And then in the third, the Ducks already comfortably in front, Palmieri artfully reached back to grab a Getzlaf pass, stayed onside and crashed the net for the pretty backhander. Afterward, Palmieri did what any 21-year-old kid would do to describe a night like that: He used the word “awesome.” "It was an awesome night for me," said Palmieri, who had an AHL-leading 32 goals in 42 games at Syracuse before being called up on Monday. "I was lucky enough to score two tonight. Confidence, it definitely feels good. Hopefully going forward, I can keep making an impact on the game and help this team put together a nice win streak." The Ducks took today off from practice, but tomorrow they face another disliked archrival, as the Kings come into town for a Friday night battle. We’ll see if Perry is available for that game, and we’ll also see what Palmieri might do for an encore. Most of all, I’m just wondering how my dad will describe it afterwards.

Clipped Wings

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EDT

It's usually a heck of a night when the Red Wings are in this building, but these aren't quite the Red Wings we're used to. Detroit will be without two of their legends -- defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and center Pavel Datsyuk -- when they revisit Honda Center to face the Ducks tonight. The 41-year-old Lidstrom is set to miss his eighth straight game (he's never missed more than seven in a row) because of a deep bone bruise in his ankle. Datsyuk has been out since mid-February after having knee surgery, but could be back by this weekend. Meanwhile, Todd Bertuzzi has been out with a sore groin but says he's returning tonight to face his old team. (Here's something weird I learned today: I checked to see when Datsyuk won the Hart Trophy, and he never has. I was certain he won at least one. Did you know that since 1963 only one Red Wing has won the Hart? Sergei Fedorov in 1994. Crazy.) Detroit had also been without goalie Jimmy Howard (groin injury) for three games, but got him back last night in LA, where the Wings suffered a 5-2 loss to the Kings. The Ducks, of course, aren't feeling sorry for the Wings in the least, especially because both Corey Perry and Luca Sbisa are questionable to return from injuries tonight. Perry snapped a 272-game streak when he sat out the overtime loss in Colorado with shoulder soreness. Sbisa missed his first game of the season with back spasms that flared up after he took a shot in the morning skate in Colorado. "I felt like someone stabbed me through the muscle into the lung,” he said. Both are gametime decisions, though Bruce Boudreau indicated this morning that Sbisa is more likely to be in the lineup than Perry. “I just don’t know whether they’ll play or not," he said. "We’ll see by game time. They’re both being worked on. It’s the proverbial gametime decision.” With or without them, the Ducks are seeking their first win of the season against the Red Wings -- or at least the 20 guys in the Red Wings jerseys tonight. One of the few stumbles on that successful eight-game trip the Ducks slogged through last month was the 2-1 shootout loss at Joe Louis Arena that led it off. Joey MacDonald beat the Ducks that night, only giving up one George Parros goal, and he'll be back in there tonight. Anaheim actually had MacDonald in their system after trading a seventh-round pick to Toronto for him in 2010, but he never played a game for the Ducks. In net tonight for Anaheim will be ... okay, you know that already. The Ducks, of course, are looking to snap a three-game losing streak that put a serious damper on their playoff hopes. Boudreau said yesterday that his team pretty much has to win all of the final 12 games to have any hopes for the postseason. "Either that," he said, "or a lot of teams have to forfeit some games." But, he added, "Until I look and do the math and we're six points out with two games to go or things like that, we're going to fight and see where it leads."

Ducks Stoned on Milestone Night

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:22:00 EDT

The photo at right pretty much tells the story: Teemu Selanne acknowledging a major milestone in his sparkling career, but not looking all that interested in celebrating it. Last night in Colorado, Selanne scored a late power play goal to give him 1,399 career points, passing Jari Kurri to become the highest-scoring Finnish player of all time. And while that goal came in typical Selanne fashion -- tying a must-win game with less than four minutes left -- its drama was dampened by a painful loss in overtime. Gabriel Landeskog, the 19-year-old rookie most likely to win this year's Calder Trophy, capitalized on a Ducks turnover, blasting a slap shot past a helpless Jonas Hiller to break the Ducks' hearts 1:52 into OT. "That doesn't really make me happy right now," Selanne said about the milestone. "The win was the only goal we had. We couldn't do it. "Obviously it's a big honor. Like I said, it doesn't feel much better. Very disappointing." The Finnish Flash has hit a few big numbers against the Avalanche -- his 600th goal in March of 2010 at Honda Center, his 500th in November of 2006 at Pepsi Center. And while he may remember passing Kurri in Colorado, he'll also remember it as the place his Ducks' playoff hopes took a big hit. The same goes for Saku Koivu, who played in his 1,000th game last night, becoming just the fifth Finn to reach that mark. Last night's loss, the third straight defeat on this make-or-break road swing, put the Ducks nine points behind those Avs for the last playoff spot in the West with just 12 games to go. While both Finns reached milestones, it was also a groundbreaking night for Anaheim because Corey Perry didn't play. The shoulder injury Perry suffered Saturday night in Dallas proved too painful to play with, and Perry sat out for the first time in 272 games. And he was missed, as the Ducks put 40 shots on net during the night, but only got two past Semyon Varlamov. Perry skated for just 15 minutes at today's noon practice at Honda Center, and the Ducks will hope to get him back for Wednesday night's game here against the Red Wings, before which Koivu will be honored for No. 1,000. By the way, we've gotten into using the growing social media outlet Pinterest a lot more to "pin" great Ducks photos, fan comments and other fun content. Check out this page to see the latest and greatest tweets and Facebook posts from our fans and others. Here are a couple of good ones from last night:

Perry Doubtful

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:33:00 EDT

The seemingly indestructible Corey Perry is "doubtful" tonight as the Ducks face an absolute must-win game in Colorado, the clock ticking on their playoff hopes. Perry suffered a shoulder injury on a controversial hit into the boards by Stephane Robidas in the second period on Saturday night in Dallas, a 2-0 loss the Ducks could not afford to take. Perry tried on a couple of occasions to get back into the game, but despite x-rays being negative on the shoulder, the pain was too much to bear. “He’s got a lot of character,” Bruce Boudreau said. “A lot of gumption and a lot of everything else that’s positive. Tried to go twice and just couldn’t go.” Perry would love to get back in there tonight, but Boudreau said he is doubtful while maintaining that he is "100 times better" than he was on yesterday's off day and a gametime decision for tonight. Perry was not on the ice for the skate this morning, replaced on the top line by recent call-up Kyle Palmieri. Afterward, Perry told reporters he is "50-50" and that there is still enough pain to keep him from shooting the puck since Saturday. If he's not in there tonight, it would break a string of 272 consecutive games for the reigning MVP. Meanwhile, one Duck guaranteed to be in there tonight will be Saku Koivu, who is playing his 1,000th career game -- a notable feat for a guy whose career was derailed by cancer 10 seasons ago in Montreal. "It means a lot of years in the league and a lot of hours at the rink," he said. "It's a milestone you don't see often. It's a lot of years and a lot of games, and it means a lot to me. He told the OC Register that his mother, Tuire, sent him congratulatory note on the milestone, but insisted he won't open it until after tonight's game. And he himself knocked on the wooden bench he was sitting on before talking about what 1,000 means to him. "Obviously with the cancer, and not knowing what the future will bring and if I will ever play again, it's been 10 years and I'm still around. So it's a great accomplishment and I'm very proud of that. I'm going to enjoy it tonight." Koivu will be honored in a special pregame ceremony before Wednesday night's game against the Red Wings at Honda Center. "For him to battle cancer and come back, the other injuries he's had and to battle back, to reach 1,000 games, it's a pretty incredible number," Boudreau said. "Hats off to him. It says a lot about his tenacity and his desire. That's why he was captain in Montreal. While the Ducks' playoff hopes are getting slimmer -- eight points back of eighth with 13 to go -- Colorado is making a bit of a charge. The Avs have won seven of their last 10, and their 76 points is tied with Calgary in eighth and the Kings in ninth. The Sharks, meanwhile, as on a stunning slide in which they're 2-6-2 in their last 10, have lost five straight and tumbled to 11th. Remember, tonight's game is on NBC Sports Network (the former Versus) so look for it there on your guide.

St. Louis Blues

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:51:00 EST

There is certainly no shame in losing to the St. Louis Blues on the road, as the Ducks did last night, 3-1. After all, the Blues are arguably the league’s hottest team, have surged to the top spot Western Conference and have only lost four times in regulation at Scottrade Center (28-4-4) this year. But excusable or otherwise, losses of any kind aren’t a luxury the Anaheim Ducks can afford right now. That’s especially true on a rare night when the NHL scoreboard was kind to Anaheim. The ninth-place Kings lost to the Blue Jackets, 10th-place Colorado went down at Nashville and San Jose managed just a point against Dallas (could have been worse since the Sharks led by a goal late in regulation). You can look at that one of two ways: 1. It’s good the Ducks didn’t lose much ground in the race, or 2. They missed a golden opportunity to make a move. With the clock ticking on their season (14 games left and seven points back of eighth) we have to look at the latter. Now these next two games on this trip – tomorrow at Dallas and Monday at Colorado – which were once looked at as critical, are now absolutely vital to the Ducks’ existence in this postseason hunt. “Obviously the next two are going to be the biggest games of the year,” Teemu Selanne said. “We all know that. We all know what the number is going to be to make the playoffs and how many we can lose and how many we’ve got to win. “But we keep fighting.”

Playing the Blues

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:24:00 EST

Remember that eight-game, 15-day road trip the Ducks had last month? The one we called do or die? Make or break? That's got nothing on what the Ducks are facing right now. Starting tonight in St. Louis, Anaheim faces three games in five days, all three of which come against teams - the Blues, Stars and Avs -- already securely in playoff position or knocking on the door. And at a time when the Ducks can afford few losses with 15 games to go, they need something special on this trip to make that hopeful charge into postseason contention. Remember how that eight-game day trip started in Detroit, which felt like starting the LA Marathon with a run up the Coliseum bleachers? Even though Detroit hadn't lost at Joe Louis Arena in 18 games (and went on to win a record 23 straight), the Blues' actually have more points at home than the Wings do this season. At the Scottrade Center, they've only lost in regulation four times. And as much as we've been reveling in the Ducks' stellar record since January 1 (19-7-4 for 42 points), the Blues have been a little better since that time (21-6-2 for 44 points). The difference is, St. Louis was already looking pretty good going into the new year, having made a coaching change in early November that completely turned their season around. After starting the year 6-7-0, the Blues brought in Ken Hitchcock, a Stanley Cup winner in Dallas who was fired after the 2009-10 season by Columbus. Since he came in, the Blues have gone 36-11-7. Thanks to a stretch in which they've won six of seven, they are now in first place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Vancouver and two ahead of Detroit in the Central Division. "They're big," said Bruce Boudreau, who wasn't all that happy with his troops during an early practice yesterday before hitting the airport. "They're strong. Well coached. They've got great goaltending. Other than that, they (stink)." The Blues have gotten equally good goaltending from both Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, both of whom have goals-against averages under 2.00. But Halak will get the nod tonight (obviously in reaction to the bad goal Elliott gave up to Corey Perry during All-Star Weekend). The Ducks will start ... alright, you know the answer to that. This is the third of four times the Ducks and Blues will play each other, as they both have earned 4-2 victories at home this season. They face off again March 21 at Honda Center, a time Anaheim can only hope they're still fighting for their playoff lives. After this trip, they face a rivalry-laden trifecta of Detroit, LA and Nashville at Honda Center. They go into tonight six points behind San Jose for the eighth spot. So we can look at this one of two ways: 1. This is going to be an incredibly difficult road for the Ducks to get into the postseason or 2. If they do pull it off, they'll be the hottest playoff team in the NHL. Believe!

Bobby Flyin'

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:34:00 EST

When a team is down, when they've hit a lull, when they're struggling to get things going, sometimes it just takes one big play to provide that spark and change everything. And there is no better guy on the Anaheim Ducks to provide that igniting play than one Bobby Ryan. He's done it time and again over highlight-filled career, and did it last night at Honda Center. The Ducks had come out of a second period in which they were outshot 22-8 by the Edmonton Oilers and were lucky to give up just one goal. The Oilers continued to have the ice leaning in their favor for the first eight minutes of the third (5-2 shot advantage), and then this happened: We've seen this kind of thing from Ryan before: the spin-o-rama against the Kings, the cut to the net against the Stars, the thing of pure beauty against the Preds in the playoffs (the one we've seen a thousand times and still aren't sick of). Last night, a trip from behind from former teammate Ryan Whitney sent Ryan flying just as he backhanded the puck past a helpless Nikolai Khabibulin. And while comparing this: ... to this ... may be a stretch (okay a big one), at least one other writer (and my dad) made the comparison, so I'm going with it. Of course, Bobby Orr's overtime goal to give the 1970 Bruins the Stanley Cup was much more dramatic in the scale of importance. But this one by another Bobby was pretty big for the Ducks in their desperate charge for a playoff spot. It led them to a 4-2 victory over the Oilers that pulled Anaheim to within five points of eighth. The crowd reaction on Ryan's goal was one of the best parts, a gradually building roar that sounded like an approaching ocean wave as he sprinted up the wing, then a deafening "YEAH!!!" as he sent it off the twine, the noise lasting well after he jumped backward into the glass. Meanwhile, Selanne's big assist on the play pulled him even with countryman and boyhood idol Jari Kurri for 19th on the NHL scoring list. After the goal, you could see Selanne handing the puck to a Ducks trainer for safekeeping. This one meant something to him. "... I'm not really a numbers guy," he said, "but obviously any time I'm going to be tied or be at the same company as my childhood idol, it's a big thing." And how much higher on that list can Teemu climb? Last night he was asked for the umpteenth time when he thinks his career might end. "It's like a box of chocolates," he said with a smile, "you never know." Now while Ryan's goal gave the Ducks a lead in the third, it was the heroism of Corey Perry that sealed the deal. Perry scored twice in that decisive final period, the first coming off a Whitney turnover, as Niklas Hagman fed Perry for the little wrist shot. After Edmonton made things a little more tense with a goal on their first power play of the night, Perry slammed the door with a steal from Whitney and cruised to the empty net just as Khabibulin was heading to the bench for an extra skater. And let's not forget the work of Jonas Hiller, who stopped 21 of those 22 Edmonton shots in that second period, and ensured things didn't get out of hand. "He was all we had in the second period," Bruce Boudreau said. "Where it could have been 4-1 Edmonton, it ends up 1-1." And it led to an important (heck, they're all important now) win for the Ducks, since they play three tough ones on the road. All three games -- St. Louis on Thursday, Dallas on Saturday and Colorado on Monday -- are against teams either in playoff position or fighting for it. "We’re going into three pretty tough building here this week," Ryan said. "We have to find a way to come up with some points." And who knows? Maybe Ryan himself will be the guy providing the spark for some of those points.

Desperate Times

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:23:00 EST

No doubt about it, Saturday night stung. When you consider the opponent, the venue, the intensity in the building, and just how badly the Ducks needed that one to keep their playoff hopes alive, the 4-2 loss to the dreaded Kings was like a punch in the stomach. (In fact, when Anze Kopitar found the empty net with 14.5 left, you could definitely feel something in your gut.) For this Ducks fan at least, it was one of those games where you wake up on Sunday morning, remember what happened the night before and think, Damn. But just like with the win over Calgary the night before at home, the Ducks could only afford to think about it for a few minutes -- maybe only as long as the bus ride from LA back to Honda Center -- and move on. "Don't overthink losses and wins, and just take one game at a time," Luca Sbisa said this morning. "That's what we did back on that road trip. That was just game after game after game, so you didn't really have time to think about what you did last game. I think that's the way we have to approach the games right now." And while the distance -- seven points -- between the Ducks and the eighth spot in the Western Conference didn't change over the weekend, the owners of that spot did. The San Jose Sharks, who have seemingly bought real estate in the top three spots in the conference over the past several seasons, have gone into a very un-Sharkslike tailspin that has seen them land in eighth. Dallas, which was entrenched in that slot for the past couple of weeks, beat Calgary yesterday on a Sunday that definitely didn't go Anaheim's way. The Stars' shootout win meant they got two points (to move into seventh with 75) but the Flames also got a point to move four points ahead of the Ducks. Meanwhile, Colorado downed the reeling Wild 2-0 to move six ahead of the Ducks and one out of eighth. We've said it a million times, but it's clear the Ducks aren't going to get any help in their desperate hope for a postseason charge, and have to win and win often in their final 16. That continues tonight at Honda Center against the Oilers, a quick home appearance before the Ducks have to play at St. Louis (second), Dallas (seventh) and Colorado (10th) in a five-day stretch. The Oilers have had the No. 1 pick in the draft the last two years (Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) and appear headed for a high pick again this June. They're 10 points behind the Ducks in 14th and have dropped six of their last nine. The Ducks took them down 5-0 in Edmonton back on January 13, part of Anaheim's torrid two-month stretch. Hall, by the way, has a bum shoulder, but did skate with the team this morning, and is expected to play. Tonight is actually the first time the Oilers have been to Anaheim this season, as the two teams will face each other three times over the final five weeks of the season. The good news for the Ducks tonight is that nobody in that crowded bunch of eighth-chasers is playing tonight, so a win puts the Ducks five back. "I've looked at every team's schedule many times over," Bruce Boudreau said. "If we do what we're supposed to do ... there's still 98 points on the board, and if we win them all, I don't think it will take 98 point to make the playoffs. So that means we're still eligible to play."

Jumping Through Flames

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:23:00 EST

The guy who scored the gargantuan goal -- both for his team and for himself -- also had pretty good perspective on how long he could enjoy it. In the wake of hammering a one-timer inside the far post with 46.0 seconds left to earn a crucial 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames, Ryan Getzlaf was asked how long he and his Ducks mates could savor the win. "About eight minutes," he said. Indeed, despite securing a victory that was the 15th straight over Calgary at home -- and more importantly kept the Ducks within seven of the last playoff spot in the West -- the Ducks are in no position to hold onto this one too long. That's because they turn right around and face an equally important -- and probably more daunting -- challenge tonight in LA against the rival Kings. But before we look ahead to that one, let's appreciate what Getzlaf did, scoring his first goal in the last 18 games at the most dramatic of times. With the Ducks and Flames looking certain to head to overtime (which would have given Calgary a point in this race as well), Corey Perry dropped the puck to his linemate from the right wing and Getzlaf blistered a shot that left goalie Leland Irving helpless. As great as the goal was, the celebration may have been even better. A crowd of more than 16,000 went absolutely ballistic as Francois Beauchemin wrapped Getzlaf in a bear hug while jumping up and down like a little kid who just opened an Xbox on Christmas morning. Take a look: Earlier in the game, a vintage Getzlaf play gave Anaheim its first lead, as he emerged from behind the net with an open look at the net, but passed it up to feed a wide open Perry for the tap-in. It was another one of those "Shoot it! Shoot it! Why doesn't he? ... YEAH!!!" moments for Ducks fans, something they've grown accustomed to over the years with the pass-first Getzlaf. "Everybody in the building is thinking he's going to shoot the puck there," Perry said. "He just is so patient with the puck, and if you keep your stick down and go to the net, good things happen." It was among a number of good things to happen last night, including a first period fight between Beauchemin and Flames leader Jarome Iginla that was a pretty cool flashback to the '06 playoffs. (That fight almost six years ago was a lopsided Beauchemin win, while this one may have gone to Iginla.) The Ducks have a pretty good fight on their hands tonight, facing a Kings team that hasn't played since Tuesday. And it's the second straight game against one of those teams in the pack fighting for that eighth spot. Anaheim moved up to 12th (tiebreaker over Minnesota based on regulation/overtime wins) with the win last night, while LA is in ninth, four points ahead of the Ducks. Jonas Hiller, who last night broke the Ducks team record by making his 24th straight start, figures to be back in there tonight, as Bruce Boudreau said yesterday he planned to start him in every game from here to the finish line. For those interested, I'll be heading up to Staples Center for a live game log and recap on the website, and I imagine I'll be seeing more than a few Ducks fans up there as well. LA, by the way, has won three of the previous four meetings this year, including both games at Staples Center in shootouts. The Ducks this time would love to snatch one in regulation for the second straight night, which would push them up the standings while subsequently giving the Heisman to a fellow team in the crowded race. "We have half the battle done this weekend," Getzlaf said last night. "Tonight was an emotional one. We have to enjoy it right now and get ready for the next one."

Flame Throwing

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:10:00 EST

Forget about the streak -- the one where Ducks haven't lost to Calgary at home in the regular season since January 19, 2004 -- 'cause the streak doesn't matter. What does matter with the Flames in town is that the Ducks desperately need a win tonight (and tomorrow in LA for that matter) to keep their playoff hopes alive. Both Calgary (in 11th) and the Kings (ninth) are part of the crowded pack of teams battling with the Ducks for those last playoff spots. Wins for Anaheim in both those games would not only help the Ducks whittle down the seven points between them and eighth, but it would hold back those two teams from climbing the standings as well. "Obviously right now we know the next two, pretty much next three is going to be do or die," Teemu Selanne said, "because we can’t let those games slip away. Both are against teams that we want to catch.” But -- and I don't know if you've ever heard this -- you have got to take one game at a time, and that means the focus is on tonight with the Flames, who are coming off a rather impressive road win in Phoenix. Calgary knocked off the Coyotes 4-2, putting a halt to a ridiculous 11-0-1 streak by Phoenix that catapulted them into first place in the Pacific (and third in the West). The Flames got that win behind Miikka Kiprusoff, who will actually sit down tonight in the second game of a back-to-back. The Flames' shootout loss to the Ducks back on February 6 dropped Kipper to 1-6-3 lifetime at Honda Center. Tonight the Flames will go with Leland Irving (which happens to sound like a very exclusive private school). The Ducks, of course, will counter with Jonas Hiller, who will break a Ducks team record when he starts his 24th straight game tonight. The old mark was set by set by Guy Hebert (who happened to go on a nice run during last night's Ducks-Kings poker event) in 1997 and matched by J.S. Giguere in 2001. Hiller has more than earned those starts, going 14-5-4 with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in that stretch. "I haven’t played that many games in such a short period of time in quite awhile. I don’t think I ever have," Hiller said this morning. "But I’m feeling good, so why not?" Hiller was given a day off from practice yesterday, part of a process of the Ducks giving him rest when he can get it. "We’ve been very cognizant of giving him the time off between games because we’re worried about him getting overly tired," Bruce Boudreau said. "The only time I’ve ever seen him with any sense of fatigue was maybe the Colorado game [on Monday]. Other than that, he’s been sharp and he’s strong and I ask every day how he’s feeling to make sure we’re doing the right things for him to stay strong." Said Hiller, "I definitely have a little better understanding of my body and how to take care of it, to listen to my body and not just try to work through it when something is aching. With massage or treatment, you can get rid of stuff before it really gets serious. Bruce has also given me the opportunity to take my rest on certain days and certain practices. That definitely helps to stay sharp, especially mentally, which is almost as tough as staying ready physically." The Ducks plan to not only go with him again tomorrow night in LA, but for the duration of the season, with Dan Ellis still out with a groin injury. "Unless something negative happens, he’s probably starting the rest of the games from here on out," Boudreau said. He also used one of his typical non-hockey references to talk about Hiller's focus these past couple of months. "As a goalie, you can’t let up," he said. "A forward might have a bad shift, but if a goalie has a bad shift, it’s in the net. A goalie reminds me of a golfer. If a golfer lets up, he’s two-over. It’s that focus for 60 minutes or [for a golfer] four hours that is really difficult." "Goalies are special that way. That’s why they’re all a little weird." "I looked like an idiot," he said. "When you're in the 'coast' [a nickname for the ECHL] and you're down south, you do a lot of weird promotions. This was one of them. The owners wanted me to do it, much to my chagrin." He was asked if he won the game. "I can't remember," he said. "I'm too embarrassed to even know if I coached." He then paused, waiting for a reporter to ask the first question of the scrum, and said. "Anyway, what's up?" Last night's Rivalry Hold 'Em Poker Challenge at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, involving Ducks and Kings alumni, broadcasters and fans, was a great event for the second straight year. Kings fan Greg Smyser came out the winner out of the close to 1,000 people who competed and took home $3,500 in cash and prizes. Among those who won their tables to advance to the final 100 were Guy Hebert (can't believe he's mentioned twice in this blog post), who was among the Ducks alums with Sean Pronger and Jason Marshall. Hebert, who happens to be a heck of a nice guy, told me later that he actually rarely plays poker and had no idea how he managed to win a table. Also winning his table, oddly enough, was Kings mascot Bailey. File this in Things You Don't See Every Day (although he did play last year too): On a personal note, I actually won the second hand of the night and (thanks to some conservative betting) lasted 40 minutes before being knocked out, doubling my time from last year. I knew when I was in trouble when I sat down and asked which of the fellow players were Ducks fans and which were Kings fans. Three guys said they were neither, just poker fans. (Got the feeling this wasn't their first tournament.) Here is a gallery of photos San Manuel took during the event, and below are some that I snapped: Not sure where the "personality" part came from At our pre-event dinner. That's Kings alumni/broadcasters/staff at the far table and the Ducks people at the near one, with an empty table in between us. Got to love rivalries. A nice touch on the cheesecake desert. I took a bite out of the Kings logo and left the Ducks one alone. This guy's not so great with making decisions.

Buffaloed in Anaheim

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:58:00 EST

When you've won as much as the Ducks have won lately, when you have the league's best record since January 1, it just feels like you're not supposed to lose. When you throw 43 shots on net -- 20 in the third period alone -- it really feels like you're not supposed to lose. But thanks to the work of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, the Ducks suffered a loss they could ill afford, a 2-0 defeat at Honda Center that cost them a chance to make up precious ground in the Western Conference standings. Miller saved all 43 Anaheim shots on net, earning his 26th career shutout and his first in five appearances against the Ducks. And the Ducks showed their frustration in the final minute, as both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry got in fights during play, and several members of the Ducks and Sabres engaged in a brawl after the horn. It was an ugly way to end a night in which Anaheim could have gotten to within five points of the eighth spot in the West, as Dallas lost 4-3 in a shootout in a game that ended just after we dropped the puck at Honda Center. The Ducks could have moved into 12th place and been just a point shy of Calgary in 11th. (Right now it's not just about getting close to that eighth spot, but passing the cluster to other teams also fighting for it.) “We were really counting on tonight because we could have jumped over a team,” Boudreau said. “And then Friday, if things went well, we could have jumped over another team. And then Saturday, we could have tied a team (the Kings).” Now we can only move on from this one and focus on those games, and try not to engage in the agonizing scoreboard watching in the meantime. For example, three games on the NHL docket tonight involve teams fighting with Anaheim for that playoff spot: Calgary at Phoenix, Minnesota at Montreal and Columbus at Colorado. (For the sanity's sake, it's best to avoid watching those games, and just wake up in the morning to see where the Ducks stand.) That extra day of February marked the end of an interesting month for the Ducks, as they suffered consecutive losses to Dallas and Columbus at home to start it, then went on a 8-1-2 tear before dropping two in a row to finish it. Now the Ducks have 18 games left in March and April, where they desperately need to go on another torrid run. “It’s a little bit of a heartbreaker,” Boudreau said of last night's defeat. “But this team hasn’t quit in two and a half months, so I don’t expect them to quit now.”

Where Buffalo Roams

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:58:00 EST

You won't find too many regions in the United States with less in common than Buffalo, NY and Orange County, CA, but their hockey teams have followed a very similar path. Both finished last year's regular season hot (the Sabres winning four straight, the Ducks winning three in a row) to jump into the playoffs, only to fall in the first round. Both had high hopes coming into this campaign, only to dig themselves pretty big holes through the first three months. And both have come on strong as of late to keep their playoff hopes alive. Buffalo's turnaround is not quite as drastic as what the Ducks have done (but who's is?): a 17-5-4 record since January 1 that is tied for best in the NHL. That has them within six points of a playoff spot after they were once 20 back. The Sabres have points in five straight games (3-0-2) and are within seven points of the eighth spot in the East. Both teams suffered setbacks to that hopeful climb in the standings in their last games, the Ducks losing in Colorado on Monday night and the Sabres falling in overtime to the Rangers in New York last Saturday. The Sabres, like the Ducks earlier this season, have struggled on the road, enduring a 12-game losing streak that mercifully was snapped January 24. And like Anaheim a couple weeks ago, they're currently facing a road challenge that could make or break their season: a stretch of seven games away from home in their next eight. But despite their similarities, these are two teams that don't see each other all that much. Buffalo hasn't been here since January 19, 2010, and although the two have faced each other this season, it was under very different circumstances. That was in the opening game of the season, in Helsinki, a 4-1 loss for the Ducks that was their only defeat in the first five games. And unlike the Ducks, Buffalo was quite active just before the trade deadline, dealing big center Paul Gaustad and a fourth-round pick to Nashville for a first-round pick and sending top prospect Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani to the Vancouver Canucks for rookie forward Cody Hodgson (who will make his Sabres debut tonight) and Alexander Sulzer. Ryan Miller will be in net tonight for Buffalo while Jonas Hiller will make his 23rd straight start for Anaheim. (Another thing these two teams have in common: standout goalies who played great in the '10 Olympics -- Miller for the U.S. and Hiller for Switzerland.) The Ducks did not practice yesterday after getting in late following that loss in Colorado and facing a stretch of four games in six nights starting this evening. With a win tonight, they would pull into 12th place in the West and could get as close as four points to the eighth spot, depending on what the Stars do tonight at home vs. Pittsburgh (4:30 p.m. Pacific) Bruce Boudreau was asked by a Buffalo reporter this morning if the Ducks still believe they can make the playoffs even though, as he put it, they are still "a ways back" in the standings. "You say that and I think you're wrong," Boudreau said. "I don't think we're far back at all. If I don't think we're far back, then I'm sure the rest of the guys don't. No matter who's in front of us, it still depends on us. If we do what we're supposed to do, eventually Colorado and Dallas and Phoenix and those teams are going to lose. They can't go 20-0. "Until our last breath, until we're eliminated, this group is going to believe they can do it. We've come from 20 points back already, so there's no sense in stopping now. "

Rocky Night

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:33:00 EST

The demands of their recent schedule appeared to finally catch up with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks got little time to catch their breaths after finally completing a 15-day road trip that spanned more than 7,000 miles, having to turn around and play three games in four nights. It didn't seem to take its toll during an emphatic victory Sunday night at home vs. Chicago, but last night in Denver the Ducks appeared to run out of fuel. Typically when a team plays the second of a back-to-back, you don't see its effects in the first period, but it's the latter half of the second and the third when you can see them wearing down. That's what happened to Chicago (played LA the night before) on Sunday, and it's pretty much what happened with the Ducks last night. Despite giving up the game's first goal, they fought back to tie it on a beautiful snipe on the power play by Bobby Ryan in the second. But that appeared to be all the Ducks had to give, as a couple of giveaways led to two Avalanche strikes in the first three minutes of the third period, and Anaheim wasn't able to recover. "I told them, I said I usually don't make excuses for them ever and probably won't again," Bruce Boudreau said. "It looked like we had nothing. For all intents and purposes, it's been a three-week road trip." Although they allowed Colorado to climb into ninth (same point total as Dallas in eighth), the good news for the Ducks is that they didn't lose any ground on that last playoff spot. The Kings (four points ahead of Anaheim in 10th) lost 2-1 in Nashville, and Calgary (three ahead in 11th) fell 3-1 at home to St. Louis. Anaheim -- which took today off from practice -- remains six points back with 19 to go, and faces a critical bounceback game here at home Wednesday night vs. Buffalo. Aside from Boston on March 25, that's the last Eastern Conference foe Anaheim faces this year. Of their last 19 games, six will come against teams with whom they're battling for those playoff spots.

Trade "Dead"line

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:48:00 EST

The Anaheim Ducks said so much by doing very little in the hours before the noon Pacific NHL trade deadline. On a day when the rest of the league made few splashes in terms of major deals, the Ducks made a major statement on the state of their team by only making two minor-league trades. They got defenseman Sebastian Erixon from Vancouver for winger Andrew Gordon and later acquired winger Dale Mitchell from Toronto for defenseman Mark Fraser (more on those guys later). "Awhile back we kind of challenged this group and they responded," said Murray. "Since January 1, I don’t know who’s been better in this league than our team. They’ve earned the opportunity and they deserve it, and they wanted the opportunity to continue." The Ducks, again, have the NHL's best record since January 1, and go into tonight's game in Colorado six points out of a playoff spot after having been 20 back as of January 6. "You look back in late December, we were thinking about selling," Murray said. "Now today, you look at how well they’ve done and you think we could get in here. "They’ve made it real difficult the last couple of weeks and good for them. I have no problem with that." Murray acknowledged that he had looked at some other deals, but as is common on deadline day, the asking prices were too high. "They started out high, and they just stayed that way," he said. "I hoped they might come down today, but they didn’t. I don’t think a lot happened, really. A lot of teams are so bunched up and a lot of them just didn’t want to do much. We looked at a couple things, but the price tag was too high for us." It's tough to see Gordon go because he was well-liked when he was up here, but he didn't fit into the current forward corps and had been in Syracuse since last month (three goals in 19 games). In Erixon, the Ducks get a young skating defenseman from Sweden who had eight points in 30 games with Chicago of the AHL this season. He played for the silver medal-winning Swedish national team at the 2009 World Juniors. Mitchell is a stout (5-9, 200 pounds) forechecking winger who played with Cam Fowler and Oilers young star Taylor Hall with a Windsor Spitfires team that won the 2010 Memorial Cup. Fraser came to the Ducks in the trade with New Jersey that also brought Rod Pelley here last December, but he had played only in Syracuse (five points in 25 games). "Things haven’t gone well in the minors this year and we’re disappointed in what’s gone on down there," said Murray of a Crunch team that's 14th in the Eastern Conference. "We tried to shake a few things up down there and will continue in the offseason." Meanwhile, another vote of confidence was cast for Devante Smith-Pelly, as Bruce Boudreau announced this morning that the bowling-ball winger would remain with the team for the duration of the season. "He's up now. This is it, he's here. He's a member of the Ducks for the remainder of the year," Boudreau said. Boudreau said the Ducks have liked what they have seen from Smith-Pelly, especially in the handful of games he's played since he came back from the broken foot suffered in December at the World Juniors. "It was the last couple days, depending on how he played and where we thought we were and where it would best suit him, how important a role he would play with us," Boudreau said. "We think he's developing really well here, and hopefully he'll be a great 19-year-old. He's a big strong body and he can skate. He's learning daily. He's got a lot of energy. Those things are all good. "Bob made a big statement by keeping him here because he loses that year of eligibility when it comes to arbitration and free agency. We think highly of him."

Deadline Day

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:11:00 EST

Trade Deadline Day is always an interesting one around the Ducks offices. It's more often than not a busy day -- especially as we get closer to the noon Pacific deadline -- and it's usually a little nerve-wracking. Players you may have grown accustomed to or developed an affinity for may be on their way to another team, with new players coming here to replace them. You remember days when the deadline activity was relatively tame for Anaheim (for example, Brad May in 2007) and relatively frenzied (trades involving Sammy Pahlsson, Travis Moen, Kent Huskins and others in 2009). You've got your eyes and ears honed in on TSN, to see the action around the NHL. Your attention perks up, and you sit up a little more in your seat, when you hear the words "Anaheim Ducks" mentioned by the commentators. For those Ducks, their approach to this day has seemingly changed dramatically from what we may have thought it would be back at the turn of the new year. A Ducks team that was once miles out of a playoff spot (20 points as of January 6) is now six points back thanks to an incredible run that has been the best in the league. Anaheim 17-4-4 (38 points) since January 1, just a little better than Detroit (17-6-2) and St. Louis (17-5-2) with 36 each. The last notch on that scorching stretch came last night at Honda Center against the Blackhawks, where the Ducks just continued the outstanding play that saw them go 5-1-2 on this recent road trip. Aside from an early Patrick Kane goal, the Ducks mostly dominated Chicago last night, cruising to a 3-1 victory in which they outshot the Hawks 38-19 (giving up just four in the third when the Hawks were trying to tie it). And they did it in front of a record regular season crowd of 17,601 (standing room only included). The Ducks got scoring from a guy with 658 career goals and a guy with just three. They got goals with immediate satisfaction and one they had to wait several minutes to celebrate. The latter came late in the first, when Andrew Cogliano kicked the puck under Hawks goalie Ray Emery and (though it was tough to tell) slapped it behind him with his stick. A six-minute replay review seemed to determine that Cogliano did make contact with the stick and the goal was allowed. Here's a look: The Ducks took the lead (ultimately for good) with 7 1/2 minutes left in the second, when a Teemu Selanne pass from behind the net squirted out to Sheldon Brookbank, whose shot deflected off Duncan Keith and got through Emery. After going 167 games without a goal, that one was Brookbank’s second in the last five (he had one on the trip against his former team, the Devils). That assist and Selanne's insurance power play goal from his office in the lower left wing circle pushed him past a guy named Luc Robitaille for 20th on the NHL's all-time scoring list. The Ducks badly needed that win (heck, they need them all) to stay within six of the eighth spot after Dallas scored with less than a minute to go in regulation and won in overtime against Vancouver earlier in the day. After the game last night, the Ducks hustled out the door for the airport, where they headed to Colorado for another big one tonight. For the first time in awhile, the Ducks can not only win, but hold back another team in that crowded bunch of teams fighting for that eighth spot, as the Avs are two back of Dallas and four ahead of Anaheim in the standings. But right now we're looking less at that 6:00 puck drop than the noon deadline for trades, waiting to see what moves the Ducks might make this morning. We'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, here's a great quote from Bruce Boudreau in this Q&A in this morning's L.A. Times: "This is about our hopes and dreams. I've been doing this my whole life and I've learned if your dreams aren't high enough and if you don't think of winning the Cup, you're not giving yourself a chance. If you don't shoot for the moon, you sell yourself short. I haven't won the Cup yet, but it's something I dream of every day." Love that.

Back to Cali

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:20:00 EST

It's Friday, February 24, 2012, and your Anaheim Ducks have been given the day off. It's more than a well-deserved one, as the team arrived at LAX at 1:30 a.m. (4:30 if you're into that "still on East Coast time" thing) on the heels of a successful marathon road trip. Anaheim flew home with 12 of 16 points in their carry-ons, going 5-1-2 on this 15-day odyssey and firmly planting themselves in the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase. The final triumph came last night in Carolina, a 3-2 shootout win over the Hurricanes that conjured thoughts of the saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good." The Ducks were certainly both in that game, fighting their way into a hard-earned road victory but escaping on a few occasions thanks to one Jonas Hiller. As remarkable as Hiller has been on this road trip -- heck, since the turn of the new year -- he may have never been better than he was last night. Among his 30 saves on the night were several that were solid, a few more that were spectacular and at least one that was downright ridiculous. Late in the second period, with Carolina looking to add to a one-goal lead, Hiller scrambled to get back into position after making a save, and actually was facing the net as Drayson Bowman slung a shot into a seemingly open net. Somehow, Hiller managed to knock it down with the glove, "like a shortstop," as Brian Hayward eloquently put it. Take a look: "I think the shot hit the glove behind my back or something like that," he said. "I'd even have to see it on the replay. It was a little desperation move there." At the other end of the rink, the Ducks had a ton of chances, but struggled to get much past Justin Peters, playing just his fifth game of the year but coming off his first NHL shutout Monday night vs. Washington. Anaheim finally got a gargantuan power play goal from (who else?) Corey Perry midway through the third to tie it 2-2, the first PPG in the last 18 opportunities. In fact, the Ducks had scuffled so much on the power play -- including four other missed chances last night -- that Bruce Boudreau had an interesting reaction when they got that one. "Our power play's been so dismal, I think the third one in the third period, I said, 'Decline it.'" Boudreau said. "And Perry looked at me as if I had two heads and then went out and scored because I think he was (ticked) at me." That tying goal gave way to a scoreless overtime and a shootout in which Saku Koivu was the only one to convert, undressing Peters with a number of deke moves before sending it home. (Here's a look at the whole shootout.) Hiller looked incredibly confident in the shootout, easily stoning Brandon Sutter and Jeff Skinner, and getting a little help from the post on Eric Staal's bid. "I kind of saw we weren't playing our best game tonight and the guys looked a little tired," Hiller said. "That was not too surprising after such a long trip. (Carolina) had a couple of really good chances - odd-man rushes and two-on-ones - and I just didn't want to get scored on." So he didn't. And as well as all the Ducks played in this road trip, none were better than Hiller, who gave up just 13 goals in the eight games, and seemed to be at his best when Anaheim needed him most. The Ducks were able to get to 62 points, four behind the 66 owned by Dallas in the eighth spot in the West. Although, that's a total held by LA and Calgary as well, after the Flames earned one by going to a shootout with Phoenix last night. It's a heck of a position for the Ducks to be in after they were 10 back going into that long-ago first game on this trip -- two weeks ago in Detroit. But as Boudreau reiterated just before heading to the airport in Raleigh-Durham, they could have been even better. "We could have won all eight, you know?" he said. "We outplayed Detroit, we outplayed New Jersey, and I think we outplayed Tampa (Wednesday) night. I was really hoping we could reach 60 points and still be in the hunt. To get more than that was really great." Great is an understatement, and now the Ducks have today to relish it, then it's back to work tomorrow to get ready for Chicago at Honda Center (hat night and a 4:05 start!) on Sunday. That's the first of three games in four nights (yikes) -- home Sunday vs. the Hawks, in Colorado Monday and home to Buffalo on Wednesday. So yeah, they've earned a day off today.

End of the Road

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:08:00 EST

Cue your iTunes to Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" or James Taylor's "Carolina on my Mind." Both apply to what the Ducks are facing later today. An eight-game, 15-day road trip that once seemed never-ending, actually comes to a close tonight. And there is no better way for the Ducks to seal it off than with a win this evening in Carolina. What was deemed a make-or-break journey two weeks ago has been mostly make, as the Ducks got on the plane at LAX nine points behind the eighth spot in the West. With a win tonight, they could cut it to as low as four (as current eight-place LA lost 4-1 to Colorado last night and Calgary could take over eighth with a win in Phoenix tonight). The Ducks are a respectable 4-1-2 on the trip so far, and they could have easily won all of them. "We've had seven games on this road trip," Bruce Boudreau said today, "and you'd be hard pressed for me to think we shouldn't have won all seven." Anaheim has been able to make up ground in the standings, despite mostly facing teams that aren't among those jockeying with the Ducks for playoff position. Of these eight games, only one (a 2-1 win last week in Minnesota) has come against the handful of teams battling for those remaining playoff spots. Instead, the Ducks have had to win (or get a point) and then scoreboard watch. "We've got a chance again [tonight] to go forward and if we do that, we have 21 games left after that," Boudreau said. "It's a lot of divisional games and definitely a lot of Western Conference games. We'll be in good stead." Right now the focus is on the Hurricanes, who will probably be looking for a little revenge on Anaheim after the way things ended two weeks ago at Honda Center. As you might recall, Corey Perry scored the game-winner in overtime after taking the puck away from Jussi Jokinen on a play where some thought there should have been a tripping call. Despite that defeat, the Canes are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games (though still 15th in the East). They've won six of their last seven games at home, including the last three in a row. (Is there anyone on this trip that hasn't been absolutely killing it at home?) A key for the Ducks tonight is starting strong, something that has eluded them on this trip, despite their relative success. The most recent example is a Stamkos 2, Ducks 0 hole in the first period in Tampa on Tuesday night. The Ducks dominated the Lightning the rest of the way, giving up only three shots in the third period. Against Carolina, a focused start is going to be even more critical. "They are known for their first periods and their starts, and they come really hard and aggressive," Saku Koivu said. "We've got to be ready. Sometimes if you lose your focus a little bit on the road trips, it shows in the beginning of games and the first period. That's the one thing we've got to pay attention to now, to make sure we're ready for the first 10 or 15 minutes. And then Koivu either intentionally or unintentionally decided to go with some Hurricanes wordplay. "We've got to weather the storm," he said, "and then I think we'll be fine after that." Justin Peters will start in net for Carolina, as Cam Ward is still recovering from an injury. Peters will be making just his sixth appearance of the season (all since December 27) but had his first NHL shutout on Monday against Washington at home. The Ducks will of course go with Jonas Hiller, and this lineup (according to their skate): Blake-Getzlaf-Perry Ryan-Koivu-Selanne Beleskey-Bonino-Cogliano Hagman-Pelley-Smith-Pelly Beauchemin-Fowler Sbisa-Visnovsky Lydman-Brookbank

Struck by Lightning

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:12:00 EST

As good as the Ducks have looked lately, and as enjoyable as this streak has been, it felt almost unfathomable last night when the final horn sounded in Tampa Bay and the Ducks didn'tso much as get a point. After all, Anaheim had gone the last nine games with at least one point, and won outright in six of those. And last night, they appeared to outplay and outchance the Lightning, only to come away with a disappointing 3-2 loss. Tampa had traded winger Steve Downie earlier in the day and also had lost No. 2 goal-scorer and captain Vincent Lecavalier to a right hand. But they still have Steven Stamkos, and that was more than evident last night. The league's leading goal-scorer struck twice (even though they say Lightning never does) at the very start and near the end of the first period, to put the Ducks in an early hole. “I think he’s a tremendous hockey player,” Bruce Boudreau told the OC Register. ”But I’m glad he’s in this division now and I’m not.” And even though Anaheim fought back in the second with an early goal by Saku Koivu and a late one from Bobby Ryan, they bookended a Teddy Purcell strike that was enough to bury the Ducks. Ryan's goal was a thing of beauty, as he redirected a Koivu pass between his own legs with his back to the net. Take a look at his latest edition to the highlight reel: But while the Ducks generated plenty of chances to get the tying goal, they couldn't get anything else past one-time King Mathieu Garon, whose 28 saves included 11 in the third. (Meanwhile, the Ducks limited Tampa to just 16 shots the entire night.) So while the Ducks appeared to have the upper hand on yet another opponent on this mammoth road trip, they couldn't make up ground in the standings. And Phoenix's win over LA (which of course came in a shootout) meant the Ducks slightly dropped to six points back of the eighth spot, currently held by the KIngs. "When you get into that feeling that you're going to win every single game, it's a good feeling," Bruce Boudreau told the OC Register. "But in the end, you're not going to win 35 in a row." It's true, but there were times it seemed like the Ducks would at least get points in every game from here on out. They'll try to start a new streak -- while sealing off this eight-game trip on a good note -- tomorrow night in Carolina.

Ride the Lightning

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:38:00 EST

As Ducks fans, we're suddenly doing something we never thought possibly a couple of months ago. No, not just watching our team win at an alarming pace, but suddenly doing some serious scoreboard watching as the Ducks look to make this incredible climb into playoff position. While the Ducks were 20 points out of the eighth spot as of the morning of January 6, they have gone on a 15-2-4 run over their last 21 games, the most recent being an impressive 2-0 shutout of the Panthers in Florida on Sunday. ("It's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good.") Anaheim has gotten to within five points of the eighth spot over that stretch, but still has plenty of work left. That's because the Ducks are crammed into a typically packed Western Conference in which everybody seemingly beats up on everybody else night after night (including an abundance of three-point games that finish in either OT or shootout). They're battling alongside teams like LA, Dallas, Colorado and MInnesota to get into that top eight, with Phoenix and Calgary holding onto playoff spots by a thread. Should the Ducks win tonight in Tampa Bay (4:30 Pacific puck drop) they would get within three points (three points!) of that eighth spot -- incredible considering where they were six weeks ago. But that could be short-lived as the NHL schedule tonight also includes Dallas at Montreal, Edmonton at Calgary, and LA at Phoenix. All that being said, you better believe the rest of the West is well aware of the charging Ducks (tip of the cap to Eric Stephens for the "Objects in the mirror are indeed closer than they appear" line in the OC Register over the weekend). "It's nice to get to the 60-point plateau because then you can at least see the guys and the distance," Bruce Boudreau said in the wake of that win in Florida. "It still a long ways away." Indeed, the Ducks have been winning, but they need to keep winning, starting with tonight in Tampa, where the Lightning are engaged in their own battle for playoff position in the East (six points short of eighth). The Ducks will go with the hottest goalie in the league in Jonas Hiller, who just took NHL first star of the week honors with a 3-0-1 record, 0.98 goals-against average, .961 save percentage and one shutout. Meanwhile, the Lightning are likely to start former King Mathieu Garon (18-15-4, 2.84 GAA), who has been in there for all but two games in the last month, as veteran Dwayne Roloson (8-11-2, 3.67 GAA) has struggled. Anaheim will look to put a lid on Steven Stamkos, whose 40 goals leads the NHL by a mile. "He can really skate, so he can do it from your end to the other end," Boudreau said this morning. "At the same time, he's got a beautiful release on his shot, so you can't give him any space from the blue line in." Tampa's second leading goal-scorer, Vinny Lecavalier, is out indefinitely with an "upper body injury" that emerged in yesterday's practice. One guy who will be in the Ducks lineup for the first time in awhile is Devante Smith-Pelly, who Boudreau said will be in the lineup tonight after recovering from the foot injury suffered in late December at the World Juniors. With Pelly in there, here are the lineups the Ducks flashed at today's morning skate: Blake-Getzlaf-Perry Ryan-Koivu-Selanne Beleskey-Bonino-Cogliano Hagman-Pelley-Smith-Pelly Beauchemin-Fowler Sbisa-Visnovsky Lydman-Brookbank It's stop 7 of 8 on this marathon road trip, which the Ducks need to finish off strong (they're 4-0-2 so far) to keep hope alive. "So far, it's gone as good as anybody could have expected," Boudreau said. "But you'd like to be able to say that at the end of the trip." Great news for Ducks season ticket holders who are looking to renew next season: We've just announced that season tickets for next year will either be decreased or remain the same as they were this season. The average season ticket price will decrease 4.8%, while reductions could be as high as 35% per ticket. Among Ducks season ticket holders, 40% will see a reduction in price, with 60% remaining flat to this season. Click here for more on that.

Devil of a Time

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:15:00 EST

Stop 5 on the Ducks' 15-day tour of the midwest and east lands in New Jersey, where for the second straight game, Anaheim faces another foe that is firmly in playoff position in the East. The Devils have won six of their last eight -- but two of those losses came last week at Prudential Center -- and are locked into the sixth spot in the conference. They're coming off a resounding 4-1 win in Buffalo in which Ilya Kovalchuk had the first New Jersey hat trick since April of last year. It's just the continuation of a hot streak for Kovalchuk, who has 13 goals and 26 points in his last 17 games. Meanwhile, captain Zach Parise has 10 points in his last nine games. "Kovalchuk is feeling it right now and Parise is feeling it," said Bruce Boudreau this morning. "They're coming to play. They have so much more firepower than they've had in recent years. They can score." The Ducks have their own hot player, as Jonas Hiller comes into this one having gone 12-2-3 in his last 18 games, with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 14 of his last 17 starts, and will be back in there tonight against Martin Brodeur for New Jersey. There are similarities between what the Ducks are doing this season under Boudreau and what the Devils did last season when they got off to a rough start and turned things around when Jacques Lemaire was hired in late December. (However, they fell short of the playoffs, the first time they missed the postseason in 14 years.) Ducks winger Rod Pelley was on that Devils team, and said in this story on NHL.com, "It's pretty amazing how similar these turnarounds have been. I thought about it a few different times. It's a can't-afford-to-lose-many-games type of thing. We've been talking about the similarities in coaching styles between Bruce and Jacques, and wondering if they ever talked about it because they're pretty similar in how they approached it. It's pretty cool to see that two different coaches can get their groups to buy into a turnaround like this." If things go according to the skate this morning, Jason Blake will again be on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, while Bobby Ryan will skate with the two Finns. Here's the lineup from this morning (which doesn't include the newly activated Devante Smith-Pelly): Blake-Getzlaf-Perry Ryan-Koivu-Selanne Beleskey-Bonino-Cogliano Hagman-Pelley-Parros Beauchemin-Fowler Sbisa-Visnovsky Lydman-BrookbankAnaheim can only hope to have the same success tonight as they've had so far on this make-or-break trip, in which they've gone 3-0-1 so far. Boudreau was talking yesterday about the demands of this lengthy, 7,700-mile expedition, something he rarely had to endure during his days in the Eastern Conference. “For a guy that’s played in the East or coached in the East as well, I don’t know how they do it,” he told the OCR. ”I really don’t. It’s quite a testament to every team in the West’s character for not griping as much as I’m doing right now about it. “When you have a four-game road trip in seven days, you’re coming home exhausted. We’re at seven days right now and this is just the halfway point in our trip.” Boudreau said there are times "you don't even know what hotel room you're getting into," and joked, "I haven’t been on a vacation for 15 days. The East has no idea how lucky they are. And I think every team in the West should start with 10 points before the season starts." Like a lot of the games on this trip, the puck drops for this one at 4 p.m. Pacific, so you might want to start your fake coughing and sneezing now to get out of the office a little early. One last thing: After scoring at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh the other night, Teemu Selanne has now scored in 53 different NHL arenas. The only two he hasn't scored in? MTS Center in Winnipeg and ... Prudential Center.

All They Do Is Win Win Win

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:54:00 EST

It may not have been quite right to say it before, but we can certainly say it now: The Anaheim Ducks are in the playoff race. And how have they done it? How have they gotten to within six points of the eighth spot in the West after being 20 back as recently as six weeks ago? With an astonishing 14-2-3 sprint that has culminated with what has to be their most impressive road victory of the season, last night. The Ducks didn't get into Pittsburgh until the early morning, hours after a heart-stopping 2-1 victory in Minnesota. They had to face a very good Penguins team that hadn't lost at home in the last six and hadn't lost to the Ducks there in 11 years. And Anaheim went down early on a beauty of a first period goal by Jordan Staal. But that hardly discouraged these Ducks, whose defense and the still-scorching Jonas Hiller gave up nothing else the rest of the way, and Anaheim got all the scoring it needed from their usual suspects. Corey Perry, at the end of a long shift for him, undressed Zbynek Michalek before slipping a close-in shot past the previously infallible Marc-Andre Fleury. Then in the third, Matt Beleskey (also laboring at the end of a lengthy shift) made a gorgeous backhand pass on the rush to a barely-onside Teemu Selanne, who beat Fleury with a Selanne-esque backhand inside the near post. Said broadcaster John Ahlers of Beleskey, "He found enough energy to find The Flash!" (I like that.) “He’s in shape because it was about a three-minute shift,” Bruce Boudreau said. “I was yelling at him to get off. He positioned himself well and when he got the puck, he made a fabulous backhand pass.” Added Beleskey: “I think I started losing oxygen and just blacked out for a while. It was good though.” And of Selanne, Bruce Boudreau said, "There's a reason he's got a jillion goals in this league." Well, not quite a jillion, but the 656th of his career tied him for 12th all time with Brendan Shanahan. Selanne was asked about the fact Boudreau kept him out of much of the victory in Minnesota the night before, including a good part of the third period. “I missed probably three shifts,” he said to the OC Register (check out more on that here). “That’s nothing. To be honest, I was dead tired for some reason. And it happens. A lot of times when you feel like that, it’s not the greatest place to be. “This is about team effort. Everybody has done the job. That’s what makes this team special.” Boudreau was clearly pumped with the win last night, as the TV cameras caught him shaking assistant coach Brad Lauer's hand on the bench, then promptly punching him in the arm (photo at right). And the Ducks' heart in this one was never better exemplified than in the final seconds, as they nursed a one-goal lead and Toni Lydman went to a knee to sacrifice his body and block an Evgeni Malkin shot. "This game was huge for us," Selanne said. "We got here at like 3 in the morning. They came out pretty hard and controlled the first period and then we got into the game. This team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and even though we got behind we believed we could come back." That's a world of difference for a Ducks team that once owned the worst road record in the league, but is now a remarkable 7-1-3 in the last 11 games away from home. Their 14-3-3 record since the new year is good for 31 standings points, tops in the NHL with Detroit. Anaheim may not be blowing anyone out lately, but its +20 goal differential since January 1 is also first in the league. The Ducks also returned to .500 (24-24-9) for the first time since October 30. They're just six points now behind Phoenix in eighth (with the same number of games played now), but can't stop now. They need to keep rolling on this mammoth road trip that continues tomorrow night in New Jersey. "The morale is high," Bobby Ryan told ESPN.com. "We're all realizing there could be something special that happens here for us this year."

Wild Night in Minny

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:14:00 EST

While most of us are still recovering from the cardiac arrest of those last 30 seconds in Minnesota, it shouldn't overshadow what has become increasingly apparent about the Anaheim Ducks. Not only are they winning games, but they're finding ways to win games they almost certainly would have lost two months ago. The latest case in point came last night in Minnesota, when space on the Xcel Energy Center rink was at a minimum and it seemed virtually impossible for the Ducks to get a puck past goalie Josh Harding. Maybe in October-November-December the Ducks might have taken a 1-0 loss and chalked it up to a goalie standing on his head. But not these Ducks. Instead, a struggling Niklas Hagman managed to force in a gargantuan goal eight minutes into the third period, Corey Perry did what Corey Perry does another four minutes later, and Jonas Hiller did the rest of the work in helping the Ducks hang on by the lightest of threads in the final moments. The Ducks were 0-21-1 when trailing after two periods going into that game. The Wild, meanwhile, were 16-1-3 when leading after two. You can't possibly put a price on Hagman's goal and its impact on that game, as well as this marathon road trip for Anaheim. After being denied by Harding right in front, Hagman stayed with the puck and somehow got a stick on it to trickle it deliciously over the stripe as he was knocked down. "He managed to get a piece of [the first shot]," said Hagman, who hadn't scored since Jan. 18 and had been dropped to the fourth line. "I tried to whack at it but I think one of their guys lifted my stick. I thought it wasn't even going to go in. Just barely went over the line. But that's what it takes." And it seemed to electrify the previously frustrated Ducks, who got the go-ahead goal from Perry a few minutes later on the rush, a shot that Harding would probably like back. That goal continued the "Hart winners on heart's day" trend that we mentioned yesterday. The last 11 reigning Hart Trophy winners have scored 12 goals on Valentine's Day. (And not for nothing, but Perry is starting to heat up just like he did in the final months of that MVP season. Perry had 28 goals through 56 games last season. He has 27 through 56 this season.) That goal gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead they held onto through the nail-biting, stomach-churning final moments. The Ducks missed two chances to fill an empty net with Minnesota skating with an extra attacker, and Hiller and the other five Ducks survived a flurry around their net. Here's a look: While Hiller came up big, it was the Ducks defense that deserves a ton of credit, as they made sure their goalie only saw 17 shots all night. And with that win the Ducks -- who now have the best goal differential (+19) in the NHL since Jan. 1 -- continued to make their charge into the playoff race. They're eight points behind eighth-place Phoenix, six if they can turn around and win another big one in Pittsburgh tonight. It won't be easy. While the Ducks are playing the second of a back-to-back, the Pens haven't been in action since Sunday. And they've won six in a row at home, the two-year-old Consol Energy Center the Ducks will be seeing for the first time. The Pens are gripping onto the fifth spot in the East, despite the absence of Sidney Crosby (concussion) since December 5. the Penguins have only lost twice in regulation in their last 14 games. The Ducks have only lost twice in regulation in their last 18. Should be a good one, and you can check it out with other fans on a huge screen in a cool setting at the official watch party at UltraLuxe Cinemas in Anaheim.

Let's Get Wild

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:43:00 EST

As much as we've been talking the last few weeks about the Ducks fighting to narrow the gap between them and the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim can get to within three points of Minnesota with a regulation win there tonight. Only problem is, Minnesota isn't in eighth place anymore. The Wild, who were at one time near the top of the West through mid-December, and more recently gripping onto that last playoff spot in the conference, have hit a major slide as of late. After starting the season with a 20-7-3 record, they have gone 5-15-5 since, which includes an eight-game losing streak and their current three-game skid. They've fallen five points behind Phoenix in the eighth spot in the West. Meanwhile, a win tonight for the Ducks gets them to within eight points of that slot with a game in hand on the Coyotes. "Just like us, they're a desperate hockey club that needs a win," Bruce Boudreau said this morning about the Wild. "I was just looking at the numbers, I think we were 16 points back of them when I first got here, and now we're five. It's a good chance to keep things going, and if things fall our way, we'll get a little closer." Minnesota has been hurt by injuries and an inability to find the net. Including their 3-1 loss at home to Columbus last Saturday, they have scored just six goals in their last five games. Among the guys out for them tonight are winger Cal Clutterbuck, who has the rarely reported charley horse, suffered Saturday night. Also sidelined are Clayton Stoner (lower body) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse and Jarod Palmer (all out with concussion symptoms). To make up for those injuries, winger Kris Foucault will make his debut for Minnesota tonight, the 39th skater and 13th rookie the Wild have suited up this season. Minny will go with Josh Harding in net (for the first time since January 31) over No. 1 Niklas Backstrom, as Harding beat the Ducks 5-3 in the teams' last meeting, December 4 at Honda Center. "I think our biggest challenge is to come out in the first period and surprise them, play the way we've been playing -- maybe 10 percent better than that," Boudreau said. "If we can come out and meet their push early, get the lead on them and frustrate them, I think it will be to our advantage." Since it's Valentine's Day, here's a couple of things for you: The first 5,000 female fans through the gates at Xcel Energy Center tonight will get a free box of chocolates (congrats to their dates for being able to knock that one out). And if you believe in this sort of thing, look for Corey Perry to continue the scoring run he got on Sunday in Columbus. According to The Score, the last 10 reigning Hart Trophy winners have scored 11 goals on Valentine's Day. One of the great things about a road trip that covers the midwest and the east are puck drop times that come right around the time we're leaving work (or at least I think it's great). Tonight we get things started at 4:30 p.m. Pacific, and if you're not already getting the game on Prime Ticket, tonight's tilt will be aired on NBC Sports Network (the former Versus). Also, if you have DirecTV (I know I do), you can catch more of the games on this trip (and other NHL action) during a free trial of Center Ice going on now through the 19th.

Red, White and Blue

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:17:00 EST

When you take a point in a place where nobody comes in and wins, and get another two in a place where you absolutely must, you've got to feel pretty good about the start of your road trip. That's how the weekend went for your Anaheim Ducks, who played well to get that point at Joe Louis Arena (though it was still agonizing that they didn't get two) and followed up with a relatively convincing victory in Columbus last night. Corey Perry notched his second hat trick against the Blue Jackets this year (the last one coming last month) in a 5-3 victory that somewhat took the sting out of the missed opportunity in Detroit. Yes, the Ducks got a point in a place where few opponents do, but they oh-so-narrowly missed a chance to snap an 18-game home win streak by the Red Wings at JLA. (That streak, incidentally, started way back on November 20, a 5-0 victory against ... you guessed it ... Anaheim.) Never was that close call more stomach-churning than during a rare 3-on-3 in the middle of overtime, when Cam Fowler looked poised to win the game on a breakaway, but his backhand clanged off the right post (2:10 mark of this video). That was just one of a number of missed opportunities for the Ducks, who went scoreless on seven power play opportunities. They also, it should be noted, killed off a death-defying Red Wings 5-on-3 in the final half-minute of OT. Detroit's 24 shots on the night were the fewest they've had at home all season. But Anaheim's only goal was George Parros' in the first period, his first since scoring two against Florida in December of 2010. Another apparent goal by Niklas Hagman was waved off when officials determined Parros interfered with goalie Joey MacDonald. And it was MacDonald who came up big in the all-important shootout, denying Perry and then Bobby Ryan, just minutes after Todd Bertuzzi gave Detroit the lead with a painfully slow approach to Jonas Hiller and a successful backhand. "It was tough to watch that," said Parros. "We had a lot of opportunities. We certainly played hard. Just couldn't capitalize on some of them."You let a good team like that hang around, it'll burn you eventually. That's what happened tonight."But two nights later the Ducks left no doubt, despite the fact that a snowstorm delayed them to the point where they didn't arrive to their hotel in Columbus until a little after 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Perry's play was a big reason for the win, as his hat trick came on 11 shots, one short of the team record set three times by a guy named Kariya. Meanwhile, after that disappointing night in Detroit, the Ducks cashed in three times on the power play. Yet Bruce Boudreau was more pleased with how the Ducks played in Detroit than how they did in Columbus. "It was a sloppy game," he said. "I told them to never complain about winning a game. If we want to continue to win on this trip we have to get more like we played in Detroit rather than [how] we played here." Perry's triple gave him 26 goals on the season through 55 games. Last season he had 28 goals at that point -- on his way to 50. Perry scoring goals in bunches in nothing new, but Lubomir Visnovsky getting into a fight certainly is. And Ducks fans had to be in disbelief at what they were seeing on their flatscreens when they saw Lubo get into it with Derick Brassard in the second period last night. Visnovsky and Brassard began throwing down in the middle of a pileup behind the Anaheim net, with Brassard getting the better of Visnovsky after his jersey went over his head. Here's some video, in which that young Jackets fan looks just as shocked as anybody that Lubo's fighting: "Show the team something a little bit, you know," Visnovsky told the OC Register afterward. "It doesn't matter. We win the game. We needed two points. It's perfect for us. The team was a little bit laughing about me because they never seen me fight."Indeed, there is no record of Visnovsky ever fighting before on hockeyfights.com, but he said he's had five in his 11-year career, the last coming against Dustin Byfuglien while Lubo was with the Kings. This time Visnovsky got five for fighting and another two for roughing, and was actually given a game misconduct for not having his jersey properly fastened to his pants. That left the Ducks a defenseman short for the rest of the game. "I don't tie up the jersey because I never think I'm going to fight," Visnovsky said. "Maybe I start to tie it up." It's doubtful he'll need to anytime soon, but Lubo still said he gave George Parros a little warning. "I told George, be careful for next season," he said. "I maybe take your job." Retorted Parros to the OCR, "He can have it. I'll take his job. No problem with that switch." The Ducks were able to get in some rare road practice time this morning in St. Paul, to get ready for the Wild tomorrow night. Here's more on that from Dan Wood.

Road Trippin'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:29:00 EST

Call it do-or-die, call it make-or-break, call it brutal, arduous, whatever. Let's just hope when it's all over, we're calling it successful. Your Anaheim Ducks are launching an eight-game, 15-day voyage that covers just over 7,700 miles and equals the longest uninterrupted road trip in team history (here's more on that). And if you can imagine running the first mile of a marathon up the stairs of the Rose Bowl, that's pretty much how the Ducks are starting this roadie. Tonight (or this early evening if you're in Cali) they face the Detroit Red Wings, who are not only the typical Red Wings again (first in the West) but have put together a modest little EIGHTEEN-GAME WINNING STREAK at Joe Louis Arena. And it's not like that building isn't tough enough for the Ducks, who haven't won there since the 2009 playoffs (when Todd Marchant won it from the left wing in triple OT). "Somebody's going to break it. Why not us? " Saku Koivu told the OC Register about that home streak. "A game like that and a challenge like that, it's going to be great for us starting the long road trip. "If we can get two points in that one, that's a heck of a start for our team. And I think if you want to make the playoffs, you're going to have to beat some teams that maybe you're not expected to win against." Detroit is expected to go with Joey MacDonald in net, as Jimmy Howard recovers from a broken finger suffered in a shootout win over Vancouver on February 2. Ty Conklin was supposed to provide relief, but he was pulled for MacDonald the very next game, an overtime loss in Edmonton. MacDonald has started the last two and gone 1-1-0. But no matter who is in net, Detroit continues to be Detroit. "You're talking about the elite of the elite," Boudreau said. "When you measure yourself, you measure yourself against the Detroit Red Wings. They're the best in the league and whether they won last year's Cup or didn't win last year's Cup, they're the measuring stick." The Wings took down Anaheim 5-0 the last time these two teams played there, back on November 5. But as we all know, this is a much different Ducks team. Anaheim is on an 11-2-2 run that absolutely has to maintain on this trip for the Ducks to have any hopes of postseason contention. Last night Phoenix edged Calgary to leap into the eighth spot with 60 points, 10 better than the Ducks. For the Ducks to stay afloat, they need to do some significant damage on a journey that, after tonight, takes them to Columbus, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina. But while the road ahead is a long one, the focus for the Ducks is strictly on a tall task tonight. "We want to approach it as one day at a time," Boudreau said. "If you look at it as, Man, by the time we get to Carolina, we're going to be exhausted, then you'll probably be be exhausted tonight. If you look at it as, It's fun to play on the road and play in a great hockey city, then it will be good." It's somewhat of a new experience for Boudreau after spending most of his NHL coaching career in the Eastern Conference, where road trips like these aren't common. "I don't how I'm going to feel come the end of it because when you're in the East, you don't get trips like this," said Boudreau, who then flashed his vast knowledge of the rest of the NHL. "But looking around the league, Los Angeles is on a trip like this right now, Detroit just came back from a trip like this, San Jose is on a trip like this next week, Chicago is in the middle of a trip like this. What are we gonna do, cry about it? Let's just go do it." (Heck, I know I'm pumped now.)

Ducks Do It In OT

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:02:00 EST

The talk in the postgame was about a call that wasn't made, but it shouldn't overshadow the fact that the Ducks won the type of game they may not have won a couple of months ago. And they put themselves in a position that was once unthinkable five weeks ago. On a night when goals were at a premium -- with both Jonas Hiller and Carolina's Cam Ward doing what they do -- the Ducks could have been discouraged by a fluky Eric Staal goal that gave the Canes a 2-1 lead in the third. Instead, they came right back with a Saku Koivu rebound goal a minute and a half later, and a long overdue Perry goal in OT gave Anaheim a long overdue overtime victory. A couple minutes into the extra session, Perry knocked down Jussi Jokinen behind the Carolina net, hopped on the loose puck and sent it across the ice to Sheldon Brookbank. He gave it right back to Perry, who pierced the net with a drilled one-timer that set the Honda Center crowd into pandemonium. When Perry was asked about it later, he simply said. "They didn’t blow the whistle, so you keep playing. I found (Brookbank) coming late. He made a great play back to me." It was the first goal in seven games for Perry and the first overtime victory in five tries for the Ducks this season. "Right now we have the confidence that we can win those kind of games," said Hiller, who was solid with 31 saves. "To be twice a goal down and we come back, score and win in overtime. That's the difference right now. Two months ago we would have just lost the game. "Now we just keep going, push even a little harder. You have to believe in being able to win those games. And right now everyone's believing. We found a way and that's what counts." The win moved the Ducks to within eight points of MInnesota for the eighth spot in the West, thanks to an 11-2-2 run that's better than all but two teams in the NHL. "It's a telltale sign of a team that won't quit," Bruce Boudreau said of getting that equalizing Koivu goal in the third. "And it's a telltale sign of a team that wants to win. This team has gone from five weeks ago when we were 20 points out of a playoff spot now to eight points."It's a team that's never stopped believing in themselves." That belief will be tested on a critical eight-game, 15-day road trip the Ducks left for this morning. First stop is Detroit and Joe Louis Arena, where the Red Wings have won 18 in a row (more on that tomorrow). "Until that last bell rings, whether they're eliminated or whether they're in," Boudreau said, "they're going to keep going." In the wake of Ryan Getzlaf winning the Hardest Shot competition at last Saturday's Skills Showdown at 99.3 mph, and then reaching 102 at Tuesday's First Flight Field Trip, Bruce Boudreau was approached about a longtime topic -- trying to get Getzlaf to shoot the puck more. "We've been telling him to shoot," Boudreau said. "Coaches long before me have been telling him to shoot. And we wish he'd shoot the puck more. But he is what he is. He's a pass-first guy. He's got a great touch when it comes to passing. He's going to do what he does." Getzlaf has eight goals this season on 107 shots. “He knows,” Boudreau continued. “You know what, it’s tough to argue when you’ve been a passer your whole life. And I know the feeling. You’re first option is to pass the puck and you’re looking for somebody to pass the puck to. You’re option to shoot is your last option. “Whereas a shooter’s option is … Brett Hull would get it and he wouldn’t be looking to pass. He’s looking to shoot the puck. And then at the last moment, if somebody was open, he’d be passing. Ovechkin is the same way. He wants to shoot the puck and then if somebody’s open, he’ll pass it. But his first thing is to shoot it. Ryan’s first option is to pass. And it’s not a bad thing because he’s so good at it.”

Hurricanes Blow In Here Only So Often

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:52:00 EST

Here's something we never thought we'd say back when 2012 started: If the Ducks win tonight, they will cut the distance between them and the eighth spot to single digits. It's true: Thanks in part to a 10-2-2 run -- and the fact that Minnesota has gone 4-7-2 since the new year -- the Ducks can get within eight points of the eighth spot with a win against the Hurricanes tonight at Honda Center. Carolina is 6-2-2 in its last 10, but still remains in last place in the Eastern Conference. “For the last five weeks, they’ve been playing real good hockey against anybody that they play,” said Bruce Boudreau. “In their division, nobody seems to want it. I think they’re like us that they believe. Everybody keeps losing and we keep winning, there’s a good shot that something good can happen.” The Hurricanes haven't been to Honda Center since November 25, 2009, a date so long ago, in fact, that there are 10 Ducks in the lineup tonight who have never played Carolina at Honda Center. So long ago that Anaheim's defenseman on that night were Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Whitney, James Wisniewski, Nick Boynton, Steve Eminger and Brendan Mikkelson. Meanwhile, the 'Canes are one of the few teams from the East the Ducks face twice this year, as Anaheim heads to Carolina later this month at the end of a daunting eight-game, 16-day road trip that starts Friday. A big reason for Carolina's strong play as of late is veteran goalie Cam Ward. The 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy winner is 6-3-2 with a 1.45 goals-against average in his last 11 starts. Ward will be in there again tonight. "Cam Ward has given up eight goals in his last seven games or something ridiculous like that," said Boudreau, who faced Ward plenty as coach of the Capitals. "I've seen him like that when he gets on a roll and he's impossible to score against. It's like he has an invisible sheild behind him. So, it's going to be a tough game." And it's the last chance to see the Ducks at home until February 26, so get your tickets. The first 10,000 fans in attendance receive a package of Ducks trading cards and if you have a Ducks sticker on your car in the parking lot, you could win an oversized autographed Teemu Selanne Topps card. Boudreau was asked yesterday by Randy Youngman of the OC Register why he didn't use George Parros at some point during the eight-round shootout Anaheim ultimately won on Monday night vs. Calgary. It's not an outlandish question, considering that Parros won the Accuracy Shooting portion of the Skills Showdown on Saturday, by hitting all four corner targets on four shots. It's the second straight year he's done that. Boudreau actually did call on Parros in the eighth rounds -- and he was promptly turned down. "I told him (Parros) he was up next, and he said, 'No way!' " Boudreau said with a laugh. "He didn't wanna go." Boudreau turned to Niklas Hagman instead, and we all know how well that turned out.

Perry Imitators

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:04:00 EST

We often get some pretty interesting submissions through Contact Us (one of these days, I should write a book), and the video below is no exception. This was sent to us over the weekend: two young boys (Canadian, judging by their Tim Horton's jerseys) doing an imitation of Corey Perry's mini-stick move from the NHL All-Star skills competition. (P.S. I'm convinced that if I had a sweet playroom like that when I was a kid, my life would have gone in an entirely different direction.)

Eight is Enough to Douse Flames

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:38:00 EST

By the time it was over, there was hardly a fingernail left unchewed, hardly a rear end that wasn't on the edge of its seat. Hate it or love it, the shootout can be the ultimate in enjoyable agony, and last night was the epitome of that. It took eight excruciating rounds for the Ducks to earn an amazing 14th straight home victory against the Calgary Flames, dating way back to January 19, 2004. More importantly, it was a win Anaheim desperately had to have. "In the grand scheme of things, it's an extra point to move up on teams," said Bobby Ryan, who had the first goal in the Ducks' 3-2 decision. "But I think that's the most critical shootout we've ever been in. You could feel it down the bench, that's for sure." Not only that, it was Anaheim's first shootout win since Ryan won it for them way back on October 8 against the Rangers in Helsinki. Since then, the Ducks had gone 0-4 in the shootout and another 0-4 in overtime (including Calgary last month). "Yeah, it was about time we finally win a shootout," said Jonas Hiller, who was a major reason they finally did. He stopped six of eight Calgary attempts, including a few that would have clinched it for the Flames. The Ducks couldn't breathe easy until he made a stop on Mikael Backlund, but had to reach behind his own body to shoo the trickling puck away from goal line. That more than made up for the fact the Ducks lost a 2-1 lead in the third period and dodged a couple of close calls in overtime. (They actually almost won it themselves in the extra period when a quick Teemu Selanne shot got under goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and hit the very inside of the far post.) "We really needed those two points," Hiller said. "We really wanted it. It wasn't an easy game. I think both teams played really hard. You could see it out there. Both teams really wanted those points.One point more or less, especially in the situation we’re in, can be between having a chance to make the playoffs and being out of the playoffs. I knew it was really important. I really wanted it." The Ducks only got in position to win on Hiller's save because of Niklas Hagman, Anaheim's eighth shooter on the night after only Ryan and Corey Perry had successful shootout bids. Hagman sprinted in on countryman and former Calgary teammate Kiprusoff, and waited just long enough to get the goaltender sprawling before lifting a wicked wrist shot past him. "It's a goalie that I've practiced a lot against quite a bit," said Hagman, who played in Calgary from 2010 until he was acquired by the Ducks last fall. "I don't have that many moves. He knows my go-to moves. I tried to switch it up a little bit. "I wanted to come with good speed and I wanted to shoot it. Luckily for me, he probably thought that I'm going to go with my backhand." (Kiprusoff was going for his 300th career win and his first in Anaheim as a member of the Flames. He actually earned his second NHL win in what was then known as the Pond as a member Sharks on April 8, 2001. Since then he is 0-6-3 lifetime at Honda Center in the regular season.)Here's video of both the clinching shot and save: "We needed that one pretty bad," said Bruce Boudreau, whose Ducks pulled to within 10 points of a playoff spot. "I’m sure in the last 30 games there are going to be a lot of games like that around the league, which is what makes hockey so great." And even if that gut-twisting overtime and shootout took a year off all of our lives, or at least made us lose a little bit of hair, maybe in the end it was all worth it. That, as well, is what makes hockey so great.

Flame On

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:36:00 EST

The Ducks haven't lost a regular season game to the Calgary Flames at Honda Center since well before it was even called Honda Center, a 13-game run of home domination that desperately needs to continue tonight. Cam Fowler was just 12 years old and Teemu Selanne had less than 450 goals when the Flames last won in Anaheim a 5-1 victory on January 19, 2004. No one could have predicted it would be their last win here for the next eight years, although, that Calgary win ended a nine-game winless stretch that had dated back to January 13, 1999. (It's important to point out, also, that the Flames did take Game 3 of the first round series at the former Pond in 2006, a series the Ducks ultimately won in seven.) To presume that lengthy streak has much to do with what will go on tonight is silly. After all, the only guy who played in that game who will also suit up tonight is Toni Lydman (and he was playing for Calgary at the time). Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff, who will be in there for the Flames tonight, were actually both out with injuries in that '04 game. So, as Jerry Seinfeld might say, it's really the Ducks' clothes that have dominated the Flames' laundry all these years. "None of that stuff matters when it comes down to it," Ryan Getzlaf told the OC Register. "Every time you step on the ice (against them), it's usually a new team from year to year. We've got to make sure that we continue it." Said Iginla to the Calgary Herald, "We go in with the mindset that we're due to win in there, right? As far as guys thinking, ‘Oh, we haven’t won there in forever.’ That’s not (true, except) for a few of us, you know what I mean? Other guys have only played three, two games in there (as Flames).” So history means very little tonight, as both the Ducks and Flames could desperately use a win -- though Anaheim is a bit more desperate than Calgary. The Ducks know their margin for error is dwindling by the day, after losing last Wednesday to the Stars and getting only a point against the Blue Jackets last Friday. Anaheim is 12 points back of Minnesota in the eighth spot, with five teams between them and that plateau. That includes these Flames, who are four points back. "We're in that position," Bruce Boudreau said yesterday. "We've just got to play one game at a time. You can't look at the big things because it'll be overwhelming if you look at the whole picture." This morning, for the second straight day, Matt Beleskey skated with the second line while Niklas Hagman was moved to the fourth unit. The combos looked like this: Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry Beleskey-Koivu-Selanne Bonino-Cogliano-Blake Hagman-Pelley-Parros

They've Got Skills

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:43:00 EST

What was a great event in its inaugural year became even greater the second time around. This year’s version of the Anaheim Ducks Skills Showdown had an even bigger crowd, even more fun moments and even more laughs, as more than 7,000 fans enjoyed the event Saturday afternoon at Honda Center. Season ticket holders were let into the building early, where they were treated to a Q&A with Ducks boss Bob Murray and coach Bruce Boudreau. Questions were taken from a collection that attendees had submitted in advance online, and among the quips from Boudreau was this one on what he thinks it will take to make the playoffs: "I do this math every single day. Unfortunately, I count on all the other teams to lose. “We have to go on a pretty good run. We've broken it down into segments. It's feasible, we just have to beat teams ahead of us." He added, “This is why coaches and GMs lose their hair..." then turned and looked at Murray to the delight of the crowd. There was one question asking Boudreau about his experience doing the HBO 24/7 show last season when he was Washington’s coach. "It was fun,” he said, “until I watched it...I didn't realize I swore that much until my mom phoned me and chewed me out." After the 30-minute chat, the general public poured into Honda Center as the players warmed up, split into Team Black (captained by Teemu Selanne) and Team White (Corey Perry). The earliest indication it would be a fun day came when tiny little Samuel Beauchemin (Francois' 5-year-old son) skated with the Ducks, and at one point went in and scored on Jonas Hiller one-on-one. (You'd be hard-pressed to find something more adorable than this in a hockey rink.) Some bigger kids were among the youth players that led off some of the skills events, which included: King of the Breakaway, Fastest Skater, Nothing But Net, Accuracy Shooting, Hardest Shot and Obstacle Relay. When all was said and done, Selanne’s Team Black won for the second straight year and retained the ugly ceramic pig trophy that was picked out last year for the event. “We tried to keep the competition even and close, but my team had more passion and skills,” Selanne said tongue-in-cheek afterwards. "In the end, it paid off.” POST-SKILLS COMMENTS | EVENT HIGHLIGHTS There were some accusations of cheating during the Accuracy Shooting, to which Selanne said, “We have a little thing going here: If you don’t cheat, you’re not trying hard enough. But it was a fun day.” Some of that fun came from Boudreau, who joined hosts Steve Carroll and Kent French as an in-arena analyst. He didn’t hesitate to rip his own guys, taking a shot at Matt Beleskey’s long hair and saying of Sheldon Brookbank during the breakaway event, “I can see why Sheldon hasn’t scored a goal this season.” As several Ducks looked impressive during the Accuracy Shooting, Boudreau had last night’s 3-2 loss to Columbus on his mind when he cracked, “Where were these guys last night?” That accuracy event was seized for the second straight year by, of all people, George Parros. Georgie nailed all four corner targets in a row, the second straight year he’s done that. “I’ve won three years in a row,” said Parros, including the skills competition at the First Flight Field Trip event for kids. “That’s no coincidence … Not everyone is cut out for this event though.” Perry immediately matched Parros by hitting the targets with his first four shots, but there was some controversy because he didn’t actually break the first one. “Corey Perry shoots muffins,” Selanne said, “and he can’t even break the coin.” (I like that Teemu calls the foam target a "coin." It's a little bigger than that.) Of Parros' victory, Boudreau said, "It just goes to show that anybody can win at anything." Some other highlights: - Perry pulling out the mini-stick (just like at last weekend’s skills competition at the All-Star Game) to score during the King of the Breakaway event. Remarked Boudreau, "It's great he could score with Jason Blake's stick." - Cam Fowler winning the Fastest Skater at 14.06, edging Lubomir Visnovsky (14.07). Said Fowler, "He'll probably just tell you he was tired or that he didn’t have his legs." (By the reaction of his teammates, that’s a common Lubo line.) - The new Nothing But Net event, which required one player to flip pucks from the crease to a teammate trying to catch them in a basket attached to a stick. Both the Perry-Nick Bonino and Beleskey-Parros duos got four out of five. - During the Hardest Shot, Selanne challenging Saku Koivu, then edging him 92.5 to 91.6 Ryan Getzlaf won the event with a 99.3 mph shot, leading commentator Brian Hayward to ask him if that might convince him to shoot more. That brought a huge roar from the crowd. - Team Black capturing the Obstacle Relay (players zig-zagging with the puck through cones) and hanging on for the 12-10 victory, with Selanne holding up the ceramic pig and the team posing for a rather Stanley Cup-like group photo with it. “It was similar to when I hoisted the Stanley Cup,” said Selanne with only a hint of sarcasm. “It’s pretty heavy too, but again, you have to earn this. This little pig came home.” For Boudreau, it was his first time being involved in an event like this, as they hadn’t adopted it in Washington. “That was pretty cool,” he said. “Especially in Southern California, where we’re trying to grow the sport, it’s great to have events like this. With my personality, I wanted to be involved and make it as interesting as possible for these fans. The guys had smiles on their faces and showed how much they love doing it, even after a tough game last night. They came out here and did a great job. That’s what hockey players are all about.” Said Selanne, “It was a fun day. It was great that so many people showed up again. It’s nice to have fun and give a little extra for the fans.”

Columbus Day

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:39:00 EST

While the Ducks are looking to bounce back from a rather disheartening loss two nights ago, the Blue Jackets are looking to rebound from one they thought was unjust. Wednesday night, as the Ducks were losing to the Stars 6-2 in Anaheim, the Jackets suffered a 3-2 defeat at Los Angeles. The game ended in controversial fashion when a last-second Drew Doughty goal appeared to come after the clock stopped for a full second in the final moments. It was yet another blow in a rough season for the Blue Jackets, who come into Anaheim having lost six in a row. Part of the reason for their demise is a ton of injuries, but they did activate major offseason acquisition Jeff Carter yesterday after he missed 10 games with a separated shoulder suffered in the last Ducks-Jackets game, on Jan. 8. That game was one of the catalysts for a nice 9-1-1 run for the Ducks, and a six-game home winning streak that was halted Wednesday night vs. Dallas. Bruce Boudreau spoke a bit about that off night with the media after yesterday's optional practice. "We alluded to that this morning in the meeting," he said. "You can see it creeping it and we have made mention of it. We played so, so good until the Ottawa game. Then, I thought we played average at best in the Colorado game, but won. Then, we lost in Dallas. We played okay, but didn’t play at the level we had. We had the break and then played against Phoenix. I thought our first period was substandard. We won, but we played okay. Then, we had last night. We have to rectify that. We haven’t let it slide without noticing. It’s time to get back up to the top." The Ducks have improved their position since that January 8 vs. Columbus, which they entered just one point in front of last-place Blue Jackets. In that game, Jonas Hiller left in the first period with an injury, Iiro Tarkki came in and earned his first NHL win and Corey Perry threw in a hat trick as the Ducks won a second straight game for the first time since mid-October. A fully healthy Hiller will be back in there tonight and the Jackets will have to decide between Wednesday night's starter Curtis Sanford (three straight wins vs. Anaheim and a 2.34 GAA) or Steve Mason (3-1-0 with a 3.64 GAA in five career starts at Honda Center, despite being pulled in the last game there). For the Ducks, Perry and his linemates need to get things going, as none of the RPG line has registered a point in the last three contests. In typical (and likeable) Boudreau fashion, he made a timely other-sport reference in talking about getting those guys going. "You’re not going to win unless your best players are your best players," he said. "That is the simple fact on any team in any organization. If Eli Manning stinks the place up this week, I don’t care how good the Giants defense is, they’re not going to win. The same with Tom Brady. It’s the same in any sport. You look at the NBA Finals. LeBron wasn’t exactly very good and how did they do? We need our best player to be our best players." So what do you do? "I have to believe you challenge them a little bit," he said. "I brought a few of them in today and said 'We need you to better.' We aren’t going to win unless they are better. It’s great to have a lot of our role players playing great, but the great players have to be the great players. Everybody sees it. It’s not just out there that we’re winning and getting by. No matter who you are, if you’re best players aren’t your best players, you’re not successful. They can work really hard and do all the right things, but they have to start producing." Boudreau confirmed this morning that Jason Blake will be in the lineup after recovering from his foot injury and that Devante Smith-Pelly (broken foot suffered at the World Juniors) could return next week. Minnesota beat Colorado 1-0 last night, so the Ducks enter tonight's game 12 points behind the Wild for the eighth spot.

Dallas Scars

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST

Sometimes you need nothing more than the coach's words to describe things, in this case a discouraging 6-2 loss at home to the Dallas Stars. "We played bad tonight," Bruce Boudreau said bluntly. "It wasn’t fun to watch." Indeed, the momentum the Ducks had generated from a run of 9 wins in 11 games, from an emphatic 4-1 win on the road out of the All-Star break, was restrained by last night's defeat. And it didn't help that it once again came at the hands of the Stars, who edged the Ducks 1-0 before the break and now represent the only two regulation losses the Ducks have suffered in the last 12 games. "I thought we played 12 really good games in a row," Boudreau said. "Tonight, we didn’t. We stunk." Actually, things did begin promisingly for Anaheim last night, as they went on top early when Matt Beleskey's shot from the point caromed off Stephane Robidas' boot and got past Kari Lehtonen. (At first glance, it appeared Andrew Cogliano got his blade on it, which would have been a nice follow-up to his hat trick the night before.) But things went south from there, in large part because of some carelesness with the puck. Dallas scored three unanswered -- two coming off Luca Sbisa turnovers -- and never looked back. Yes, the Ducks went into the third down two goals, but their hopes were quickly dashed by a Sheldon Souray goal just 36 seconds in that made it 5-2 and many any comeback doubtful. "We battled back, had a lot of energy in the second period and thought we could turn this game around," said Sbisa, who took responsbility for those two Dallas goals in the first. "In the first shift of the third period they got a goal and that kind of knocked the wind out of us. At the end of the day, we can’t be happy with ourselves." Last night's loss meant the Ducks remained 10 points behind the Wild in the eighth spot with 32 games to go. A big hill to climb? Certainly. Impossible? Well, the Ducks themselves are trying to show they still have faith any way they can. Yesterday each player was given this t-shirt, which reads I BELIEVE on the front and MIRACLES DO HAPPEN on the back.

Big Night for Cogs

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:22:00 EST

When your biggest postgame regret is that Andrew Cogliano didn't get his fourth goal of the night, you know it's pretty fun being a Ducks fan right now. Cogliano had a rather astonishing hat trick -- three straight goals in a span of 6:51 -- to lead the Ducks to an emphatic 4-1 victory over the Coyotes last night in Glendale. Cogliano's second period goals not only gave the Ducks a lead they never surrendered, but they marked his first career hat trick in 377 NHL games (all consecutive, by the way). It was also the second-fastest hat trick in Ducks history, behind the one Bobby Ryan reeled off in 2:21 over two periods in LA in 2009 (surely you remember the third one). Cogliano got the first one after goalie Mike Smith got caught behind the net, and Matt Beleskey (back from his hand injury) took the puck away from him and fed Cogliano for the easy tap-in. That was just the start of a rough night for Smith, who gave up the second straight to Cogliano halfway through the second on a wrist shot that snuck through on the short side. The third came a few minutes later, as Cogliano darted behind the Yotes defense and backhanded a shot through that Smith immediately agonized over. Here's a look at all three: Afterward, Bruce Boudreau joked, "It might have been the ugliest hat trick I've ever seen." Cogliano, meanwhile, estimated that his last hat trick came at the Junior A level, while with something called the St. Michael’s Buzzers. ”I scored four goals in one game," he said. "Other than that nothing in college or the NHL.” He came ever-so-close to getting a fourth last night too. Cogliano had a couple of chances for a fourth goal later in the game, none more apparent than when the Coyotes emptied their net for an extra attacker down 3-1 late. Teemu Selanne strutted with the puck toward the abandoned net, and either didn't see Cogliano behind him or elected not to rub salt in the Phoenix wounds, dropping the puck in himself to seal the victory. (Faced with a similar situation back on January 10 vs. Dallas, Selanne was able to leave the puck to Saku Koivu for the empty-netter that gave him a hat trick.) "'T' can do," Cogliano said, "whatever he wants." Either way, it was a satisfying road win for the Ducks over a Phoenix team that is similarly trying to claw its way toward that coveted eighth spot in the West. Last night's win inched the Ducks to within 10 points of the Avs in eighth. Yes, there is still a long way to go, and wins have to come in bunches for Anaheim, like they did last month. They've had little time to savor last night's victory though, as they jetted right back to Orange County, where they take on the Stars tonight at home. Dallas represents one of the few bumps in the road of a 9-1-1 run for Anaheim over the last 11 games. Dallas edged the Ducks 1-0 on January 24 in the last game before the All-Star break, snapping a five-game Stars skid. That game and a crushing 1-0 overtime loss in Calgary earlier in the month is all that's kept the Ducks from a 11-game win streak. Just saying. (Again, another reason it's fun to be a Ducks fan right now -- when that's something you can quibble over.) Oddly enough, this is the first game for the Stars since that slim victory over Anaheim. The break has come at a good time for them, not only because they had been struggling before that win (seven goals in the last six games), but because they had some time to get guys healthy. No. 2 scorer Jamie Benn came back from an emergency appendectomy and played in the All-Star game. Pesky Mike Ribeiro played in that Ducks game for the first time since going down with an MCL injury on January 7. Captain Brenden Morrow, who missed that January 24 game with a neck/shoulder issue, was taken off IR during the break. Stephane Robidas looks to be close to 100 percent after recovering from a foot injury. For the Ducks, Jason Blake will be out for the second straight game with his foot injury, and Kyle Palmieri was just recalled from Syracuse in case it's more serious. Kari Lehtonen, who earned his first career shutout in that win over Anaheim before the break, will be in net tonight, according to coach Glen Gulutzan. Lehtonen did more than let one in during that Koivu hat trick game at Honda Center three weeks ago, a resounding 5-2 victory for the Ducks. A reminder, tonight's puck drop will be at 7:35 p.m. Pacific, rather than the normal 7:05 p.m. time for Ducks weekday games.

Break Time's Over

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:48:00 EST

If it feels like it's been awhile since the Ducks have played a hockey game, it's because it's been awhile since the Ducks have played a hockey game. Anaheim's week-long hiatus dictated by the All-Star break ends tonight when they take on the Coyotes in Phoenix (or rather, Glendale) at 6:00 our time. (Reports out of Glendale indicate that Corey Perry will reportedly be using a full-sized stick the entire game.) For the Ducks, it's not only the first game out of the break, but hopefully the continuation of a major push to get into playoff position. That push started in early January, when the Ducks reeled off an 8-0-1 stretch to go from 20 points out of the eighth spot to 11. But it hit a slight bump in the road when the Ducks were edged 1-0 in Dallas a week ago today, the last game before the break. They go into the final 34 games of the season 12 points behind Minnesota's eighth slot. “Everybody in the room knows what we have to do,” Bruce Boudreau said after holding a late-afternoon practice session in Glendale yesterday. (It was a practice, by the way, that All-Star Corey Perry took part in after hustling back from Ottawa.) “We’ve known what we’ve had to do for a month now. Everybody’s sense of urgency is at different times in the year, as far as teams go. There are teams that haven’t reached their sense of urgency yet. We reached ours earlier than most teams.” The Coyotes have fallen three points out of playoff position thanks to a swoon that has coincided slightly with the Ducks' hot streak. The Yotes are 4-7-5 in their last 16 games, including a 6-2 rout by the Ducks a couple weeks ago at Honda Center. While the break came at a time the Ducks were playing their best hockey, Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said yesterday it was a welcome respite for his club. “We needed the break bad,” Tippett said. “Our group has been exhausted for a couple of weeks. I think within a six-week period, we were 28,000 miles traveled, which is unheard of in the League. I can't ever remember a stretch like this.” Said Boudreau, “They’re in a state or urgency as well right now. And they know that we’ve beaten them the last two times we’ve faced them. It should make for a good game.” Jason Blake, still struggling with that leg/foot injury, did not skate this morning and is questionable. Meanwhile, Matt Beleskey did skate this morning as he recovers from a hand injury suffered in the same game, but his status for tonight is still uncertain. “It’s getting there,” Beleskey told the OC Register yesterday. ”It’s coming back. I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s just a little sore still.”

Perry Funny

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:45:00 EST

He isn't typically the most garrulous of Ducks, but Corey Perry showed some serious personality this weekend in Ottawa. The reigning MVP shined during the Breakaway Challenge during Saturday's Skills Competition at Scotiabank Place. He led off his first of two attempts with a lacrosse move where he carried the puck on his blade before losing it at the last moment and backhanding it past goalie Brian Elliott. On his third try, he revealed something even more creative -- and downright funny. Just as it looked like he was going to skate in on net, Perry stopped, threw away both gloves and his stick, and pulled a mini stick out of his gear. He then bent way low to move in on Elliott, hilariously deking right and left before Elliott graciously bailed out of net as Perry sent it through from his knees. Here's the video of both moves: Unfortunately, Perry was beat out by Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks, who boldly donned a Superman cape and Clark Kent glasses (although everyone knows you don't wear those at the same time). Kane then slid headfirst on his belly before tapping the puck past a playing-along Elliott (here's that video). Kane ended up winning with 47 percent of the fan votes. Yesterday, Perry's goal in the third period was one of three quick ones in the third that helped Team Chara to a 12-9 victory in a typically laid-back, high-scoring All-Star Game. Check out all the photos of Perry from the weekend here. Also during the packed weekend for Corey, he managed Friday to meet up with some family and friends at a relative's house not too far from Scotiabank Place. You can read about that in Eric Stephens' nice piece in the OC Register, which includes this from Corey's dad Geoff. "To the guys around, he's just Corey Perry," he said. "He's just one of the boys. Yeah, he's won a Hart Trophy but we don't dwell on it. He won that back in June and that was for last year. That's the way he goes about things. Just takes them in stride and goes forward. "Corey just wants to be Corey. He doesn't want any special treatment. The Corey Perry that left here to go play junior hockey is the same person." As far as getting back to regular Ducks hockey, the team is headed to Phoenix, where they play the Coyotes tomorrow night.

Feeling a Draft

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:57:00 EST

Not much to report in Ducks land except that Corey Perry will be part of the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft tonight at 5 p.m. Pacific. The draft itself airs exclusively on NBC Sports Network (the former Versus) but you can watch the pre-draft show here and the post-draft show here. Like last year, the draft will divide the 38 All-Stars and 12 rookies into two teams for the game on Sunday. Team Alfredsson is led by captain Daniel Alfredsson of the All-Star host Senators and assistant captain Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers. Team Chara is led by captain Zdeno Chara of the Bruins and assistant captain Joffrey Lupul of the Leafs. In last year's draft, Perry was taken in the 15th of the 18 rounds by Team Staal. But coming off a Hart Trophy season in 2010-11 and the fact that good buddy and former teammate Lupul is helping with the selecting for Team Chara, you can bet he'll go higher this year. From the NHL: The teams will compete in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition™, at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., ET, and the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL® All-Star Game, at Scotiabank Place on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m., ET. Live television coverage of both events will be provided by NBC Sports Network in the United States. A coin toss will decide first pick, with Alfredsson and Chara, joined by their assistant captains, alternately drafting the 38 remaining All-Stars through 19 rounds. Each team will consist of three goaltenders, six defensemen and 12 forwards. To ensure that the final draft picks are true selections and not simply predetermined due to position requirements, each team's three goalies must be picked by the end of Round 10 and each team's six defensemen must be picked by the conclusion of Round 15. The 12 Rookies participating in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition will be divided by the National Hockey League into two groups of six. At the completion of the 15th round of the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft, one NHL Rookie will be selected to choose which All-Star team his group will join for the skills competition.

Heartbreak Before the Break

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST

There are no moral victories when you're a team that's already won eight of nine, and there certainly aren't when you didn't even come away with a point. But if the Ducks had to lose a game to end this nine-game points streak, if they had to lose in their last game before the All-Star break, they at least did it while fighting to the bitter end. A somewhat fluky goal by the Stars and an incredibly stingy goalie overtook sixty minutes of dilligence by the Ducks in a gut-wrenching 1-0 loss to Dallas that snapped a five-game winning streak for Anaheim. Jonas Hiller only had to make 15 stops as the Ducks left little space on the ice in front of him, but one Dallas shot got by him in ugh fashion. Late in the first, Alex Goligoski's one-timer was headed way wide of the net, but it deflected off Cam Fowler's hip and skipped past Hiller. "What are you going to do?" Fowler told the OC Register. "Blocked a shot right off my pants and over Hillsy's shoulder. You just shake you head and ask why sometimes. Why do those things happen? It's a part of the game." That was the only puck that found the net all night, as Kari Lehtonen was a wall with 27 saves and his first shutout of the season. But not all the credit goes to the one Finn Ducks fans weren't rooting for last night. The Stars did their best Ducks impression by blocking 27 shots, and a number of Anaheim chances were launched wide of the cage. But the Ducks went down scratching a clawing for a goal until the final horn, including the final moments when they sent Hiller to the bench for a sixth dude in the Dallas zone. "You don't like to end something like we've got going on a situation like that," Bruce Boudreau said. "You could tell early on that Lehtonen was really on his game and it was going to take something special. Again, we had open nets and we missed the net. We get those chances and we put them in, no matter how good the goalie is, we're going to probably win the game. Didn't happen that way." It didn't, and it's a rough way to go into the break, when any momentum Anaheim might have had will be hopefully not be slowed by the week between now and their next game -- Tuesday night in Phoenix. That game, followed by a rematch with Dallas the next day at Honda Center are going to prove vital for the Ducks, who fell back to 12 points out of a playoff spot last night. For now, the only Ducks hockey we'll be seeing over the next several days is Corey Perry in the All-Star Game on Sunday. Tomorrow night at 5 p.m. Pacific, we can see who Perry will be playing with as the NHL is bringing back the popular Fantasy Draft format for the game. Add this to the You've Got to Love Bruce Boudreau file: Boudreau was talking to reporters yesterday morning about the surprise bowling outing he set up for the team after the Ducks arrived in Dallas on Monday. Apparently, the bowling took a lot out of the Ducks coach. “I’m out of shape,” he said. ”When you’re sore after bowling, something’s wrong. I was in the high 200s of course." (He later admitted that he rolled a 138 and 110 and that Francois Beauchemin had the high score with 202. The Finns won the team competition.) "I woke up at midnight and I thought I needed a hip replacement and I couldn’t understand what was going on. [Assistant coach] Bob [Woods] says, ‘You bowl left-handed. It’s your right hip, right” I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘Well, you idiot, it’s sore because you’re doing lunges every time you come down.” In case you haven't gotten enough Casino Night coverage, below is a video feature from KDOC, which I'm including partly because the host is rather striking (and British, no less). Also, just when you think the Ducks have run out of things to autograph and offer the fans, you can now bid on the Vans the players wore with their all-white suits during the night by clicking here.

Skating with the Stars

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:52:00 EST

When a team is as hot as the Anaheim Ducks have been lately, it seems like the only thing that can stop them is time. A few hours from now in Dallas, the Ducks can only hope to keep things rolling before they have a whole week until their next game during the upcoming All-Star break. “You and I know where we are,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “Every game is important. It’s important to finish strong before the break and come out of the gate the way you want to. It’s a big emphasis on Tuesday’s game and get ready for the break.” We've said it before in this space, but it's fun to repeat: The Ducks are riding a wave in which they've won five in a row and eight of their last nine. And a team that once had gone through a terrible time on the road has put together a nice little run of three wins in the last four away games. The only outlier was a 1-0 overtime loss in Calgary, in which Anaheim still managed a point. That string will be on the line tonight in Dallas, where it's Steve Ott Bobblehead Night (I've got to get me one of those). The Stars are in a little bit of a tailspin, having lost five in a row to fall to 11th in the Western Conference (the Ducks are seven points behind them in 13th). And to add injury to insult, top scorer Jamie Benn has been out since January 15 after undergoing an appendectomy, and captain Brendan Morrow was played on IR with a neck issue. Mike Ribeiro, who has been a bit of a nuisance for the Ducks in the past, will be in there tonight after missing seven games with a knee injury. Ribeiro, by the way, scored two goals apiece in the two games before going down with the injury. Toni Lydman, who missed Sunday's win over Colorado with the flu, will be back in there tonight. Here's the expected lineup: Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry Hagman-Koivu-Selanne Blake-Bonino-Cogliano Pelley-Bell-Parros Beauchemin-Fowler Sbisa-Visnovsky Lydman-BrookbankHiller The Ducks know full well that despite the progress they've made this month, there is still a heck of a way to go before they truly get back into contention. “Our goal going into this was to win out before the All-Star break,” Bobby Ryan said. “We talked about it. That was something we were setting our sights on. So to be three-quarters of the way there with one game left is an important feeling. “I think we’re starting to narrowly push at it. We’ve got a tough task ahead of us. Every two points going forward is going to be monumental.” Bruce Boudreau, in a quite enjoyable interview on Ducks Weekly on SiriusXM, said of his team, "They're starting to believe in themselves. It's good to see them coming to the rink smiling every day. We've still got a huge mountain to climb. We know it's a long shot, but if you just keep winning…eventually you can look up. We've won a lot recently, we just want to continue it." Boudreau also had some pretty satisfying things to say about how Ducks players tend to get overshadowed, notably Jonas Hiller not getting recognized by the NHL for his play of the last week. "Just being out here for a short period of time and being in Washington for four years, it's easy to see that the Eastern teams get a definite advantage when it comes to publicity. Anaheim is not exactly in the limelight, so you sort of overlook guys who have done really well." Whether he's getting the recognition league-wide or not, Ducks fans know how huge Hiller has been. He sets up between the pipes tonight having posted a .955 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average the last six games. He hasn't lost in 2012, a year that has been friendly to the Ducks, and will hopefully get even friendlier tonight. You may have already noticed it on our news stories on the website, but now fan commenting has been added to this blog, as you can see below. You may recall it was tested previously through Facebook, but it caused some technical difficulties. Now you can make comments by signing in with your Facebook account, Twitter account, NHL.com account or a number of other methods. (If you're not seeing it below, click the headline of this blog post above and you'll see it.) I encourage you to leave your comments about the blog, the Ducks or whatever. Let me hear ya!

January Jonesing

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:45:00 EST

On the New Year's Day, the Ducks woke up with the hangover of a sixth loss in the last seven games, and a 10-21-6 record that left them 17 points out of a playoff spot. Five days later things became even more dire, in the wake of a home loss to the Sharks that left the Ducks a distrurbing 20 points behind eight-place Nashville. Since then it's been a whole new Ducks team, one that is on a ride they don't want to get off anytime soon. Anaheim has gone a staggering 8-0-1 run that has been as good as any team in the NHL. Coming off a fifth straight win last night against Colorado, the Ducks flew to Dallas just 11 points behind the Avalanche, with three games in hand. The Ducks have won seven of the last eight and six straight at home. Anaheim's 17 points in January is tied for most in the NHL with St. Louis and Ottawa (who the Ducks took down Saturday night). Meanwhile, the team that once ranked near the bottom of the NHL in goals, has averaged an impressive 2.70 this month, second in the league to Boston. Their standings points streak of nine games equals the longest active one in the NHL (with the Blues) and is the franchise's longest since a nine-game run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 5, 2008. The Ducks have outscored opponents 36-16 during that string. The wins lately have come in a variety of ways. There was a 5-0 stomping of the Oilers back on January 13, and a 6-2 rout of the Coyotes on the 18th. And then there was this weekend, where the Ducks eked out one-goal victories and leaned heavily on Jonas Hiller, who is as hot as any goalie in the NHL right now with a .955 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average the last six games. (He actually wasn't given one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week today.) Last night was the extreme, as the Ducks were outshot 45-18 and Hiller stood tall with 43 saves as the Ducks got some revenge on their old goalie, J.S. Giguere. The Ducks' intimate knowledge of Giguere seemed to come in handy when Bobby Ryan scored two (two!) breakaway goals on him to help the Ducks to a 3-0 lead. The first came early in the game, when Ryan picked up a lost puck near the red line, skated in and fired it under Giguere to make it 1-0. The other one came in the second period, as Ryan Getzlaf made a jaw-dropping 150-foot pass out of his own corner to hit Ryan's tape at the Colorado blue line, allowing Ryan to head in alone and beat Giguere high glove. Ryan actually had a third breakaway in the third period, but this time Giguere came out far enough to force Ryan to move to the forehand, and Giguere stopped it. "I don't think I've had three breakaways in a season in a long time," Ryan said. "I'm not exactly built for speed on breakaways. "I scored five-hole on the first one. I think he was just kind of waiting. He realizes that's one of my favorite places to shoot, so I just tried to make a quick move and get it out because I know he drops his glove. I tried to be patient with it." Colorado scored soon after Ryan was denied on that third breakaway, and scored again on a power play with 3:32 left to make things a bit tense. But the Ducks held on, notably in the final minute and a half when the Avs sent Giguere to the bench for an extra skater. Bruce Boudreau, he of the frequent non-hockey references, used a boxing term to reflect on how the Ducks escaped. "We were doing our best imitation of Muhammad Ali tonight," he said. In other words, it was a "rope-a-dope" style in which the Ducks allowed themselves to be hit over and over again (45 shots) but waited for mistakes and took advantage. This month, unlike the previous three, it seems the mistakes are coming from the opponents, rather than the Ducks themselves. "Anyone who's been here has known that we've started slow in a lot of years and this is the worst," Getzlaf said. "But we've just got to keep playing. Every day is a new day for us and a new day that we can play and try and get back in this thing." How upbeat are the Ducks these days? First of all, they're spending their day in Dallas not practicing, but having a team bowling outing, for while George Parros reportedly brought his own ball. And last night, Getzlaf made his postgame remarks while holding his 11-month-old son Ryder (wearing a No. 15 jersey with the C on it) in his left arm. Watch this video as he tries to hand Ryder off to Ducks staffer Ryan Lichtenfels (who actually has a toddler of his own), sees that he's crying and then takes him back for the duration of the interview. While Getzlaf says, "It wasn't the prettiest game we played in awhile," you can tell Ryder agrees.

Everybody's Workin' on the Weekend

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:27:00 EST

It's a somewhat unique and somewhat nostalgiac weekend for the Anaheim Ducks coming up. The Ducks play both Saturday and Sunday at home, the first time they've done that since the lockout. Saturday is a rare afternoon (1:05 p.m.) affair with the Ottawa Senators, whom the Ducks vanquished in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. Of course, the Sens have only four players remaining from that team, while the Ducks have five: Getzlaf, Perry, Selanne, Parros and Beauchemin (the latter of whom just signed a new deal). Sunday the Ducks once again face the goalie from that 2006-07 team, as J.S. Giguere and the Colorado Avalanche return to Honda Center, with Anaheim looking to avenge a 4-2 loss to them on New Year's Eve. (Giguere has played three of the last four for the Avs, and figures to be back in there again on Sunday against his old team.) The Ducks are an impressive 6-1-1 since that Colorado loss, a mark they'll be testing against an unbelievably hot Ottawa team tomorrow afternoon. The Sens' thorough 4-1 victory in San Jose last night (which came despite losing two forwards mid-game) improved them to a gaudy 13-2-2 since the middle of December. That's pushed them to fourth in the Eastern Conference, and they're riding an 11-game road points streak. Today, Bruce Boudreau had an interesting take about the young Senators, who are considered among the surprise teams in the NHL after finishing 13th in the East last year. "They're only a surprise because of where they finished last year," he said, noting that they have several players from the Binghamton Senators team that won the AHL's Calder Cup last year. "If you look at any team that has won a Calder Cup, there are five to seven players on that team that are good players that are going to play in the NHL. That's what's happened there. "They are young players who were in Binghamton and were brought up last year at the trading deadline when Ottawa realized they weren't gonna make [the playoffs]. They played great last year and it kept going this year. It's not a surprise to me that they're doing what they're doing." The Ducks held Jason Blake and Matt Beleskey out of practice for the second straight day, as Blake recovers from the lower body injury suffered when he was hit with a Lubomir Visnovsky shot that resulted in a Beauchemin goal on Wednesday night vs. Phoenix. Boudreau said he has high hopes for Blake playing tomorrow, but Beleskey is not as certain with his injured hand suffered when he was hit by a shot Wednesday. Just in case, the Ducks called up veteran Mark Bell from Syracuse, and he was out on the ice today. "There wasn't a lot of progress for either one, so with the 1:00 game, we had to call up Mark. Blake was still a little sore, but we believe he's going to play tomorrow. We told him to take another day and get better and see how it is tomorrow morning. If Bell plays this weekend, it will be the 31-year-old's first game since April of 2008. Boudreau explained the Bell call-up by saying, "You phone down there and you ask the coaching staff, 'Who's the best player for you right now?' We didn't want someone who is in a development stage, we just want the best player who could help our team this weekend potentially. They said Mark Bell was the best player they had, so we said, Let's call up Mark Bell. He fits the criteria right now." There is a chance defenseman Sheldon Brookbank could move up to a forward spot if both Blake and Beleskey aren't able to go. Brookbank has played some forward for the Ducks in the past and practiced there yesterday and today. Tomorrow's game will also be t-shirt tiiiiiiiimmmme (and if you don't know that reference, you're a better person than I am), where all fans in attendance will receive a free orange Ducks t-shirt.

Ducks Lock Up Beauch for Another Three

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:10:00 EST

The Ducks made a nice move today by inking Beauchemin to a three-year contract extension that will make him a Duck through 2014-15. Beauchemin has been arguably Anaheim's best defenseman this season, his first full one in Anaheim since coming back here last February in a trade with Toronto for Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner and a conditional pick.

All Dressed in White

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:51:00 EST

Last night's 15th annual Anaheim Ducks Casino Night Presented by The Klein Family could have been one of the best of the half dozen or so I've attended. Guests came in their most stylish attire to match the Center Ice White Out theme of the night, which for whatever reason drew the most attractive crowd of any I've seen at that event (I'll decline to elaborate). A few other highlights from the night: - Me digging out the too-tight white pants and awful white buckled shoes that I wore for the Casino Night two years ago, when it was a '70s theme. That combined with an untucked white dress shirt made me look like I was in pajamas. - Arriving at the same time as Teemu Selanne and his wife Sirpa, then watching Teemu lunge for the down button just a half-second too late before the elevator doors closed. I said, "I thought they called you The Flash." He snapped his fingers. The elevator doors opened. - Watching Jonas Hiller dance impressively to "Baby Got Back" (as well as assorted other songs) with his gal and a few other player WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends). - This photo (I just think it looks cool). Check out all the photos here. - Although, sometimes the best photos come before the actual photo. (Courtesy OC Register.) - The assorted dancers covered in full body suites and surrounded by a giant ... let me just show you the picture. - George Parros being the only guy to wear something different than the white suit and v-neck t-shirt provided to the players, which you can see in this picture, along with Devante Smith-Pelly artfully incorporating the boot for his broken foot with his ensemble. - Teemu talking in this video about the night's theme: "We have been too many times cowboys, so it's good." (Taking that quote out of context would confuse a lot of people.) - Jason Blake, asked in this video about which player looked best, opening with "I probably don't even need to wear a suit. I'm all white." Then saying, "I would proably say Teemu. He's 41 years old and he just glows. Every time he steps in a room, he electrifies. He owns it." - Just watching the guys pose for every picture, sometimes obliging to be the photographer of said pictures, enthusiastically take part in every conversation with every fan, and just generally be good dudes. Come back here later today for a preview of a unique upcoming weekend for the Ducks.

Just Winning, Baby

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:53:00 EST

This is starting to get kinda fun, isn't it? A 6-2 rout of the Phoenix Coyotes last night at Honda Center gave the Ducks their sixth win in the last seven and a fourth straight win at home. Even better, the emphatic victory over a division rival came on a night when the RPG line registered one point, a night where even their own coach admitted his team was less-than-stellar. "I thought we were pretty sloppy," said the normally optimistic Bruce Boudreau. "I was biting my tongue most of the night. [Phoenix] missed a lot of chances. We took advantage. "I thought we were a little loose, but I’m not complaining. We still won over a good hockey club and we scored six goals." And in a game where usual suspects Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan, Selanne and Koivu were relatively quiet on the scoresheet, Anaheim's unheralded third line of Jason Blake, Nick Bonino and Andrew Cogliano sparkled. They combined for six points, including Blake's fourth in the last three games. Don't look now, but that trio is a combined plus-11 in the last three games. And how about Blake, who missed 34 games with that horrific arm laceration, but came back to play two weeks ago? The Ducks are 8-1-1 with him in the lineup this season. Now check this out: Dating back to last season, the Ducks are 15-2-0 in games where Blake scores a goal. (Researched that one myself, and I'm pretty damn proud of it.) That of course includes last night, where Blake's goal late in the second period was the best display of that third line at work. On the rush, Cogliano made a pinpoint feed through a crowd to Bonino who touched it to Blake on the doorstep for the "slam dunk," as Johnny Ahlers called it on the broadcast. (Just had the image of Blake pulling off an actual slam dunk, and it struck me as a little funny.) That goal gave the Ducks a two-goal lead, and they never looked back. It also was the second goal in a span of four minutes contributed by that third line. The earlier one came on another beautiful feed from Cogliano to Francois Beauchemin, who had a glorious night with two goals. His first came on an accidental assist by Blake, as a Lubomir Visnovsky rocket kicked off Blake's leg to Beauchemin for the punch-in. (Blake looked to be in pain, but didn't miss a shift, thought he was held out of today's practice.) Beauchemin also an nice assist on Perry's door-slamming breakaway shorty late in the game. On the play, Beauchemin pitch-forked the puck off the wall to a darting Perry, who was right around the Prime Ticket logo outside the Phoenix blue line when you knew he'd pour it in the net. That sixth goal -- more than enough to trigger some love from Hooters -- added to the Ducks' recent domination in which they've outscored opponents 31-13 in the last seven games. The only outlier during that stretch is a 1-0 overtime loss in Calgary a week ago today. That regulation shutout was just part of a quietly impressive stretch for Jonas Hiller, who has a gaudy .939 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average in the last six appearances. And he had this nice quote to the OC Register: "Every decision we make, we know it's the right one and even if it's not, we know somebody has our back," Hiller said. "A month ago we were wondering if they were right decisions, and we weren't sure, and we didn't know." Last night, with about 30 seconds left and the game all but over, the crowd at Honda Center got louder and rose to its feet, not only commemorating a convincing victory, but the recent stellar place of its resurgent hockey team. With the win, the Ducks climbed out of 14th place in the West for the first time since November 17. They're 13 points behind eighth-place Colorado (who has played three more games) with 37 games to go. It's a tall task to make up that ground, but if the Ducks keep winning like this, who says they can't do it? While the Ducks don't play here over the next two nights, they will be at Honda Center tonight for the 15th annual Anaheim Ducks Casino Night, presented by The Klein Family. To fit with this year's theme, the Ducks will join guests dressed in their best white (and if they have it, orange) outfits. (I'm still deciding if the very-tight white pants I have left over from the '70s-themed Casino Night of two years ago is going to be appropriate.) We'll have good coverage, including some player video, photos and more. Keep an eye on our Twitter page for updates tonight.

Ducks Need to Keep On Keepin' On

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:50:00 EST

The Ducks have been on a a torrid streak in which they won five out of six, outscored teams 25-11 and had the second-most goals in the month of January in the entire NHL. And yet their coach goes into a game tonight with Phoenix using the word "nervous." "I told them I'm nervous about this game," said a typically candid Bruce Boudreau, clad in a casual hoody and jeans following the morning skate."We have no right to ever be complacent in the position we're in, but it can always set in to a team that's had a two-week run that's been pretty good. They know they can bury us when they play us twice in the next five games. They can do some damage to our hopes." Ryan Getzlaf told reporters yesterday that the mood of the team is noticeably better, but they can't stop pushing. “It’s been a long road," he said. "It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to have a little fun. Losing is not fun. But we’re not taking anything for granted. We need to get back on the ice and get back to work.” Still, something all the Ducks will tell you they have going for them is confidence, something that has become a sports cliche, but a cliche for a reason: It's an invaluable asset to a winning team. “It’s amazing how easy it looks when you believe in what you’re doing," Teemu Selanne said. "Everyone is confident now; you can feel it inside the locker room.” "We go out there now and we know we can beat (anyone)," said Jonas Hiller. "You can feel it out there. Something has changed." Hiller has been one of the big reasons for that self-assuredness, having unquestionably his best run of the season with a 1.38 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage in his last four starts. He's been so good, in fact, his coach was claiming he got robbed of one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week that were announced Monday, despite a stretch in which he went 6 1/2 periods of regulation without giving up a goal. “When you're out West, you don't get the love you do when you're out East,” Boudreau said yesterday, despite the fact he's only been a West Coast coach for a couple months now. “There's no way that Hiller shouldn't have been one of the three stars of the week. It's amazing how the Ducks don't get the love from those guys." Hiller will be back in there tonight against a Coyotes team that is 11th in the West after a rough start to 2012. Their 6-1 win at home Monday night snapped a stretch in which they had dropped five of six to January. They are also 0-2-3 in their last five on the road. Goalie Mike Smith was the first off the ice at warmups this morning, and figures to get the start for Phoenix. Smith has been snakebit lately, giving up just six goals in his last five starts, but only having won two of those as Phoenix has struggled to fill the other net. That wasn't a problem Monday, however, as Smith had 38 saves in a 6-1 rout of Colorado at home. This isn't much, but it's something: If the Ducks can get two points tonight, they crawl out of the 14th spot in the West for the first time in a couple of months, and will be 12 short of that coveted eighth spot with 37 games to go.

Getting Your Ducks On a Roll

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST

So, how was your three-day weekend? Maybe you took a mini-vacation, maybe you got some rest and relaxation, maybe you finally threw that Christmas tree in the dumpster. The Anaheim Ducks, on the other hand, played some of their best hockey of the season, and pieced together the type of streak we have been awaiting for months. The Ducks pulled off a triumphant three-game voyage through Western Canada, winning their fifth game in the last six in the process, and coming within a whisker in Calgary of owning a six-game win streak. And they saved their best win for last, a convincing 4-2 victory Sunday night over the defending Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks (back near the top of the conference once again). That win -- in the Canucks' barn, no less -- came two nights after the Ducks routed Edmonton 5-0 in their building (notable for a team that had only three road wins in the season's first half.) In both wins, the Ducks did it with a stingy defense in front of Jonas Hiller making pretty much all the saves they needed him to make. Meanwhile, the Ducks are pouring in goals at the other end. "I looked up in the second period with five minutes to go and said, Holy crap, they only had five shots on goal." Boudreau said of the Vancouver game. "This is unheard of for the Canucks. So I was really proud of them. "It was the same thing in Calgary, when they had six shots at the end of two periods. If you keep it up, I'll start to think it's not luck anymore." For the Ducks, it's the kind of win streak (or points streak) we knew they had in them. We just expected it in November or December. As it is, they're still 14th in the West with a 15-22-7 record. But they're 5-1-1 since the return of Jason Blake (maybe a coincidence, maybe not). They're unbeaten in regulation since George Parros chopped off his hair at his Cut for the Kids event on January 5 (definitely a coincidence). The Blake stat seems less of a coincidence after the game the 38-year-old Blake turned in Sunday night, scoring two goals and adding an assist. He also had a goal among the five Friday night in Edmonton. "It was a great night for our hockey club," Blake said. "We know how important it is for us to move forward. We've got to take care of ourselves. I think right now we can't look at the standings. "The only way we can keep this going is it's up to us in this room." The Ducks, like a lot of us, got a well-deserved day off yesterday (well-deserved for them, not necessarily us.) Today they get after it again at Honda Center, preparing for a three-game home stretch that starts with Phoenix tomorrow and continues with a rare home back-to-back this weekend against Ottawa and Colorado. "We're jumping on it," Boudreau said. "We're hoping it's springing us. It's something where we think we've gotten better every game. To give up three goals on this trip and to start scoring four and five goals a game ... We're a long ways away. But we're making headway."

Getting the Point

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:28:00 EST

There was a lot to like for the Ducks last night in Calgary. The final result, unfortunately, not as likeable. Jonas Hiller, who came out of Sunday's win over Columbus and missed all of Tuesday's win over Dallas with an injury, wasn't supposed to start against the Flames last night. Bruce Boudreau had indicated after the morning skate that Hiller was healthy enough to return, but would back up Jeff Deslauriers. But there was Hiller in his net when the Ducks came out for the anthem, and it's a good thing too. He was spectacular in net all night, as the Ducks made things a little easier on him by giving up only 19 shots (just six in the first 40 minutes). But it was the 19th that would bite them, 1:51 into overtime, as Blair Jones' first shot was denied by Hiller, but Jones was able to scoop in the rebound for the game-winner. At the other end of the rink, longtime Ducks nemesis Miikka Kiprusoff was sharp yet again, shutting out a Ducks team that had scored 16 times in the previous three games. Kipper saved all 23 Anaheim bids, and two potential Ducks goals were cancelled by replay review. The first came late in the first period when it confirmed that Rod Pelley kicked the puck into the net. Then halfway through the third, Kiprusoff stuck out his leg pad to stop a Niklas Hagman try, and his momentum carried him into the net. Unfortunately for the Ducks, there was nothing on the replay that conclusively proved the disc went over the stripe. "It's a game of inches," Bruce Boudreau said. "It could have gone either way. We didn't win it. We got a point but at this stage of the game, I think we need two." It's true, but the Ducks (whose three-game win streak was snapped) can take some solace in the fact that came away with a point against a Flames team that is now 10-0-1 in their last 11 at home, and have now won eight straight there for the first time in five years. "I felt we played well enough to get two points," said Saku Koivu. "We got one, but when you look at our situation, and where we are, in games likes this we can't afford to lose that one point. We've got to get that extra one." The Ducks turn right around and will try to get those two points tonight in Edmonton, where the Oilers had a great start to the season but have dropped 22 of their last 30. They sit just above the Ducks in 13th place in the West, partly because of injury issues. Their top two scorers -- Jordan Eberle (knee) and super-rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) -- are both out tonight. They are also without defensemen Ryan Whitney, Cam Barker and Tom Gilbert, who are all out with ankle injuries, interestingly enough. (Well, interesting to everyone but the Oilers.) "The wins on the road have been really tough for us," Koivu said. "We were able to keep them under 15 shots throughout almost the whole game. We did a lot of good things out there. You're trying to build on things with things like this and games like this and grab all the positives for tomorrow's game and then hopefully get the win." Like with Calgary last night, it's the first time the Ducks and Oilers have faced off this season. The Ducks won three of the four matchups last season, and have taken seven straight at Rexall Place. Jeff Deslauriers could return to the net tonight, against and Oilers team he played with from 2008 through 2010.

Ducks Try to Do It In White

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:24:00 EST

A Ducks team that has gotten things going a little bit here in Anaheim, will now try to keep the good feelings going in their white uniforms, which haven't been friendly to them this season. "We've been successful a little bit the last three games, but I think we've got the worst road record in the league," Bruce Boudreau said. "It's about time we start getting at that a little better. I mean, it's embarrassing, only three wins at the halfway mark on the road." Anaheim begins a three-game Canadian jaunt in Calgary tonight, where they will have their work cut out for them to improve a 3-10-5 road record. (By the way, yes I'm aware that one of the road losses came while wearing the black third jerseys in Winnipeg.) The Flames are 20-19-5 this season, but an astounding 9-0-1 in their last 10 at Scotiabank Saddledome. That includes a 6-3 win over the Devils two nights ago, in a game where they were outshot 38-14. They're looking to win their eighth straight at home for the first time since 2007. "They're a completely different team on the road than they are at home," Boudreau said. "They come out hard. They hit. They're a meat-and-potatoes team. They've got a lot of hungry fans there every night, making a lot of noise." In 12 career home starts against the Ducks, Miikka Kiprusoff is 9-2-1 with a 1.91 goals-against average, even though he lost both home games to Anaheim last season. The Ducks actually took all four matchups last year, including two at Honda Center, where they haven't lost to Calgary in the regular season since January 19, 2004. Oddly enough, tonight is the first time this season they've faced Calgary. Boudreau indicated this morning that Jonas Hiller has recovered nicely from the lower body injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game and kept him out of the win over Dallas two nights ago. However, tonight he will backup Jeff Deslauriers, who gave up just two goals in winning that game against the Stars. Here is the rest of the expected lineup: Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry Hagman-Koivu-Selanne Blake-Bonino-Cogliano Beleskey-Pelley-Palmieri Beauchemin-Fowler Sbisa-Visnovsky Lydman-BroobankTonight is Game 42 of the season for the Ducks, who finished a mostly agonizing first half with a nice little win streak. "It's nice to go on the road with a different feeling," Bobby Ryan said. "Winning three in a row and finishing off the homestand in good fashion leads to a little bit of confidence, and you need confidence going into a building like that." It's no secret the Ducks need their recent winning ways to snowball into something much more to have any hope of getting into the postseason race. "If you know me, I'd certainly say it can," Boudreau said. "I'm going to preach it until it can't. You watch the news every day. Miracles happen. So why can't miracles happen in sport?" Said Teemu Selanne this morning, "We were struggling for a long time and really put ourselves behind the eight ball," said Teemu Selanne this morning. "That's the toughest part, especially when we feel we still have a good team here. If you had a bad team, you could live with that. That's why it's been so tough. We're just trying to stay hot right now and see how far we can go. You never know. It's a half-season. We've done it before. It's not easy, but it's possible."

Nice Finnish

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:52:00 EST

"I love winning, man...You hear what I'm saying? It's like better than losing?" - Ebby Calvin "Nuke" Laloosh (1988) It goes without saying, everything is better when you win. Food tastes better, the drinks go down more smoothly, sleep is sounder. And in the Ducks locker room last night, following a resounding third straight victory, the team's victory song was blasting and the mood was noticeably jovial. That was especially true for linemates, good friends and follow Finns Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu in talking about the Koivu hat trick that led the Ducks to an emphatic 5-2 victory over the visiting Stars." In my career, it hasn’t happened too often to get three in one game and get a hat trick," Koivu said. "So, I’ll take that. There's only two of those so you can't forget them." Indeed, Koivu's only other three-goal night came when he was with Montreal in a game against Pittsburgh on November 18, 2002. Last night the third one came on an empty-netter, after Selanne picked up the puck at center ice with only defenseman Alex Goligoski between him and the abandoned cage. Instead of trying to score it himself, Selanne unselfishly dropped it to Koivu, who poured it in from just behind the blue line. Selanne, by the way, was playing in his 1,300th game and assisted on two of Koivu's second goal as well. "There's no way I would take a shot myself," Selanne said with a smile. "I knew Saku was going to have a chance to score a hat trick. I'm so happy for him. You don’t see that very often. Usually, he’s the passer."And what did Koivu say to Selanne after that? "I said, 'Thank you. You have enough of those, so you've got to give me one." Indeed, Selanne still holds the lead in the career hat tricks race, 22-2. Noting the near decade between the 37-year-old Koivu's first and second, Selanne joked, "He's probably not going to get the third one." Koivu's hatty, which came two nights after Corey Perry had one against Columbus, marked the first time in Ducks history the team had hat tricks in consecutive games. (We need to come up with a term for three straight hat tricks. Maybe the Golden Fedora?) It also overshadowed a momentous night for one Jeff Deslauriers, who had 26 saves in his first appearance since April 11, 2010, when he was with the Oilers. How's this for ironic? That game was also at Honda Center, a 7-2 loss to the Ducks in which Deslauriers had 38 saves. It was also the last game ever for Scott Niedermayer. Deslauriers had a strong first period last night, but the Stars tied it on two quick goals by Steve Ott and Goligoski to start the second period. But that was all Deslauriers and the Ducks would allow, as Koivu gave Anaheim the lead back with a pretty move to the backhand on a nice drop pass by Selanne, after he flew so quickly down the left wing I think you can still see the burn marks on the ice. Five minutes later, Matt Beleskey gave the Ducks the all-important insurance goal, banging in a rebound out of the air for his long-awaited first goal of the year. And In a season in which very little has gone as planned for the Ducks, they've won three straight for the first time since October 8-17, the last two behind goalies who weren't even on the roster a week ago. Sunday evening it was 26-year-old rookie Iiro Tarkki coming in for the injured Jonas Hiller and earning the win against the Jackets. Last night it was Deslauriers doing it in his first NHL regular season game in 21 months. "Obviously it's been a year and a half since I've played an NHL game so it's been a long time," Deslauriers said. "So I was very happy to be back in. Everybody here makes me feel like part of the family. We won because the guys played hard in front." And they showed the heart to win the type of game they may have lost earlier this season, not folding after giving up their lead in such quick fashion, but instead fighting back. "It was a character win," Selanne said. "We were up 2-0 and they came back, but today we felt like we were a good team. Nothing really bothered us. We knew that we were going to bounce back and find a way to win the game. That is what we’ve been waiting a long time for." "That's where you can see the biggest difference at this moment," Koivu said of the Ducks' ability to regain the lead Tuesday after Dallas had pulled even, 2-2, on goals by Steve Ott and Alex Goligoski at 1:39 and 2:43 of the third period. "A month, six weeks ago, them scoring those two quick goals in the third period, I think we would have been done," Koivu said. "But now we were able to bounce back and got the third goal and then the fourth one, and those are huge goals and really brought the momentum back to our team." The Ducks have been able to do it at home, now we'll see if they can do it in Canada, where they face Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in the next four days. They practice today before heading out on that trip, when we'll have a better idea if Hiller is ready to return (Bruce Boudreau proclaimed both Hiller and Parros day-to-day this morning). For now though, the delight in creating a semblance of a winning atmoshphere still lingers. "I don't see any reason why we can't stay hot and make a run," Selanne said. "Anything is possible." Two straight wins behind goalies who were in Syracuse this time last week? Two straight hat tricks, including the first from Koivu in more than nine years? Anything is possible indeed.

Third Straight Win in the Stars?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:05:00 EST

The talk this morning was about goaltenders as the Ducks look for a third straight win in the conclusion to the six-game homestand vs. Dallas. Jonas Hiller, who was injured in the first period in Sunday night's emphatic victory over Columbus, will not be available, according to Bruce Boudreau. The good news, however, is that he may ready for Thursday at Calgary (a breath of fresh air for those worried he might be out for a significant amount of time, like backup Dan Ellis). Last night, the Ducks flew in Jeff Delauriers from Syracuse, who may get the nod tonight vs. the Stars, according to Boudreau. His call-up was announced this morning, along with the reassignment of JF Jacques, who received a three-game suspension for his elbow to the head of RJ Umberger on Sunday night. Iiro Tarkki, of course, was called up over the weekend and got his first NHL win when he made an unexpected appearance after Hiller went down. He was summoned over Deslauriers originally because his numbers at Syracuse were better -- 2.85 goals-against average and .916 save percentage vs. 3.86 and .877 for Deslauriers. However, Boudreau emphasized that he may go with Deslauriers because he has had past success against Dallas. Deslauriers has played 58 NHL games, all in two seasons with Edmonton, but none in the regular season since 2009-10. Two of those were starts against the Stars, in which he was 1-1-0 with a 2.89 GAA and .902 SV%. Pete Peeters, the likeable goaltending coach for the Ducks, was working extra with both netminders at this morning's skate. He said yesterday of Tarkki being thrust in there on Sunday, “He got thrown in the frying pan and he did admirable. My hats off to him. Time change, traveling all day. I don’t know what his body was going through. I know as an older guy flying with the team through time zones, it’s tough on your body.” Peeters also pointed out that Tarkki is not your everyday NHL rookie. "Iiro’s not like an 18-or 19-year-old,” he said. ”He’s played in the Finnish Elite League. He’s definitely made a name for himself in Europe. It’s just a matter of getting comfortable. Once you get comfortable and the confidence comes, you never know what can happen.” Back to tonight, the Stars (ninth in the Western Conference) are on a mini roll, having won three of their last four, including a New Year's Eve win over the nearly-unbeatable Bruins at home. Seven of their last eight goals have been scored by either leading point-scorer Jamie Benn or Mike Ribeiro, who will be out tonight with an MCL strain. Meanwhile, the Stars have scored exactly four goals in each of their last four games (their only loss in that stretch a 5-4 defeat at home to Detroit). Goalie Kari Lehtonen, who missed Dallas' last game with the flu (a win Saturday over Edmonton) is expected to go tonight. Dallas is also expected to get back big d-man Sheldon Souray, who has missed the last half dozen games with a sprained ankle. For the Ducks, George Parros will be out with a tweaked groin, but like Hiller, could be available Thursday at Calgary, the start of a three-game Canadian jaunt in which the Ducks also visit Edmonton on Friday and Vancouver on Sunday. And while the Ducks hope for a third straight win to end this homestand, the Stars are looking for a third straight over Anaheim this year. The Ducks fell 3-1 at home on October 21 and 5-3 in Dallas on December 19. Tonight is also the 1,300th NHL game for Teemu Selanne, as he will become the 52nd player all-time, ninth European-born player, second Finnish-born player (Teppo Numminen), 36th forward, and ninth right wing to reach the milestone. He will also be the fourth active player to reach 1,300 games, following Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit (1,535), Roman Hamrlik of Washington (1,346) and Jaromir Jagr of Philadelphia (1,307). Boudreau was asked about Selanne this morning, and said, "I told him today, 'Gordie Howe played until he was in his 50s, so I don't see what your problem is.'" He added something we've all know about the Flash for years: "He's a better person than he is a player. And he's a really good player."

Ducks Go Streaking

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:53:00 EST

It's hard to find the most compelling storyline from last night's 7-4 Ducks victory over the last-place Blue Jackets last night: - Ducks play a desperation game and win it for a second straight victory? - They lose Jonas Hiller to injury in the first period? - They score a season-high seven goals? - Perry notches his fourth career hat trick? - They have to kill a five-minute power play with a two-goal lead in the third and survive it without a shot on goal? - Iiro Tarkki makes his first NHL appearance and wins it? All of it and more happened last night at Honda Center, in a game the Ducks desperately needed to avoid a rather unappetizing fate. "We knew this morning when we came to the rink what their record was and what ours was," said Perry. "Where we are is unacceptable. We have to keep playing. We’ve had two great games, but we have to continue to keep pushing and doing the right things." Said Teemu Selanne, "We realized that if we were going to lose tonight, we were going to be rock bottom. We didn’t want to do that." (Columbus, by the way, fired coach Scott Arniel not long after the game.) Perry and Selanne had five of the Ducks' season-high seven goals, with Perry grabbing the hattie with 43 seconds left in the game, picking up the puck in the faceoff circle in his own end and sending it into the empty Blue Jackets net. That goal came not long after the Ducks escaped a five-minute Columbus power play set up by a JF Jacques elbow to the head of RJ Umberger, which drew a major penalty. With Anaheim holding a tenuous 6-4 lead at the time, Nikita Nikitin's shot off the crossbar turned out to be the only viable threat during what could have been a harrowing sequence. As it was, things were already tenuous after the Ducks lost Hiller with about a minute and a half left in the first period. After he made a sprawling save on Rick Nash, Hiller was slow to get back to his feet and appeared in obvious pain. After Saku Koivu scored at the other end of the rink to make it 4-1 Ducks, Hiller gingerly went to the bench and then to the locker room. And with backup Dan Ellis already out four weeks with a groin strain, the 26-year-old Tarkki (just called up from Syracuse that morning) was thrust into the first NHL action of his life. The first shot he faced? A slap shot goal on the power play from Derick Brassard. “That didn’t feel good,” Tarkki said. “But after that I still felt pretty good and confident.” He'd give up two more before the night was through, one a little bit fluky as the puck snuck under him during a scramble in the crease and the other a Nash rifle off the turnover that veteran NHL netminders would have trouble stopping. His Ducks teammates helped him out by only allowing 10 Columbus shots in the final two periods -- not to mention pouring in seven goals at the other end -- and Tarkki earned his first NHL win. That came just one day after he beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a Syracuse Crunch uniform. He flew to Orange County from the East Coast early Sunday morning. "I didn't expect this to happen so fast," Tarkki said. "Scary. Of course I was a little bit nervous (when) I heard that I'm going in. Actually I felt pretty good going in." We'll have more on Tarkki on the website later today, as he spoke to reporters at length after practice. The good news for the Ducks is that Hiller was proclaimed as "day to day" (aren't we all?) by Boudreau after the game. "He wasn't feeling right," Boudreau said. "When he made that save, he looked a little awkward there. With about a minute to go, he said he'd just wait until the end of the period and I wasn't going to take the chance. So we took him out." And in a season where so many things have not gone as planned for the Ducks, they won consecutive games for the first time since taking four straight October 8-17 -- on a night when they were wondering just who would be put in net if Tarkki got hurt. Even Selanne joked afterward that goaltending coach and frequent practice participant Pete Peeters, who spent a successful 14 years as an NHL netminder, would suit up. Thankfully, they weren't faced with that conundrum last night, but the Ducks will have to figure out what Hiller's status is starting tomorrow night against Dallas, as the Ducks finish their six-game homestand. That's when the Ducks will hope a modest and long overdue win streak begins to snowball into something much more. "We want to start climbing up and try to find a hot streak," Selanne said. "I still believe that we have all the pieces here. The last couple of games there have been a lot of bright things." If you haven't done so already, download the dramatically new and improved Ducks Mobile App for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry. There is no better way to follow the Ducks when you're away from home. Among the new and enhanced features: - Live game updates with box scores, stats and all-new ice tracker, plus out-of-town scores - Brand new Fantasy Five game, allowing you to select Ducks players for upcoming games and compete against other fans for prizes (available on iPhone and Android only) - Up-to-the-minute Ducks news - Photo galleries from Ducks games and events - Video from Ducks events and behind-the-scenes features, plus exclusive content like intermission interviews and pregame and postgame shows - Pregame analysis of every Ducks game, including key matchups and What to Watch - Interactive game schedule, allowing you to buy Ducks tickets right from your smartphone - Ducks promotions, including tickets, merchandise, concessions and more - Ducks player bios with personal info, action photos and updated stats Meanwhile, we're always making improvements and adding new features (the latest of which are brand new Power Players bios and photo galleries). So, make sure you have it on your phone.

Sweet Sound of Victory

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:34:00 EST

The song The Show Goes On by Lupe Fiasco could be heard bouncing off the walls of the Ducks locker room in the wake of Anaheim's gratifying 4-2 victory over the Islanders last night. It's the team's choice of post-victory song this season, and it's one the Ducks have played far too infrequently. "We haven’t heard our win song in awhile," Bobby Ryan said. "It’s a nice feeling." And Ryan himself was a big reason for it, scoring two goals, including an absolutely sick one in the third period that tied the score at 2-2. With the Ducks fighting off an Isles power play, Corey Perry did Perry-like work in taking the puck the other way, dropping it to Ryan at the New York blue line. That's when Ryan did his thing, losing Andrew MacDonald with a deke to the backhand then cutting sharply in front of goalie Evgeni Nabokov before dropping it into the open net. It was a move words can't do justice to, so here's a better description of it: Honda Center erupted as Ryan jumped into Perry's arms, who he was quick to give credit to afterwards. "Pears did most of the work on it," Ryan said. "He held on to that puck through two guys up the wall. He displayed some great patience with it all the way up the ice. For me, I just tried a one-on-one move and tried to get back to my forehand. Generally, I miss those. It’s nice for me to pull one back to my forehand and get one to go. It was huge. You could see the emotion on the ice between us." That emotion had to play a part in Ryan Getzlaf's go-ahead goal a few minutes later, as no one came to the Ducks captain on the right wing, so he made his way to the net, cutting to the backhand before beautifully roofing it in the top corner. Getzlaf's reaction to that goal was not just a man thrilled to put his team ahead in the third, but one relieved to get his first point in the last seven games. "It was a good feeling," Getzlaf said. "We’ve been working really hard the last little bit here and trying to get results. Tonight was one of those nights where we were able to." There was also something to like about Teemu Selanne's celebration following his crucial insurance goal, a rebound he punched in from the slot, that made it a comfortable 4-2 with under four minutes left. The 41-year-old Selanne, in the spirit of guys like Ryan and Washington's Alex Ovechkin, did a little jump into the glass, something we may not have seen before. Sure he's been known to fire his stick like a rifle at a thrown glove, but a jump into the glass is a new one. (And the fact you could hardly fit a nickel between Teemu's skate blades and the ice on that "leap" doesn't matter.) That goal all but sealed the deal on a well-earned win, one the Ducks hope is the start of something good. "At the end of the day, it’s two points and a starting point," Ryan said. "Hopefully, we can string some things together here and move forward. It was definitely refreshing and like a monkey off our back." As has been the case the last few seasons, the performance of the Ducks' big line dictated the play of the entire team. Ryan had two goals, Getzlaf had his first in 12 games, Perry had two assists and was +2. "There were a lot of good things about that game that we were looking for," said Bruce Boudreau. "We got mad instead of hanging our heads when we got behind. The big guys got mad and it showed. When they are playing well, everybody else just rides along." The Ducks can only hope that ride carries on, as they look for a second straight win for the first time since October, against the Blue Jackets tomorrow night. In other words, it sure would be nice if The Show Goes On.

Islanders in the Stream

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:23:00 EST

You might think a Ducks team desperate for a win would be granted an ample opportunity with the Eastern Conference's 14-place team in town. The only problem is, these New York Islanders are playing pretty good hockey right now. The Islanders have just 14 wins this season, but three of them have come in a row (granted, against three teams not currently in the playoff race). Since a 3-0 loss to the Rangers on the day after Christmas (which was covered on the HBO 24/7 show), the Isles knocked off Calgary, Edmonton and, last Tuesday night, Carolina. In the net for all three of those games (and likely in there tonight) was a goalie the Ducks may have seen a time or two -- former Shark Evgeni Nabokov. The veteran was let go by San Jose following the 2009-10 season and as NHL teams went for less expensive options in net, he ultimately signed with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL in Russia. His contract was ultimately terminated by mutual consent and he signed with the Red Wings in January of last year. He never played a game for Detroit and was claimed off waivers by the Islanders. He refused to report to Long Island and was suspended by the team for the remainder of last season. He ultimately reported to training camp last fall and has posted a 5-8-0 record and a 2.49 goals-against average for an Isles team that has played four different goalies this year. That includes oft-injured franchise mainstay Rick DiPietro, who has been out more than a month with a groin injury. Bruce Boudreau was asked about the Islanders yesterday and said, “Don’t underestimate them. They’ve got a lot of good young players." The most famous of those is John Tavares, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 draft who leads NYI with 34 points. "The one thing about them is they go in streaks," Boudreau said. "They either get really hot and beat everybody, a little bit of what they’re going through now, or they had those situations where they’ve had these long periods of not winning which has put them out of the race basically early on the last couple of years. But then they play everybody hard and even.” The Ducks can hopefully get something going this weekend with NYI here tonight (for the first time since November 2010) and Columbus in the building Sunday. "The hardest thing is to keep pushing through when things seem to be going against you," Boudreau said this morning. "I keep telling tellig them it can change in a hurry. Losing streaks follow winning streaks, and winning streaks follow losing streaks. It doesn't take much. You win a game and then you play another game soon after and you win that game. All of a sudden, you forget how you felt five days ago. "Confidence is so much a part of that. It's whether you believe you're gonna win or, What's gonna happen for us to lose? We have to change that mindset, and the best way to change that is to go out and win." The Ducks, by the way, placed both winger Andrew Gordon and defenseman Matt Smaby (out all year with a thumb injury) on waivers yesterday. Both cleared, and Smaby was sent to Syracuse, while Gordon remains on the Anaheim roster and skated this morning. George Parros took part in his fifth annual Cut for the Kids yesterday at The Rinks - Huntington Beach Inline, in which he and other participants got their hair sheared for donation to the Childhood Leukemia Foundation. Here's a photo of Georgie before... and after. You may have heard about high school hockey player Jack Jablonski of Minneapolis, who suffered a severe spinal injury after taking a hit into the boards during a game just before the new year. It was just confirmed Wednesday that Jablonski is paralyzed and has been told by doctors he will never walk again. An outpouring of support for Jablonski has grown through social media and is now hitting close to home. Vincent D'Angelo, who plays for Damien High School in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League, took the sobering story to heart, and is was compelled to do something about it. D'Angelo created stickers honoring Jablonski, and the entire Damien team will be wearing them on the backs of their helmets starting Saturday when they play at Orange Lutheran. With the help of Anaheim ICE General Manager Art Trottier, D'Angelo was successful in encouraging players from the other teams in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League to wear them as well. D'Angelo's hope is for players to make a fitting tribute to Jablonski, while also being reminded to think before making a check from behind. If you would like to lend your own support, the Jack Jablonski Fund has been established at Wells Fargo Bank. Donations can be sent to: Jack Jablonski Fund P.O. Box 16387 St. Louis Park, MN 55416-2618 You may also make your donations at any Wells Fargo Bank by mentioning the Jack Jablonski Fund.

Murray: 'It's Unacceptable'

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:50:00 EST

The potential silver lining of a fourth straight win over the rival Sharks was pretty much dashed in 27 seconds last night. That was the time (in hockey seconds, that is) it took the Sharks to turn a 1-0 Ducks lead into a 2-1 deficit, and the Ducks never recovered. In a microcosm of how the 2011-12 season has gone for Anaheim, twice they had just-missed goals quickly countered by San Jose scores. There was Bobby Ryan's pretty spin move and cut to the net that was denied at the last instant by Antti Niemi, then compounded 30 seconds later by Brad Winchester's goal at the other end. There was Nick Bonino's clean shot in the third that loudly rang the very inside of the post, which was followed about 40 seconds later by Joe Pavelski's rebound goal that all but put the game away. It was the seventh loss in the last eight for Anaheim, the only blip in that run coming in that day-after-Christmas win in San Jose. And it was before last night's game that Ducks boss Bob Murray spoke to the OC Register and L.A. Times about the state of the Ducks. He made no bones about the fact he is incensed at the team's performance and is considering any and all options to make it right for the future. Murray said Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu -- both of whom have no-trade clauses -- are the only Ducks not available for trades. "And the rest of the players in the locker room," he said. "I thought they'd figure it out when we changed coaches. They (thought) that time was running, well the clock is running quickly here." "I still believe we have some core players. Now whether we have to change a few core players, so be it. They're deciding who's staying and who's not staying at this point. They're the ones deciding." Bottom line, the Ducks are not rebuilding. They will not trade core players for draft picks, but rather other team's core players. ("We will not go to draft picks. It's not my intention," he said.) And while Murray was hesitant to concede this season, he did indicate that they are looking at what moves they can make to ensure a return to playoff form in 2012-13. "I think this team can be turned around to make the playoffs next year," he said. "I think it's going to be hard to do it this year but I do want them to make a run. But it's got to happen quick. Everybody knows that. … Let's start playing better hockey." Through last night, the Ducks are 10-22-6 and 14th in the Western Conference, which remains a confounding position considering it's much the same group that surged to fourth in the ultra-competitive conference last year. "Everybody in pro hockey knows we have good core players and explaining why they're playing the way they are and why we've had the year we've had so far it's just frustrating and unexplainable and it's not good enough," Murray said. "It's unacceptable."

Jumping the Sharks

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:14:00 EST

Jason Blake will indeed be in the lineup tonight as the Ducks try to continue a somewhat surprising streak of dominance over their rivals from NoCal. Anaheim has only 10 wins this season, but three of them have come against the San Jose Sharks, including a 3-2 win in San Jose on the day after Christmas. For whatever reason, those Sharks have brought out the best in Anaheim this season. "It's a team like LA that we don't like to lose to," said Nick Bonino, who was drafted by the Sharks, but came to Anaheim in a trade deadline deal in 2009. "So far we've won every one and tonight is going to be just as hard, if not harder, than the last. You kind of know their tendencies and they know ours. They don't want to lose to the Ducks four in a row. They're definitely going to come out wanting to beat us." Anaheim has for the most part pulled off those previous three wins without second-line winger Blake, who was knocked out of the 1-0 win on October 14 when defenseman Brent Burns stepped on his arm, causing ligament damage above the left wrist. After missing 35 games, Blake confirmed this morning what was already assumed -- he'll be back in there tonight. "It feels good, it feels strong," he said following the morning skate. "I guess you'll never know until you get into a game. You look back three months ago, this is the team is happened against, so it's kind of ironic. "It's nice to get back and play hockey and obviously being around the guys. That's what you miss most. We have such a good group of guys here, you just want to get int there and contribute and play well." Bruce Boudreau was asked if Blake's presence will add a much-needed "boost" to the Ducks tonight and he laughed when he replied, "That's the oldest line in pro sports, I know that." But, he continued, "he'll give us a boost. You know Jason, he's full of energy. He'll play hard. He always does." Blake will presumably return to his second line spot with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, with whom he's skated the last couple of days. Boudreau said he'll try to limit his minutes, but will let the flow of the game dictate just how much. "We'd like to not have to play him more than 14 or 15 minutes, but we'll see how the game goes," he said. "The one things about Jason is he's always in tremendous shape. If he's feeling great and playing great, I'm not going to hold to that. I'll let him go as long as he can." Blake has had to watch the Ducks' struggles mostly from afar, but seems so happy just to get back on the ice, he's keeping a good perspective. "We've got a lot of hockey left and strange things can happen," he said. "The biggest thing for the Ducks is to worry about the Ducks and not anything else. Don't look at the standings and just play. You've got to win hockey games. The onus is on the players. We have to make sure we're ready to play. You can draw the Xs and Os all you want, but you've got to go out there and perform. It's a new year, and it starts tonight." The Sharks, by the way, were still in third in the Western Conference after that defeat to Anaheim on December 26. They go into tonight's game ninth in the West, despite an overtime loss and a shootout win (both to Vancouver) since then. Of course, they're only one point short of LA in the Pacific Division race and third in the conference. (Only in the Western Conference could a team have points in eight of its last nine games and still be in ninth.) Jonas Hiller will be in net tonight for the Sharks, a team he has played well against lately with a 5-0-0 record, a 1.71 goals-against average and two shutouts in his last six appearances against them. The Sharks will be with Antti Niemi. The rest of the line combos appear to look this way: Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry Blake-Koivu-Selanne Beleskey-Cogliano-Hagman Bonino-Pelley-Parros Beauchemin-Fowler Sbisa-Visnovsky Lydman-Brookbank Congrats to Ducks prospect Kyle Palmieri, who has been named to the AHL All-Star Game for the second straight season. The 21-year-old Palmieri remains tied for the AHL lead in goals with 19, despite playing seven games with the Ducks this year (1 goal, 1 assist). He was reassigned to Syracuse last week. The AHL All-Star game is Jan. 30 at Atlantic City, N.J., and you can vote Palmieri into the Eastern Conference starting lineup by visiting theahl.com or facebook.com/theahl and completing the official Reebok AHL All-Star Fan Ballot. You'll be entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed authentic 2012 AHL All-Star jersey. Five more winners will each receive a pair of tickets to the 2012 AHL All-Star Skills Competition and All-Star Game. And finally, who doesn't like a little slice of Selanne?

Blake is Back

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:53:00 EST

For a Ducks team looking for good news anywhere it can find it, the impending and long-awaited return of one of its veteran forwards would certainly qualify. Jason Blake, who has missed 34 games with tendon damage above his left wrist, has deemed himself "ready to go" as soon as tomorrow night's game with the San Jose Sharks. "It’s the coach’s decision. I think I’m ready to go," said Blake, who has been back practicing with the Ducks for the last week and a half, including full contact. "It feels pretty good. You’re not going to know how you feel until you get into a game. I hopefully will play tomorrow night. I’m definitely looking forward to it. "It’s been a tough, long road that I had to go down. It’s been an uphill climb. I feel like I finally got to the top of the hill and I’m hopefully back and will be able to play." Bruce Boudreau didn't indicate yet whether Blake would be in there tomorrow night, but did say, "We don't really know what we're gonna see tomorrow. I know he'll have a lot of energy and we'll see how long that lasts. It's tough to come back. It's almost like training camp revisited for him. It will be interesting to see." Teemu Selanne was a linemate of Blake's with Saku Koivu before the injury, but won't necessarily be with him when Blake returns. "I'm so happy for Blake. It's a tough injury, and he's worked extremely hard to come back. It's nice to see the 'bunny' out there. He brings a lot of energy and spark and speed. I'm very happy." If Blake is cleared to play tomorrow, it will be against the same Sharks team in the same arena as when the horrific injury occurred. That came last October 14, when Blake went down to the ice in a fight for the puck, and San Jose defenseman Brent Burns inadvertantly stepped on his arm, causing a deep gash just above the wrist. So much has changed with the Ducks since the time of the injury. The Ducks ultimately won that game and the next two (including a rematch with the Sharks in San Jose) to start the season a promising 4-1-0. It's a little more of a coincidence that they've struggled without Blake, as he brings constant energy and a veteran presence to an all-important second scoring line. Without him, the Ducks have had to do some shuffling to find the right fit for their forward combinations. "I look back at the last three months of watching a lot of hockey, not only our team, but every team. I look at our team and the talent we have, it is tough," Blake said. "You’re not in the position you want to be in. It’s a new year. We haven’t lost in this year yet. We want to keep moving forward and try to put some wins together. Like the rest of the Ducks, Blake is trying to find optimism in this new year. "There are a lot of games left. I think right now it’s just about us and what we need to do, what we have to do. We can’t afford to be losing in bunches. We have to start winning some hockey games. It’s a big game tomorrow night. San Jose is a great hockey club. We have to be ready." Without a doubt, Blake will be ready after an agonizing last three months. His return, if it does come tomorrow night, is actually a little ahead of the three full months he was supposed to miss. "I have been skating for five or six weeks now. Basically, conditioning every day," he said. "That’s about all I could do. It wasn’t fun. At the end of the day, you just hope it paid off. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. I’m just going to go out and try to do my best, work hard and take short shifts. It’s not going to be like you feel like you’re in midseason form by any means. I’m just going to take it shift by shift. That is all I can do. We’ll see how it goes. I'm ready to play." Here's Boudreau from today and keeping things positive for his Ducks: "You have to make short-term goals. I know the cliché is one game at a time. I like to look at it one week at a time. You try to win the week. If you win the week, after a couple of weeks then you look start looking at the standings. "Right now, we’re about it’s a new year. Let’s start everybody at zero and let’s see how we do in the new year. Let’s look up at the end of January where we are. If we are closer, then let’s look up at the end of February. Then, all the sudden if things go our way, everything gets shorter and it’s less time to sit there. It’s not as daunting, is what I guess I’m getting at. "If you look down and go ‘Geez, you have to win 36 out of 44 games. That is a pretty daunting task.’ But if you just sit there and say ‘Let’s let one and then win two.’ Then, all the sudden you don’t have to win as many. I can only go by experience and that is the way we’ve done it in the past and it’s been successful. It has to start with one, then you have to win two in a row and go from there. And on whether he even looks at the standings these days: "I definitely try not to right now. I know where we are. I don’t have to look at where other teams are. If we win three or four in a row, then I’ll start looking. That’s just me. I’m ridiculous that way."

Welcome Back, Jiggy

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:48:00 EST

The indelible images are burned in the memories of most Ducks fans, the unforgettable moments given to us by one of the franchise’s most iconic figures: Jean-Sebastien Giguere carrying an upstart Mighty Ducks team all the way to Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup championship before that improbable run came to a heartbreaking end in New Jersey. A heavily bearded and downtrodden Giguere accepting the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP, just the fifth player from a losing team to win it. Giguere backstopping the Ducks through a magical 2007 Stanley Cup run, despite missing the start of that postseason when his first son Maxime was born with an eye condition. That Stanley Cup Final Game 5 in Anaheim, the seconds winding down to zero as a young Ryan Getzlaf and then Corey Perry leap into Giguere’s arms, soon joined by Scott Niedermayer and the rest of that Ducks team to celebrate a glorious Cup championship. And there's the majestic photo to the right, Giguere skating with Maxime in his arms on ice sprinkled with black, gold and orange confetti -- a man and his son seemingly alone, basking in the glory of reaching the ultimate goal in team sports. More Giguere photos But the last couple of years, the images we’ve seen of the man we call “Jiggy” have been in something that was once unthinkable: a different uniform. Two seasons ago, with Jonas Hiller’s emergence relegating Giguere to mostly a backup role in Anaheim, he was traded to Toronto on January 31, 2010 for Jason Blake and goalie Vesa Toskala. Giguere spent the rest of that season and another in Toronto, battling through injuries for much of that time. Over the summer, he had surgery on a sports hernia and was signed by the Colorado Avalanche. Tomorrow night, when the Avs come to Honda Center to face the Ducks, it will be Giguere’s first time back in Anaheim since the trade. “I’m very excited to go back,” Giguere said during a cheerful conference call with media this morning. “It’s been almost two years since I played a game there in Anaheim, and I never really got a chance to say thank you to people who meant a lot to me there. I got traded when I was on the road, and it was a quick exit. "It’s nice to be able to go where I feel is my second home and where my kids were born. It’s a special place for me and a place where I’ve had the most success in my career. I’m just real thrilled to go back. This game has been on my mind all year.” Giguere will be honored during the first TV timeout tomorrow night, a game with a special New Year's Eve start time of 5:05 p.m. (tickets are still available.). The video board will show a montage of his greatest moments as a Duck, and the home crowd will no doubt stand and cheer the man who holds all of the major goaltending records in franchise history and made 13,820 saves in a Ducks uniform. Most of all, they’ll be cheering for the memories he gave us. “I’m hoping the reaction is going to be good,” said Giguere modestly. “I think people have always respected me there and I’ve always tried to present myself professionally, so I’m hoping for a good reaction. Hopefully it’s going to be a good night.” Teemu Selanne was asked about Giguere yesterday and could only smile (check out the video). “He was a huge part of our team on and off the ice,” he said. “What he did for this organization was remarkable, unbelievable. He was rock solid every year. He’s going to get a big [ovation] for sure.” Giguere was brought to Colorado as a backup to young Semyon Varlamov, but he has logged significant time in net this season – 15 games to Varlamov’s 26 -- while posting strong numbers in net. “I think the situation has been perfect for me here,” said the 34-year-old Giguere. “I knew at this point I wasn’t going to get a No. 1 job somewhere, so the next best case scenario was to go somewhere with a young guy that I can help out and push him. It becomes a competition for ice time, but at the same time that’s how you make yourself better. I can show him some tricks of the trade, be a good teammate to him. “Obviously Denver is a great city to live in and raise kids, and that was part of the decision too. I was excited when they called and I haven’t regretted it, that’s for sure.” Having been traded three times in his NHL lifetime, Giguere knows full well the harsh realities of the business of pro sports, something he acknowledged today. “I always tried to be a good teammate, a guy that’s positive around the room,” he said. “I just wanted to be remembered as a good guy, a nice person. You know these guys a long time and they become your friends, and then from one minute to the next, you’re saying goodbye. But trades are part of the business. You say your goodbyes and go to work again.” “It’s something you have to face sometimes as a professional athlete that’s not always fun. You’d like to stay in one place your whole career, but there are only a handful of players who get to do that for their career. As much as I loved my time in Anaheim, I feel like it was a good trade for me at the time.” So, there are certainly no hard feelings from either side when Giguere makes his return tonight. He says he’ll have a pregame meal with Francois Beauchemin (a former teammate in both Anaheim and Toronto) at the team's old favorite spot in Tustin. “And I’ll obviously get to see the guys before the game, so I’m looking forward to that.” Before Giguere got off the phone this afternoon, he was asked what he thought his legacy was in Anaheim. He had difficulty answering, and paused before finally saying, “Winning the Cup and going to the Finals in 2003, those were things that don’t happen all the time, and I obviously didn’t do that on my own. A bunch of guys contribute to that. Those are the things I’m most proud of, what we did as a team, as a group. No one can take that away from us.” They can’t take away the memories either, and we’ll all be pleasantly reminded of them when we see Jiggy one more time tomorrow night.

Back to Back?

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:29:00 EST

Having just won their first road game in two months, the Ducks will tonight look to pull off another feat they haven't accomplished since October -- winning back-to-back games. Three days hence that gratifying win over the Sharks in San Jose, the Ducks will look to experience a similar feeling against another perennial West power tonight at Honda Center. The Vancouver Canucks have taken residence in their traditional spot near the top of the Western Conference standings, having won five of their last six to secure a stronghold on the 2 slot. "We're going to try our butts off from now till the end of the year, but we've got to put a run together pretty soon," said Bruce Boudreau this morning. "You have to put a streak together. Quite frankly, there's no better way to start than playing the best teams in the league." Coincidentally, the Canucks -- like Anaheim -- are coming off a 3-2 win in San Jose, although their win came last night on an overtime winner by former Duck Andrew Ebbett. Roberto Luongo had 33 saves in that game, but he'll get the night off tonight as the Canucks are reportedly going with super-backup Cory Schneider (whose save percentage and goals-against average are actually better than Bobby Lu's). The Ducks took their previous matchup with the Ducks, a 4-3 game at Honda Center in which the score didn't come close to telling the story. If you'll recall, Anaheim went into the third period that night leading 4-0 and gave up three unanswered to the Canucks before hanging on. Jonas Hiller, who figures to get the start tonight, had 38 saves in that game. As in that game, the key for the Ducks tonight is the same thing parents tell their children in the days leading up to Christmas: Stay out of the box. Vancouver boasts the NHL's top-ranked power play at a gaudy 25.0 percent. "When they get out there, they feel they can score every time," Boudreau said. "When you have that combination and that kind of confidence, you can come into buildings and dictate the way you want to play. They've got that confidence right now. "They're so hard to defend because they're so 'non-readable. I don't know if that's even proper English,but they've got so much movement and skill, when you try and cover one thing, something else opens. Being disciplined and being smart is something we'll definitely have to be." With tonight being the first of six straight at home, the Ducks know this is a crucial time to try and get a streak going. "They're obviously a good team and they play very structured," Andrew Cogliano said. "I think it's going to bring the best out of ius. Last time we played them, we had a good game against them. You have no choice but to play hard and be ready. Our goal is to match their intensity and match their skill, and I think we'll do that." Saku Koivu will likely not return tonight, as he's still batting a strained groin and Boudreau declared him "doubtful."

Ducks Feeling Optimistic After San Jose

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:24:00 EST

After a second straight day of work in preparation for tomorrow night's home match with Vancouver, the Ducks were still in the mood to talk about their last win in San Jose. Any why not? Monday night's 3-2 victory, in one of the tougher buildings to pull a win from, was among the finest performances of this frustrating Ducks season. And it has a lot of Ducks talking about rolling it into a good "second half" (even though at 35 games played, we're still not to the halfway point of the campaign yet). "It was a big game for us," Andrew Cogliano, who had a big goal in that game, said today. "It’s a tough building to play in and San Jose is a tough team. It just gets the ball rolling for the second half of the year. We’re looking to win games and put a bunch together hopefully. That was a good way to start and now play another good team in Vancouver." Indeed, if the Ducks want to make a habit of winning games -- and doing it against the class of the Western Conference -- they'll have to keep it going tomorrow night against the Canucks. It's the start of a six-game homestand for Anaheim, but they're only thinking about the first one. "The goal is to take one game at a time," said Cogliano, whose play on the third line was praised by Bruce Boudreau today. "Hopefully, we can get a win and build on it from there. You feel good about yourself and playing. I think that started in the last game playing against San Jose, which was good for us. Hopefully, you can go on a little run. There is no better place to have six games at home to start. Boudreau, too, was all for discussing that encouraging win in SJ this afternoon. "I was really excited about it the last few days because I thought we played really well," he said. "I came away from that thinking we played hard and as well as them. They had a flurry of shots in the last six minutes because they had two power plays and they were desperate. They routinely outshoot every team. "I was impressed with the way we hung in. We played the way we wanted to play and didn’t give up a lot of Grade ‘A’ scoring chances the first two periods ... We bent a little bit, but we never broke. We got that third goal and hung tough in the third period. That was a good sign. That is probably the reason I am so excited about tomorrow’s game because it’s another great test for us." Boudreau was also intent to compliment the play of Matt Beleskey, a guy who survived being put on waivers by the Ducks just before Boudreau took over, but has come back to make a huge contribution lately. He's been playing much of the time on the third unit with Cogliano and Andrew Gordon/Kyle Palmieri. "The last few games from the first few games that I was here, he’s playing hard and competing harder," Boudreau said of Beleskey. "When you compete harder, you get opportunities. He’s getting opportunities to score, creating chances, he’s doing a good job of checking and he’s getting involved. He’s gotten in two fights I think in the last five or six games. When you get involved and engaged in the game, then opportunities come. "He’s gotten points, been on the ice for goals for and not too many against. The biggest difference is Matt. When Matt is not sitting around watching the play, he’s being proactive on it." The Ducks practiced for the second straight day former second-line mainstays Saku Koivu and Jason Blake on the ice. Koivu (groin), of course, is much closer to returning than Blake (lacerated arm), but Bourdreau was uncertain on whether that return would come tomorrow night. "It’s up to him. I don’t want to be coy, but it’s day-to-day," he said. "I certainly like him to be able to play. We’ll see how he feels. Probably a better indication will be to see how he feels tomorrow after today." Blake talked to reporters yesterday after skating with the team for the first time since getting cut just above the left wrist in the third game of the season (a win over SJ at Honda Center). He has been skating on his own for the last several weeks, but only started handling and shooting the puck in the past few days. “Overall, it felt good,” Blake said. “It’s just nice to be out there and be a part of the team again. It was good." Blake was originally supposed to be out three months, which would have his return scheduled for the middle of next month. “Right now it’s about getting in game shape," he said. "I have to practice with the guys here for a few days and re-evaluate it, see where I’m at. I’ve got to start strengthening my arm. I’ve been doing a lot with the wrist, but I have to strengthen my triceps and biceps.”

Ducks Find Their Way in San Jose

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:31:00 EST

Like the small, wrapped box you find behind the tree long after everything else has been opened, the Ducks gave us all a late Christmas gift last night. For the first time in nearly two months the Ducks won a game on the road, an encouraging 3-2 triumph over the Sharks. And it came in the unlikeliest of buildings, the loud and unfriendly HP Pavilion, where the Sharks are again strong this year with a 12-6-1 mark that is among the best home records in the Western Conference. "To win in this building is quite a feat," said Bobby Ryan, whose breakaway goal in the second was huge for Anaheim (more on that later). "It was nice to get one on the road. It's long overdue." Indeed it was. The Ducks had gone 0-9-4 away from Anaheim since an October 27 win at Minnesota. At the time, few of us could have had any idea they would go on to have the struggles they've endured over the past two months. "To only have two road wins and the last one coming on Oct. 27 was a little embarrassing," Cogliano said. "That's not the ideal situation." The Ducks have only 10 wins overall, but remarkably three of them have come against the rival Sharks, who have taken their usual spot near the top of the West, third as of this morning. Two of those wins came during a four-day span -- first in Anaheim and then in SJ -- part of that four-game winning streak the Ducks enjoyed at the beginning of the campaign. Last night the Ducks did it with timely scoring and a nice 36-save performance by Jonas Hiller. Luca Sbisa gave the Ducks their first lead with a rocketed slap shot (off a nice assist from George Parros) just 2 1/2 minutes into the game. After the Sharks tied it later in the period, Ryan gave the Ducks the lead back with a beautiful steal of a Joe Thornton pass that led to this breakaway snipe that beat Antti Niemi. And after the Sharks tied it again, Cogliano came through with the eventual game-winner later in the second, wristing a shot inside the far post that Niemi probably would like to have back. That was enough for Hiller, who stopped all 18 San Jose shots in the third period. Also in that third period, a fan threw a dead duck on the HP Pavilion ice, a contrast to a Ducks team that was very much alive at the time. When asked about it after practice today, Bruce Boudreau said, "I'm gonna be honest, I just now got that....A dead duck, we're the Ducks." And those Ducks, for the first time in ages, were get back on a plane to Orange County feeling pretty good about themselves. “It’s been a long time," Ryan said. "Obviously it’s frustrating. We had some road trips that we just fell apart on. Had leads and blew. It’s tough when you don’t feel good about yourself going into every building. Hopefully this is a jump start and something moving forward.” It's going to have to be, as the Ducks need to roll this win into a lot more. They still sit in 14th in the West with a 10-19-6 record through 35 games. “We all have dreams, right?” said Boudreau before the game yesterday. “You go out every game and you hope that you can win every game. That’s it. I go through the schedule and say, ‘OK, we need a good 10-game win streak or a 13-game winning streak. It’s easier said than done. “Everything is possible.” Boudreau, who has shown in his relatively short time here a propensity for other-sport references, did it again when he talked about what he's told his team. “I said, ‘Listen, if this was golf, we shot a 62 on the front nine. But who says we can’t shoot a 36 on the back,’” he said. ”That’s the way you have to look at it and if you look at it any other way, then all of a sudden you’re beaten before you start. “So that’s the way I’m hoping that they look at it. It’s the way I’m looking at it anyway. Let’s hope the best happens.”

Bruce-Sutter

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:55:00 EST

The Ducks and Kings lately have more in common than just a shared geographic region, a familiarity with freeway traffic and an appreciation for Wayne Gretzky. Both have endured a season that hasn't exactly gone as planned, and both have made coaching changes to try and provide a much-needed spark. Anaheim's struggles in 2011-12 are well-documented in this space, while the Kings are 11th in the Western Conference, having dropped six of their last eight (including an 8-2 loss in Detroit last Saturday night) and are last in the league in goal-scoring. Two days ago they hired former Flames, Sharks and Blackhawks coach Darryl Sutter to replace Terry Murray (fired last Saturday). Sutter had his first practice with LA yesterday and makes his debut against the Ducks tonight at Staples Center. “I gotta believe they’ll play their best game of the year,” said Bruce Boudreau yesterday, as he goes into his 10th game as Ducks head man. (Sutter and Boudreau, by the way, are among six new coaches hired in the league already this season.) “When they get a new coach, especially one with the reputation of being a tough taskmaster and an intimidator like Darryl is, they’ll put their best foot forward.” Of course, the Ducks couldn't care less who is wearing the suit on the opponent's bench -- they're desperately looking for a road win. Anaheim hasn't won on the road since October 27 at Minnesota, and although this "road game" is only an hour up the road, it's one the Ducks desperately need. “The one thing any athlete doesn’t want to be known as is a homer," Boudreau said. "They want to be known as guys who can play on the road. That’s something we have to change. We’re trying to find ways.” The Ducks had one of their bigger wins of the year the last time they played the Kings, a 3-2 victory at Honda Center on December 6 (Boudreau's first win as coach here). Bobby Ryan, if you'll recall, had two goals in that game, including the eventual winner with just 48.8 seconds left. The game at Honda Center, and another win there December 14 vs. Phoenix, have been two of the better games Anaheim has played all season. But that recent 0-for-3 trip through Chicago, Winnipeg and Dallas looked like a different team. “It seems like we’re waiting for something bad to happen,” Boudreau said. “You know, you get into a 3-3 tie in your last time on the trip (in Dallas), you think you’d come out and just go all out. It looked like we were so tentative that we were either afraid to make a mistake or we were waiting for Dallas to score before we started to play.” “You can’t play tentative,” Boudreau said. “You can’t play…it’s like prevent defense. You’ve gotta play to win. We have to find something to turn it around. There’s an awful lot of road games left in this season." As has been the case the last five games, Saku Koivu will again be out with a groin strain, and Boudreau said he hopes to have him back before the New Year. Meanwhile, the Kings get a boost with the return of Mike Richards, who has missed the last eight games with a head injury. Richards, the big pickup from Philadelphia (how fun are they to watch on the 24/7 show?) over the summer, has 20 points in 25 games this season. "Everyone is going to be up for it," said Nick Bonino, who got his first goal of the year in Dallas on Monday. "There's not gonna be one guy not ready to play. They're our biggest rival, last game before the break. [We gotta give] everything we have." By the way, I'll be at Staples Center again tonight doing a live game log during the game, and game recap after, if anyone is interested. On a personal note, tonight's game will be followed by a drive with my dad, from LA to somewhere a couple hours up the road to get some sleep. Then tomorrow morning we continue the trip to Davis, to visit my sister and her family for Christmas. (Ugh, the holidays.) The one group of people who cared very little about the Ducks' recent woes were the patients the team spent time with during their annual holiday visit to CHOC Children's hospital in Orange. The Ducks handed out Wild Wingers Kids Club kits that had been donated by fans, along with autographed items and -- most importantly -- just spent time with the kids being treated on the hospital's Oncology Floor. Here are a few of the cooler photos from the afternoon, including Teemu Selanne, Francois Beauchemin and Jonas Hiller playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with a four-year-old patient. I also like the one of them checking out the greatest photo ever taken, which decorates the hallway of the Ducks-themed wing of the Oncology Floor. Click here to see all the photos.

Bittersweet Night in Winnipeg

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:18:00 EST

For all the love that rained down on Teemu Selanne from the Winnipeg fans on Saturday -- and the heartfelt appreciation he sent back in return -- there was a moment when Selanne had only a subdued reaction to yet another tribute from his loyal fans. Selanne had felt the affection of the Winnipeg fans from the moment the Ducks bus arrived at 2:30 in the morning on Saturday, and it continued when he hit the ice for warmups and every time he touched the puck during the game. During the first stoppage in play at MTS Centre, a long Selanne tribute was shown on the video board followed by an emotional ovation from the soldout crowd. Selanne, looking up to watch the video himself from the bench, could only muster a straight-faced wave while holding his mouthpiece between his teeth. Of all the well-deserved praise that has been laid on the always fan-friendly Selanne over his magical career, that muted gesture tells you just as much about him as a player. After all, his Ducks had gone down 2-0 early to the Jets, and Selanne (unlike the thousands of fans saluting him) was not happy. More than taking the time to reflect, Selanne's focus laid mainly on getting back into that game. The Ducks ultimately did just that, thanks to the work of Selanne himself. His beautifully dumped-in pass bounced right in front of the Winnipeg net to the stick of Niklas Hagman, who punched it through to pull the Ducks within one and bring a smile back to Selanne's face. Corey Perry tied the game with a minute and a half left in the first on an equally great Ryan Getzlaf pass, but two Jets goals in the second and another one early in the third put Anaheim in a hole it couldn't escape. Selanne earned another assist on a Perry goal midway through the third, but by then it was too late. Afterward, when he was inevitably named the Third Star of the game, the classy Selanne found the strength to acknowledge those fans one more time. He blew kisses and waved as he skated around the ice and finally toward the locker room, his face reflecting a man that had once again worked his tail off but still endured a frustrating defeat. "Obviously, it was unbelievable," said Selanne once again using his favorite word (and one we typically use when describing him). "Like I said before, I didn't really know what to expect. But these fans showed again that how much they appreciate a hockey player in this town."It was something that I could never imagine. It was so special." Yet Selanne remained focused on a second straight defeat to start this road trip, repeating the line, "It seems to me that every time when we do mistakes, it’s in our own net. Tonight was the same story again. It has been a very frustrating year.” So Selanne ended up leaving Winnipeg (possibly for the last time) with plenty of affection, but not with what he really wanted -- a much-needed Ducks victory. Now he and his teammates will look for that tonight in Dallas, where the Ducks and eighth-place Stars are the featured game on Versus (5 p.m. Pacific). The Ducks figure to have Jonas Hiller in net after he got the night off in Winnipeg, and the Stars will counter with rookie Richard Bachman. He's won three of his first four starts in the absence of Kari Lehtonen (groin strain), taking his first defeat while giving up six goals Friday night vs. New Jersey (the same night Scott Niedermayer got his number retired). The Ducks' own groin strain, that suffered by Saku Koivu, will keep him out for tonight's game, as he still hasn't joined the Ducks on this road trip. Koivu is looking to possibly return Thursday at LA. To get you in the spirit, take a look at the holiday card the Ducks put together, starring George Parros, Corey Perry and Corey Perry's chewing gum:

Chicago Hope

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:48:00 EST

Ducks fans have gotten a close-up view of how Ray Emery can take the reins of a starting goaltender gig and ride it to glory. Last spring, after the Ducks picked up Emery and Dan Ellis -- and needed them in the wake of Jonas Hiller's vertigo issues -- Emery went 7-2-0 with a 2.28 goals-against average and helped the Ducks springboard to a fourth-place finish in the West. In the offseason, with Hiller fully recovered and Ellis a sturdy backup, Emery was not re-signed by Anaheim, ultimately opting for a training camp tryout with the Blackhawks. He not only made the roster, but after getting spot work behind starter Corey Crawford, Emery has earned the No. 1 netminder tag lately and has won his last four starts. Tonight, the Ducks will look to break that streak -- and start one of their own -- as they kick off a five-game road trip at the United Center. Anaheim, which had an emphatic win over Phoenix last Sunday at Honda Center, will look for its first two-game winning streak since October, when it won four in a row. They'll have to do it without Saku Koivu, whose lower-body injury has now been revealed to be a groin strain, and he is "questionable" for the next three games. He did not accompany the team to Chicago. The Blackhawks have won three straight, the last of which came in Minnesota the same night the Ducks took down the Coyotes, clinched on a terrific Patrick Kane shootout goal. If you weren't watching SportsCenter that night, Kane skated in on Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom, slowed to a crawl, deked about 127 times and forecfully whipped the puck into wide open net while Backstrom looked helpless. Take a look: “I tried it a few times in practice. We were in a good position to win so I thought I’d try it,” Kane said. “It’s always nice to change it up, try some new moves. You see guys slow down and go real slow before; I probably took it to another level there with slow.” The Ducks have already been bitten once this year on Kane's prowess in the shootout, as he and Jonathan Toews converted in a 3-2 win in Chicago on October 25. Anaheim fell 6-5 in the annual day-after-Thanksgiving matinee with the Hawks at Honda Center on Nov. 25. Just to violate the "one game at a time" mantra for a second, after tonight the Ducks move to Winnipeg for Teemu Selanne's highly anticipated return to that city tomorrow night. The love for Selanne in that city, where he played for the old Jets from 1992 through 1996, is incalculable. And Selanne acknowledged his excitement about returning there in this story from Eric Stephens in the OC Register. Selanne said he "never got the chance to say goodbye" after being traded by the Jets to the Ducks in Feburary 1996, not long before the franchise moved to Phoenix. "The atmosphere I hear is just unbelievable," Selanne said. "I can't wait to go." Ducks fans can only hope he leaves town with a victory, and if it's a third straight for Anaheim, that wouldn't be so bad either. Tonight in New Jersey, Scott Niedermayer will have his number retired at Prudential Center (although he only played there twice, both with the Ducks), just before the Devils take on the Dallas Stars. Niedermayer's 27 will join Scott Stevens' No. 4 and Ken Daneyko's No. 3, both of whom were Niedermayer teammates in his 13 years with the Devils. Dan Rosen of NHL.com has a nice story on Niedermayer getting honored, which includes this amusing story from early in Niedermayer's career, when coach Jacques Lemaire put the team through a rigorous skate: "I'll never forget in the third year of his career, we were going through a bad stretch and Jacques put us through one of those so-called bag skates," Daneyko said. "Everybody was coming off and just falling in the room. All our undergear was totally soaked, like we took a shower in our equipment. And then Nieder comes in, and he's got maybe a tear-drop of sweat in the middle of his chest and everything else is dry. I'm thinking to myself, 'Was it that effortless for him?' Everybody's skates were going a half-inch into the ice and it was like he was floating above it. "Boy, that (ticked) me off," Daneyko added while laughing. "It looked like he went for a Sunday walk in the park." I happened to run into Scotty at the opening of the Anaheim Ducks Breakaway Bar & Grill at John Wayne Airport on Tuesday. I (sort of) kiddingly asked him if he might be willing to come back. He said with a laugh, "You don't want me right now." The 38-year-old Niedermayer, despite some grey sneaking into his dark hair, looks to be in tremendous shape. I told him I figured it would only take him two weeks to get back to hockey condition. "Maybe 10 years ago," he said. "Well, I'd kick myself if I didn't at least ask," I said as we parted ways. "Hey," he said with a laugh. "It's nice to be wanted."

New Ducks Pave the Way

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:53:00 EST

Imagine your typical Ducks fan's reaction if you told them this back on October: On December 14, the Anaheim Ducks would win their second game under Bruce Boudreau on goals from Niklas Hagman, Rod Pelley and Kyle Palmieri. (Think about that one for a moment.) But such has been the way of the 2011-12 season so far for the Ducks, where so much has not gone as could have been expected in the fall. That was never more on display than last night at Honda Center, where the Ducks cruised to a rather satisfying 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes to snap a two-game losing skid and a four-game streak vs. Phoenix. Hagman (claimed off waivers a month ago today) had two goals, Pelley (acquired via trade with New Jersey two days ago) scored one and Palmieri (recalled from Syracuse last week) added another in the third. In fact, of the 20 guys in the lineup last lineup, the three with the fewest games played as a Duck -- just 25 combined between the trio -- scored all the team's goals. But while those guys may have been the ones to find the net, it was the work of the entire Ducks team -- both new and old -- that contributed to that victory. Said Boudreau after the game, "This was the hardest I’ve seen a team work this year that I’ve been coaching, and that includes the Capitals.” That intensity was evident from start to finish in a game the Ducks never trailed. They went up 2-0, something they've now done in all four home games of the Boudreau era. But unlike in those games, there was little looking back for Anaheim last night. When the Coyotes did get close (a Martin Hanzal goal in the second that belied a monster power play drought for Phoenix), the Ducks countered with more offense and a lockdown D that only allowed 20 Phoenix shots the entire evening. One of the highlights of that defensive effort came from a not-so-new Duck, Lubomir Visnovsky. But heck, Lubo had only played 16 of the 29 games this year after missing a month with a broken finger. In the third period, he saved a sure goal when he slipped in behind Jonas Hiller and batted away a mid-air puck that had fluttered past Hiller and was heading for the twine. The play deservedly made Sportscenter's Top 10 of the night. How's this for a quote from Visnovsky? "I don't play for month and it's like pressure because everybody, 'Lubo's back. Lubo's back.'" On the offensive end, where Visnovsky is at his best, he had a team-leading seven shots on net, and several more attempted shots. That alone made his presence noticeable on a Ducks power play that scored once (Hagman) and got another in the third (Palmieri's tip of a Ryan shot) just as the man advantage expired. That goal was more than the Ducks needed on this night, as Pelley led off the scoring with a hustle and muscle play that quickly endeared himself to Ducks fans. After Maxime Macenauer banked the puck off the left wing wall, Pelley rudely nudged his way past Adrian Aucoin, giving himself a mini breakaway that he finished off with a wrister under goalie Mike Smith. After that, Hagman sandwiched that lone Hanzal goal (five this season, three vs. Anaheim) with his two. He looked poised to pull off the hat trick on a couple occasions in the third, as Corey Perry (clearing looking to make the hattie happen) gave Hagman a couple of nice feeds for one-timers that Smith robbed with big saves. "It’s nice to see. If we can get him back to scoring the way he used to," Boudreau said. "Then it sure adds a dynamic that we haven’t had for awhile. He could have had four or five. Corey was putting them on his tape in the third period. But two is good." Good indeed, and as this was our last chance to see the Ducks at home before they embark today on a five-game road trip that starts tomorrow night in Chicago, it was a nice way to send them off. And after that game, as usual, Visnovsky said so much with so little. "We played a full 60 minutes tonight," he said with that enthusiastic, baby-faced expression we've missed the last month. "Let's play the rest of the season like this." Sounds good to me.

Looking for Lubo

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:30:00 EST

For a Ducks team looking for inspiration anywhere they can find it, the possible return of their top defenseman is a much-needed spark. Lubomir Visnovsky has missed more than a month after suffering a broken finger on his right hand November 11, as the already-struggling Ducks went 2-9-2 in his absence. Visnovsky appears set to make his return tonight when Anaheim takes on the visiting Coyotes here at Honda Center. Visnovsky said “I’m ready” after today’s morning skate that followed two lengthy practice sessions to begin the week. Bruce Boudreau indicated Visnovsky’s would be a game-time decision, but if he is good to play, Boudreau said he won’t dip the defenseman’s toe in the water. “If he’s ready to play, I anticipate him to be as good as he can be,” Boudreau said. ”I’m one of those guys [where] I don’t believe in guys giving an excuse already made for themselves like ‘Well, I haven’t played in a while or it’s going to take time to get ready.’ “If you’re ready to play in the National Hockey League, you better be ready to play. I expect him to be as good as he’s been.” Visnovsky played more than 23 minutes a night before the injury, and his absence has meant other Ds like Cam Fowler have had to pick up the slack by playing more than they’re used to. Ryan Getzlaf will be in the lineup tonight after missing yesterday’s practice with the stomach flu, but Saku Koivu will be out for the second straight game with what is still being called a lower-body injury. That means that newly acquired center Rod Pelley will be in there, after spending one practice and today’s skate with the Ducks after being acquired from New Jersey with defenseman Mark Fraser. The Ducks are also looking for sparks from bringing in the two new dudes, as mentioned by Nate Guenin yesterday. Guenin is close friends with Pelley, having played with him four years at Ohio State. He said of Monday’s trade, “One, he's one of my best buddies so that's awesome. Two, I know the type of player he is and the mentality and the positive energy that he'll bring to the room. We're struggling here and he brings some new life. “I'm sure it'll take no time at all for everybody to see what type of guy he is and the character he has.” Said Pelley, who played seven games for NJ this year, “It’s exciting. It’s a new challenge.I think challenges only make you better. I’m really excited to get going.” Jonas Hiller will be in net tonight, according to Boudreau, after sitting out the Nashville game last Saturday. In net for the Coyotes will be Ducks-killer Mike Smith, who is 5-0-1 with a 2.00 goals-against average in his career vs. Anaheim. Those are much better numbers than what Smith has put up lately, having gone 1-3-0 with a 5.61 GAA in his last four starts, having gotten pulled in two of those. His Coyotes team is struggling on the power play, with numbers I won’t even mention hear for fear of jinxing. I’m also hesitant to mention the Coyotes have lost two in a row (getting outscored 9-3) and four of their last six. They’ve also beaten the Ducks in each of their last five meetings. Anaheim comes into this game having endured two straight practices for the first time in the now-two-week-old Boudreau era. “I thought they practiced real hard [Monday],” Boudreau said. “They were pretty energetic today. As a coach, you always want to practice.” (Certainly, Boudreau was speaking more for the coaches than the players on that one.) “The more practice time we have at this stage, the better it is.” The Ducks badly need this one tonight, as this is their last appearance at home before hopping on a five-game trip through the day after Christmas. Looking at that, and the Ducks’ need to turn things around pretty much immediately, Boudreau had a nice pop culture reference yesterday. "I know what we need to do and it's easier said than done, but right now we need a 10-game winning streak or to win 15 out of 20," he said. "If we do that, we're back in the hunt. It's not easy to do in this division and with the amount of road games we play in a row, but we're getting Visnovsky back and then Koivu and Jason Blake -- then the team all of a sudden has balance. "I've seen 'Moneyball,' so I know even the A's were a last-place team that won 20 in a row. It can happen." I like Paul Rudd to play me in the movie.

Ducks Get Back to Work

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:14:00 EST

Following a tough two-game road trip, and a Sunday off, the Ducks were back to work at Honda Center this afternoon. It's the first time the team will be able to practice two straight days since Boudreau took over on November 30. Anaheim dropped another frustrating one Saturday night in Nashville, a 3-2 defeat that turned in the Predators' direction in the third period after an agonizing slashing call on Brandon McMillan. That penalty came after McMillan got his stick into Nashville pest Jordin Tootoo away from the play but right in front of the official, whose arm went up immediately. (After the game, both Ryan Getzlaf and Boudreau used the word "cheesy" to describe the call.) Roman Josi scored on the subsequent power play, Tootoo added another a few minutes later, and Francois Beauchemin's goal was all the Ducks would get the rest of the way. Andrew Gordon, who had his second goal as a Duck to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead, reflected on the team's frustrations when I talked to him after practice today. "I know it's a cliche," he said. "but it just seems like every time we make one mistake, it ends up completely backfiring on us. It is a game of mistakes, and guys are skilled enough where they are going to make you pay for them. We need to keep working in practice on limiting those mistakes and working with this system. Once that becomes second-nature, it will go a lot smoother for us." While the team practiced today, the Ducks made a "deal with the Devils" (I couldn't resist), a trade that brought in center Rod Pelley, defenseman Mark Fraser and a seventh-round draft pick for defenseman Kurtis Foster and goalie Timo Pielmeier. Pelley, 27, had appeared in just just seven games with the Devils this year, but had played 74 last year, scoring three goals and 10 points. Now the Ducks just need to acquire Ben Smith from the Blackhawks so they can form a Smith-Pelley-Smith-Pelly line. The 25-year-old Fraser has played 98 games with the Devils, but just four this year. Another Ducks defenseman, the sorely missed Lubomir Visnovsky, returned to practice today as he recovers from a broken finger. Visnovsky said he hopes to play Wednesday at home vs. Phoenix, but wasn't yet sure if that was a possibility. "He made it through practice today and I thought that was a fairly tough practice," said Boudreau. "It just all depends on how he feels and his comfort with the puck. When you get a chance to get your All-Star defenseman back in the lineup, if he’s ready to play, he’ll let us know when he’s ready to play." Boudreau noted the effect that Visnovsky's absence has had on Cam Fowler, who has played close to 26 minutes a game to make up for that missing piece. "He’s had to play too many minutes for a 20-year-old guy," Boudreau said. "It’s not Cam’s fault. That is not fair to him. You get another veteran in there. It shoulders a lot of minutes and helps him along the way." Meanwhile, Saku Koivu was out of practice today, and missed the game in Nashville, with what is still being called a lower body injury. He is still "day to day" but Boudreau remarked, "The trainers keep saying he’s getting better and I said ‘That’s means nothing to me. I want to know when he is going to play.’ They said he is getting better and they're hoping he is on the ice tomorrow." Back to Gordon, who said despite the Ducks' disappointments, he sees a light at the end of what has become a very long tunnel. "It's amazing and frustrating on so many levels that I don't know where to begin," he said of the team's struggles. "But we still believe in each other in here. We still believe things can turn around at the drop of a hat. All we need is that one bounce, that one game that turns things in our favor. "As hard as we're working, we're still working on that 'dare to be great' moment."

'Mistakes Are Killing Us'

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:54:00 EST

Your typical hockey player, when he finds the puck on his stick blade, is faced with a seemingly endless amount of decisions to make. Should I pass it? And to which guy? Saucer pass it? Bank it off the boards? Clear it off the glass? Skate it out of the zone? Maybe dump it in the corner? Should I shoot it? Slap shot or wrist shot? Glove side or stick side? Low or high? And defensively, play the puck or the body? Make the hit or the poke check? Block the shot or let the goalie make the stop? Take this man or that man on the rush? Play the shot or the pass? They are decisions that have to be made literally hundreds of times a game and all within a fraction of a second. Mistakes, inevitably, are going to be made, and often forgotten. But for the Anaheim Ducks lately, those mistakes all too often have ended up in the back of their net. “I thought we played a pretty good game against a hot team,” Teemu Selanne said of last night's 4-2 loss in St. Louis. “We’re playing way better than we did a couple of weeks ago. But mistakes are killing us. We can’t get away with a mistake. That’s the story of our season.” St. Louis is indeed one of the hotter teams in the NHL, winning last night for the sixth time in the last eight games and improving to 10-2-3 under new coach Coach Ken Hitchcock. In other words, they are a team that right now will capitalize on the little mistakes, and that happened a couple of times last night. The Blues' first goal came in the opening period, when Jonas Hiller seemingly stopped a Jamie Langenbrunner shot, but the puck leaked out behind him. It sat silent in the crease before Chris Porter reached out and dragged it into the net. Late in the second, with the Ducks looking poised to go into the break down just a goal, Cam Fowler's dump-in attempt wasn't forceful enough and was picked off by Ian Cole. He swiftly transitioned it to T.J. Oshie, who scored a back-breaking goal that made it 3-1 Blues. “He has to dump it harder,” said Bruce Boudreau of that play. “We’re too flimsy. That comes from being cute. That’s not just from Cam, but skilled players have a tendency to think they can do everything perfectly cute instead of getting it deep. If you do that, you take the worry out of it.” Anaheim got within a goal in the third thanks to Devante Smith-Pelly (who the Ducks will loan to Canada's World Junior team for a few days). But that was as close as the Ducks would get, being buried by Oshie's empty-netter after Ryan Getzlaf couldn't get the puck off the wall for a dump-in. “A confident team, with a record opposite of ours, would have put one of those shots in, in the third period,” Boudreau said. “This team’s got a lot of heart, but they need to get on a little bit of a roll to get that confidence. It’s a little bit lacking right now.” Boudreau talked about his team's "unforced errors" and used another non-hockey reference to describe the state of the Ducks. “This team reminds me of the Miami Dolphins,” he said. “They lost their first six games or whatever and the coach (Tony Sparano) said they were playing hard. Then they turned it around and won four out of five. I think we’re ready to do that.” That will have to start tomorrow night in Nashville in an intriguing match with the Predators, revisiting a newly fierce rivarly that was sparked by last year's playoff series and a couple of contentious battles already this season. Both of those have been Nashville wins, and the Ducks would like nothing more than to break that string while starting one of their own. Unfortunately, the Preds (ninth in the West) are kinda riding high right now after what they did last night in Columbus. Trailing by two goals late in the third period, they scored twice with the extra attacker, including the tying goal from Sergei Kostitsyn with just 12.1 seconds left. Inevitably, they won it in overtime on a Colin Wilson goal just 1:45 into the extra period. The Preds will also get Ducks favorite Jordin Tootoo back tomorrow after he was suspended two games for a hit last Tuesday on Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller. The Ducks, by the way, lost Saku Koivu last night to a lower body injury in the second period, and he is reportedly day to day. Anaheim did call up the Kyle Palmieri (leading the AHL with 17 goals for Syracuse ) and brought back Brandon McMillan.

Playin' the Blues

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:42:00 EST

Chances are, you've already heard the major news this morning regarding Anaheim and a superstar former league MVP in St. Louis. But just in case you missed it: Yes, Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks are facing a key game with the St. Louis Blues tonight. It's the first road test for new Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, who is coming off his first win as Anaheim coach two nights ago against the Kings. The Ducks are in St. Louis tonight, Nashville on Saturday, and a date with Phoenix next Wedesnday at Honda Center is the only home game in the next eight for Anaheim. The Blues (15-9-3) are the latest NHL proof at what a coaching change can do, having sprinted to a 9-2-3 record since former Blue Jacket head man Ken Hitchcock took over for the dismissed Davis Payne back on Nov. 6. They've done it mostly with a stingy defense that has given up two of fewer goals in 11 of their past 15 games. That's similar defensive prowess as Anaheim's last opponent, the Kings (and we all know how that one turned out). St. Louis has been boosted by the work of former backup Brian Elliott, who has filled in for the injured Jaroslav Halak and put up monster numbers: a 10-2-0 record and league-leading 1.56 goals-against average. But Elliott won't be in there tonight for the Blues, as Halak is reportedly getting the start after recovering from a groin injury. Halak is 4-7-3 with a 2.40 GAA and .903 save percentage, but has a 1.60 GAA and .944 save percentage in his last eight starts. The Ducks, incidentally, are looking to win two games in a row for the first time since they won four straight following a season-opening defeat. Game 3 of that string was a 4-2 victory over the Blues at Honda Center (with Halak in net), although since that time, both teams have changed coaches. "We've been pretty competitive," Boudreau said this morning of the Ducks in his three-game tenure. "Quite frankly, we could have won all three games or we could have lost all three. "We've played three good teams and tonight is the fourth in a row. It will be another really good test." If you're looking to catch the game tonight with some fellow Ducks fans, there will be an official Watch Party starting at 5 p.m. at one of my favorite spots, The Catch in Anaheim. Wherever you are, hopefully you'll watch Anaheim take something from St. Louis for the second time today.

King-Sized Victory

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:42:00 EST

The thought struck when Bobby Ryan coaxed that goal into the Kings net in the final minute, and again when the clock on the Honda Center scoreboard hit triple-zero: I haven’t heard it this loud in here in a long time. Since the last time the Kings were in this building – back on November 17 – the Ducks had endured six games and only one win. That was a long-awaited victory on November 30 against Montreal in what would turn out to be Randy Carlyle’s last night as coach. But the roar in the building that night couldn’t hold a candle to what we heard last night – when Ryan scored with 48.8 seconds left, when Jonas Hiller made a desperation save with two seconds left and when time mercifully ran out on what is unquestionably the Ducks’ biggest victory of the year. To qualify it: It was Bruce Boudreau’s first win as Ducks coach after two painful losses. It came in the throes of a losing trend that we haven’t seen the likes of in quite some time. And oh yes, it came against Anaheim’s bitter rivals, who had already beaten the Ducks on back-to-back nights last month. Not to mention, it came on a night when the Ducks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, normally a good thing for a hockey club, but an uh oh moment for the Ducks lately. After all, they went up 2-0 in their last two games (Boudreau’s first two as coach) and lost both of them. And just like in those games, the Ducks allowed the opponent to claw their way back, giving up a late Kings goal in an otherwise well-played second period, then the tying strike on a horrible break in the third period. Cam Fowler’s clearing attempt hit the stanchion between the panes of glass (the only time we ever use the word “stanchion”) and caromed in the opposite direction it was intended to go, right to the stick of Kings winger Justin Williams. One give-and-go later and Williams tied the game with 11 minutes to go. (“Ninety-nine times out of 100 …” Fowler said. “I couldn’t believe it when it happened. But at the same time I didn’t do a good job of recovering when it happened. You couldn’t leave it in the back of your mind. And the hockey gods rewarded us back with Bobby’s goal.” Ah, those hockey gods. Ten more minutes of grind-it-out hockey later, the game seem destined to head to overtime, until a faceoff in the Kings’ end of the ice turned into a Ducks goal in a flash. It was the Flash who won that draw over Anze Kopitar, getting the puck to trickle into the bottom of the circle, where Ryan pounced on it, and this is where the Ducks got a fortunate bounce of their own. Ryan sent the puck toward the net, where it kicked off the leg of defenseman Drew Doughty and fluttered elegantly over the shoulder of Jonathan Quick. All of a sudden it was bedlam in Honda Center as Ryan jumped into the glass before being hugged by Teemu Selanne. Biggest goal of the Ducks’ season? Almost certainly. But Anaheim’s work wasn’t even close to being done, as the Kings pulled Quick and there were some scary final moments in front of the Kings net. None was scarier than when the puck got away from Hiller in the crease, as he lunged for it and denied punch-in attempts by Jack Johnson and Doughty in the final seconds. Selanne kicked the quivering puck into the corner and the sound of that horn was like music to our ears. “It’s not the Cup, but it felt pretty good,” Boudreau said. “There is no doubt. I felt really good for the players because they were smiling. They worked so hard. Had it gone the other way after another lead like that, I was a little worried about it. We got a lucky break, but they got a lucky break. So, it sort of evened out.” Ryan’s game-winner was his second goal of the night, the first coming in the first period to give the Ducks the lead and also heavily involving Selanne. Quick misplayed the puck behind the net and gave it away to Selanne. He quickly hit Ryan, who slung the puck into the abandoned net as he fell to the ice. Ryan came into the game with just seven goals, but said an expert on such things predicted his luck would change last night. “It’s no secret it’s been a tough start to the season for me,” Ryan said. “Teemu told me this morning that things were going to start. He’s been through it a little bit in the past, not to this extent. It’s nice to rely on a guy who has scored that many goals, when he tells you that you’ll come out of it. For him to predict it tonight was huge.” When things are going bad, and they have been for the Ducks, sometimes one win can change everything. The Ducks can only hope that’s the case with this one last night, especially with seven of their next eight games coming away from those thunderous roars at Honda Center. It was in front of those fans where Kent French asked Ryan if that win could be the spark the Ducks needed, "We certainly hope so," he said. Later in the locker room, he added, “It’s a whole different feeling coming into this room tonight. It’s huge.” Said Boudreau, "If we keep playing like this we might be able to get lucky enough to win in a tough building and then, who knows? The snowball might get bigger.”

Biggest Game of the Year

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:52:00 EST

It's December 6, game 27 of 82, but it's safe to say tonight is the biggest game of the year for the Anaheim Ducks. Yes, the Kings are in our barn, and that always means it's a big night, but this one takes on even more meaning because of what the Ducks are facing now. It's been six days since the Ducks replaced Randy Carlyle with Bruce Boudreau, a move made with the intent of turning around a dramatically slow start for Anaheim. But that turnaround hasn't been instant -- understandable for a coach quickly introducing a new system and still getting to know most of his troops. The Ducks lost a 3-0 lead in Boudreau's first game, a crushing OT loss last Friday night against the Flyers, and surrendered a 2-0 lead in falling 5-3 to the Wild last Sunday evening. If they're going to show a renewed vigor and a long-anticipated return to their winning ways, there is no better night than tonight against the most bitter of foes. And it was Boudreau himself who cranked up that already-tense rivalry just a little bit more, when asked about Ducks-Kings on Sunday. "I think there's going to be a lot of hatred on both sides. When I was part of the Kings' organization, they certainly didn't like the Ducks," said Boudreau who coached the Kings' AHL affiliate in Manchester from 2001 through 2005. "Now that I'm here, I certainly don't like the Kings." That's our new coach speaking like your typical Ducks fan, whose distaste for the Kings has been amplified by L.A. taking the first two games of this Freeway Face-Off series last month. That came on back-to-back nights, when the Ducks went down 2-1 in a shootout at Staples Center and lost 5-3 the next night at Honda Center. Boudreau, who is the subject of a nice feature today by Lisa Dillman in the L.A. times, reflected on his team turning things around after a rough start and a 0-1-1 record so far under him. “You’ve got to believe that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel," he said. "You’ve got to believe when you do turn it around, then it’s going to be a real good situation. You have to believe there’s hope. If you don’t, then what you do play for?” Tonight they play a Kings team that hasn't played since last Saturday, when they were edged 2-1 by a Montreal team the Ducks defeated last Wednesday just before Boudreau was announced as coach after the game. Los Angeles can related to Anaheim's difficulty in scoring goals, as they've had two or fewer in each of their last five games. But as has been the case most of the year, they've ridden on the back of Jonathan Quick and his stellar 1.97 goals-against average and .936 save percentage. L.A. will be without Mike Richards, who is on injured reserve after taking a hit to the head last Thursday night against Florida. The Ducks, on the other hand, got some good news on the injury front, as both George Parros (torn retina) and goalie Dan Ellis (groin) were activated for tonight's game. (Parros' availability will be a gametime decision, according to Boudreau.) That leaves only Lubomir Visnovsky (broken finger) and Jason Blake (lacerated arm) on the injured list for the Ducks. At last report, Blake is still on schedule to be out until mid-January, and Bob Murray said recently on NHL Live that the hope for Visnovsky is for him to return the middle of this month. Oddly enough, Parros, Visnovsky and Blake are all former Kings, as noted in this interesting piece by Fox Sports West on the players who have worn both Ducks and Kings uniforms. Please excuse the glaring absence of goalie J.S. Aubin and this all-time classic helmet (although, in their defense, he never played a game for the Ducks). The Ducks-Kings rivalry will of ourse remain intact after the radical realignment that was approved by NHL officials yesterday. With the intent to decrease travel for its teams, the league will switch from its current format of six divisions to four conferences, likely as soon as next season. The move comes partly because of Atlanta's move to Winnipeg, putting the Jets in the Eastern Conference, where travel has been just as extensive as it has been for many other teams based in the Western part of North America. There will be two mostly Western-based conferences with eight teams each, and two mostly Eastern-based conferences with seven teams apiece. The Ducks will be in what is now called Conference A, with the Kings, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Phoenix, San Jose and Vancouver. That is one of the two mostly Western-based eight-team conferences, with the two seven-team conferences being made up mostly of Eastern-based teams. Here's a look: Teams will now play a home-and-home against all nonconference teams, meaning we're guaranteed to see top Eastern Conference draws like Pittsburgh, Washington, New York, Philadelphia and the like here at Honda Center every season. Teams will play five or six games within their conference each season. The top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs, with the first two rounds consisting solely or series within your conference. Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated he will consult with team GMs at their meetings in March as to whether the league will re-seed the playoffs in the third round. The Ducks were among the significant majority of teams that voted for the realignment (a 2/3 vote among the 30 teams was required to approve the change). "I'm all for it," said Bobby Ryan. "I like the home-and-home with all teams. It'll help establish rivalries." Said Boudreau, "It looks really good. I think it'll create great rivalries and it makes it easier for [teams] to stay in the same time zone. It's going to be tough to make the playoffs, but [it should be]."

Boudreau's Opening Weekend

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:18:00 EST

The first win of the Bruce Boudreau win will have to wait, as the Ducks endured two games over the weekend -- the first two of his watch -- that unfortunately had all too much in common. In both, the Ducks looked strong-to-quite-strong in jumping out to early leads, only to see those leads vanish. Friday night vs. Philadelphia, there was an inspired vibe throughout Honda Center as the Ducks jumped out to a 3-0, only to watch the Flyers chip away at it and tie it late in the third. Philly ultimately crushed the Ducks with a game-winner in overtime from Claude Giroux, which came after a Ryan Getzlaf tripping call had a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct minor added to it. Last night was much of the same, as the Ducks went in front 2-0, only to have the Wild score on a power play goal late in the first, then score two in a span of 32 seconds to go ahead. “It looked like when they got the second goal, ‘Oh, they tied us. We’re not going to be successful,’ ” said Boudreau last night. “Now, when they got the third goal, it’s, ‘Oh, woe is us.’ So, you know, we've got to get that mindset out of them right away and be able to say, ‘Dammit, let’s go get it back.’ ” Boudreau called timeout after the two quick goals, and was asked later what he told his new team. “I said, ‘Don’t hang your head. You look like you’re a beaten crew.’ If you can’t face a little adversity in sport or in hockey, you’re not going to get anywhere. I mean, pull up your socks and get mad rather than feeling sorry for yourselves.” To Anaheim's credit, they did just that, tying it up when a Cam Fowler shot banked in off defenseman Marco Scandella's boot in the middle of the third. But the Ducks were bitten by another goal off a skate, this time Wild forward Nick Johnson's with 5 1/2 minutes left. Anaheim had a chance to tie it late when a power play and a pulled Jonas Hiller created a 6-on-4, but Cal Clutterbuck's empty-netter with 10 seconds left provided the stomach punch. It's a cliche, and it's one the Ducks have used to describe themselves previously this season, but Boudreau once again stressed it last night. "We have to play 60 minutes," he said. "We played about, I'd say, 12 good minutes in the first period and the shots were about 7-2. And the next thing it was 17-9 for them." And it led to another frustrating Ducks loss, one that leaves them with a 7-14-5 record and 14th in the Western Conference. With 56 games to go in the regular season, and 10 points behind the eighth spot in the West, the Ducks unquestionably have a considerable hill to climb. But as Boudreau said last night, "It's been done before." Indeed it has ... by Bruce Boudreau. In 2007 he took over a Washington Capitals team that was 6-14-1 and 30th in the NHL. They went 37-17-7 the rest of the way and won the Southeast Division. (If this is all making you think of Jim Mora's famous "Playoffs???" rant, it's interesting timing. Today is the 10-year anniversary of that classic sound byte.) “I’ve already gone through the schedule,” Boudreau said. “I’ll show them how we can do it, if you put the basis on 97 points needed for the playoffs. I told them, ‘You just have to believe it.’ ” Making them believe will be no small task, especially considering the lulls the Ducks have suffered in recent games that have ultimately cost them dearly. Today they were back at work at Honda Center, getting ready for a huge game with the rival Kings here tomorrow night. Boudreau, despite being new to the Ducks, seems to be well aware at how intense that rivalry is, partly from his time as coach of the Kings' AHL affiliate in Manchester from 2001 through 2005. “I think there’s going to be a lot of hatred on both sides,” he said. ”When I was part of the Kings organization, they certainly didn’t like the Ducks. So now that I’m here, I certainly don’t like the Kings.”

New Era Starts Tonight

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:43:00 EST

It's a tantalizing time here in Ducks land, as Game 1 of the Bruce Boudreau era starts tonight against the Flyers at Honda Center. Since getting hired for the head coaching job Wednesday, Boudreau has had only one practice, one morning skate and individual meetings with his new players to make his early impressions on this team. It's enticing to see what kind of impact that will have in such a short time period, with Boudreau standing behind the Anaheim bench just two nights after the surprise announcement late Wednesday night that he would be the new Ducks coach. This morning he admitted what a whirlwind it's been for him the past two days, saying that when he left Honda Center last night at 6 p.m., "I went right to bed." He added, "But you get up at 3:00 in the morning, and then you start again." Yeah ... wait a minute. Three in the morning? Just listen to Boudreau talk about the possibilities and you can't help but feel pumped up about what's ahead for his Ducks. Yesterday, during a press conference following his first practice with the team, Boudreau spewed nothing but optimism, notably in discussing his decision to take the job not long after being let go in Washington. "If I didn't believe that this was a team that had the possibilities and the makings of something special, I think I would have sat at home and waited," Boudreau said. "But I don't think opportunities like this come around every day, with the talent that we have here." The Ducks go into tonight's game 14th in the West and 11 points short of a playoff spot, which Boudreau said is hardly indicative of how good they can (and will) be. "They've been a really good team. They've just sort of lost their way a little bit," he said. "I told them this morning that I believe in them. I think they're a really good team." There was a lot to come out of yesterday's press conference, including the revelation from Bob Murray that trade talks involving Bobby Ryan have dissolved a bit. "I'm hoping everything settles down right now," he said. "I think it will." He told Ryan the same thing, leading Ryan to tell the media, "A lot of times players are left in the dark and it is tough. I appreciate Murph being honest with me and letting me know ahead of time, so I could focus on one thing and that's wins for the Ducks." Ryan also had the line of the day in describing the team's first practice under Boudreau. "There's a little nervousness, what kind of impression you are going to make on your first day," he said. "It's almost like a first date. But I think it went well." There was a lot said by a lot of people during the media sessions yesterday, but one thing that may have gone under the radar -- but stood out for me -- was Andrew Gordon's take on Boudreau's coaching style. Gordon, of course, played for Boudreau during his four years in the Capitals organization, so he was the go-to guy to remark on what his Ducks teammates can expect. The bottom line: Lots of offense. "He wants us to play with the puck and he wants us to go up and down and be creative, support the puck and play offense," Gordon said. "We have a lot of guys with a lot of talent on this team and that is going to fit well. Once we grasp these systems, there a little tougher to get than the ones out there where you just back up and try not to make mistakes. He wants to push the pace a little bit, so once we grasp this, it’s going to be good and generate some offense for us. "He wants you to support the puck as opposed to pushing it down there and dumping it in. He’s going to allow someone like Bobby to make a move and beat a guy one-on-one. As long as we’re playing within the system, he wants to play offense. When he was a player, he scored beyond belief, so he knows what it’s like to be an offensive guy and want to play to your style. All the coaches are going to come together and let our big guns play offense. When you’re one of those guys expected to score, that’s a green light, and that’s good news." Meanwhile, Boudreau's impact on the ice has already been felt, as he returned Ryan to the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Matt Beleskey has joined Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu in the second trio and will presumably be there to start tonight. Andrew Cogliano has centered the third line with Niklas Hagman and Devante Smith-Pelly. It's a quirky coincidence that Boudreau is facing the Flyers in his first game with the Ducks. Four years ago in his debut with the Capitals, he also faced the Flyers. Boudreau pointed out that coincidence and a couple others during an intriguing interview this morning with Ducks radio analyst Dan Wood. "There are so many similarities, I feel like I'm..." Boudreau said, then paused. "I watch a lot of movies, so I'm thinking of JFK and the similarities they point out with [his assassination and] Lincoln. [Washington was] 6-14-1 [when he took over], and I think we're 7-13-4 right now. We played Philadelphia our first game, we're playing Philadelphia tonight. The first game [Flyers coach] Peter Laviolette coached when he took over in Philadelphia was against me in Washington. The first game I'm coaching here is against Peter. It's weird." Also in that interview, Boudreau pointed out the differences between starting with the Capitals and doing the same here in Anaheim. "It's more challenging," he said. "When I went to Washington I'd coached seven of the players from the year before. I knew the players. Here you're coming in pretty cold and pretty blind. You know the players and the reputation and those things, but you don't know them individually. So, it's going to take a little bit of time just to know them. I'm not using that as an excuse. I expect to win every game. But to know them the way you want to know them is going to take a long time." I expect to win every game. You gotta like that motto. "If you know me, my short-term is to win. My long-term it to win," Boudreau said. "I'm a very positive person, and I never think there is a hole too deep that you can't climb yourself out. I've already gotten everything written down on what we have to do to make the playoffs and beyond. Now it's up to me to make the players believe this is a feasible and possible situation to do." I can report first-hand that Boudreau's optimism and the sensation of a fresh start has already instilled a positive vibe among the Ducks staff (including me, as you can tell by the 1,400 words I've dedicated to this). Meanwhile, someone from the Capitals staff sent over three of these Boudreau bobbleheads, now proudly displayed on a couple of desks here. The entire Ducks and Honda Center staff was treated to a pizza luncheon this afternoon in which Boudreau made a quick cameo and speech. (While he spoke, a TV in the Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Club was coincidentally showing an NHL Network replay of last night's Washington loss to Pittsburgh.) Boudreau didn't speak to the staff long (out of character for a guy who has earned the nickname "Gabby"), but he did finish with this line: "We're gonna have some fun." What would really be fun is a win tonight against a Flyers team that comes to Anaheim for the second straight year without former Duck Chris Pronger, who is out four weeks following knee surgery. The other former Duck, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, is supposed to play tonight despite battling a cold that kept him out of last Saturday's game with the Rangers. "You watch them out there doing little drills and picking top corners and everything else. You want to see it in a game because it's easy to do it when there is nobody that really doesn't like you playing against you," Boudreau said this morning. "Tonight I'm sure there will be some guys who aren't as friendly. We're playing a tough team and I believe they will be ready." But no matter the opponent, this is an exciting time for the Ducks, the first of 58 games they have to climb out of this hole. And to hear Boudreau tell it, they can make it happen. "This is a team that before the season started, if you read a lot of the clippings, should really contend for the West and Pacific crown and I think they're very capable of doing it," he said. "I want them to believe in themselves. That's the message for today, believing in themselves."

Surreal Time in Anaheim

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:04:00 EST

In what had to be the strangest night in Anaheim Ducks history, the elation of a long-awaited victory was quickly replaced by the enormity of a major coaching change. At 10:21 p.m. Pacific time last night -- almost exactly an hour after the Ducks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a triumphant 4-1 win over the visiting Canadiens -- the Ducks announced that head coach Randy Carlyle had been replaced by former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. Despite the fact the announcement came well past bedtime in most of the hockey world, it spread like wildfire through social media and sports tickers throughout North America. It was a seemingly unprecedented move in which an NHL head coach was let go and immediately replaced by another established coach -- not a former assistant filling an interim role. In Boudreau, the Ducks get a coach who had established himself among the NHL's best the past five seasons, a man made famous to America during a colorful stint on last year's HBO special 24/7 Penguins Capitals: The Road To the NHL Winter Classic. Boudreau, as it's already well-known, was let go by the Capitals on Monday after a rough 10-day stretch that Anaheim can certainly relate to. But before we look ahead to the Boudreau era, we should look back to what Randy Carlyle meant to the Anaheim Ducks organization. He was the franchise's winningest coach with a 273-182-61 record highlighted by the team's only Stanley Cup title in 2007. In his six-plus seasons at the helm, he led the Ducks to the playoffs in five of them. For all of that, Ducks fans will be forever grateful. But as Bob Murray said, the Ducks were in a position where "we simply felt a new voice was needed." “This was an extremely difficult decision,” Murray said in a statement released by the Ducks. “Randy is a terrific head coach, and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons. We thank him greatly for his hard work and dedication to our franchise, not the least of which was a Stanley Cup championship. At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed. Bruce is a proven winner with a great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his leadership.” The impact that a mid-season coaching change can have in the NHL is well-documented. In 2009, Dan Bylsma was hired in February to take over a Pittsburgh Penguins team that was a middling 27-25-5. Four months later they won the Stanley Cup. The year before, Joel Quenneville took over the Blackhawks just four games into a highly anticipated season in which they started 1-2-1. They made it to the conference finals that season, and two years later they were lifting the Cup. Boudreau himself already has his own mid-season success story. He was hired as Caps head coach on November 22, 2007, after the team had started 6-14-1 and were 30th in the NHL standings. He went 37-17-7 the rest of the season, and led the Capitals to the first of four straight Southeast Division titles. Boudreau won the 2007-08 Jack Adams award (NHL Coach of the Year), led Washington to the 2009-10 Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top club in the regular season and became the fastest coach in modern day NHL history to win 200 games. Not long after the firing by the Caps, the Ducks asked Washington permission to contact Boudreau, who would have soon been highly coveted by other NHL teams looking to make their own changes at the helm. Soon after being let go by the Caps, Boudreau told the Washington Times he was ready to coach again immediately. "Absolutely. It's what I do," he said. "I love hockey and I love my job. Even when things are going bad, I love my job. I love going to work in the morning, and I feel comfortable when I'm behind my desk or behind the bench or talking to guys or being on the ice. It's something that I would relish doing." That Ducks granted that wish, and in a hurry. Boudreau's last game coached with Washington was last Saturday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the six-day span between games coached with two teams is the fastest in NHL history. (Meanwhile, all I keep thinking is, if you had told me a year ago that the colorful guy on the HBO 24/7 series would be the Ducks' coach in less than a year, I'd have asked for some of whatever you were drinking.) Boudreau will be meeting a lot of Ducks for the first time today, but he does have connections to a couple of them already. He coached Andrew Gordon during the winger's four years in the Washington organization, and he coached George Parros when they were both with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs. Boudreau brings with him former Syracuse Crunch (Anaheim's AHL affiliate) assistant coach Brad Lauer and at least one other assistant to be named, as Carlyle's termination also brought the dismissals of Assistant Coaches Dave Farrish, Mike Foligno and Video Coordinator Joe Trotta. Boudreau and his staff take over a Ducks team that, despite that gratifying victory last night, wakes up this morning with a 7-13-4 record, 14th in the Western Conference and 10 points out of a playoff spot. But the dawn of December represents a fresh start for the Ducks in so many ways. It's a new (and crucial) month in the NHL calendar, a new coaching staff and -- with all due respect to the admirable cause that is Movember -- the welcomed disappearance of the mustaches and Jonas Hiller's goalie mask that represented a horrific month in which the Ducks won just twice. Boudreau and Murray will both be part of a press conference later today following Boudreau's first Ducks practice at The Rinks - Anaheim ICE. We'll have complete coverage this afternoon.

Boudreau Replaces Carlyle

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:30:00 EST

The elation of a long-awaited win tonight has been replaced by the gravity of the news that the Ducks have hired former Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau to replace Randy Carlyle as head coach. We'll have much more tomorrow.

Ducks Need a Win

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:12:00 EST

Not much to say going into this Ducks-Les Habitants game tonight at Honda Center other than: - Ducks badly need a win - Nobody got traded Let's go, Ducks.

'We Are Going to Turn this Around'

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:39:00 EST

Two days after looking as down in the dumps as he seemingly ever has, Teemu Selanne was more optimistic in his talk with reporters after a second straight day of practice at Honda Center. “Believe, that is the word,” said Selanne today. “You just have to look forward. You can’t do anything about the past. There is no time to feel sorry for ourselves because nobody else does. "We are going to turn this around.” The Ducks, looking to snap a seven-game skid, put in two good days of training on their home ice. Meanwhile, as is often the case when a team gets into a losing trend -- more so than ever in this current Twitter world -- rumors have been circulating about potential Ducks moves. Obviously, nothing rumor-wise will be addressed here, but Randy Carlyle did broach the subject today. “Being a former player, I was traded a few times and the rumors were rampant when I was playing that there were going to do this or that, this trade was gonna happen and this guys was gonna get fired.” said Carlyle with a grin. (He played with the Leafs, Penguins and Jets in his 18-year career.) “If you believe every rumor that is put out, then I guess you believe them. You recognize that those types of situations develop when you don’t have success. That is part of the business. If you understand that, then you move on, you control what you can control and you go forward.” Go forward they will, to a date tomorrow night with their third straight Original Six opponent, the Montreal Canadiens. The Ducks, mired in a funk that has stretched to almost six weeks, could badly use that one elusive victory to break this exasperating string. But Carlyle says it's about much more than just one win. “Winning alleviates and makes everybody feel a little bit better,” he said. “One win is not going to be enough. We don’t look at it as one win and it’s all over. We have a mountain to climb here. It doesn’t start until you build a foundation. What we’re trying to do is build a foundation that our hockey club is going to play to a higher level than it has and more consistent. That's what we're asking.”

Selanne: 'Everybody Hates This Situation'

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:58:00 EST

He's the most famous and most beloved figure in the history of the organization, the owner of pretty much every major team record, the first person who comes to mind when you think of the Anaheim Ducks. He's the face of the franchise, a face that so often reflects what the team and its fans are feeling -- in the good times and the bad times. Last night, after a disheartening 5-2 loss at home to the Maple Leafs, was one of the bad times, and you could see it in the eyes of a dejected Selanne in the Ducks locker room. Approached by a gaggle of reporters in front of a wall next to his locker, Selane was asked by Eric Stephens of the OC Register if the Ducks have begun to gain acceptance of their losing stretch. Selanne paused, looked into the distance, gathered his thoughts and took a deep breath. "I hope not," he said, his face drained of emotion and still decorated with a mustache that has grown throughout this frustrating month of November. "A lot of talking, a lot of meetings ... there is no answer. It seems to me that nothing works. You try and stay positive and find some bright sides, but ... it's just unbelievable right now. I know everybody hates this situation." He paused again. "Enough talking. Out there, you know, there are the answers," he said, pointing to the ice. "The last couple of games we've scored the first goal, come out with a lot of energy and them boom." That boom hit the Ducks in a 19-second span last night, when they got on the board first on a Francois Beauchemin first period goal, then gave up two to Toronto in a flash later in the period and never recovered. Friday afternoon against Chicago, Anaheim took a 4-2 lead into the third period and gave up four unanswered in losing 6-5. "The only thing you can do is, everybody just has to do their own job and believe and trust that the guy next to you can do the same thing. We need everybody right now." Everybody (aside from Dan Ellis, who is still nursing that groin injury) was on the ice this morning for practice at Honda Center, in which the line combinations were shaken up a bit. Matt Beleskey skated on the right wing of the top line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, while Bobby Ryan was moved to the third unit with Niklas Hagman and Ben Maxwell. We'll have more later today.

A Phoenix Rising?

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:53:00 EST

A bumpy Ducks road trip gave way to a frustrating stay in Southern California, so the Ducks can only hope they bounce back after stepping off the plane once again. Anaheim's only trip outside of SoCal in a 30-day stretch that started earlier this month is a quick flight to Phoenix and a bus ride to Glendale, where the Ducks will try and turn things around against the Coyotes tonight. "As nice as it is to be at home and be around family and things like that, it's a nice reprieve when you get to go on the road and get a little rest and some time with your teammates," Bobby Ryan said. "That's an important part of the process throughout a season. Guys will get together and talk about things, and hopefully it's a starting point for us tonight." The Coyotes, as they've done so often the past few seasons, have risen above expectations in their first season without Ilya Bryzgalov since 2007. Former Star, former Lightning (bolt?) and current boring name guy Mike Smith has filled in nicely, with a 9-3-3 record, 2.16 goals-against average and a gaudy .936 save percentage. The 6-foot-4 Smith is a major reason the Yotes are hanging around the eighth spot with a 10-6-3 record despite a loss two nights ago in Washington. The Ducks have seen Smith already this season, scoring four goals against him in a disappointing 5-4 loss at Honda Center back on October 23. That defeat was the second straight in a weekend stay at home, and two days later the Ducks began that fateful seven-game, 13-day road trip that made it easy to forget about their hot 4-1-0 start to the season. Now the Ducks are 6-10-4 at the (mixed metaphor alert) quarter-pole of the NHL marathon and looking to right the ship immediately. And if you think your favorite team is making you lose sleep, imagine being their coach. Randy Carlyle broached that subject after practice yesterday, just before he and his troops headed up to LAX for the quick flight to the desert. "There’s a buzzer that goes off in my brain somewhere around 3 in the morning and it’s always about what’s going on at work and what’s going on with the hockey club," he told reporters in his familiar spot in the Honda Center hallway. "Then there’s a toss and turn for sometimes two hours, sometimes it’s three hours and sometimes it’s one hour. "And then you want to sleep till 10 because you’re tired and you’ve just gotten back to sleep at 5. Those are the things that happen. Part of the stress and the pressure that comes with not having the success you feel you’re capable of." More than sleep habits, Carlyle also talked about his hopes for relatively new Duck Ben Maxwell, the former Winnipeg Jet waiver wire pickup who should be getting some time on the third line tonight. Maxwell centered that unit a bit in the third period Sunday night against Detroit and in yesterday's practice he skated there with other new Duck Niklas Hagman and young Duck Devante Smith-Pelly. “I thought he displayed in a couple of instances, his hockey sense and his ability with the puck,” Carlyle said. “We think that we’ll give him a look in the middle right now with Hagman and Smith-Pelly. We’ve experimented and tried other people there and I don’t think we were really comfortable with that." Maxwell has limited NHL experience -- 36 NHL games in four seasons with Montreal and the Thrashers/Jets -- but he put up good numbers with Hamilton of the AHL (142 points in 177 games). “I played in the NHL parts of the last three or four seasons,” the 23-year-old Maxwell said. “I just never really stuck around. I think now, I’m not taking it for granted. I don’t have infinite chances. I have to take advantage of one of these. I’m hoping to do that here.” Despite playing them (and the rest of the Pacific) six times a season, the Ducks have not been to Glendale since last January 15. Tonight's game is at 6 p.m. Pacific time on Prime Ticket, a nice way to start a holiday weekend that includes the Ducks' traditional day-after-Thanksgiving matinee with the Blackhawks on Friday at Honda Center. Meanwhile, in case you need a good hockey-related chuckle right about now, this one actually made me laugh out loud:

Parros in ESPN the Magazine

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:02:00 EST

George Parros was recently interviewed in ESPN the Magazine about his mustache and the progress of his teammates during Movember. Here's that piece: Q: When we think George Parros, we think wild goatee. How did it feel to shave it all off and try a new look? For one, I instantly looked 10 years younger, and some people didn’t recognize me. But I have an affinity for NHLers from the 1970s and ‘80s who grew fantastic mustaches. I think I was meant to have a mustache. Q: Any surprising benefits to your mustache? It adds character and a swagger you might not have without it. It’s funny because I’m even seeing my teammates who are sprouting ‘staches in a different light now. Q: What does your wife think about your ‘stache? She tolerates it. She prefers me to have a sparse one. Q: How are your teammates doing in the Ron Swanson department? Andrew Cogliano and Luca Sbisa are off to good starts, as is Sheldon Brookbank, who grew the team’s best mustache last year. Corey Perry is pathetic at growing a mustache, but at least he tries. Q: What does this year’s winner receive? Last year, I gave an incredible secondhand leather jacket that complemented any mustache. This year, it’s going to be a surprise. Ask me again on Dec. 1.

All Too Similar

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:35:00 EST

The details of Thursday night vs. the Kings and last night vs. the Red Wings were eerily similar -- and that's not a good thing. Both were bitter rivalry games in which the Ducks tied to try it on a late 6-on-4, only to be stomach-punched by a clinching empty net goal. It happened in that 5-3 defeat to the Kings and history repeated itself last night in a 4-2 loss to the Red Wings. The Ducks were put in an early hole when they gave up early-in-period goals to some familiar faces. It was Henrik Zetterberg 1:26 into the first and Johan Franzen just 14 seconds into the second. A few minutes after Franzen's tally, Brad Stuart piled on with a goal from the right circle to make it 3-0, leading Ryan Getzlaf to say, "I thought we came out of the gates okay. We still dug a hole. There is no doubt about that. The score doesn’t lie. At some point during the game, we let ourselves get down and get behind." But to the Ducks' credit, they didn't hang their heads, getting one back on an odd-man rush one-timer from Saku Koivu and then a power play goal by Teemu Selanne set up by a nifty backhand pass through the crease by Corey Perry. That drew Anaheim within a goal, which is where it stood when they were handed two power play opportunities late in the game. They didn't get the goal they needed off Justin Abdelkater's boarding call with 5:46 left, but they had another chance when Jonathan Ericsson was whistled for hooking with 2:34 on the clock. As was the case when they desperately tried to tied the score against the Kings, Randy Carlyle pulled his goalie (Dan Ellis Thursday; Jonas Hiller last night) to create a 6-on-4. And for the second straight game, a giveaway on that power play did the Ducks in. The Ducks let the puck slip away into the slot, where Stuart picked it up and artfully banked it off the wall and into the middle of the abandoned net from 120 feet away. (Watching that puck slowly roll along the ice toward that net with no one in front of it was a little like watching a car crash transpire with no way of stopping it. Too dramatic? I don't think so.) The 4-2 final on the scoreboard didn't reflect how close the Ducks came to tying that game. It didn't reflect the close calls, like Bobby Ryan's rebound try 13 minutes into the second, where Jimmy Howard dove across the crease to knock the puck away with his glove, Ryan raising his arms in the air thinking he'd gotten his long-awaited goal. Replays showed the puck got ever-so-close to crossing the stripe in the air, but not definitively enough to reverse the call on the ice. There was another near-miss with less than a minute to go in the second, when an apparent Devante Smith-Pelly goal was deflected away by the handle (the handle) of Howard's stick. Seconds later, Ryan roofed in a loose puck, only to have the whistle blow as soon as he touched it because of a Smith-Pelly cross checking penalty. When you're winning, those are the kinds of things that go your way. When you're struggling, they all too often go against you. And that's what the Ducks are dealing with right now. "It’s tough. It’s a new experience for us here," said Getzlaf of the Ducks' continued struggles. "We have to find a way to dig ourselves out of this thing." They were given a day off today, and their next chance comes on the road, Wednesday night in Phoenix. "We are in a situation where we have to play ourselves out of it and that includes me," Getzlaf continued. "I just have to keep playing and we have to lead by example. Our group here, who I have been with for a little while, we have a great core of leaders and we just have to keep pushing."

Ducks Get the Point

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:02:00 EST

I've never been much of an "at least we got a point" kind of guy. But as disappointing as that shootout with the Kings ended up last night, you had to feel a little fortunate the Ducks came away with something from that night at Staples Center. The Ducks, by their own admission, were not strong in the first half of that game, and didn't generate a ton offensively until the third period (outshot 29-12 through two). But thanks to the work of Jonas Hiller and the guys in front of him, they were able to keep it a 1-0 game until late in regulation. That's when they caught a break (after being on the wrong side of the breaks earlier in the period), when Justin Williams got his stick blade into Cam Fowler's skate blade and got whistled for the tripping minor. That opened the door for a power play in which the Ducks took quick advantage, Teemu Selanne firing from his familiar left wing circle spot, sneaking the puck past a previously perfect Jonathan Quick. There was some thought that the puck nicked Corey Perry's shin before squeezing under Quick's arm, but the goal was credited to Selanne. More importantly, it was a Ducks goal, and it forced overtime at a late stage in the game. For a team stuggling to find the net, even that which seemed like a goal wasn't a goal. Earlier in the third period, Selanne's shot from the right wing kicked off Quick to Ryan Getzlaf, who batted the puck in with his left glove. The goal was waved off on the ice, and replay reviews confirmed that Getzlaf missed touching the disc with his stick by no more than a few inches. Thankfully for the Ducks, that disappointment didn't sway them from eventually getting the equalizer, ultimately giving way to overtime and a marathon shootout that the Kings took in the seventh round. Both Hiller and Quick were sharp in the tiebreaker, each giving up one conversion (Stoll for LAK; Getzlaf keeping things alive for ANA) before Williams wristed a shot over Hiller's shoulder in the top of the seventh inning. Randy Carlyle countered with defenseman Kurtis Foster, whose wrist shot was denied by Quick for the win. That dropped the Ducks to 1-3 in the shootout, their only success coming in that second game of the year, against the Rangers in Stockholm. Those three defeats have come in a tough stretch in which the Ducks have won just twice in the last 13 games. Those are the types of numbers that wouldn't need to be thrown about if things had just gone a different way a couple times in that finicky tiebreaker format. "It's tough to lose a point in that kind of fashion, but I thought the boys played a hard game," Bobby Ryan said. "We had so many chances and Quick was standing on his head, really sucking pucks in and not letting any rebounds or chances for us." Quick, by the way, is reportedly starting in goal again tonight. No word from the Ducks, but there is speculation from Eric Stephens of the OCR that Ellis will be in net. Just like with "at least we got a point," I'm not a big believer in momentum in sports, especially when it's supposed to be carried from one game to another. That being said, the way the Ducks played in the second half of that game has to be a boost for them going into Game 2 of this Freeway Face-Off home and home, a highly anticipated rematch tonight at Honda Center. "We got the point and we worked hard for it," Carlyle said. "It’s one shot away in the shootout from being a difference maker. Right now things aren’t going our way, but if we work as hard as we did in the last half of this hockey game, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel." And that's the beauty of the way this schedule worked out. As much as the Ducks and their fans would like another shot at those Kings after last night, they won't have to wait long for it. It should be a fun one tonight in our building.

Critical Week for Ducks

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:15:00 EST

If ever there was added motivation for the Ducks to return to their winning ways, it comes this week. Starting tonight in Los Angeles, the Ducks will play back-to-back home-and-homes with the Kings in the renewal of the Freeway Face-Off rivalry. Then Sunday it's a rematch with another familiar foe, the Red Wings, who spoiled the end of that difficult Ducks road trip with a 5-0 victory in Detroit on November 5. The Ducks (and their fans, for that matter) would love nothing more than to turn things around in those games, which could prove critical in determining how things go the rest of this important month. "The games are always spirited with LA," Randy Carlyle said this morning. "We need something good to happen with our group, but we're going to have to earn it. If we're not prepared to go to battle with the group they have up there in LA, we'll be embarrassed. We have to be ready." The Kings have similar motivation in these next two games, as they haven't exactly been lighting up the world so far this season. They're 5-2 decision over Minnesota on Saturday night was just their second win in the last eight games. They're currently 10th in the West with 19 points (four more than Anaheim). The plights of both teams are a far stretch from where they were last time they battled on back-to-back nights, last April when the Ducks won both games to end the regular season and catapult into the fourth slot in the West. It's an understatement that scoring first will be important tonight. The Ducks are 6-0-2 when they get the first goal, 0-8-1 when they don't. Carlyle said this morning that both Bobby Ryan (who missed yesterday's practice with the flu) and Dan Ellis (who left practice early with groin issues) will be available tonight. Center Ben Maxwell, who the Ducks plucked off waivers last week, is also available after securing his work visa and getting into Orange County yesterday. But as Carlyle said yesterday, "It’s a little bit unfair to expect him to jump into your lineup off an airplane tonight.” Niklas Hagman, whom the Ducks claimed off waivers yesterday, will not be in the lineup tonight and probably not tomorrow night back at Honda Center, as he too has to get his work visa. Hagman, like Maxwell, will have to fly to Canada and fill out the proper paperwork at a U.S. consulate. Hagman, who has skated with the team the last two days, said yesterday, "I'm happy to be here. Obviously I need a little bit of a fresh start for my career. It's a good place to come. ... Hopefully I'll get my visa thing settled and I get to play." Teemu Selanne, Hagman's teammate on a number of Finnish national teams, said of Hagman, "He’s an unbelievable skater. Fast. Strong like a bull. Brings a lot of energy. And you know what? He can score goals. He has really good skills and sometimes doesn’t get enough credit. I believe it’s just a confidence thing. He’s going to be a big help for us.” That help will have to come later, as right now Hagman will be watching these two crucial games with the Kings like the rest of us. (I will, by the way, be at Staples Center tonight doing a live game log if anyone is interested.) As far as the importance of these next two nights, this comment came from Cam Fowler came after the Ducks fell to Minnesota Sunday night, but it's worth repeating: "We should be going into those two games like Stanley Cup Game 7. It's a big rivalry. Playing those guys back-to-back, home-and-home, it could get us going in the right way or it could set us back again. We have to be ready."

Rollercoaster Weekend

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:26:00 EST

It can be a finicky game, this hockey. And the Ducks proved that during an up-and-down weekend. Friday night Anaheim played two good periods against the Canucks and came away with a 4-3 win. Last night they played two good ones against the Wild, and lost 3-2. But it was the timing of those two good periods, not just the end result, that made those two games seem worlds apart. Friday night, following a scoreless first, the Ducks raced out to a 4-0 lead (thanks in part to a game-changing elbowing major by Aaron Rome on Devante Smith-Pelly) and barely hung on for dear life through a three-goal third period by the Canucks. Last night, a rough first period in which the Wild scored three unanswered left the Ducks in a hole they could never recover from, and Cam Fowler goals in the second and third periods were not quite enough. Fowler scored the second one (his second of the year) with less than a minute left in the third and the Anaheim net empty, but the Ducks couldn't repeat the feat over the last 52 1/2 seconds. (Meanwhile, the clang of the left goalpost is still ringing in our ears as two Teemu Selanne efforts to get the Ducks closer in the second chipped the red paint but didn't go in.) After another tough loss, it was Fowler -- the 19-year-old with the poise of a man twice his age -- who encapsulated the sentiment surrounding this team and its tendency to get off to bad starts. "It’s up to us in here to figure out what is going on with the start of our games," a downtrodden Fowler said. "Especially with this big home stretch here, we should be excited to play and ready to go in the first period. It just seems like one bad bounce after the other. We just put ourselves so far behind. The next thing you know, the next two periods we have to claw out of it. "On paper, you look at this team and we should be doing a lot better than we are. Paper only says so much. It’s up to us right now to rally around each other." While the Ducks erupted for a four-goal second period Friday night against the conference champs, their season-long lack of goal-scoring was addressed this morning when they claimed veteran Niklas Hagman off re-entry waivers. The 31-year-old Hagman is a three-time 20-goal scorer who was off to a slow start in Calgary, with just a goal and three assists so far this year. But he's a proven scorer who had 27 goals with Dallas four seasons ago and 25 with Toronto and Calgary in 2009-10. Last year he had 11 goals in 71 games with the Flames. Hagman was originally placed on waivers last Thursday, went unclaimed and ended up in Abbotsford of the AHL. When he was placed on re-entry waivers, the Ducks nabbed him, meaning they will take on a prorated half his salary and the Flames will pick up the other half. Hagman is already familiar with a few Ducks, having played on a couple of Finnish Olympic teams with Selanne and Saku Koivu and on Swiss team HC Davos with Jonas Hiller during the lockout. We'll have more on Hagman later today, including how soon he can join the team. To make room for him, the Ducks reassigned Peter Holland, who had his first NHL goal Friday night vs. Vancouver, eliciting one of the cooler quotes of the season. "I don’t think I could feel my legs when it went in the net," Holland said. "It was pretty cool. I kind of decided that I want to do that again. It was pretty special and something I will never forget. To score it on Luongo, one of the best goalies in the league, that adds to it as well." Meanwhile, it was another Ducks youngster, Fowler, who vocalized how the Ducks need to approach their next two games -- back-to-back Freeway Face-Off battles with the Kings on Wednesday at Staples Center and Friday back home. "We have to put some wins together now, and it starts on Wednesday," Fowler said. "We should be going into those two games like Stanley Cup Game 7. It’s a big rivalry. Playing those guys back-to-back in a home-and-home, it could get us going in the right way in a position direction or it could set us back again. We have to be ready."

Let's Try This Again...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:29:00 EST

As friendly as the Ducks' upcoming schedule already is over the next three weeks -- with 10 of the next 12 in Anaheim -- it's a little more helpful when you consider the road their opponents face before coming into Honda Center. And that may help matters as the Ducks once again try to steer out of their skid. For the second straight game, the Ducks are taking on a team playing the second of a back-to-back, having played the Kings in LA the night before. Of course, that didn't help matters Wednesday night when the Ducks fell to a Predators squad that had lost to LA the previous night. Though Nashville rested top goalie Pekka Rinne that night (his first night off of the season) and he was back in there to thwart the Ducks in a 4-2 victory. Tonight the Canucks come in here less than 24 hours after beating the Kings 3-2 at Staples Center behind No. 1 goalie Roberto Luongo, who will reportedly be in there again when the defending Western Conference champs take on Anaheim tonight. Luongo had a solid night in what has been a slightly off-kilter season for him in which he's sporting a 2.96 goals-against average and a .898 save percentagein 11 games. Backup Cory Schneider, who got some serious time in net when Luongo struggled in last year's postseason, has had better numbers in his six appearances. He was the only goalie on the ice (along with five skaters) at the Canucks' optional skate this morning, but then surprised reporters afterward by telling them he wasn't starting. Winger Alex Burrows, who has been out with back spasms, also skated this morning and will reportedly be a game-time decision. The Ducks also had an optional skate this morning that saw the majority of the roster hit the ice for at least a little time in what was a casual atmosphere. Things were a lot more intense during a lengthy practice at Anaheim ICE yesterday, which was preceded by a nearly hour-long meeting that aimed to find answers. Randy Carlyle was mostly vague about what was discussed, but offered, “You have to eliminate any confusion, any doubt before you can take the next step forward. If there’s any doubt on what we’re doing or what we should be doing in this situation or that situation that they’re presented with, then you try to deal with that right away. And that’s what you always do when you’re in those. You clarify, and try to focus again on moving forward.” Teemu Selanne said a number of players made their voices heard in the meeting. “I think it’s important to get input from so many different guys, forwards, defensemen, centers, wingers, about the system. A lot of guys were talking and giving their opinions about how they feel about this and why it doesn’t work, really. "A lot of times the coach is talking and nobody says a word and then you go on the ice and you think, Well, I don’t know if it’s working. So everybody has to buy into the system. It’s important that the players can give their input. It was good. It was really honest conversations ... a huge step forward.” The Ducks can only hope that translates into a win tonight against a Canucks team that is averaging exactly three goals a game (dwarfing Anaheim's 1.87) and has the league's second best power play percentage. They're currently eighth in the West at 8-7-1. A reminder, tonight's puck drop comes at 7:35 p.m. rather than the standard 7:05 p.m. start, a change that was made for TV purposes.

Not Much Better for the Ducks at Home

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:32:00 EST

The first indication that it might not be their night unfortunately came very early for the Anaheim Ducks. A team that has given up an early first goal too many times during the swoon did it again to the Predators last night, and in ugly fashion. Just 1:20 after the opening faceoff, before many in Honda Center had even found their seats, Nashville rookie Craig Smith made a seemingly innocuous toss on net from below the extended goal line. Ninety times out of 100 (heck 999 times out of 1,000) that puck remains harmless, but this time it kicked off Jonas Hiller's right skate blade and creeped over the stripe behind him, with Hiller looking back in disbelief. “That’s something that can really take the wind out of your sails, especially when it happens to you early in a game,” Cam Fowler said later. “It’s up to us to battle through that adversity. You can tell on the bench that when those goals go in it kind of deflates us. But it’s up to us to rally around each other.” As if one fluky goal wasn't enough, a few minutes later a Colin Wilson centering pass went off the stick blade of Saku Koivu and got past an outstretched Hiller, making it 2-0 very early. And you couldn't help but think of a Teemu Selanne quote earlier in the week, in which he said, “When they score one goal, all the heads go down and the body language goes, ‘Here we go again’. We have to change that.” Things did get better for the Ducks this time, as they got within a goal of the Predators, but never tied it. They did get a big goal in the final minute of the first when a Cam Fowler shot from the point nicked a screening Devante Smith-Pelly and darted over the shoulder of Pekka Rinne. It was an awkward way for Smith-Pelly to get his first NHL goal, since the score was credited to Fowler for most of the game until replay reviews determined Smith-Pelly got a piece of it, which we didn't even find out until much later. Either way, Anaheim was within a goal and on a power play in the second, offering hope that was tarnished when Martin Erat got on a breakaway, was pestered with a couple of stick slaps from behind by Lubomir Visnovsky and was stoned by Hiller. The official behind the net immediately awarded a penalty shot, a call that was questioned by many and became even more painful when Erat whistled a perfect wrist shot into the top corner. Francois Beauchemin's got the Ducks within one again when he jabbed at a loose puck and got it behind Rinne. But one more time our hearts were broken by Smith, who beat Toni Lydman and one-timed a Wilson feed to make it 4-2 Nashville. Thanks in part to another strong night by Rinne, that ended up being the final. The numbers are hard to look at: a sixth straight loss, nine of the last 10 and a loss to the budding rival Predators at home, where Anaheim had owned an 18-3-2 record against them. The more uplifting number: 10 of the next 12 games are at home, a critical time for the Ducks to turn things around. That starts today at practice, and tomorrow night against the Canucks at Honda Center. The Ducks made a move this morning, claiming former Winnipeg Jet (still feels weird to say that) center Ben Maxwell off waivers. The 23-year-old Maxwell played in four games with the Jets this season (no points) and is a former second-round pick by Montreal in '06. He played 20 games in two seasons there, and was traded to Atlanta (now the Jets) in a deal that brought defenseman Brent Sopel to the Canadiens. Maxwell played 12 games for the Thrashers last season. Maxwell is expected to join the team ASAP and be available for tomorrow night's game. We don't know much about him yet, but we do know he has met Justin Bieber.

Home Sweet Home

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:09:00 EST

It couldn't come at a better time, this lengthy stay at home that starts tonight against the Predators at Honda Center. This stretch -- in which the Ducks play 11 of the next 13 at Honda Center, only leaving town to go to LA and Phoenix -- comes in the wake of a road trip that Bobby Ryan called "an absolute nightmare." It comes to a team that has lost eight of its last nine, went down 5-0 in Detroit in its previous game and is last in the NHL in goals scored at 1.86 The Ducks have also played the fewest home games in the league this season with just four (that "home game" in Stockholm vs. the Rangers doesn't count), making this homestand a welcome respite. And you could hardly find a more intriguing matchup to launch it than the Nashville Predators. The Preds, who ruined the Ducks' postseason last spring by eliminating them in six games of the first round, also contributed to making that Ducks trip so miserable. And it is that combination, in addition to some other factors, that has suddenly made Anaheim-Nashville an unexpectedly bitter rivalry. Nashville dominated Anaheim 3-0 last October 29 at Bridgestone Arena, a game that got the Ducks' ire up for more than just a disappointing performance that kickstarted their five-game skid. Ryan Getzlaf was vociferous in his displeasure with Nashville pest Jordin Tootoo and his alleged diving, as quoted by Eric Stephens of the OC Register. It will be interesting to see the interplay between Tootoo and guys like Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who was called for one of the slashes that Getzlaf referred to. Tootoo told The Tennessean newspaper today, "For me personally I know I'm doing my job, and I'm definitely going to bring that tonight." The Ducks, meanwhile, have tried to downplay any animosity leading up to this game. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter right now,” said Teemu Selanne. “The main focus has to be (on us). We have to do our things right and get ourselves where we should be.” David Legwand, the Predators' leading scorer with 14 points in 14 games, won't be in the lineup tonight as he recovers from what is being called an upper body injury. “I don’t think we have a lot of guys who are 18- to 20-minute guys who you can say, ‘go ahead and do it,’ ” said Nashville coach Barry Trotz about filling in for Legwand's absence. “It could be two or three guys picking up five or six minutes each.” Nashville will have Pekka Rinne, who was tough on the Ducks last postseason and in that October 29 game, between the proverbial pipes tonight. Rinne gave way to backup Anders Lindback last night in LA, as the Predators were edged 4-3 in the first of a back-to-back. That win also snapped a five-game losing streak for the struggling Kings (the term misery loves company certainly has rung true for Ducks fans looking up the freeway at their rivals). But as Selanne has said, it matters little what other teams are doing. Right now the Ducks' focus is on themselves, and there is no better time than during this friendly stretch of games. "I always believe that before the big success you have to go through some tough times," Selanne said. "Your team has to heal together, and I really believe this is one of those times. "We have a really important home stretch coming up, so this is the time to take advantage of that and start really enjoying this game. This is the time. I'm really looking forward to playing well for the next month or so and turning this ship around." By the way, if you're at Honda Center tonight or Friday night vs. Vancouver, you'll notice a giant tent taking up a good portion of the parking lot on the northeast side of the arena. The tent, to answer some of your questions, is for the big UFC event being hosted at Honda Center on Saturday and aired on Fox. Speaking of UFC, Dominick Cruz (they tell me he's a big-time fighter) will be at tonight's game signing autographs during the second intermission.

'I Can't Wait to Start Winning Again'

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:45:00 EST

Having just watched them endure a treacherous seven-game, 13-day road trip with only one win and just five standings points, it's not easy to feel great about the Ducks right now. But there is only so much looking back you can do on a stretch where the Ducks lost 8 of the last 9, puntcuated by a disheartening 5-0 defeat in Detroit on Saturday night. Instead, we can find solace in what's ahead for Anaheim, which has 11 of its next 13 games at home, the road games being relatively easy jaunts to LA and Phoenix. And if that's not motivating enough, spend a few minutes with Teemu Selanne and things somehow get even brighter. Selanne spent a good amount of time with a small gathering of reporters today, following the Ducks' first practice after that marathon expedition that ended with the Ducks having lost eight of their last nine. And as only Teemu can, he stayed upbeat while still remaining stern, at times laughing and smilling while also getting serious about what the Ducks need to do to turn things around. And when he was done talking -- but not until each reporter had run out of questions -- it was easy to think this too shall pass, and see things a whole lot sunnier than we did in the wake of Saturday's disheartening 5-0 loss in Detroit. "Obviously it’s tough to lose in this league, especially on the road, you have too much time to think about the bad things," Selanne said. "I always think before you have success, you have to go through some tough times together. I really believe this is one of those times. I can’t wait to start winning again, and turn this around and have fun again. We have an important home stretch coming up and it’s the time to take advantage of that and start really enjoying this game." Selanne maintained that so much of what is ailing the Ducks right now is between the ears. "You know what, everything is about confidence," he said while turning to his more philosophical side. "I don’t care who you are or what you do. If your confidence level is not where it should be, it’s tough to do anything great. When you don’t play with confidence, it’s like you’re expecting something bad to happen. When they score one goal, our heads go down and the body language is like, Here we go again. We’ve got to change that. Right now we need a couple good games as a team, like really good games, to get the confidence going, and after that, it’s easy." There is no better time than the present, with the Ducks staying home (or close to it) for such a prolonged stretch. And it's about time. The Ducks have played nine games on the road (including two in Europe) and just five at Honda Center. "We have this home stretch coming up and this is the time," Selanne said. "I’m really looking forward to playing well in this next month or so and really turning this ship around. I don't think we've gotten close to our best level yet." Selanne said he took a look at the grease board in the players' lounge that shows the updated conference standings and felt good about where the Ducks were despite that brutal stretch. "If you look at the standings, as bad as we’ve played, we’re still only two points out of a playoff spot," he said, and it's true. The Ducks' 13 points has then two back of the eighth spot, just three back of fifth. "Everything is in our own hands. It’s not like we’re behind the 8 ball. At the same time, it’s not like we can wait. Everybody in this room has to do the job as well as they can and not wait for anybody else to do it, whether you play 30 minutes or you play 2 minutes." There is also this: Through 14 games, the Ducks have 13 points. Through 14 games last year, they had ... 13 points. That team finished fourth in the Western Conference. It's cliche to say it's a marathon, not a sprint. But you know what? It's a marathon, not a sprint. "It’s good to remind yourself, as bad as it is, it’s not that bad yet. We can’t do anything about the games we lost, but there are a lot of things to do before Wednesday’s game. We just need to focus on that, win that and move on." Just before wrapping up, Selanne revealed that at last night's somewhat late team Halloween party, he went as ... Batman. Seems about right. The Ducks were missing a few bodies in practice today, as Saku Koivu and Francois Beauchemin were both out with the flu, Nick Bonino rested that hyperextended knee and George Parros sat out after taking a deflected puck to the face again (this time in practice Friday in Detroit). Parros got hit with a puck that caromed off the crossbar in practice and did damage to the right side of his face. Right after it happened this time, he tweeted: Groundhog day today at practice...guess my left I got jealous of all the attention #thisisgettingold and posted this picture. It was revealed this afternoon that Parros had laser surgery on his left eye today to correct a torn retina. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to game action in approximately four weeks. Meanwhile, Randy Carlyle said that yesterday's rain here in Orange County may have affected his team coming off that trip. "Today was a flat day on emotions," he said. "A lot had to do with the rain yesterday. You come back off a long road trip and you're expecting sunshine. They probably laid around, watched football all day and spent the day with their families. Then, the rain comes and that might have put a damper on it." Carlyle tried to lighten the mood by having the team play a little bit of ball hockey at the beginning of practice, then got much more stern when the pucks hit the ice. He could be overheard saying the Ducks were playing "summer hockey" out there, to which Selanne later responded, "I wouldn’t call it that because summer hockey’s fun. This is not fun. I love summer hockey. Maybe it looks like it, but it doesn’t feel like it.” Like Selanne, Carlyle was able to paint a more positive picture of the Ducks' plight. "As poorly as we talk about the results of the trip, we lost an overtime game and two shootouts. If we would have won those, then we'd be feeling a lot better about ourselves today," he said. "That is the difference between what is deemed as a successful road trip versus not having one. It's one goal here and one goal there. Two shootouts and an overtime really turned the road trip into a negative for us. "Everybody needs to feel good about themselves. We're not proud of what is happening on the ice. We want to change the way we are playing. The ownership of our record lies directly with the players and coaching staff ... What we stressed at the end of practice is, we recognize how we've played, where we're at, who is responsible and how can we change it. That is all about us. It's not about anybody else."

Downed by Shootout

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:11:00 EDT

You live by the shootout, you die by the shootout, and for Ducks fans, that method of breaking ties last night managed to break our hearts. A strong effort by Anaheim in the final period and a half against the Rangers at the Garden was sullied by a crushing defeat in the oh-so-fickle shootout. Moral victories aren't worth a whole heck of a lot -- one standings point, to be exact -- but the Ducks can take solace in a second-half performance against the Blueshirts that was leaps and bounds better than what they showed in Washington (despite the fact they scored three fewer goals). The Ducks were all over the Rangers net in the last period and a half, but just couldn't manage to squeeze much past a last line of defense known as Henrik Lundqvist. All Anaheim got was this seemingly innocent wrist shot on the rush from Bobby Ryan that managed to dart past Lundqvist's stick. Meanwhile, the same Jonas Hiller who had a forgettable night against the high-flying Capitals looked more like the Jonas Hiller we're used to, making a number of acrobatic, game-rescuing saves among his 24 on the night. Most notable was this one on a Ryan Callahan breakaway, when the Ducks defense completely lost track of the NYR captain, and Hiller came up big with the leather on a number of other occasions. But ironically enough, the same shootout that gave the Ducks a 2-1 victory over the Rangers last month in Stockholm did the complete opposite in the Garden. The elation we felt over Teemu Selanne's effortlessly roofed backhand was overshadowed by former Duck Erik Christensen and Marian Gaborik's scores on Hiller. Still, the one point gained in that game and the one two nights prior in Washington prove valuable for a seemingly struggling Ducks team. Yes, they've lot seven of eight, but they've gained points in four of six games on this grueling journey, and can salvage a .500 trip with a win tomorrow night in Detroit. Oh yes, Detroit, where the puzzling fortunes of the always-mighty Red Wings has gotten to the point where we're seeing articles entitled What's Wrong with the Red Wings? The Ducks and Wings could probably share some stories, as they too had a hot start to the season, only to see things slow down. They were undefeated after five games, then lost six in a row (including a 4-1 defeat to Calgary at home last night) and are now 13th in the Western Conference (Anaheim is 11th). They're the first team in NHL history to win the first five, then lose at least the next six, a record they're not likely to put on a plaque in the hallways of Joe Louis Arena. But you've got to believe one thing is for certain -- they, like the Ducks, will turn it around. It's just a matter of when. Let's just hope it's not tomorrow night at The Joe.

When Teemu Speaks...

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:35:00 EDT

He's been his team's best player, while at the same time its most outspoken critic. And after Anaheim's last game in Washington -- in which he had a four-point night that defied his age for the millionth time -- Teemu Selanne focused on nothing but the miserable result of that game. Selanne was reportedly livid in the aftermath of a 5-4 overtime loss in which the Ducks surrendered leads of 3-0 and 4-2, and though he was more calm yesterday as the Ducks moved on to New York, his message remained unyielding. He called the defeat "very disappointing, obviously, for everybody..." and went on to define a Ducks team that has lost six of its last seven after a fast start to the season. “I think it’s time for everybody to look in the mirror, be honest if you can be better and what you can bring for the team,” Selanne told reporters after yesterday's practice. “This is not enough. We all can play better. You have to push yourself. We have to push each other. It’s not time to be a nice guy anymore. Sometimes it hurts, but you have to do it.” At 41 years old, Selanne leads the Ducks and is tied for fifth in the NHL with 14 points. His four points against the Caps (two first period goals and two assists) made him the oldest player to score that many in a game since 42-year-old Tim Horton had four assists for Pittsburgh against Philadelphia on Jan. 15, 1972. (Yes, that Tim Horton, co-founder of the Canadian coffee giant.) But that production has done little lately to lift the Ducks out of this mini-slump. "You have to just learn,” Selanne said. “It’s a long season. You’re going to have highs and lows, but it’s a team’s job to find a way to get the job done. You need everybody. There’s no room for passengers right now, especially when the team is struggling. Everybody has to play their best and the effort has to be there every night. If not, it’s bad news.” The Ducks' next chance to turn on that effort comes tonight at Madison Square Garden, where the Ducks battle the New York Rangers (the mere mention of which always makes me think of Mystery Alaska). The Rangers (4-3-3 and 10th in the East) are coming off a 5-2 drubbing of the Sharks on Halloween night. Despite the defeat, Sharks center Joe Thornton said of the Rangers, "They were probably the softest team we played on the trip. We should have had these two points." Responded NYR coach John Tortorella, "It surprised me, and I've never heard a player say that." Click here for more from him. Bigger than that news for the Rangers is the return of embattled Sean Avery, who is back on the roster after clearing re-entry waivers. Avery, however, will not play tonight, according to Tortorella. Avery, apparently, approved of that decision. “Really, the guys played pretty good last game,” he said after his first practice Wednesday. “They had a big win, so I wouldn’t change the lineup.” Good to know. The Ducks' lineup, meanwhile, will be altered slightly since Nick Bonino won't play tonight as he rests a hyperextended knee suffered on Tuesday night. Brandon McMillan reportedly centered the third line in the morning skate with Matt Beleskey and Andrew Gordon. The Rangers are thinking payback after suffering a loss to the Ducks on October 8 in Stockholm, a game in which Andrew Cogliano scored his only goal of the season so far and Bobby Ryan won it in a shootout. Cogliano, by the way, didn't score a point while playing on a revamped second line at Washington, though he was on the ice for both of Selanne's goals and Saku Koivu's first of the campaign. As he tries to fill the hole left by Jason Blake's injury, Randy Carlyle was very high on how that line performed Tuesday night, and Selanne called Cogliano a "good fit" on the wing. It's expected that the trio will be intact again tonight in New York. “Now we just have to spend more time together and get the chemistry going,” Cogliano told the OC Register. “I’m very excited about this.” What would be even more exciting is a badly needed Ducks win tonight, and whatever Selanne might have said in the last couple of days has certainly been heard by his teammates. “A guy like that talks, guys listen and he doesn’t talk a lot so it’s nice when he does," Bobby Ryan said. "A lot of guys need to step up and take charge and do what we’re paid to do or expected to do. The pressure’s that come with all the stuff that we get, we need to live up to.” Said Randy Carlyle of the recovery from that last loss, “It’s time for us to flush that. There’s no better time than the opening faceoff here this evening.” It didn't get mentioned here yesterday, but Devante Smith-Pelly's appearance in Tuesday night's contest was his 10th game of the season, meaning if he were sent to juniors this season (and thus wouldn't be eligible to return) the Ducks have burned a year off his entry-level contract. The 19-year-old winger can't be sent to the AHL because he is under 20. The next significant plateau for Smith-Pelly is the 40-game mark, which would start his clock toward his first year of free agency. Said Bob Murray about Smith-Pelly, "So far he's doing fine. He hasn't regressed at all. He continues to not look out of place out there. Yeah, there's a 10-game decision. But to me the 40-game thing, such as what happened with Luca Sbisa, is as important a decision."

Capital Punishment

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:01:00 EDT

Going into the building of one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and coming away with a point would often be cause for celebration. Last night in Washington was not one of those times. The Ducks, who looked so in control for much of the game last night against the Caps at Verizon Center, had to be wondering how they walked away with a crushing 5-4 overtime defeat. Anaheim led by as much as 3-0 in the second period and 4-2 halfway through the third and couldn't hold it against a hard-charing Caps team that never stopped firing. Despite a shot advantage that ballooned to 40-15 in favor of Washington, the Ducks could have still escaped with a tense 4-3 victory if not for Nicklas Backstrom's rebound goal with just 42.0 seconds left in regulation. And while momentum can often be overrated, the ice was heavily tilted in the Caps' direction, making Backstrom's game-winner seemed almost inevitable. Jonas Hiller, who certainly couldn't have been blamed on that last goal -- as the puck trickled through Toni Lydman to Backstrom right on the doorstep -- nevertheless had a night he'd like to forget. The Joel Ward goal that somehow snuck under Hiller seemed harmless enough, as it made it 3-1 Ducks with 6:37 left in the second. But things got worse when Hiller seemed to have some indecision while playing a puck away from his net, and couldn't recover before Dennis Wideman blasted a slap shot by him. “I thought one of our guys was coming back,” Hiller told the OC Register. “I was a little surprised that nobody was coming because it wasn’t icing. I thought well we’ll take that icing call and I was surprised that nobody was there. And then I thought I’ve go to play it. “The puck just wouldn’t want to come back [to me]. If I knew right away, sure I would have played it right away. That’s what I’m saying. The wrong decision at the wrong point.” Washington got within a goal with 8:18 left when a seemingly benign Troy Brouwer shot deflected straight into the air off Hiller's normally reliable glove and fluttered behind him. Hiller had a number of clutch saves among his 35 on the night, but said, "In the end, I still can’t be happy. Normally those things happen if you’re not sharp enough. It’s always going to happen, those kinds of things. But, yeah, I definitely can’t be happy with the way I’m playing or the way we’re playing right now. I know I have to step it up. It’s definitely a tough loss.” A win in that game, would have been a huge boost to a Ducks team that has struggled on this seven-game, 13-day road trip and has now lost six of seven. Part of that struggle had been rooted in their inability to score goals, something that certainly wasn't a problem last night. That was especially true for that revamped second line of Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Andrew Cogliano, which accounted for those first three Ducks goals -- two by Selanne and Koivu's first of the season. (Selanne, by the way, had a four-point night, making him the oldest player to do so since 1972.) It was during that time everything was going the Ducks' way, a time when an impending overtime loss seemed almost impossible. You had that feeling again when Corey Perry never gave up on a pinballing puck around the net and jammed it through to make it 4-2 Ducks, giving them some breathing room with 10:47 left in the game. That goal left Ducks fans (at least this one) thinking, Okay, that was a little scary but we've got this now. That's what made Backstrom's last-minute goal and his stomach-punch in overtime that much more devastating. All I can remember thinking while watching the Caps celebrate was, I feel sick. (I believe those words may have been used in a text message or two.) And after it all sinks in, the only thing to focus on is what's next. In this case, a date tomorrow night with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. A win there will seemingly turns things around for the Ducks and hopefully make us forget what went down last night in D.C. Well, not completely forget, but certainly make it a little easier to bear.

November Starts in Washington

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:03:00 EDT

Having endured a painful end to the first month of the NHL season, the Ducks can only hope the turn of the calendar page -- and the sprouting of some hair above their lips -- can spark a revival. If it's any encouragement, it's well known the entire Ducks team is taking part in "Movember" this month (check out the photos of their clean shaves to start it yesterday below), something that appeared to inspire them last year. The moustachioed Ducks bounced back from a rough start to the season to go 8-4-2 in November, including a six-game winning streak to start the month. Of course, any such springboarding this time around is going to require more goal-scoring than the 1.91 per game the Ducks have averaged so far this season, not to mention the single total goal they put up in consecutive losses over the weekend. And Game 1 of November is going to be no small task -- a date with the formidable Washington Capitals in a building where they are a perfect 5-0-0 so far. While the Ducks are a tick under two goals per game, the Capitals are averaging a number that looks more like a college-bound kid's grade-point average: 3.78. They won their first seven games of the year before dropping two straight in Edmonton and Vancouver, the latter a 7-4 setback. The Caps still sit four points out of the Eastern Conference's top spot, with a whopping four fewer games played than leader Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the one thing that has plagued them in the past (notably in some sooner-than-expected playoff exits) has been incredibly solid so far -- goaltending. Vetern netminder Tomas Vokoun, the 35-year-old former Panther signed with Washington in the offseason, is 6-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average. He'll be in net tonight, while Jonas Hiller will presumably debut his Movember mask in the Anaheim net. The Caps are expected to be without top defenseman and power play QB Mike Green for the third straight game, as he nurses a twisted ankle. Washington's fierce power play is just 1 for 8 without him. Tonight is kind of a big night for what has been the Ducks' third line for a good chunk of the young season (although that is likely changing tonight, as you'll see below). The trio of Andrew Gordon, Andrew Cogliano and Devante Smith-Pelly have only combined for one goal so far this year (Cogliano's in the second game of the year) and Gordon especially would love to get off the schneid tonight. That's because he spent the first four years of his pro career in the Capitals system, only getting called up for 12 games (and 1 goal) total the last three seasons. Asked about it today, Gordon had a pretty cerebral take on the experience. “Putting together a hockey team’s like putting together a puzzle," he said in a piece in the Washington Times. "You’ve got to find the right pieces. And if they didn’t have a place for me, it’s best for me to go elsewhere. It’s a puzzle and if my piece of the puzzle didn’t fit into the picture that they were trying to build, I understand completely.” Gordon, a natural right winger, has been playing in the left side of that third line, but Randy Carlyle indicated yesterday that Gordon might be switched back to the right side tonight. In today's morning skate, he was on the right side of the third line with recent call-up Nick Bonino at center and Brandon McMillan on the left. Cogliano, meanwile, is probably being moved up to the second line with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. Meanwhile, a decision will need to be made on whether Smith-Pelly is in the lineup for his 10th game of the season tonight. That would trigger the first season of his entry level contract, and since Smith-Pelly is under 20, he can't be sent to the AHL. If the Ducks do send him down, it would be to his junior team in Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League, and he wouldn't be eligible to return until that season is over. “I still think he’s feeling his way,” Carlyle said of Smith-Pelly. “The game (in the NHL) is so much quicker. You have to decipher what’s happening and read at a quicker pace, not only with the size of the people but the pace of the game. I think those are areas in which he would admittedly like to improve. “We still like his size. We like that he’s responsible defensively, along the wall. He does get a little puck-watching when the puck’s down low. His (opposing) defensemen have had a little bit too much freedom up top in his area. We’ve tried to correct that. The biggest asset he brings is his size and his ability to play physical.” Tonight's game (4:30 p.m. Pacific) is the first of six Ducks games to air on VERSUS this season. If you didn't already see it, DirecTV and News Corp thankfully worked out their dispute yesterday and the Fox Sports channels (for us here in SoCal, that's FS West and Prime Ticket) will remain on the air. (I'm pretty pumped about not losing FX too. Gotta watch The League.) As mentioned above, several of the Ducks got a clean start to their Movember moustache-growing last night professional shaves at The Art of Shaving in Washington, D.C. You can take a look at the photos here, including some of the Ducks shaving each other. Said Teemu Selanne to the OC Register, "It’s funny, I was in the middle seat and there’s a lot of people going around. When you have a knife in your throat, you’re kind of worried that somebody’s going to hit the guy who’s doing that. It can do some damage. “I was a little nervous. But those guys are professionals.” One photo that struck me as funny is this one of George Parros. If you didn't know he got hit in the face with a puck a few days ago, you would think this is the roughest shave in the history of shaving.

More Scores

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:15:00 EDT

You can talk about strategy, you can talk about special teams, you can talk about faceoffs, puck possession, moving your feet, forechecking, whatever. Bottom line, the Ducks just aren't scoring any goals right now. In a rough weekend in Nashville and Columbus, the Ducks scored a total of one goal in a 3-0 Saturday loss to the Preds and a 3-1 defeat to the Blue Jackets last night (okay, you could have done the math without me). And as we're in the last day of October, the Ducks rank near the bottom of the NHL with an average of just 1.91 per game. It's a pretty eye-opening stat for a team that boasts a roster with a 50-goal scorer from last year (Corey Perry), an 80-point guy from last year (Teemu Selanne), the top scoring defenseman in the league last season (Lubomir Visnovsky), a guy who has scored 30 goals or more the past three seasons (Bobby Ryan) and one of the top playmakers in the game (Ryan Getzlaf). On the bright side, those credentials are precisely what should reassure us of this: The scoring slump ain't gonna last for long. (My mom would kill me for using that word, but it just felt right.) Last night's loss to Columbus -- just the Jackets' second win of the season -- was a microcosm of what has ailed the Ducks on the offensive end. Yes, Steve Mason had a strong night in net, and looked as much like Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason as he has in the past couple of seasons. But the Ducks didn't do enough to make it a tough night for him. Of the shots the Ducks did get off, too many of them were blocked or deflected before they even got to Mason, and as a result he only had to make 20 saves to earn the win. The Jackets racked up 18 blocked shots on the night, seven of them by James Wisniewski alone. Anaheim also had just 20 shots on the Saturday playoff rematch with the Predators. "It's a team game, and to make up a team, you need all the parts pushing in right direction," Randy Carlyle said. "Right now, we're having trouble generating any sustained offense. We've got to go back to a checking game and a workmanlike game. And I don't think we can say that we've played strong enough in those areas." Carlyle emphasized what us fans are seeing, that the Ducks appear to be trying to make the perfect pass, rather than putting the puck on net and trying to make something happen. "It seems like we want to make the pretty play," he said last night. "We're not simplifying. We try to make plays into the defensive strength of the hockey clubs that we're playing against. And everybody's playing the same way." The Ducks haven't been able to replicate what they did during that run at the start of this month: win games despite not having their best night. During their four-game win streak near the start of the month, they averaged just 2.50 goals per game. "Everybody's going to win when they play their best," Selanne told the OC Register. "You have to win the games when you're not playing quite there but you still find a way to win. That's what good teams do and that's what we're not right now." Hopefully that will change as this road trip rolls on, the Ducks having moved to Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals tomorrow night, then the Rangers at the Garden on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Ducks are hoping today's recall of Nick Bonino might add some scoring punch, as he led the Crunch with 11 points in nine games. J.F. Jacques, who finished serving his five-game suspension over the weekend, was sent back to Syracuse. Several members of the Ducks, including host George Parros, are getting a clean shave tonight at The Art of Shaving in Washington D.C. in support of "Movember." Georgie tweeted today: Really looking forward to a hot shave today to kick things off right for Movember...I hope they have a razor that can cut through steel. We plan to have photos from the event on the website later tonight or first thing tomorrow. “Movember” is an annual charity event during the month of November where men grow moustaches to raise awareness for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. As we've mentioned before, all of the Ducks will be growing mustaches during the month of November in support of the cause, except for Jonas Hiller, who is paying tribute in his own unique way. We'll have more information on the Ducks' involvement later today. But for now, to make a donation visit us.movember.com/mospace/983114/. I was a guest last night on the Duck Calls postgame radio show on AM 830 with host Josh Brewster. You can listen to it below or by clicking here (I did my best to include just my segments):

Selanne's Greatness Takes On a Different Form

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:49:00 EDT

Michael Jordan scored so many points, we sometimes forget he was one of the best defensive players in the game. Hank Aaron hit so many home runs, we forget that he hit better than .300 for his career. And so it goes for our own legend, Teemu Selanne, who has scored so many goals (six hundred forty at last count), we sometimes forget he can pass the puck pretty well too. It wasn't just that Selanne had three assists last night in a gratifying 3-2 win in Minnesota (because let's face it, a hockey assist can come in many ways). It was one in particular that reminded us all why Selanne is so special. Early in the third period, with the Ducks on the power play, Selanne got the puck down low in his patented spot at the bottom of the left wing circle. As soon as he looked toward the net, he saw Ryan Getzlaf sneaking in from the slot, and he floated a pass over sliding Wild defenseman Justin Falk to give Getzlaf and easy tap-in into a wide open net. Not only did he hover the puck high enough to get over Falk, but he got it to land like a butterfly right in front of Getzlaf. It was one of those plays you couldn't truly appreciate until you saw it in slow-motion from an ice-level camera. Nine times out of 10, that pass hits Falk and the puck goes skittering away from danger. But in one flick of the wrists, Selanne was able to put a few feet of air under that puck, getting it just high enough to sneak it through to Getzlaf for the cash-in. Take a look: That play was also a reminder of us just how much hockey is a game of fractions of an inch, and how the greats of the game find their way into those tiny spaces time and time again. That's pretty much what makes them great. Selanne has done it over and over again with wrists shots past a goalie who thought he was in good position. This time, he did it with a feed that created a very important goal for the Ducks in that win. Selanne also set up the goal that made it 2-0 Ducks in the first period, prying the puck away from goalie Niklas Backstrom to set up Bobby Ryan with the chip-in. Selanne's three points last night gave him nine in his last six games. (By the way, he's 41. Not sure if you knew that.) Two of those points were on the power play, a place Selanne has made much of his living the past 19 seasons, but not as much this year as his Ducks had struggled with man advantage in this young season. Entering last night, they were just 4 for 35. Last night, they converted twice, though it was in six opportunities, and they weren't able to put the game away on two different PP opportunities in the final five minutes. "We scored, that's improving," said Corey Perry bluntly. “We've still got work to do.” But they did just enough to snap a surprising five-game losing streak in Minnesota's Xcel Energy Center. Getzlaf was asked about that streak after the game by Ducks TV guys John Ahlers and Brian Hayward. "To tell you the truth I had no idea about that. It's a lot easier if you don't know what's going on," he said with a laugh. Then he joked, "You guys have too much time to read, that's the problem." Now the Ducks head to another building where they memorably lost their last game, Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, the site of last year's Game 6 loss that eliminated Anaheim from the postseason. Up until last night, that April 24 game marked the Predators' last win at home, as they lost three games there to Vancouver in the second round and their first three home games of the regular season. They finally won their first home game last night, 5-3 over Tampa. Ducks winger Jean-Francois Jacques has been a frequent flier on the so-called "Syracuse shuttle," having been sent back and forth to the Ducks' AHL affiliate in the past week. Jacques has simultaneously been playing for the Crunch, while also chipping away at the five-game suspension he was slapped with for instigating a fight in a preseason game vs. Vancouver. He's served three games so far. Jacques and fellow winger Patrick Maroon, who played his first two career games on this trip, were both reassigned this morning, with the hopes of having them play in tonight's game between the Crunch and (Michael Scott's favorite team) Wilkes-Barre-Scranton. With the Ducks touring through the Midwest right now, it's easier to shuttle those players back and forth than if the team was in Orange County. It's that type of issue that has team executives from the West meeting about a possible western division of the AHL, according to a story by Darren Dreger of TSN. According to Dreger: Sources tell TSN several NHL western conference teams are involved in ongoing discussions to improve the geographic challenges some teams face in trying to develop their players from afar. Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Phoenix, Colorado, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary attended a private meeting with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly earlier this month, where the group conceptually talked about the introduction of a western wing to the American Hockey League to ease the burden of travel on prospect players, as well as provide NHL teams with a more hands on approach in day to day development. A Ducks affiliate in San Diego or Las Vegas? Yes, please.

A Wild Night

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:40:00 EDT

It's ironic that on the very same day Jonas Hiller showed off a new mask that honors all things mustache, George Parros almost got his knocked off his face. Just before Ducks practice yesterday in St. Paul, Andrew Gordon took a shot that reportedly ricocheted off the goal post and struck Parros in the face. Parros suffered some cuts above the cheek and near his, well, mustache and had to get stitched up before returning to practice. Later he tweeted the photo at right and this message: Thanks @AndrewGordon10 nothing like getting a puck in the face on a travel day practice….I’ll forgive you this time. Georgie was able to show off the bandaged version of that face in this video where Ducks and Wild players discuss who rocks the better stache -- Parros or Cal Clutterbuck. Parros appears to be fine for tonight's game with the Wild in Minnesota, and according to Randy Carlyle, in decent enough condition to do some fighting. “That’s all part of it,” Carlyle told the OC Register. ”They fight with black eyes. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time he’s had some sutures in his face and has to play. That’s the way it goes.” The Ducks and Wild have an unenviable quality in common right now -- a difficulty scoring goals and a power play that just hasn't gotten going yet. Minnesota is 25th in the NHL with 2.00 goals scored per games (though they've always been more of a grind team), while the Ducks are 22nd at 2.13. Meanwhile, the Ducks come in 4 for 35 on the PP, and hope to get it on track against a Wild team that only Kills 76.0 percent of their penalties (the Ducks are at a solid 90.6%). Minnesota is just 3 for 31 on the power play so far. All of that could be attributed to the Wild still getting used to each other in the early going, as they've brought in a new coach in Mike Yeo (pronounced "YO") and new forwards that include former Sharks Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi. Yeo is reportedly trying something new tonight by dropping Setoguchi to the second line and having Clutterbuck join Heatley and Saku Koivu's brother Mikko on the top unit. Clutterbuck is known more as a hitter than a scorer, but the hope for Minnesota is that he creates room for Heatley and Koivu with some physicality and, let's face it, irritation. "He's really good at annoying people," Yeo said. "Hopefully, he can annoy their goalie, too." If things go the way they did in practice yesterday, the Ducks will again use rookie Patrick Maroon -- who made his NHL debut in Chicago on Tuesday -- on the top line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Bobby Ryan was again with Koivu and Teemu Selanne, while the New Guy Line of Gordon, Andrew Cogliano and Devante Smith-Pelly skated again. Smith-Pelly, who was out Tuesday with the flu is, according to Carlyle, a game-time decision after this morning eating his first solid foods since Monday. Ducks fans may not realize it, since Xcel Energy Center isn't as terrifying as Joe Louis Arena or The Shark Tank, but the Ducks have had a tough time in Minnesota their last few trips there. The Wild have beaten Anaheim five straight times at home, despite the fact the Ducks have scored first in the last four games.

Hiller's 'Movember' Mask

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:08:00 EDT

You may recall that last year the Ducks took part in "Movember" a month-long initiative to raise funds and awareness for men's health issues by growing moustaches throughout the month (even George Parros shaved his and re-grew it). The Ducks are doing it again next month, and last we heard, Parros got every player involved -- except Jonas Hiller. Then came this piece of news: Hiller may not be actually growing the 'stache, but he's paying tribute to Movember in a whole other uniquely awesome way -- through his goalie mask. A website called The Goalie Guild has released photos of a brand new mask designed for Hiller, a white matte that features black-and-white headshots of every Ducks player with different styles of moustaches drawn on their faces. On the back of the mask, a full shot of Hiller himself sporting a fake moustache (see below). This from Justin Goldman of The Goalie Guild, who talked to mask artist Alec Voggel of Airxess: Airxess came up with the idea, as we needed a game-used Hiller mask that would later be for sale because of the big demand. Hiller came up with the Movember idea himself, so as always, he gave us the input, and I had to create the design. Besides the concept, the whole testing to place all the portraits on the mask (it's not only done by airbrush) and the painting itself I have done, while Dan "The Man" gave the mask a nice flat finish and left some parts shiny." I used the style of moustache seen on the Movember website, but in a completely different technique as other airbrushed masks out there. It must be visible that the moustaches are painted with an edding that people can see is added afterwards, just like the guys growing their own moustaches. Each player has a different look, as usual. Meanwhile, Hiller tried on the mask and talked a little about it in this OC Register story, saying, "I just wanted to do something different. I talked to my painter and he said, ‘Yeah, what do you think? We should just do a couple of masks this year. I sent him the whole theme about Movember and guys growing a mustache. “He said, Oh yeah, let’s do something like that. And that’s what he came up with. I think it’s definitely funny.” The Movember folks, by the way, are absolutely thrilled, and one of them emailed that he heard it called "The Holy Grail of Movember." There's more (and larger photos) on this page on The Goalie Guild website. We'll be announcing more on the Ducks' participation in Movember soon.

Oh, Shoot(out)

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:12:00 EDT

The shootout, she can be a cruel mistress, a quick and constant exchange of elation for one side and displeasure for the other. An affair that can make one side quickly forget the 65 minutes of work that led into it, and can make the distance between one standings point and two seem like miles apart. The Chicago Blackhawks endured that last Saturday night, when a two-goal comeback against the Avalanche was spoiled by a late tying Colorado goal and the subsequent shootout loss. Three days later, Chicago enjoyed the opposite sensation, their shootout glory becoming Anaheim's anguish. Here's how the night went for the Ducks: They led the Hawks 2-1 in the third period, gave up a tying goal, had chance after chance to re-take the lead and couldn't do it, and nearly lost the game in overtime at the very last second. A lost faceoff in their own end with 2.4 seconds left became Marian Hossa's last-dash shot, the sounds of the puck hitting the far post and the horn piercing the air in United Center almost simultaneously. That would have been a harsh way to lose that game, but the subsequent shootout wasn't any more palatable, as only Teemu Selanne connected on his attempt while Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were each denied by Corey Crawford. At the other end of the rink, Jonas Hiller was able to stonewall Dave Bolland, but couldn't stop Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the latter clinching it for Chicago. Granted, the Ducks played well for the most part and gained a valuable point on the road against a very strong team in a hostile building. But some frustration came from the opportunities the Ducks had to put the game away and didn't capitalize. The team that last year was third in the NHL in power play percentage, wasn't able to convert on three different opportunities in the third period, including one that lasted nearly the entire final two minutes of regulation. "I'm not very happy about our power play so far," Teemu Selanne, who scored his 640th career goal on the night, told the OC Register. "We've been in the top three in the league the last, how many years? We got the one power play goal tonight, but the PP can win games and we have to do a better job. We have all the tools. It's just a matter of time to get the job done." Indeed, the Ducks are just 4 of 35 on the power play so far this year. It's a mystifying number for a team that trots out a first unit that includes a future Hall-of-Famer with 640 goals (Selanne), one of the best playmakers in the game (Getzlaf), the reigning MVP (Perry), one of the hardest shots in the game (Visnovsky) and a young D who sees the ice so well (Fowler). Meanwhile, a guy who has scored 30 goals in three straight seasons (Ryan) and another premier playmaking center (Koivu) is on the second unit. It's that type of personnel that makes it imminent that the Ducks power play will turn it around. It's just a matter of when. "We just have to take more pride and make it work because we know how important it is," Selanne said. "We've just tried to make too many passes. I think it's time to get back to the simple stuff and get more quality shots, more action around the net. That's one area where we really want to improve. It's going to be very important." Said Ryan to the OCR, "That top unit obviously carried us to that third ranking. They may not be clicking right now but you just keep the faith in them. Obviously they move the pucks around and they get that one chance. When the pucks moving for those five guys, they’re going to go in the net eventually.” We can only hope that comes soon on this seven-game trip, which carries on tomorrow night in Minnesota.

Road Warriors

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:48:00 EDT

It's a mother of a road trip the Anaheim Ducks are currently on, and it's not the easiest place to start it. Sure, Chicago is a great town to visit, but this is a work trip for the Ducks, who open this seven-game extravaganza against a good Blackhawks team in a tough building. Those Hawks are coming off a disappointing 5-4 loss to Colorado on Saturday night, in which they spoiled a big comeback by giving up the tying goal with 1:48 left in regulation and fell in a shootout. Still, they have scored at least a standings point in six straight games. The Ducks, of course, have some recent disappointments of their own, having dropped their last two games, to division rivals Dallas and Phoenix. And Randy Carlyle has responded to those losses by doing some line shaking, incorporating the recently recalled Patrick Maroon into a pretty high-profile spot. Maroon, who joined the team in Chicago after coming up from Syracuse, skated yesterday with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the top line. Bobby Ryan was moved to the second line with the Finns. When asked yesterday if the big Maroon would indeed be in the lineup to make his NHL debut against the Blackhawks, Carlyle said, "”We usually don’t bring a player up and not play him. Now is it tomorrow night? Well, maybe. He will see some action on the road trip.” Said Maroon, who had four goals and four assists with the Crunch in just six games, told the OC Register, “It’d be really exciting. Obviously it would be my first NHL game. Playing my first NHL game with Getzlaf and Perry would be pretty cool too. If I play, I know what I need to do. If I don’t, things happen. Maybe next time. I’m out there to fight and show them I want to be here.” Whether Maroon stays on that line to start the game remains to be seen, and Carlyle has never hesitated to do some mid-game jumbling too, as he did against Phoenix on Sunday. Tonight, by the way, is Carlyle's 500th NHL game as a coach (all with Anaheim). As far as that third line of Gordon, Cogliano and Smith-Pelly goes, they were together in practice yesterday and there was some discussion of how long DSP will stay with the big club. The 19-year-old has two more games before hitting the noted 10-game mark. If the Ducks did send him to juniors after the 10 games, it would burn a year on his existing three-year contract. (A demotion to juniors would mean he couldn't come back up until his season with Mississauga ended.) Randy Carlyle spoke about that topic as well yesterday, saying, "I think there’s a misconception that he has to go back. So there’s always this barrier thats put on the 10-game mark to save the organization a year before free agency. Let’s wipe that out. We try to do an analysis. Is he making a contribution to our group? “He’s been a steady player. He’s had some up and downs. He’s been in some situations where he does excel at if he stays on the body and plays that neat and tidy game. The other thing, as I’ve stated before, is he has to make a contribution on the offensive side of it at some point. And that’s not any different than any other member of our third and fourth lines.” After tonight, the Ducks continue a trip that, while daunting, is friendlier than it could have been schedule-wise. Aside from a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back at Nashville and at Columbus, the Ducks have a day off between every game on this trip, which finishes with Washington on Nov. 1, Rangers on the third and Detroit on the fifth. Then it's another four days before taking on Nashville at home on the ninth. For a closer look at each of the destinations on the trip, take a look at Matt Vevoda's piece here on the website.

Pacific Blues

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:53:00 EDT

The game giveth and the game taketh away - Gretzky 1:99 The euphoria of a four-game winning streak in the early part of this season was quickly replaced by the despair of a rough, two-loss weekend for the Anaheim Ducks. And oh yeah, we were reminded of just how brutal the Pacific Division is going to be once again. Coming off two straight wins against the team that's usually firmly planted atop the Pacific -- the San Jose Sharks -- the Ducks suffered defeats to two teams that weren't considered by most to be division title contenders. A 3-1 loss to Dallas on Friday night was followed up by a 5-4 defeat to Phoenix yesterday evening, two games that had something in common for the Ducks -- a goalie that may have stolen the game. Friday night it was the Stars' Kari Lehtonen, who would only "let one in" in stopping 35 shots. Last night it was Mike Smith, Phoenix's answer to the departure of Ilya Bryzgalov, who made 29 saves on the night. At least two of them were absolute robberies of apparent Ducks goals, like this one on Bobby Ryan halfway through the third. It says something that Smith was named the game's Second Star, despite giving up four goals. It's a tribute to the Ducks attack, which unlike Friday night, made a game of it until the final seconds. That was thanks in part to the work of Ryan Getzlaf, who the uninitiated Honda Center spectators might think is nicknamed "Shoot It!" judging by what the fans scream every time he touches the puck. Getzlaf showed why last night, when he displayed that lethal wrist shot of his and got the Ducks within a goal at 5-4 with a 1:08 left and their own net empty. (It was the second of the night, and the season, for the Ducks captain.) Unfortunately, the Ducks would get no closer despite a mad scramble in the final minute, and suffered the rare fate of scoring four in your own building and taking the L. Jonas Hiller, who had been spectacular during Anaheim's four-game streak, was in there for that three-unanswered ambush by the Coyotes that all but put the game away. The backbreaker was Keith Yandle's strike that made it 5-2 Yotes, which came seconds after Hiller put his arm up to signal an impending icing, only to have none called when the Ducks touched it. On the bright side, backup Dan Ellis looked very solid in Hiller's place, giving up no goals in his period and a half of work. "Jonas has been a stalwart for this hockey club and he's been probably our MVP in a lot of games, so it's hard to point the finger," Randy Carlyle said. "I'm sure he'd like to have some of them back." In Hiller's defense, he didn't have the D in front of him that shined so brightly in the early going for Anaheim. In those games, it was all about a stingy defense while the Ducks scorers tried to find their way. Last night, the attack flourished (even defenseman Kurtis Foster got a goal in his first game of the year) while the backend gave up five goals. Now the Ducks will look to get both of them sharp at the same time, but they'll do it far away from the friendly confines of Orange County. The team left this morning for Chicago, part of a seven-game, 13-day road trip that starts tomorrow night against the Blackhawks. And has been the case in the past, the Ducks are hoping that the comraderie that life on the road brings will be a boost for them in this still-young campaign. It's a trip that includes those Stanley Cup champs from two seasons ago, the team that knocked the Ducks out of the playoffs last year in Nashville, the undefeated Washington Capitals and a little squad called the Detroit Red Wings. The Ducks are back here on November 9, also against Nashville. "I wish we would have had a better game to send us off," Getzlaf said. "Maybe that is what we need is to get out on the road as a group, take advantage of this time together and work toward a bigger goal." Andrew Cogliano told the LA Times, "I know it's still early; we've only played seven games. But this is a trip you can definitely use to see what way your season is going to go. Like I said before, you tend to play more simple on the road. Less complicated is exactly what we need right now." In between those two games last weekend was a Saturday practice at Honda Center, which blended into the annual Face-Off Fest. The event held exclusively for season ticket holders included the chance to meet Ducks players, get autographs, skate on the ice, tour the locker room and other assorted goodies. A couple highlights included this woman's tattoo of Teemu Selanne, which he signed (I assume she'll get the signature tattooed as well.) Selanne, by the way, stuck around for a good 20 minutes after other players had left to sign more autographs for those who had been too far back in his line. (Honestly, it's little wonder why this guy is so popular. Bobby Ryan was also great with each person who came to his table.) Another popular Duck, George Parros, had this exchange with me during the event as I noticed his line was moving slowly because he took so much time with each fan. Me: "Georgie, your line is moving too slow. Pick it up a little." George: "It's quality, not quantity, Brady. Each fan gets a unique experience." Then he proceeded to drag his Sharpie across the back of my hand. For a guy who punches people in the face for a living, I suppose it could have been worse. Check out some more photos from the event.

Die Hard Ducks Fans Get Some Love

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:52:00 EDT

If you haven't seen it yet, this video was played at Honda Center during the home opener, featuring some of the Ducks' most passionate fans getting ready for a game. The tennis balls (husband and wife who attend every home game clad in flourescent yellow hoodies) are prominently featured.

Skating with the Stars

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:39:00 EDT

So, I guess we're going to do this whole "the Western Conference is brutally tough" thing all over again this year, huh? To wit, the Anaheim Ducks have raced out to a 4-1-0 record, the best start through five games since their Cup season of 2006-07. And what has it gotten them so far? Sixth place in the West and third in their own division. Seriously?? That's what 4-1 gets you these days??? That's like climbing Mt. Everest and seeing five guys already there waiting for you at the top, clinking Miller Lite bottles together. The leader of the Pacific, the Dallas Stars, are owners of an even glossier 5-1-0 start and a four-game winning streak that matches Anaheim's. Meanwhile, Jonas Hiller's 1.71 goals-against average and .938 save percentage are impressive -- but not quite as good as Stars backstop Kari Lehtonen's 1.58 and .953. The good news is, we're going to get a close look at just how good Lehtonen and his Stars really are, when they're in this building tonight for another intriguing intra-division battle. If this matters to you, Hiller is 4-3-1 with a 2.40 GAA and .933 save percentage in his career against the Stars. Lehtonen is 3-4-2 in vs. the Ducks with a 3.21 and .898. As much as the Ducks have struggled with their starts the past few seasons, Dallas' 5-1-0 mark is the second straight season they've done that (they just missed the postseason on the final day last year). That team has a slightly different look this season, with rookie coach Glen Gulutzan (thank you, copy and paste) taking over after coaching the AHL's Texas Stars the last two seasons. And while the summer loss of Brad Richards to the Rangers was a big blow, if obviously hasn't hurt Dallas much so far. They still have scorers like Mike Ribeiro, Loui Eriksson (both notorious Duck killers), Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn. And they brought in veteran Sheldon Souray and his booming shot for a one-year deal over the summer. Souray is an interesting story, as he was placed on waivers by the Oilers last season and cleared (partly because of his big salary cap hit). He was assigned to the Hershey Bears, Washington's AHL affiliate, where he was a teammate of our own Andrew Gordon. The Oilers tried to trade him at the deadline last year and didn't, and Dallas signed him in July. So far it's been a good move, as Souray has a goal and four assists in six games. Souray, who has battled a number of injuries in his career, missed practice yesterday with a wrist problem. But Gulutzan said he'll be in the lineup tonight after getting a shot in the area. The Ducks are possibly getting their own banged-up defenseman back tonight, as Kurtis Foster is reportedly available. He's missed the entire regular season after having a wire removed from his thigh, but Randy Carlyle called him "an option for us in these games." The problem is, the Ducks defense has been so solid, there may not be a spot for him among the D corps of Visnovsky-Lydman, Fowler-Beauchemin and Sbisa-Brookbank. "When you have healthy bodies and you have people that have played to a high level, these decisions become more difficult,” Carlyle said. The Stars, by the way, were outshot 40-18 in their win Tuesday night in Columbus and have been outshot 134-100 during their four-game roll.

Simmons Gets it Right

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:59:00 EDT

Bill Simmons of ESPN.com and the new Grantland website wrote a piece recently on the NBA lockout, noting that he's given up his Clippers season tickets and bought Kings tickets instead. Now, while I can't endorse that choice over the Ducks (granted, he does live in LA), I did enjoy his take on why hockey is so entertaining: I realized something during last night's Kings-Blues game: I have never not enjoyed myself at an NHL game. I mean, what's not to love? It's a sport with the best in-game format (long period, long break, long period, long break, long period, go home), best regular-season in-game wrinkle (the shootout), best secretly awesome moment (any fight), highest percentage of "most likable players" (hands down), and highest percentage of "true fans in attendance" of the four major sports (indisputable). They fixed many of the sport's problems, made it better, and now we're here. This video that was shot for the NHL Premiere game in Helsinki recently debuted in-arena at Honda Center and it's a beauty. My favorite part is how the script requires the players to say "Hey..." before they try "Pass me the puck" in Finnish. And, no surprise, George Parros shines in this thing.

They Don't Come Much Tougher Than Beauch

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:33:00 EDT

The most welcome sight during the Ducks' return to practice this afternoon was not the practice itself, but what went on afterwards. There was Francois Beauchemin, surrounded by about a half dozen reporters in the Ducks locker room, talking and laughing about the incident in San Jose that could have turned disastrous. For those of us who were watching at the time it was a horrifying site -- Beauchemin taking a 90 mile-per-hour Dan Boyle slap shot to the face, going down in a heap then being helped off the ice with blood pouring from his head onto the sheet of ice. But thanks to the visor that Beauchemin wears full-time (and frankly, every hockey player should) what could have been a catastophe instead ended up being 10-12 stitches to the cut above Beauchemin's left eye. And the tough-as-nails defenseman was back out on the ice with four minutes left in the game, playing a major role in the Ducks hanging on for a 3-2 win over the Sharks. At one point late in the third, with Dan Ellis scrambling to get back in position, Beauchemin guarded the left post and kicked away a puck that could have led to the tying goal. Beauchemin told the story of the puck incident today, starting with what he saw on the play. "All I could see was the puck coming 90 miles an hour and I didn't have time to react and move away," he said. "It hit my visor and I just went down. In that fraction of a second you have time to think, Oh my God. Did something bad happen? Is my eye okay? "I took my helmet off and opened my eyes and I could see. I had time to worry about my eye for like a fraction of a second. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was able to see. I saw blood coming down but I knew it wasn't bad." See, that's a hockey player for you. A cut above your eye from a speeding puck can be considered "not bad." For Beauchemin, the focus was on getting right back out there. "I knew it was 3-2 and there wasn't much time left," he said. "I think when I went in there was eight or nine minnutes left. I knew there was a timeout after the 6-minute mark, so I told the doc, 'Let's hurry up and get me back out there.'" One reporter mentioned that there was a rumor that Beauchemin actually ran down the tunnel to get back in the game. "Who said that?" he laughed, acknowledging it was true. " Yeah, I wanted to hurry up and get back before they started to play again. Sometimes the play goes 2 or 3 minutes without a timeout." But before he could do that, the doctor attending to Beauchemin had to run him through a sequence of tests to determine if he had a concussion. "They asked me some pretty hard questions, like saying the months of the year backwards," Beauchemin said with a chuckle. "That was the first one they did. I was like, 'Come on, give me an easier one than that.' I actually missed March. "After that he asked me who we played last, where we were, what was the score, what time the game was. I told him we played St. Louis and won 4-3 last night at home. He asked what happened before the play, and I said I was battling in front and it was a D-to-D one-timer. I remembered everything, no headaches, nothing. When the doctor told me it was just a cut, and I felt alright, I knew I just needed to get stitched up and go back out there. There were no broken bones or pain at all." Of course, this isn't the first time that the toughness of the guy some call "Boom Boom" has gone down in Ducks lore. There was the fight with Jarome Iginla in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, a fight Beauchemin won decidedly to (as many believe) turn the tide of that series. Ironically enough, it was Beauchemin who took off his visor for that fight and encouraged Iginla to do the same. There was the fight Beauchemin won decidedly over Tomas Kopecky of the Red Wings in Game 4 of an extremely tense playoff series with the Red Wings in 2009. And there was this one that isn't as well known, against Minnestoa in the first round of the Cup run in 2007. Beauchemin took a deflected puck to the face in Game 3 of that series, suffering a cracked jaw, an inch-long gash on the right side of his chin (a scar you can still see today) and a lost tooth. He had a plate surgically inserted into his jaw on a Monday, missed Game 4 the next day and was back for Game 5 another two days later with a clear protective wraparound facemask. Not only did he play a game-high 28:32 in that game and take four shots on goal, but he got into this scrap with Marian Gaborik after a whistle. The scuffle turned into a shoving match, but escalated when Beauchemin went after Gaborik for throwing a punch at his head. It's that kind of toughness -- not to mention a rocket of a slapshot -- that has made Beauchemin so esteemed by fans, teammates and coaches during two separate runs with the Ducks. And after fearing the worst when that hairy moment went down Monday night, it's awfully encouraging to see him left with only with a few stitches and a heck of a good story.

Fear Factors

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:39:00 EDT

When you care about your hockey team -- I mean, truly care -- your typical big game is more than just 2 1/2 hours of sporting entertainment. It's varying levels of fear, angst and nervousness that only dissipates when that final horn sounds and your goalie is being patted on the helmet by his teammates. It starts all over again the next time your team plays, and yet we willingly accept this constant tension -- even relish it -- because that's what it means to be a fan. I haven't done the research on this, but I'm fairly certain being a die-hard hockey fan takes at least a year off your life in the long run. And that's a trade we're willing to make. Last night was one of those times when a Ducks fan's torment was heightened for a variety of reasons. The Ducks were playing their first Stateside road game of the season, less than 24 hours after a big home win, against a bitter rival that we hate to lose to, in a building full of screaming teal-clad fans that make HP Pavilion one of the hardest places to win in. And they were doing it behind backup Dan Ellis, seeing his first action of the season after playing behind a so-far-outstanding Jonas Hiller. Any tension was slightly eased when the Ducks leapt to a 2-0 lead through one period thanks to the heroics of Teemu Selanne and his first two goals of the year. But the Sharks being the Sharks, there was little doubt they would find a way to get back in the game. And they did, cutting the lead in half in the second period on a goal that deflected off Bobby Ryan's leg. We went through that same swing of emotions in the third. Corey Perry reminded us why he's the MVP when he made space for himself, spun and whipped a ridiculous slingshot into the far top corner. Then Brent Burns brought that nervousness right back by nailing a one-timer to make it a one-goal game. That led to nine minutes of abject dread that the Sharks would find a way to tie the game, as they constantly circled the Ducks net like ... well, like sharks. And it was just before that time that we all experienced a fear of a different kind -- one that has nothing to do with winning and losing. A Dan Boyle slap shot struck Francois Beauchemin in the visor, causing a compression cut that forced him to scramble off the ice with his head down, blood pouring out as trainer Tim Clarke helped him off the ice with a towel covering the cut. The scary moment had fans (Ducks or otherwise) simultaneously hoping he was okay, while also thinking, Thank goodness he wears a visor. But Beauchemin ultimately quelled our fears in a couple of ways, returning to the game with a few stitches with about four minutes left, and playing a major role in the Ducks holding on to that oh-so-slim lead and pulling off a tension-filled victory. Of course, Dan Ellis could be credited for much of that, as 15 of his 41 saves came in that tumultuous third period when it seemed almost certain the Sharks would tie it. And the Burns goal in the third was the only one he gave up that actually came off a Sharks stick. “You don't want to be the guy that loses a little bit of a streak,” Ellis told the OC Register afterward. "In the same way, when you are on a little bit of a losing streak, you want to be the guy to snap it a little bit. You take pride in those opportunities.” Come Friday night against Dallas, the Ducks' streak will be on the line again, as they go for a fifth straight against another division rival. And, of course, we'll be blissfully anxious all over again. By the way, the chemistry-themed intro to Ducks telecasts on Prime Ticket is kind of cool. If you haven't seen it yet (or even if you have), here it is below. I can confirm that Teemu's eyes actually do that (48-second mark). No special effects were added.

Ducks Off to a Nice Start

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:09:00 EDT

The thought came to mind as the seconds wound down on the hanging scoreboard at Honda Center, another Ducks win firmly in hand: You know what? This team looks pretty good. It's still early yet -- very early, in fact -- but let's not let that ruin our joy. The Ducks win when they score, and they win when they don't score. The win when the RPG line gets shut down, and they win when they explode for a typically big night. They win with the power play, and they win without the power play. Last night, in a convincing 4-2 victory over the Blues at Honda Center, the Ducks had all of those things. And here's something else they have: a 3-1-0 record that marks the best four-game start since the Cup season. It's also the fewest goals (7) they've ever allowed in their first four games. Friday night, in a 1-0 shutout of the Sharks in the electric home opener the Ducks reached another milestone. That win combined with the 2-1 shootout victory in Stockholm marked the first time in franchise history that Anaheim had won two straight games while only scoring one goal in each (thanks to OCR's Randy Youngman for providing that stat). It's a tribute to a stingy defense, but it's not exactly what you'd expect of a team with Perry, Ryan, Getzlaf, Selanne, Visnovsky and a power play that tied for second in the NHL last year. You knew it was only a matter of time before the goals -- as Selanne might say -- came splatting out like ketchup from a stubborn bottle after a few beats on the bottom. And what better night than Corey Perry Night for Perry and his top-line playmates to come alive? Perry had a goal, Ryan had two and Getzlaf had two assists and they all contributed to a power play that had come into the night 0 for 13 on the season. The Ducks technically had only one power play goal, but two others came just as the power play had expired or shortly after. Ryan's goal just 2:20 into the game came at the exact second that the Nikita Nikitin (now that's a name) holding minor died, as he punched in a hard rebound off a Francois Beauchemin slapper. And another rocket by "Boom Boom" earned the Ducks a second goal early in the third, just seconds after Jason Arnott's high-sticking penalty ran out. It was the first time this season the Ducks had scored two in a game. After that, the Ducks completely drowned their order of fries (it's a metaphor; go with it) and kept pouring it on. They got their first official power play goal of the season when Perry and those magical hands tipped in a floating puck off a Selanne one-timer that he didn't strike squarely. Then Ryan getting his second goal on a beautiful pickup of a pinballing puck and wristing a shot that just trickled behind the previously sharp Jaroslav Halak. And the way Jonas Hiller has been playing (how's 1.71 GAA and .931 SV% work for you?) behind that very solid Ducks D, you had to feel like this one was pretty much over. And it was, despite a Steen goal halfway through the third that hardly made the crowd of 14,555 squirm in their seats. So, a solid weekend for the Ducks, aside from one glaring incident on Friday night against San Jose. Winger Jason Blake got accidentally cut by a skate blade by Brent Burns in the third period, suffering a severe laceration above the left wrist and will miss three months. The Ducks, who have moved Brandon McMillan into that second-line winger spot for now, move on without him. That continues tonight in a rematch with the Sharks (a mildly surprising 1-2-0 to start the year) under the roof of what promises to be a loud HP Pavilion. That's about as intriguing a road game for the Ducks as you're going to get as early as October 17, and we should savor this one, since the Ducks and Sharks won't face each other again until December 26. Yeah, I know it's early, but for a team that's had notoriously bad Octobers, a 3-1-0 start to the season feels a bit like Christmas already.

Opening Niiiiiggghhhhht

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:35:00 EDT

We're mere hours away from one of the coolest nights this place sees all year, but this one packs just a little more buzz than your typical Ducks home opener. Because of their jaunt through Scandinavia for the first two games of the season, it's the first Stateside game of the regular season for the Ducks. And because of the much-needed rest they were granted in the afterglow of that trip, it's the first Ducks hockey game of any kind in six days. And oh, by the way, the teal is in the building. That rest, while very important for the team in the long run, had been tough for Ducks fans to endure. We're ready for some more hockey, dammit, and we're finally getting it back tonight. There's all the hustle and bustle of opening night among the staff here at Honda Center as well. A minute ago I asked our building operations guy for a new lightbulb, since the one in my office burned out. He looked at me like I asked him for a unicorn to ride around the arena. (I'm thinking I'll get that lightbulb on Monday). It wouldn't be a Ducks home opener without some pomp and circumstance. Fans are already arriving for the "Miller Lite Blue Carpet," which will include live music and Ducks player arrivals. Those suit-clad Ducks will stop for interviews, sign a few autographs, shake a few hands, maybe kiss a few babies. (We'll have photos and video of it later, but follow along on our Twitter page as well.) Once inside, you'll be handed a brand new Ducks Digest (I had to get that plug in)with a couple of pretty important Ducks on the cover. You'll find new and different food, including the Burger Bistro and Outlaw's Smokehouse (I can tell you firsthand that the brisket sandwich with cole slaw on it is fantastic.) When those Ducks hit the ice for the warmup, you'll notice them wearing a special "24" patch in honor or Ruslan Salei. And then of course there is a hockey game, a very important hockey game against one of the Ducks' more reviled opponents. (It's true that familiarity breeds contempt, as this is the first of six meetings between the Ducks and Sharks this season, not to mention the two in the preseason.) Despite the fact their last game was in Phoenix, the Sharks have gotten the same amount of gamedays off as the Ducks have, not having played since beating the Coyotes 6-3. For the second straight game, they will be without their starting goalie (in other words they'll be anti-Antti Niemi) as he recovers from having a cyst removed from his knee. Meanwhile, traditional backup Antero Niittymaki (I definitely copied and pasted that name for fear of misspelling it) is out a few more months following hip surgery. The Ducks, on the other hand, got some good news in the injury realm, as Toni Lydman is expected to be in the lineup tonight. Lydman hasn't played at all as he comes back from a May surgery to repair a torn labrum, but has been cleared for contact for the past several days now. “He will in all likelihood play tonight,” Randy Carlyle said this morning. ”I haven’t talked to him since he got off the ice. I haven’t been made aware there was any setbacks. We were going along the premise that he would be available to us if everything was fine this morning. That hasn’t changed.” If he's in there, expect him to be paired (as he was for most of last year) with Lubomir Visnovsky, with Cam Fowler likely playing with Francois Beauchemin again. Tonight is also the first chance for the home crowd to see the top line of Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan and that second line of Selanne, Koivu and Blake, with both groups looking to get something going after having a quiet two games in Europe. That fascinating unit line of Gordon, Smith-Pelly and Cogliano will likely be together again, and will all be going through something else together -- their first home openers as Ducks. I stopped Cogliano in the locker room today and asked him if the players feel the same kind of buzz for a home opener that the fans feel. "For sure," he said. "You start your first game here, you want to show yourself well and have a good game. It's going to be exciting. It's something new for me. I'm not used to a home opener here and seeing how the fans react. I can tell there is excitement for the season and they know there is a good team here. "It's San Jose on a Friday night, so it's even a little more exciting. It's going to be a good night." Glad we're in agreement on that.

A Chat with Smith-Pelly

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:02:00 EDT

The Ducks have had enough faith in Devante Smith-Pelly to not only give him a spot in the opening night roster but to so far slot him at winger on an increasingly intriguing third forward line. The 19-year-old who played his last three junior seasons in Mississauga of the OHL has meshed well with two linemates – Andrew Cogliano and Andrew Gordon – who are also playing their first regular season games in a Ducks uniform. (For lack of a better term right now, let’s call it the New Guy Line.) The three combined on Anaheim’s only goal in the 2-1 shootout victory over the Rangers last Saturday in Stockholm, with Smith-Pelly’s hustle springing loose a puck that Gordon was able to toss in front to a crashing Cogliano. Although he was drafted by the Ducks in 2010 and went through his first training camp later that year as an 18-year-old, it occurred to me that I really haven’t had much contact with the likeable Smith-Pelly other than a quick handshake. So after practice today at Honda Center, with Smith-Pelly's first regular season NHL home opener a day away, I re-introduced myself. He responded with, "Hey, I'm Devante," which really wasn't necessary. We sat down for a quick chat about how things are going in Anaheim (and Europe, for that matter) so far. You said recently that even though you were a longshot to make the team out of camp last year as an 18-year-old, you were disappointed when you were sent back to juniors. Yeah, anytime you come into camp, your goal is to make the team. It was pretty unrealistic for me to play at 18, but when I was sent back, I was pretty disappointed. I wanted to make sure I had a good season and make sure I put myself in position to make the team the following year. What’s different this year from last year? I think it’s me just being a year older, a little more mature, a little bigger and stronger. I just know what to expect. Last year I came in here and kind of maybe dipped my toe in, rather than going full in. This year I knew what to expect, what the coaches expected of me. All I had to worry about was that kind of stuff instead of everything else. As was the case with Cam Fowler last year, Smith-Pelly is too young to be sent to the AHL, so if he is sent down, it would be to his junior team and the Ducks would lose him for the rest of the season. If the Ducks release him before his 10th NHL game, this season wouldn’t count against the Ducks as a first full season of his contract. How much do you think about that 10-game mark? I talked to Bob Murray yesterday and he said the 9-game mark or 10-game mark doesn’t really matter. It’s not really me looking at the 9-game mark to impress. If I want to stay here the whole year, I’m going to have to play well the whole year. It was good for him to kind of make sure I knew that rather than me kind of assuming that I could play well in those nine games and then have to shut it down. Do you feel pretty comfortable playing with Cogliano and Gordon so far? We’ve been together a little while now and we’re starting to click and create some chemistry. It was a little hard at the start with Gordon being a right winger, and a couple times he came over to my side. We’ve worked that stuff out, and we’re three guys who click together and our styles complement each other. Hopefully we can continue this. What’s your living situation right now? Right now I’m just at the hotel down the street. It’s alright. I have no roommate, just kind of hanging out. I bought an Xbox a little while ago and I’ve been doing that. I'm a PS3 guy. Nah, Xbox is better. I play NHL, Madden. Are you in the current NHL game? I think you are. Well, I don’t have the online in the hotel, so I can’t download the new roster. I should probably figure that out though. What else have you been doing? I’m just doing my own thing in my room, texting Mace (Maxime Macenauer) or Gordon or anyone else who’s there, Mac (Brandon McMillan) or Guenin. We’re all there. We go for dinner or hang out, but mostly I’m in my room just relaxing and doing my own thing. How messy is that room? It was a lot messier before we went to Finland, but the maid cleaned it up when we were gone. I haven’t really unpacked yet. I just kind of left all my stuff in my suitcase. Right now it’s looking pretty clean. At least with hotel life you have a maid and room service. Oh yeah. I’ve probably had room service 20 days straight now, so I’m definitely taking advantage of that. How is Orange County different from Mississuaga? The biggest difference is it’s October and it’s not freezing here. It’s just a suburb of Toronto, a decent-sized community about 20 minutes from Toronto. It’s a lot like I guess Anaheim or Newport Beach without the beach part. The main difference is definitely the weather. Yesterday was so hot, it was probably the hottest day since I’ve been here. I talked to my mom last night and she said it was freezing back home. I don’t miss that at all. Have you been down to the beach at all? We’ve been a couple times. Mostly since we came back from Finland it’s been guys trying to get back to the routine. Guys get back from the rink and we make a plan to go do something and everybody just kind of falls asleep. Right now we’re just kind of relaxing. What was the coolest thing about Finland? I’d have to say being on Teemu’s boat and going to Sauna Island. It was amazing. I never even imagined anything like that. His boat is amazing. Is there a point where you’re standing on Teemu Selanne’s yacht, headed to an island in Finland and wondering, What the heck am I doing here? [Laughs] Yeah. There were a couple of times where I just thought to myself, I never, ever thought I’d be able to do these things. It was all pretty cool. And of the two of us, the one who said, "Thanks a lot. I appreciate it" when we were done talking? That was Smith-Pelly.

Quiet Before the Storm

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:22:00 EDT

The table in the hallway outside the Ducks locker room -- which usually is topped with a container of coffee, stacks of fresh paper cups and piles of sheets containing the latest news clippings -- sits virtually empty. And that can only mean one thing: No practice today. The Ducks hit the ice yesterday -- a day after returning from their jaunt through Finland and Sweden -- but were given the day off today. It's a last modicum of rest for a Ducks team that, starting with the home opener Friday night, will play three games in four nights (this time in arenas they've seen before.) “They are tired,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “You can see it.” Carlyle, who originally planned to give the team yesterday off and get back to practice Stateside today, had a change of heart after conferring with Captain Getzlaf. “He thought it was better if we skated today and then took tomorrow off,” Carlyle said. “We made the adjustment, we have that ability in this building and I thought it was probably a better move than taking today off. It was good to get them back out there.” The Ducks have their first game in the States against the Sharks here on Friday night, an evening that will have the traditional glitz and glamour of a Ducks home opener. The usual red carpet will be transformed into the Miller Lite Blue Carpet, where fans can watch the players arriving between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. before going inside for the game. Sunday night is Corey Perry Night, as Perry will be honored for his Hart Trophy-winning season, and all fans in attendance will receive a commemorative poster (as they enter Honda Center) and puck (as they exit). One thing the Ducks might have this weekend (according to Carlyle) that they didn't have in Europe is the services of Toni Lydman, arguably their best shutdown defenseman last year. Lydman, who continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery, has yet to play at all this season, but saw a specialist in LA yesterday. His possible return is a tantalizing prospect for a Ducks defense that even without him was able to hold the Rangers to just 15 shots in that 2-1 victory Saturday in Stockholm. Meanwhile, d-man Kurtis Foster is still recovering from having that wire removed from his thigh and was described by Carlyle as "rusty" but “very close to being ready to play some games.” Foster's only ice time with the Ducks so far is a few minutes in the exhibition against Jokerit last Tuesday. Anaheim made a trade with Colorado for defenseman Kyle Cumiskey -- which sent prospect Jake Newton and a 2013 seventh-round pick to the Avs -- with Cumiskey being sent to Syracuse today. Cumiskey is an enticing pickup for the Ducks, as he's played NHL 132 games and led Avs defensemen with seven goals in 61 games two seasons ago. he also played for Team Canada in the World Championships last year. The 5-10, 185-pounder suffered a concussion last year that limited him to just 18 games. "He’s a very, very quick puck-moving defenseman," Carlyle said. "At some point, I’m sure you’ll see him here. I don’t know when. Right now, we’ve got lots of defensemen so it’s tough.” Like Cumiskey, goalie Jeff Deslauriers was also sent to the Crunch, after joining the Ducks for their Euro trip, since they were permitted to carry three goalies. The Ducks caught a break when Deslauriers passed through waivers before his assignment, as the former Oiler promises to be a very strong third option in net.

Swede Finnish to Ducks Euro Trip

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:03:00 EDT

It happened 5,600 miles away from Anaheim, but the feeling reverberated through Ducks fans from Orange County to Stockholm: Stor lättnad. (That's Swedish for great relief.) When Bobby Ryan slipped that unintentional changeup by nearly unbeatable Henrik Lundqvist in the shootout, and minutes later Jonas Hiller splayed out to deny Artem Anisimov, our biggest fear -- that the Ducks would leave this Euro trip without a win -- were assuaged. The Ducks, after suffering a 4-1 defeat the night before in Finland, pulled off a 2-1 victory that had to make that long flight back to Cali so much sweeter. Hiller, playing a second straight night only faced 15 shots in regulation and overtime, saving 14 of them and earning his first win since (wait for it) February 13. In the shootout, his stop on Anisimov came just after a beauty of a kick save on Zuccarello (two names, by the way, that get you a ton of points in Words with Friends). Lundqvist, meanwhile, denied a pretty decent first three in Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne, and it's no coincidence that the only thing the Ducks were able to get by him in the shootout was a shot that definitely didn't go as planned. Ryan, looking to go low glove with the shot, didn't get much of the puck, and the unexpected change of speed fooled Lundqvist enough to get between his leg pads. “I’m going to label that a fortunate miss,” said Ryan, who had a guilty smile on his face as he headed back to the bench. “I’ll take that lucky break any day ... I think if I would have hit my mark I would have missed because he was already there.” Lunqvist's 27 saves included a could of stops from point blank on what appeared to be sure Ducks goals, including this robbery on Ryan himself in the second period after a great Getzlaf feed. And Hiller was perfect until a potentially heartbreaking goal from Brad Richards tied the game 1-1 with 2:15 left. But just as they had done for the rest of the game, the Ducks defense (despite still missing Toni Lydman) shut down the Rangers for the rest of the way, and Hiller did the work on his own in the shootout. Anaheim's long regulation goal came courtesy of the exciting third line of Andrew Gordon, Andrew Cogliano and Devante Smith-Pelly (we need a name for this line ASAP). After an errant Gordon pass on the rush, both he and DSP chased the loose puck down in the corner, with Gordon unexpectedly sending it in front, where Cogliano punched it in. First goal as a Duck for Cogliano, first point as an NHLer for DSP, and for Gordon, further validation for the Ducks giving him a chance out of training camp. The game wasn't a pretty one by any means, with the Rangers and Ducks combining for 19 penalties, 12 of those in the first period alone. All of those penalties could have been partly credited to two tired teams, especially the Ducks, who spent a whirlwind week in Finland before moving over to Stockholm for this game, and arriving at their hotels at 3 a.m. One of the penalties we don't mind, however, was a beauty of a fight won by George Parros over Michael Rupp in that first period. Parros, according to OC Register writer Jeff Miller, was among the first off the plane when the Ducks landed back in LAX (after two flights totalling nearly nearly 13 hours) at around 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning, tending to his wife Tiffany, who gave birth two twins (Lola and James) last week. The Ducks were mercifully given the rest of Sunday off, but are back at it today at Honda Center to get ready for their first game in the States -- the home opener vs. San Jose on Friday night. “I would say (we’re) ready to get home, huge,” Ryan said. “It was a great trip…it was a cool thing. But it doesn’t always necessarily put you in the best chance to win. This team is happy to have had the opportunity, but happy to go home, as well.”

Another Rough Opener

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:48:00 EDT

The last few Ducks season-openers have reminded me a lot of the last season of Entourage. You eagerly look forward to them for such a long time -- only to end up disappointed. For the fifth straight year, our giddy anticipation of the start of the season was mildly spoiled by a rough loss in the very first game. This morning's 4-1 defeat to the Sabres in Helsinki was, oddly enough, the fourth such losing score for Anaheim in those last five season openers (the 4-0 loss in Detroit last year being the only outlier). What little the Ducks were able to get going on the attack and the power play (where they were 0 for 5) was thwarted by goalie Ryan Miller, who not unexpectedly had a very strong opening game. Anaheim actually outshot the Sabres 30-25 (including 11-0 in the third) but not enough of those shots posed a viable threat to Miller, and Nate Guenin's goal in the second period was all the Ducks got. Meanwhile, the Ducks' coverage down low was not sharp, making things tough on Jonas Hiller. That was a major reason for Buffalo's four goals in the first two periods (two on the power play from Thomas Vanek, who had nine shots), which all but put the game away. The good news? Three of those previous four seasons ended much better than they started -- with a trip to the playoffs. There's 81 more left, starting tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. against the Rangers in Stockholm.

Start to Finnish

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:06:00 EDT

Eighteen hours away. Eighteen hours from the moment we've been waiting for all summer. Eighteen hours from the ignition of the 2011-12 season, when the Ducks drop the puck in Helsinki against the Buffalo Sabres and we begin to find the answers to so many questions. - Can Jonas Hiller, who hasn't played a regular season game since a rough outing against Nashville way back on March 24, return to the form that made him the Western Conference's best goalie in the first half of last season? - Can Corey Perry be as good as he was last year? Can his RPG line be just as good, or even better? - Can that veteran unit of Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Jason Blake once again defy their ages (41, 36 and 38) and be a productive second line? - Can the entirely brand new grouping of Andrew Gordon, Andrew Cogliano and Devante Smith-Pelly provide that third line scoring the Ducks have been in search of so long? - Will the Ducks defense -- made up of a core of guys (Visnovsky, Beauchemin, Fowler, Sbisa, Brookbank and soon Lydman) who return from last year's team -- be the force the Ducks need it to be? - Will the few new guys on this roster -- Cogliano, Gordon, DSP, Kurtis Foster -- provide a spark? - Can the Ducks shake the trend of slow starts that has plagued them each of the past four seasons? - Can a team composed of nearly the same makeup that springboarded to a fourth-place finish in the West do it again? Most of all, when they drop that puck eighteen hours from now, at just a few minutes after 10 a.m. in California, will any of these questions really matter at first? Most of us will just be thinking one thing: Ducks hockey is back. Kind of brings new meaning to the words "good morning," doesn't it?

Finnish Lines

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:07:00 EDT

A few notes as the Ducks continue their week in Finland, with the season opener just this far away: - The Ducks used today to play a little pond hockey (or "shinny") in front of about 150 fans from both Finland and back home this afternoon at Hartwall Areena, where they open the season Friday against the Sabres. Players were split into two teams -- Canada and Europe/USA -- and played a two-on-two scrimmage that, according to Dan Wood's story, also included some three-on-three and even one-on-one. “Being a Canadian, I have to say the Canadians kicked butt again today,” Carlyle said. “The Europeans had all the skill on their side, but the Canadians came through again.” Of the unusual practice day, Carlyle explained, "With the schedule we’ve been presented, the number of commitments and the people pulling at us in different directions, we felt it was a good day just to have some fun – just kind of like go back to your roots and play a little bit of shinny." You can watch some video from the day as well as a video recap of the reception for traveling Ducks fans the team took part in afterward. Also, here are some photos from today (there is something about this goalies one that I think is kinda cool). - Temperatures are in the 50s with some rain in Finland, but the Ducks definitely aren't missing much weather-wise back home. It's in the low 60s here with rain all day. (At least that's what weather.com says. I don't have windows in my office down here.) - George Parros' wife Tiffany delivered twins earlier this week, a girl named Lola and a boy named James, after which Georgie tweeted: I guess i'm a full blown adult now, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and girl yesterday. - Just a reminder we have all Ducks tweets from Finland, as well as a boatload of other content on this NHL Premiere page. - Jeff Miller, who has done a tremendous job covering the Ducks in Finland so far, had this story on Teemu Selanne's impact on Finnish hockey fans, notably after yesterday's exhibition with Jokerit. Included the great lines in the story: When the game and the ceremony and the cheering had ended, this is how Teemu Selanne ended the night: But only after first sending a young girl away shrieking with delight because he posed with her for a picture. Only after a man in a Ducks jersey, desperate just to get close to Selanne, didn't notice half of his body was being closed in a gate by a security guard assigned to keep the fans corralled. Only after a kid so in need of an autograph, but with nothing for Selanne to sign, that he removed one of his shoes and handed it to Teemu as he hopped on one leg. - Corey Perry, the reigning Hart Trophy winner (just needed to mention that again) is featured in a lengthy story by Pierre Lebrun (including video interview) that was on the front page of ESPN.com today. - The 2011-12 Ducks media guide had been converted into online form. - The Ducks roster has been finalized at 24 players, with defensemen Toni Lydman (shoulder) and Matt Smaby (thumb) placed on injured reserve to start the season. That means it's official that likeable guys like Andrew Gordon and 19-year-old Devante Smith-Pelly have officially made it to opening night.

Jokerit Is No Joke

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:10:00 EDT

With so much hoopla surrounding Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Toni Lydman returning to Finland -- and Selanne playing against his former Jokerit team -- the Ducks almost forgot one important thing: to win the damn hockey game. According to what we heard on the radio broadcast (unfortunately, no TV for this one) a 3-1 Ducks lead in the third quickly turned into a 3-3 tie when two guys named Riku Hahl and Ben Eaves struck in the third period. But the Ducks pulled out the victory when Corey Perry somehow tapped the puck to Ryan Getzlaf in the slot and he roofed it 1:13 into the extra session. That goal comes at the end of this highlight package, where you'll see Getzlaf's rather subdued reaction to netting the game-winner. Along with that clinching assist, Perry had two goals in the first to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead. Cam Fowler also scored with seconds remaining in the second to make it 3-1. Jokerit, which came into the game 6-0-1 on its Finnish Elite League season, actually outshot the Ducks 33-24 in the game, including 27-16 in the second and third periods. But Jonas Hiller (who went the whole way) made a ton of big stops to keep things close, shutting out Jokerit for the first 38:56. (You could tell by the number of times Steve Carroll gave his patented "SHOOTS!!!" yell followed by a Hiller save.) When Jokerit scored those two goals to send it to OT, and threatened to knock off the Ducks in extra time, I couldn't help but think of the Apollo Creed-Ivan Drago fight when Creed's trainer yells, "What are you guys doing? This is supposed to be an exhibition! You understand? An EXHIBITION!!" More than the Ducks getting the W, this game was all about Selanne returning to his homeland, and you can see part of the pregame ceremony for him on that video linked above. There's something about that shot of him in the tunnel peeking up at the scoreboard that is kind of cool. Also, this photo to the right is fairly spectacular. We've got more photos from the game here. Selanne didn't score a goal in the game -- assuring that the roof of Hartwall Areena didn't literally fly off -- but he did assist on Perry's second goal. "It was a special night," Selanne said. "I really enjoyed being in the game. It was tough for us, but it was a nice experience." (Still feels weird to hear it referred to as "night" when we were listening to the game starting at 9 a.m. Pacific.) This was from Corey Masisak's game story on NHL.com: The 13,349 in attendance got loud when injured defenseman Toni Lydman was announced after Anaheim’s non-Finnish players came on the ice, then it was a roar for national team captain Saku Koivu. Just before Selanne’s name was announced there were some old highlights of him playing for Jokerit on the scoreboard, and the fans began to stand up. When Selanne’s name was announced, it sounded like a goal had just been scored by the home team in a Stanley Cup Final game. He skated onto the ice and waved to the crowd before joining his team along the blue line -- and then he had to wave again two more times because the ovation lasted so long. "It was awesome," Selanne said. "I didn’t really know what to expect, but obviously when I stepped on the ice it was unbelievable. The fans were great, and it was something that I will always remember." The second-best thing about Getzlaf lighting that Helsinkian lamp in OT (aside from the Ducks win) is that it finally signaled the end of the preseason. Now we get into the games that count, starting Friday night against the Sabres in that same arena. That game will be televised locally on Prime Ticket, with the Saturday game in Stockholm against the Rangers (who just put Sean Avery on waivers, btw) airing on Versus.

Ducks on Euro Trip

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:16:00 EDT

When Green Day recorded the song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" I'm pretty sure they were talking about NHL hockey. Over the weekend, the calendar flipped to October -- the month hockey fans wait for all summer -- meaning we can turn our attention from the preseason to the highly anticipated regular season. (Remember that preseason loss Friday night to the Kings? Yeah, neither do I.) For the Ducks, that regular season begins in Helsinki, Finland, (5,600 miles away and 10 hours ahead of California) where they actually have one more exhibition game before they get into the games that count. That's tomorrow morning (a bright and early 9 a.m. Pacific puck drop) against Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League. Unfortunately, there is no TV for that game, but the radio broadcast will be carried live on AM 830 and on AnaheimDucks.com, where we'll also do our best to have other updates. Jokerit is the same team Teemu Selanne played his junior hockey with from 1988 through 1992 and they have won six Finnish Elite League championships (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002). Selanne, who invested in Jokerit in the mid-'90s, currently owns about 2 to 3 percent of the team and their home, Hartwall Areena (not a typo). Boston goalie Tim Thomas' incredible climb from toiling in the minors and Europe before becoming the reigning Conn Smythe winner included some time with Jokerit. Thomas played there during the 2004-05 lockout, his fourth stint in Finland, and even signed with the team in August of '05. But just before their season started, Thomas signed with the Bruins. The Ducks will see on familiar face on the Jokerit side, as Jarkko Ruutu signed with them over the summer and has two goals in the seven games they've played so far this season. This trip hasn't been completely about hockey though, despite the fact the Ducks started practicing almost immediately after landing in Finland Sunday morning (that started after midnight Anaheim time). After that workout the team took a day trip to a place called Sauna Island, half of them via a yacht called "Lucky 8" (see if you can guess who that belongs to) and the rest on a yacht belonging to a friend of the aforementioned lucky 8. (If you haven't heard already, saunas are very big in Finland. Kind of like breathing is big in the States.) In this story by the OC Register's Jeff Miller (who is along with the Ducks this whole week), George Parros said before the trip, "I'm super excited. This island, it sounds like Shangri-La. We're going across some fjord to some spa. Sounds like a 'Fantasy Island' thing. I'm not sure. Are there going to be gnomes out there waiting for us or something? I don't have a clue." Said Selanne of the trip, "This is awesome. There's not going to be any hassle or anything like that because we want to keep the low profile. Low profile, low profile. I try to be a normal guy." Yeah, this photo of the side of Hartwall Areena shows exactly how "normal" Selanne is not over there. (In case you can't tell, that's Teemu's 50-foot-high face hanging from the side of the building.) We've had coverage of the Ducks' arrival in Finland and their preparation at a practice rink adjacent to Hartwall Areena. You can find all of the features, video, photos and Twitter feed of players and reporters on the trip on the NHL Premiere page. Meanwhile, here's a video report from Kent French on the first couple days in Finland. More to come later in the week.

Last Stop Before Europe

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:52:00 EDT

It's the final home preseason game for the Ducks, a rematch with the rival (suddenly Doughtyful) Kings, but for some Ducks it's a little more than that. Tonight could determine whether their next flight requires a passport or not. The Ducks, after having reassigned defenseman Bryan Rodney to Syracuse this morning, have 27 players on their training camp roster. That becomes 26 if they reassign Patrick Maroon, who was put on waivers today. How many the Ducks plan to take on that charter remains to be seen, but they are presumably carrying all three goalies (Hiller, Ellis and Deslauriers) and a couple of guys who haven't played in the preseason yet in Matt Beleskey and Toni Lydman (both recovering from shoulder surgeries). Beleskey appears to be closer to playing that Lydman, as he has been cleared from contact and there was talk about him debuting tonight against the Kings. Lydman figures to be on the trip whether he's ready to play in Europe or not, since he'll be returning to his homeland, just like Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. Another defenseman, Kurtis Foster, isn't ready to go yet after having a wire removed from his thigh, but he did skate yesterday on his own for the first time since that surgery a week and a half ago. Most of the Ducks are on that charter to Europe, but there are a few guys who might be auditioning tonight for one final look on that opening night roster. (That roster has to be cut down to 24 by the October 5 deadline.) Here's some video on that topic, including more from the likeable Andrew Gordon, who says, "I was talking to Bobby earlier and said It feels like I have one game to sort of prove myself, a one-game tryout from here on out. If I was told a month ago that I'd have one game to impress and get on that plane to Europe, I'd take that any day." The Ducks tonight face Kings team that the Ducks beat last Sunday night in LA while suiting up a prospect-heavy team against a Kings one made up mostly of regulars (can't mention this often enough). Tonight both teams figure to have their October-type lineups in there, though the Kings will probably be without the aforementioned Drew Doughty, who just signed an eight-year, $56 million contract yesterday. Doughty headed to LA from London, Ontario (where he was working out) today, and mentioned tomorrow (against the Avs at home) as a possibility when he talked to reporters yesterday. Tonight marks the last time you'll be able to see the Ducks in person in two weeks, as they flight out tomorrow morning for Finland, where they'll play an exhibition against Jokerit on Tuesday and then open the regular season Friday morning (I can taste the mimosas already) against Buffalo in Helsinki. Speaking of that Euro trip, Randy Carlyle compared it yesterday to the one the then-defending champions took in 2007 to London, pointing out why this one is much more palatable to the Ducks schedule-wise. On that trip, the Ducks played back-to-backs against the Kings in London, then three days later faced the Red Wings, Blue Jackets and Penguins in a span of four days -- all home openers for those teams and all Ducks losses. “We got demoralized in the [Pittsburgh] game,” Carlyle said. “That was a choice we made at that time, which was, looking back on it was very very … What would the word be? Ill-founded?" This time, the Ducks get home early on Sunday the ninth, and don't play again until opening against the Sharks at home on October 14. One last thing, if you didn't see the very cool RPG video yesterday by rollingdux, here it is again.

An Extra Satisfying Preseason Win

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:25:00 EDT

Preseason schmeseason, that one felt pretty good last night. September hockey isn't typically supposed to feel that way. You're not supposed to have your heart in your throat over the seemingly endless final minute, frantically swiveling your head between the action on the ice and the slowly ticking seconds on the hanging scoreboard clock. But there were a few factors at work last night that made that game feel more like a mid-spring battle for standings points than the sixth game of the preseason. For starters, with the regular season getting closer, the Canucks iced much of the same team we saw in the Stanley Cup Final last year, with the Sedin twins and Roberto Luongo making their preseason debuts. The Ducks countered with the guys whose jerseys hang in the team stores: RPG, Selanne, Koivu, Visnovsky, Fowler and the rest. And of course, there was Jonas Hiller, whose every appearance in net is under a watchful eye, and probably will be for a little while this season. Hiller looked like his old self out there last night, much like he did in saving all 21 shots last Saturday night in Vancouver. That game, however, came against a Canucks team of mostly youngsters, while this one last night was different. This time it was against the most dangerous Canucks scorers, while playing all 60 minutes and doing it in front of the home fans. Hiller saved 31 of 33 shots, while the two Canucks goals (both in the second period) could hardly be hung on him. The first came when a fluttering puck got knocked past him by a crashing Fowler, the second a Sami Salo slap shot that sailed past the screen of a leaping Alex Burrows just as a 5-on-3 had expired. Other than that, Hiller was simply Jonas Hiller, making a series of athletic stops with the leg pads, blocker, trapper and anything else he could get on the puck. There was one particular save with a little over six minutes left in the second that was extra satisfying, as Hiller made that patented glove snatch with flair on a hard Cody Hodgson shot. It's a site we've seen a hundred times over the past couple of seasons, but somehow -- in light of all that Hiller has gone through the past seven months -- this one was extra meaningful. "I felt pretty good," Hiller said afterward. "It’s great just to feel right, to be out there and get some shots. Everybody was playing good today and we definitely wanted this win at home. "I feel like I’m really sharp on the puck. I’m going in the right direction. There always room for improvement, but that is what exhibition games are for. That is more the team we are going to face during the season. They had more skilled guys out there." Of course, the Ducks had to lean on Hiller heavily in those frantic final minutes, when an Andrew Gordon hooking penalty, followed by a Nate Guenin boarding minor, followed by the Canucks sending Luongo to the bench, created a 6-on-3 Canucks advantage for a good minute. Hiller made a handful of saves, while guys like Luca Sbisa and Sheldon Brookbank each blocked shots. And it wasn't until Devante Smith-Pelly chipped the puck out of the Anaheim zone, and chased it into Vancouver's zone as the clock wound down to triple-zero, that we could truly exhale. Through all that, the somehow were able to hold on to that 3-2 lead, one that was built on the heroics of those big names in the lineup. Fowler got the game's first goal when no Canuck came to him in the bottom of the right wing circle, and he walked to the net before trying a centering pass that clicked off Mark Mancari's stick and got past Luongo. A minute later, Bobby Ryan got his first point of the preseason when he slung a wrist shot between the legs of Andrew Alberts and over the glove of a helpless Luongo. But while those two Vancouver goals in the second erased the lead, Visnovsky got it back with a move that had to be another site for sore Ducks fans eyes, considering that Visnovsky was hampered last postseason by a shoulder problem. That appeared to be a distant memory as Visnovsky provided yet another tagged one-timer on the power play, this one skittering between Luongo's wickets for the eventual game-winner. Again, it was a nice win, the third straight for Anaheim after a rough start, but the focus for the Ducks remains more on what the preseason is for -- to get ready for the regular season. The Ducks have a return date with the Kings tomorrow night at Honda Center, then leave Saturday for Europe. Next Tuesday they have an exhibition against Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League next Tuesday and then open in Helsinki against Buffalo a week from tomorrow. "We’re close," Ryan Getzlaf said last night. "We have to tighten up in a few areas and that will come with playing together. We’re taking the right steps right now and going in the right direction. We had a tough start to the preseason, but we have things going now. We have to continue that on and continue to build." This was sent to me on Twitter today, a very cool (though somewhat lengthy) video tribute to the RPG line, put together by YouTube user rollingdux. A few goosebumpy moments in this one.

A Different Sort of Canucks Tonight

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:17:00 EDT

Jerry Seinfeld used to have a classic line when he talked about the difficulty for sports fans to remain loyal to their teams, with players changing teams so often. "You're actually," he famously said, "just rooting for laundry." I was prompted to remember that line when I think of tonight's Ducks-Canucks preseason game, as compared to the one last Saturday in Vancouver. Anaheim won that game 4-1 against a Canucks team that was resting most of its big names. Tonight, the only similarity about that Canucks team and the one coming into Honda Center tonight is the laundry. Actually, even that's not true, as the Canucks wore their home blues on Saturday and will be in their whites tonight. But coach Alain Vigneault indicated this week that "quite a few veterans" -- most of whom got the night off last Saturday night -- will be in uniform tonight. That includes the Sedin twins, fellow forward Mikael Samuelsson, defenseman Dan Hamhuis, and for the first time this year, Roberto Luongo in net. In contrast to that Saturday date in Vancouver, the Ducks left a lot of their household names at home the following evening, when a team of mostly Ducks youngsters took down a veteran-heavy Kings lineup, 3-1 in LA. "The effort and the tenacity that we showed tonight was a huge upgrade from where we've been the first three games of the year," said Randy Carlyle after that win. "We were pretty good [Saturday] night in Vancouver, but we couldn't really judge because we didn't play against the same quality of lineup we played tonight." The Ducks will get that lineup tonight from the Canucks. And as we get closer to opening night -- with Ducks roster having been trimmed to 29 -- expect to see a lot of Ducks tonight that don't require the names on the backs of their sweaters. Here is the tentative lineup: Forwards Bobby Ryan Ryan Getzlaf Corey Perry Brandon McMillan Saku Koivu Teemu Selanne Andrew Gordon Andrew Cogliano Devante Smith-Pelly Patrick Maroon Maxime Macenauer Brian McGrattan Defensemen Francois Beauchemin Cam Fowler Luca Sbisa Lubomir Visnovsky Nate Guenin Sheldon Brookbank Goalies Jonas Hiller Dan Ellis At the skate this morning, the RPG line skated together while Brandon McMillan joined Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne on the second line. Andrew Cogliano, who has been shuttled between the wing and the pivot this preseason, centered the third line with Andrew Gordon and Devante Smith-Pelly. Carlyle said Cogliano's play at center on Sunday against the Kings was a big influence. "We’re probably going to stick with him as a center," he said, "because [his effectiveness there] was very noticeable." Three players not in the lineup tonight will be Matt Beleskey (getting closer to being activated after shoulder surgery), J.F. Jacques (who was placed on waivers a day after being suspended by the NHL) and Toni Lydman. The defenseman will not play the rest of the postseason as he continues to recover from offseason surgery on a torn labrum. Lydman has been skating with the team, but is still not cleared for contact. He figures to travel with the Ducks to his native Finland, but whether he will play in those games remains to be seen. “He’s not far away,” Carlyle said yesterday. “There is still nothing like playing in game situations. You can practice all you want. There is going to be a certain amount of rust that we all know. But we trust his hockey knowledge and conditioning level and his compete level, the type of player he is.” Lydman, of course, missed all of the preseason last year and the first four games of the regular season. But he bounced back to have a very solid year for Anaheim, finishing second in the league with a +32 rating while teaming most of the year with Lubomir Visnovsky on the top defensive pairing.

A Preseason Weekend

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:52:00 EDT

You wouldn't have thought it late Friday night -- after Anaheim was outshot 49 to 14 in a 5-1 defeat in San Jose -- but we ended up feeling pret-tay pret-tay good about our Ducks by the end of the weekend. And here's why: Anaheim finally got its first win of the preseason (after an 0-3-0 start) the next night in Vancouver -- granted, against a Canucks team that was missing a lot of its big names. Whether it was Vancouver's A-team or B+ team, it didn't matter, because that game had one shining light that had to be encouraging to Ducks fans. Jonas Hiller, playing his first game since March 24 and just his third since February 2, saved all 21 shots he saw in two periods between the pipes. “He’s been seeing the puck,” Randy Carlyle said to the CBC after the game. ”There’s been a lot made and there should be about his ailments that happened at the All-Star break last year. It really took him a long time to get back. What we did was just try to monitor it. He worked hard during the summer. He attended goaltending clinics in Switzerland, he was on the ice for over a month and a half there. He came back to Anaheim and he looked sharp and he has had no ill effects.” Carlyle made it a point to ice a veteran-laden lineup, despite the fact Vancouver hadn't done the same. “We needed a win and we dressed a lineup accordingly,” he said. “We thought we hadn’t played very well in the three previous preseason games. We were doing some analysis of our younger kids. In reality, we were putting them probably in situations that they couldn’t have success at.”Last night in LA, it was a reversal of that scenario, as the Ducks rested most of their low-numbered guys (if you will) and fielded a lineup of mostly youngsters. No RPG line, no Selanne, no Koivu, no Fowler, no Hiller, no Ellis. Among the notables were Luca Sbisa, Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrew Cogliano, Jason Blake, Dan Sexton and Brandon McMillan.The Kings, meanwhile, had a group that strongly resembled their opening night lineup, including the likes of Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Dustin Brown, Dustin Penner, Jarret Stoll and goalie Jonathan Quick. So it was a recipe for a Kings victory, but the Ducks thoroughly outplayed them in their building, scoring three in the second period on the way to a 3-1 victory. "The effort and the tenacity that we showed tonight was a huge upgrade from where we've been the first three games of the year," said Carlyle. "We were pretty good last night in Vancouver, but we couldn't really judge because we didn't play against the same quality of lineup we played tonight. "You've got to give our guys credit. They went out and worked hard. It wasn't pretty but they did a lot of the little things it takes to win in the NHL." Ironically, the guy who drew some of the most attention last night was one who was playing in his third straight game -- one Andrew Gordon -- who was all over the rink, scored his team-leading third goal of the preseason and continued to make a strong push to make this team out of camp. "My game is simple, it's based on work ethic," said the 25-year-old Gordon, who played on a line with Cogliano and youngster Devante Smith-Pelly (also playing his third straight). "A lot of times, you play with a couple guys who work hard and you get rewarded. As a line we played well and you get opportunities offensively. They've been able to squeeze through for me." Of playing three games in three nights (and four of the five so far), the likeable Gordon told Eric Stephens of the OC Register, "Minor leagues, my friend. Every weekend I play like that. Four years I've been doing this ..." Indeed, Gordon (as mentioned in this space previously) has spent most of the last four seasons in Hershey, the AHL affiliate for the Capitals. If he's not careful, his minor league days may be over. "I want to play every game," Gordon said. "I've played four of the five so far, and I'll play as hard as I possibly can. Every time you put your skates on here, it's an opportunity to impress, and that's what I'm trying to do." Gordon's goal last night came with 39.9 seconds left in the second period, when he jumped on a puck in the slot and backhanded it just an eyelash inside the left post. Patrick Maroon jammed in a third goal just 11 seconds later, and behind 32 saves from Jeff Deslauriers, that was all the Ducks would need. “Gordo, you know he can play all the situations and we’ve played him three in three nights,” Carlyle said. ”I think [Devante] Smith-Pelly was another guy, [it] was his third night. Those are great signs for young players. But, still, the step to the NHL is a big one.” But the Ducks' faith in those two guys was reinforced this morning, when the Ducks cut seven more players from their training camp roster. The list of those being sent to Syracuse included fellow right wingers Dan Sexton and Kyle Palmieri (who had Anaheim's first goal last night). Here is the updated training camp roster for the Ducks, who are down to 30 players and will have 24 on the active roster when they they leave for Europe this weekend. The Ducks didn't practice today, but will be back at it tomorrow in preparation for their preseason rematch with the Canucks on Wednesday night here at Honda Center.

Ducks Make Way to San Jose

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:55:00 EDT

After opening the preseason with back-to-back rough defeats, the Ducks are looking to see what they can do on the road. That starts tonight in San Jose, where the Ducks face the same Sharks team that used six unanswered goals to roll over the Ducks 6-1 on Wednesday night. Actually, the uniforms are the same, but it will likely be a decidedly different Sharks team than the one that came to Anaheim. That lineup had no Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, new Shark Martin Havlat, Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic or Antti Niemi, and at least some of those guys figure to be in the lineup tonight in what is San Jose's second affair of the preseason. The Ducks, meanwhile, are traveling with a big group, some of which will suit up tonight and some who will see action tomorrow night in Vancouver. Among the guys on the ice in the primary group this morning were Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Cam Fowler, Francois Beauchemin, Andrew Gordon and Emerson Etem. Here's the entire list, with two of these guys getting scratched by gametime: 4 D Cam Fowler 9 LW Bobby Ryan 10 RW Corey Perry 15 C Ryan Getzlaf 18 C Mark Bell 23 D Francois Beauchemin 25 D Matt Smaby 34 D Nate Guenin 40 D Sean Zimmerman 41 RW Andrew Gordon 45 RW Brian McGrattan 46 D Mathieu Carle 47 D Bryan Rodney 49 C Maxime Macenauer 57 C Nicolas Deschamps 63 C Nick Bonino 64 C Brandon McMillan 65 RW Emerson Etem 74 C Peter Holland 77 RW Devante Smith-Pelly Goalies 38 G Dan Ellis 43 G Jeff Deslauriers Ellis and Delauriers figure to split time tonight, while Jonas Hiller is also on the trip but won't suit up. Randy Carlyle indicated yesterday that either Hiller or Ellis would see their first ice either tonight or tomorrow night. He skated with the second group this morning. Finnish prospect Iiro Tarkki is not on the trip. That Vancouver game tomorrow night, by the way, will be televised on NHL Network. Tonight's game is radio available on AnaheimDucks.com only. The same goes for next Wednesday's Ducks-Canucks game at Honda Center. Carlyle indicated the last couple of days that he wasn't pleased with what he saw in the opener against Phoenix and Wednesday night vs. San Jose. "I look at it as it was an opportunity missed for us to establish more tenacity, more of a lot of things in the games," Carlyle said. "We seemed to be on the receiving end and we were very scrambly in our puck-possession game. We didn't really establish a forecheck. Our hockey club has always been known as a strong forechecking team and we didn't do a very good job in the forecheck." The Ducks did all of their workout off ice yesterday, in preparation for a weekend in which they play three games in three nights -- ending with Sunday evening in LA. Said Carlyle, “Were we coasting in some situations after reviewing the last night’s (San Jose) game? Yes. And those are the mental things and the dog days of training camp that are on us that catch up with you. It’s not an excuse. It’s how we feel. We’ll address that to the players and tell them that’s unacceptable.” The Ducks, by the way, trimmed their training camp yesterday by four, sending forwards Joseph Cramarossa and Rickard Rakell (their first draft pick last June) and goalies Igor Bobkov and John Gibson back to their junior teams. More cuts will be coming in the next few days, but for now the Ducks have 43 players remaining on the training camp roster: 25 forwards, 14 defensemen and four goalies.

Gordon a Bright Spot in Preseason So Far

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:31:00 EDT

It was sometime last in the third period last night -- when the San Jose Sharks were in the middle of a six-goal run on their way to a 6-1 victory at Honda Center -- when I reached for the Ducks Training Camp media guide. Looking for some solace during a game that came less than 24 hours after a 7-4 loss in the opener, I flipped to the pages containing the Ducks' preseason records over the years. And here's what I found: - In 2006, the Ducks lost 5 of their 8 games in the preseason and nine months later were holding the Stanley Cup over their heads. - In 2008, Anaheim went an impressive 6-1-1 in the preseason, and ended up 3-5-2 in October. (Of course, they ended up making the conference semifinals that spring.) - Last season, the Ducks went 3-5-0 in September and finished fourth in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. - Also last season, the Boston Bruins lost four of their seven preseason games, while the Vancouver Canucks dropped five of eight. They played each other in the Stanley Cup Final, with Boston winning it all. The lesson in all this? The preseason means something, but it only means so much. Mostly it's a chance for players to get their game legs going, for coaches to evaluate the hand they've been dealt and maybe try some different combinations. And for players on the fence of making the opening night roster, it's a chance to prove what they can do. One such guy is 25-year-old Andrew Gordon, a speedy, diminutive winger (listed at 6-0) who can put the puck in the net -- and showed a bit of that last night. Gordon provided a spark for the Ducks on a night when sparks were at a minimum, scoring a goal late in the first period to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead that would prove to be short-lived. After a Matt Smaby shot from the high left wing deflected off a San Jose skate, it rolled to Gordon, who was able to scoop it past drawn-out goalie Thomas Greiss. Despite that goal, Gordon was understandably critical of the team's performance. "We went about 15 minutes without a shot on net. We were having trouble breaking out of our zone right from the get-go. We have a lot of speed on this team and we weren't really using it because we were stuck in our own end so much. Scoring the first goal doesn't always mean that you're off to a good start. We have to have a better effort off the puck drop. That is one thing we have to take from this. "We didn't sustain a whole lot. This time of the year is about work ethic. We have to work a little bit harder and prepare as if it's not an exhibition game Randy Carlyle acknowledged Gordon's impact on the game by saying, "He was a player who showed the determination and fire that he's demonstrated right from the start of camp to impress some people." And that's big for a guy looking to earn a spot with the big club, something Gordon had trouble doing in four years with the forward-heavy Washington Capitals organization. He played just 12 games with the Caps, instead spending most of his time with the AHL Hershey Bears, where he became immensely popular as the team won two Calder Cup championships. Part of the reason for Gordon's appeal there was his production, scoring 102 goals and 224 points in 267 career games -- including a 37-goal season in 2009-10 and a 28-goal campaign last year. Part of it was for his friendly, enthusiastic and bright demeanor, which has helped garner him 10,789 Twitter followers (with an ever-growing number of those being curious Ducks fans). Last night after the game, Gordon tweeted, Thanks everyone for all the positivity! Not the way I wanted my 1st game in a #NHLDucks uniform to turn out, but the sun will be up tmrw. I was able to catch up with Gordon after a mostly off-ice practice today at Honda Center to talk a little bit about that goal, his time in Hershey and his presence on Twitter. Click here for that conversation.

Ah, Preseason Hockey

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:56:00 EDT

You wouldn't think there would be a lot of good things to say when the score is 7-4 in favor of the team that's not yours. But there were definitely some positives about last night's sloppy preseason debut between the Ducks and Coyotes at Honda Center: - The score doesn't count in the standings. - Several Ducks looked impressive out there. - Hockey is back. - We're doing it all again tonight. Of the veterans out there last night, it may have been Anaheim newcomer Andrew Cogliano who impressed the most. Cogliano, a natural center who came to the Ducks from Edmonton over the summer, played left wing last night on a line with Teemu Selanne and young center Peter Holland (more on him in a bit). The speedy Cogliano responded with a goal and an assist, the goal coming in the second period when he crashed the net following a Holland shot that handcuffed former Ducks goalie Curtis McElhinney. Not only that, but "Cogs" had a pretty good take on the game afterward. "The first game was a little sloppy on both sides," he said. "It’s tough to get a good feel. When you put a bunch of guys who just came to training camp, guys are nervous and young guys don’t really know what to expect. You’re bound for some sloppy games. I think that is what it was. As camp and the exhibition games go on, things start to clean up." Of playing the wing, he said, "Hopefully I get a chance to play there and we'll see. This was the first time I've played left wing for a whole game, for the most part. I thought I did pretty well. I adjusted, in a good way. As the games go on, I'll get more comfortable." Said Randy Carlyle of last night's game, "It’s all part of the process. If you look at our lineup, we played a lot of kids. That is what it’s designed for. You give kids an opportunity to get a taste of what the NHL is about." One of those kids was the 20-year-old Holland, a 2009 Ducks first rounder who was admitedly tickled to be playing on a line with Cogliano and a guy 21 years his senior. "Playing with the Finnish Flash and Cogliano out there, sometimes they were going one way and I was still catching up going the other way," Holland said with a laugh (by the way, love that he called him "the Finnish Flash"). "It was quite a treat to play with those guys. Even if I get sent down to Syracuse now, what an honor it is to play with Teemu Selanne. The guy is going to be in the Hall of Fame one day. He’s a boyhood idol. (Check out the postgame video of Holland and others.) Ducks fans had to like what they saw in Emerson Etem and Kyle Palmieri, who played on a line with Saku Koivu for most of the night. The highlight came less than a minute into the second, when Etem dashed to his left to elude Yotes defenseman Dave Schlemko before delivering a pass to Palmieri on the doorstep for the redirect goal. Alas, the Ducks gave up three goals in the third to allow Phoenix to pull away with 2011 second round pick John Gibson (who saved 14 of 17) in net. Tonight at Honda Center, the Ducks are back at it again against the Sharks, with an almost entirely different cast of characters. Etem and Holland are back in the list of 24 for tonight (though four will be scratched), and the household names expected to play include Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, George Parros, Jason Blake, Cam Fowler, Luca Sbisa, Francois Beauchemin and Sheldon Brookbank. And if last season's preseason bloodbath between the Ducks and Sharks in San Jose is any indication (five fights in a two-minute span in the first period), having guys like Parros and JF Jacques out there could come in handy. The goalies will be Finnish prospect Iiro Tarkki and Jeff Deslauriers, the offseason acquisition from Edmonton (expected to each play half a game, like Gibson and Igor Bobkov did last night). # Pos Player 4 D Cam Fowler 5 D Luca Sbisa 9 LW Bobby Ryan 10 RW Corey Perry 15 C Ryan Getzlaf 16 RW George Parros 18 C Mark Bell 19 LW Jean-Francois Jacques 21 D Sheldon Brookbank 23 D Francois Beauchemin 25 D Matt Smaby 33 LW Jason Blake 40 D Sean Zimmerman 41 RW Andrew Gordon 45 RW Brian McGrattan 57 C Nicolas Deschamps 62 LW Patrick Maroon 63 C Nick Bonino 65 RW Emerson Etem 73 D Mat Clark 74 C Peter Holland 78 C Richard Schofield Goalies 31 G Iiro Tarkki 43 G Jeff Deslauriers As was the case last night, players not appearing in tonight's game will be working at various spots around Honda Center. Here is the list for tonight (subject to change): Team Store (6:00 – 7:00): Dan Ellis, Andrew Cogliano and Jonas Hiller Fanzone Outside Section 214 (6:00-7:00): Matt Beleskey and Lubomir Visnovsky Will Call (6:30 – 7:00): Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu Oggi’s Concession Stand at Section 203 (6:00 – 7:00): Kyle Palmieri, Devante Smith-Pelly, Dan Sexton and Brandon McMillan And again, if you're not here, the radio broadcast will be available on the website (we're working on the issue for Mac users), and I will again be doing a live game log. We had some technical difficulties with the latter last night, but they appear to be solved by the league. (Yes, it was the preseason for everybody last night.)

There's Hockey in the Building Tonight

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:44:00 EDT

It's been 151 days since we've seen Ducks hockey in this building, so preseason or not, the arrival of tonight's game with the Coyotes is a breath of fresh air. Dan Sexton, who will be part of an intriguing lineup on the ice tonight, put it best this morning. "When you're just practicing and scrimmaging against each other, it's fun but it doesn't feel quite real until you get to play against another team and see what they have to offer. We're excited and this is when it gets to be more fun." Fun indeed, and along with Sexton there are a number of fan-favorite Ducks in tonight's lineup, along with some newer guys that pique interest. There are household names like Teemu, Saku and Lubo. There are first-time Ducks like Andrew Cogliano, Mark Bell, J.F. Jacques and Bryan Rodney. There are the young guys with high numbers trying to nab roster spots like Kyle Palmieri, Nick Bonino, Emerson Etem Peter Holland and Devante Smith-Pelly. Here's the full lineup: 7 C Andrew Cogliano 8 RW Teemu Selanne 11 C Saku Koivu 17 D Lubomir Visnovsky 18 C Mark Bell 19 LW Jean-Francois Jacques 25 D Matt Smaby 34 D Nate Guenin 40 D Sean Zimmerman 42 RW Dan Sexton 47 D Bryan Rodney 51 RW Kyle Palmieri 58 D Jake Newton 62 LW Patrick Maroon 63 C Nick Bonino 64 LW Brandon McMillan 65 RW Emerson Etem 67 RW Rickard Rakell 73 D Mat Clark 74 C Peter Holland 77 RW Devante Smith-Pelly 82 C Joseph Cramarossa Goalies 36 G John Gibson 72 G Igor Bobkov You'll notice the Ducks are going young between the pipes, with this year's second-round pick John Gibson and 2009 third-rounder Igor Bobkov getting the nods (they'll probably play a half-game each). Jonas Hiller is not in there tonight, and may or may not play tomorrow, but he had good things to say after getting some time in yesterday's scrimmage. “You have better days and worse days no matter how you feel or whatever,” Hiller said. “I don’t worry too much about it. Sure, some days you just feel better than other days. At the end, overall, I’m feeling well out there. And that’s what counts … I’d like to play as soon as possible. “Still not everything feels exactly the same, but I think it was also like that before,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with the way it’s going right now and I’m definitely looking forward to playing the first game. "In the end I still have to play exhibition games, because the whole atmosphere, the whole thing, also mentally, is just different than when you play in practice. Sure, it's part of it -- we scrimmaged last week. We scrimmaged when I was skating back home. That kind of went well, but I still think that just being there and facing a different team, having fans in the stands, the whole atmosphere, it's just going to be another test. But I'm not too worried about it. I'm definitely looking forward for those first games." Some of the Ducks not in the lineup tonight (and tomorrow night) will be working at various locations around Honda Center. Players not appearing in tonight’s game will be working at various locations at Honda Center tonight and tomorrow (players/times are subject to change): - Team Store (main concourse) - Ryan Getzlaf & Bobby Ryan (6:00-6:30 p.m.) - Elevator operator (Southeast Concierge near section 204) – George Parros (working elevator 6:00 to 6:15 then FanZone from 6:15 to 6:45). - FanZone (section 214) – Sheldon Brookbank (6:00-7:00) - Will Call Window (near section 201) – Francois Beauchemin & Jason Blake (6:00- 6:20) - Oggi’s Pizza (near section 203) – Cam Fowler, Luca Sbisa, Nick Bonino (6:00-7:00) If you're not here tonight, you can listen to the radio broadcast on this website, and/or follow my live game log (links will be provided around 7 Pacific). Tonight is the start of a stretch of five preseason games in six nights for the Ducks, who play tomorrow here against San Jose, then go on a three-game roadie at SJ on Friday, Vancouver on Saturday and LA on Sunday. It's a lot of hockey, but after 4 1/2 months without it, that's the way we like it.

Let the Games (Sort Of) Begin

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:39:00 EDT

As refreshing as it was to see the start of Ducks training camp over the weekend, as gratifying as it was to see those familiar faces back on the ice, there's only so much practice a fan can take. After awhile of watching guys skate through cones, take a knee near the glass while a coach draws out instructions, and take the occasional shot on net, there comes a point where we're wanting more. So when the Ducks took the ice this morning for about an hour-long intrasquad scrimmage, it was like a breath of fresh air. These are games where the score hardly matters, though for the record the White team downed the Black by a lopsided 6-1, though Randy Carlyle said that had a lot to do with energy levels. "The white team showed they had more energy," Carlyle said. "The black team practiced before and then had to scrimmage. That was the difference in the game. Some people showed they have offensive instincts and skill sets. They did some of the things we asked them to do in teaching them the systems. I think it was very productive." The likeable Andrew Gordon, an offseason free agent signee from Washington, scored two goals for the White, which you can see in this video here. Said Gordon, "I got lucky to be on the fortunate end of some bounces there. You want to show the coaching staff that you're able to execute the systems that you learned and apply what you did in practice the last couple of days. At the end of the day, it's a tuneup for a lot of guys to get ready for the exhbiition games." Gordon is among the new guys getting some looks in this camp, but the offseason acquisition that drew the most attention in Anaheim was Andrew Cogliano, who scored the eventual game-winner early in the second half of the scrimmage (they played two 30-minute halves today). Cogliano, who could be either a center or winger in Anaheim, skated on a line with Saku Koivu and Kyle Palmieri for most of the scrimmage. There were a few guys missing today, including Bobby Ryan, who took an extra day to rest his strained groin but will skate tomorrow, according to Carlyle. Defenseman Kurtis Foster, who came over from Edmonton in the offseason, missed the third straight day of camp and will is undergoing a procedure today to remove a piece wire from his thigh (not kidding). The wire was placed in his leg during a surgery that took place to repair a left leg fracture in March of 2008. The wire was causing inflammation/irritation, and will be removed. Meanwhile, Foster will miss 2-4 weeks. Also, Mathieu Carle, who took a scary spill into the wall yesterday, was held off the ice today when he reported he was not feeling good after riding the bike this morning. For the guys who were out there, it was a good chance to see the hand the Ducks will be dealt in the coming days. "For us as coaches, it gives us a little bit different of a light on some players when you put them in a scrimmage situation," Carlyle said. "You can't really truly evaluate players, all of their abilites and senses, if you only practice. They have to have some form of game-like situation. "Again, tomorrow night gives us another opportunity with an exhibitiion game to put some young players in with a mix of some older players. It's going to be a different level than the scrimmage was. That is always part of the test for young players." Ah yes, that first preseason game tomorrow night, still hard to believe after these 4 1/2 months of non-hockeyness. The Ducks welcome the Phoenix Coyotes here tomorrow night, and we hope to have an idea of which players (out of the 47 in camp) will be in uniform tomorrow morning. We do know that the veterans who are scheduled to play are Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Lubomir Visnovsky. Players not playing in Tuesday or Wednesday’s games will be working at various locations around Honda Center. Examples include working will call box office, Oggi’s Pizza, and the Ducks Team Store. Fans at the game should visit Guest Relations at Section 214 for more information, or check the Ducks twitter for updates.

Training Day

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:26:00 EDT

The setting was different for the first day of training camp, but the sentiment was exactly the same: Man, it was good to see the Ducks back on the ice again. This year’s edition of camp was moved from its usual venue of The Rinks – Anaheim Ice to Honda Center, where more than 1,200 fans filled in a few sections of the lower level to watch the team go through a variety of drills. Unlike in past camps, the Ducks won’t scrimmage over the first two days, instead waiting until Monday morning to hold their first intrasquad games. (We have plans to stream that first scrimmage live on the website, so stay tuned for that.) And after waiting through the always-long offseason to see anything resembling Ducks hockey, there were certainly some sights to see for the fans. Along with the usual crowd-rousers like Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and the like, there were a handful of Ducks whose mere presence on the ice was extra satisfying. Of course, there was Teemu Selanne, who announced his return for one more season a mere two days ago. There was Jonas Hiller, who is battling back from the vertigo symptoms that kept him out of most of the second half of last season. There was Lubomir Visnovsky, who was hindered by two bad shoulders in last year’s postseason. (Afterward, Randy Carlyle said that Visnovsky told him he was "100 percent healthy" after Lubo just recently got back from good friend Pavol Demitra's memorial.) There was Matt Beleskey and Toni Lydman, two guys who underwent offseason shoulder surgery and were taking part in the practice, but in the red “no contact” jerseys for the time being. The Ducks went through the day with two waves of players, with Group A getting out there around 9 a.m. with notables like Getzlaf, Perry, Fowler, Luca Sbisa and Dan Ellis. They ultimately headed in to make way for Group B, which had Ryan, Selanne, Hiller, Visnovsky and George Parros, among others. Each of the bigger guys got a reaction from the crowd when they stepped on the ice (louder for Selanne and even louder for Hiller), with Parros earning some extra love when he gave fans a swinging fist pump as he skated from the bench area. Among the more entertaining drills was one where players went through a one-on-one race where they skated through cones in their own end of the rink, then sprinted to center ice to pick up a puck at the red line. The skater who got their first got on a breakaway against a Ducks goalie. At one point, Getzlaf beat Perry to the puck by such a distance, he had a little fun by skating backwards as Perry chased him, before firing a shot. Meanwhile, there were the youngsters like Emerson Etem, Devante Smith-Pelly, Kyle Palmieri and Andrew Gordon, each of whom will be looking to nab a spot in this camp over the next few days. The Ducks will be at it again tomorrow morning at Honda Center, again open to the public.

The First Day

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:39:00 EDT

It was medical and photo day at Honda Center today, the unofficial first day of training camp, where all 47 Ducks in camp go through medical tests, arduous fitness tests, photo shoots, video head shots and time with the media. As I've said before, it's kind of like going through the excitement of the first day of school, but having three exams, a pop quiz and a term paper due. "It's one of the worst days of the year, by far," Bobby Ryan said. "It's the day everybody dreads because you get poked and prodded by doctors and then you've got to go out and give everything you've got. It's actually one of the more important team-building days of the year because we get together for lunch and we move on and talk about it." It's an odd mix of having your health and fitness examined in a number of ways (some of them quite grueling), then sitting down and taking headshots and posed portrait shots, and posing for video that will later be used for pregame intros at Honda Center. One of the photo shoots involved Perry posing with the Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy that he won last season. Teemu Selanne joined Perry for a shoot with the Rocket Richard, since he also won it, in 1998-99 when he had 47 goals with the Mighty Ducks. Selanne was clearly pumped to see the trophy, looking for his name etched on its bottom half. He also handed his iPhone to Mike Bolt of the Hockey Hall of Fame -- the so-called "Keeper of the Cup" as well as trophies like these -- so he could shoot a few photos (like this one) of Teemu holding it. You can see some of that in this this behind-the-scenes video taken throughout the day, part of our coverage of today that has also included some photos posted on our Twitter page, Tomorrow, of course, the Ducks are on the ice for the first time as camp opens here at Honda Center at 9 a.m. (again, open to the public). You may have noticed that we've made a bit of a change here in the way you're reading Ducks Blog. We're switching the format to more of a ... well ... traditional blog, rather than the three-mile-long web page we've incorporated since this blog was started back in the spring of 2007 (you may remember that time, Ducks fans). This will make each blog post a bit easier to read and easier to link to if you're sending it to a friend (I highly recommend this, by the way). It's also going to require me to come up with a catchy headline for each blog post, which as you can see above, I'm already failing at. Hopefully you like the new format, and you'll let me know either way by sending me an email.

He's Back

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:22:00 EDT

It was the news we thought we'd be getting all summer, but when it finally came, it came as sweet relief: Teemu Selanne is returning to the Ducks for one more season. We've been through this before -- each of the last five years in fact -- but this time it was different. Before, it was whether Teemu wanted to play. This time, that never seemed in doubt. Instead, it was whether he could play. Any signs that Selanne was bothered by the same right knee that nearly cost him his career before the 2004-05 lockout were impossible to indicate by the way he flew up and down the ice like a 25-year-old. It's been hard to find a time when Teemu Selanne wasn't the fastest guy on the ice. So when he required surgery in early July to fix the knee again, we feared the worst, while at the same time hoping for the best. And Selanne admitted today that he felt the same way. "The whole month of July it wasn’t looking good," he told reporters today via conference call. "After the surgery I couldn’t do much for a couple of weeks. It was so much work to strengthen the muscles again and get support around the knee. There were a lot of days where I felt, 'I don’t know if it’s going to work anymore.' But it got better every day, and I’ve done a lot of work to get the muscles around the knee strong. The hard work has paid off and now I’m very excited about it." Both Selanne and Bob Murray revealed that they didn't even start having contract talks until a couple of days ago, with Teemu wanting to wait until he felt confident in his health before talking numbers. "I wanted to make sure when I started skating in early August that I was making progress every day and the knee was getting better," he said. "I was very happy in the last month or so that I was skating with no pain. That was a good sign. I tried to use the 16th, the day when training camp starts, as the deadline for myself. I’m very happy that the knee has been holding up well and I’m very optimistic that it’s going to last." And so one of the glaring question marks about the 2011-12 Anaheim Ducks has been erased. Whether 41-year-old Teemu can do what 40-year-old Teemu did (a ridiculous 80 points in 73 games) remains to be seen. If he did, would it really surprise any of us? But more than the goals and points, more than what he means to the power play, it's the stuff most of us don't see that means so much to the Ducks. Said Murray today, "It's Teemu in the dressing room. It's Teemu walking into the rink every morning. It just..." and then he trailed off. In other words, it's hard to find the words. It's just Teemu. As he's always done, Selanne is saying this year will be his last. Of course, that's the part we're not focusing on yet, so happy are we to have him back for more. "I know I’ve said that the last five years," he said. "But you’ve got to stop somewhere, and I’ve always approached this whole thing by saying it’s my last year. I think that’s really worked well for me. Again, I look at this as my last year and hopefully it’s going to be a good one." So once again we'll all hopefully be cherishing every moment of it, trying to burn every pretty goal, every blaze down the right wing, every last moment of late-game heroics into our already-crowded collection of Teemu Selanne memories. Here's one thing I'll remember: As Teemu came in today to sign the contract, he was the picture of California cool and casual in flip-flops, plaid shorts and light blue t-shirt. On the front of the shirt was a cartoon drawing of a golfer, underneath which were the words: Life is good. On this day especially, it certainly is.

Busy Week Leading Up to Camp

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:24:00 EDT

It's been a busy week already here in Ducks land, and that's the way we like it. Because when it's busy, that can only mean one thing: Ducks hockey is back. Okay, it's not quite back yet, but we have the first day of training camp coming up Saturday (more on that in a bit) and so much else going on this week that signals the long-anticipated start of a new season. Monday brought the third annual Get Your Ducks in a Roll event at RA Sushi in Tustin, at which Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and new Duck Andrew Cogliano were joined by fan Jeff Banner in a sushi-rolling competition. Each contestant worked with RA Sushi chefs, to create original sushi roll recipes that were sampled by the more than 200 people in attendance, and Cogliano got a nice "welcome to the Ducks" moment by winning top prize. I was lucky enough to be on the judging panel for the competition, and chose Cogliano's Breakaway Roll by an nose over Getzlaf's Captain Crunch. (When interviewed by host Kent French about my choice, I uttered some cheesy line about how I like the name of Cogliano's roll because he was "breaking away" from Edmonton and starting fresh in Anaheim). Here's more on the event, along with some photos. Tuesday was ... well not much, except for the Ducks employees co-ed company softball team losing its final game of the year to finished the season 0-9-1. (I wish I were kidding, although when people ask what our record was, I'll say, "Oh...nine and 1.") Yesterday was the 17th annual Anaheim Ducks Golf Classic at Oak Creek GC in Irvine, and for the second year in a row, foursomes were allowed to "draft" the Ducks player/coach/broadcaster to join their group for the afternoon. I was a last-minute addition to the draft, and it showed when I was picked dead last and immediately dubbed "Mr. Irrelevant" (a takeoff on the honor given to the last NFL draftee every year). I could take solace in the fact that it was an unusual draft in which George Parros was taken first overall and Ducks broadcaster Brian Hayward was taken second. (Georgie even tweeted before the event, "Heading to the one place where I am a first round draft choice... The ducks golf tourney." All I cared about was getting drafted ahead of Frenchie, and I failed in that goal, as he went just ahead of me with the 23rd pick (here's proof). Still, it was a great time at a great event, one that was won by Jason Blake's group. We'll have a photo gallery from the event later today. Yesterday also brought the long-awaited release of the schedule for Ducks training camp, which will be moved from The Rinks - Anaheim ICE to Honda Center, but will remain open to the public. Doors will open at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday and there will be a concession stand open. The Ducks won't scrimmage, however, until Monday. Then we have the first preseason game (still hard to believe) on Tuesday against Phoenix at Honda Center. There's still more to come this week before that first day of on-ice camp, including the players reporting tomorrow for physicals and photos tomorrow, during which we'll be providing video, photos and some other stuff on the website, Facebook and Twitter. And as far as Teemu goes? We'll hopefully hear soon enough. UPDATE: HE'S BACK

Ruslan Salei 1974-2011

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:35:00 EDT

The horrific news hit most of us as we woke up this morning: A charter plane carrying members of the Kontinental Hockey League club Lokomotiv crashed shortly after takeoff near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia. Among the at least 43 people who died in the crash were several former NHLers, including coach Brad McCrimmon, Pavol Demitra, Karlis Skrastins, Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek, Jan Marek and Alexander Vasyunov. For Ducks fans, the crash hit even closer to home as it was later determined that former defenseman Ruslan Salei was among the victims. Salei was 36 years old and left behind a wife, Bethann, and three kids. Salei, known by many as “Rusty,” was an icon in Ducks (or rather Mighty Ducks) history, having been drafted ninth overall by the organization in 1996 and playing the next 10 years in Anaheim. He still ranks fourth in team history (and first among defensemen) in games played with 594, trailing only Teemu Selanne , Steve Rucchin and Paul Kariya. Known more as a shutdown defenseman than a goal-scorer, Salei still scored one of the biggest goals in Ducks history, an overtime game-winner in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against New Jersey on May 31, 2003. It was a goal that put Anaheim back in a series they had trailed 2-games-to-none, and Salei and the rest of the Mighty Ducks ultimately fell in seven games. Here’s video of that memorable goal: Unlike some of the players on that team, Salei didn’t get the chance to relive the glory of the Stanley Cup Final, as he left Anaheim as a free agent for Florida following a 2005-06 campaign in which he helped the Ducks make an improbable run to the conference final. Salei scored three goals in that postseason and on the defensive end was a major reason Anaheim upset Calgary and swept Colorado that year before losing to Edmonton in five games. Salei spent close to two seasons with the Panthers before being traded to Colorado at the trade deadline in 2008. He spent two more seasons with the Avs, and last season reunited with former Mighty Ducks coach Mike Babcock in Detroit, where he had two goals and eight assists in 75 games. After playing 917 NHL games in 14 seasons, plus 62 postseason games, he signed with Lokomotiv in July. All the while, Salei's family kept a house in Orange County, a place the Russian-born Salei felt at home after a near-decade in Anaheim. Ducks fans’ appreciation of Salei’s time here was never more evident than the first time he came back to Anaheim (with Colorado). After a video tribute to Salei during a timeout in that game, Ducks fans gave him a standing ovation as he acknowledged them from the bench. (Some fans have built a makeshift shrine around the Duck statue outside of Honda Center this afternoon.) More important than the key goals, rocketed slapshots (he’s still seventh in franchise history in shots on goal) or jarring body checks, Salei was remembered for something more significant – as a great teammate. Teemu Selanne played with Salei during the 2005-06 season, as well as during Teemu’s first stint in Anaheim, from 1996 through 2001. Selanne was noticeably emotional when talking about Salei following an informal skate at The Rinks – Anaheim ICE. “He was a really good friend of mine and we always kept in touch,” Selanne said, struggling to find the words. “We played cards together a lot and had a lot of dinners together. I was so sad to hear about this and I still can’t believe it. When I heard the team went down in a plane crash, I was hoping he was hurt or something and wasn’t on the plane. What a sad, sad story. This is a dark day for everyone. He was such a great guy, a real team guy, always chirping. The kind of guy you really want in your dressing room. He played hard and he … just an overall great guy. Teemu said he heard the news from his wife when he woke up this morning. “She told me there was a plane down in Russia and a hockey team was on it. I was almost scared to go on the internet and see which team it was, because I knew there was going to be a lot of people I knew very well. I played with [Karlis] Skrastins and I knew [Pavol] Demitra very well. I don’t even have all the names yet, but those are the ones I heard right away. It’s so sad.” Todd Marchant, who was a teammate of Salei’s on that 2005-06 team, also spoke about his memories of Rusty. “He was great He was the type of guy that when he came into the room, he could lighten it up with a joke or just the way he talked. His personality was infectious. He just had this way about him. He didn't back down from anybody. He was always a guy who would stand up and hold people accountable. He was in charge of the card games on the planes. He was a great teammate and certainly a great friend. It's just a tragedy that his life had to end so soon. “My nickname on the team was ‘T-Bone’ and he used to call me ‘Ribeye.' For whatever reason, he always called me ‘Ribeye.’ We got along great. We would always go out to dinner. He always was the type of guy who wanted to be around the team and his teammates. He and I actually kept in contact periodically after he left the team when he was in Florida, Colorado and last year in Detroit. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to his family, his wife and his three children.” Francois Beauchemin, who was a fellow blueliner with Salei in 2005-06: “He was a great guy and we had a lot of fun together. I remember plane rides after games, playing cards, having fun and hanging out. It’s so sad. I heard it this morning after I got up. You turn the computer on and it’s the first thing you see. You think of his wife and their three kids. It’s just a sad day. "Rusty would joke around, be sarcastic. Everybody loved him and it’s a sad moment for everybody.” I had a few interactions with Rusty that season, but the one that stands out is the time he jokingly complained that the kids in his neighborhood were always knocking on his door, yelling, "Hey, Salei!" and asking him to play street hockey with them. He, of course, always obliged, conjuring an image that always made me laugh -- a 6-foot, 220-pound NHL defenseman knocking the puck around in the street with a bunch of 10-year-olds. Salei was just one of the many who died in the crash, the latest tragedy in what has been a dreadful summer for the game of hockey, one in which we’ve already seen the shocking deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak. Now this, the tragedy of losing an entire team to a plane crash, leaves us at a loss for words. Said Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, "This is the darkest day in the history of our sport. This is not only a Russian tragedy, the Lokomotiv roster included players and coaches from 10 nations. This is a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community." Everyone on that flight will be remembered, but for the Ducks community, the loss of a longtime favorite is overwhelming. “He was too young to go. They all were,” Selanne said. "He was a father of three kids and … it’s just so sad.”

The Dawn of September

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:28:00 EDT

The dawn of September always brings a bittersweet sentiment, since it reminds us that summer is pretty much over yet it's also the month that brings hockey back to us. Training camp for the Ducks starts a little more than two weeks from now, on September 17, and the first preseason game is September 20, against the Coyotes at Honda Center. With the dawn of the new season comes the inevitable rush of season previews. Two focused on the Ducks come from NHL.com and the venerable Puck Daddy blog. The latter, using a movie theme for its preview, refers to Lubomir Visnovsky with the tagline, "The Revenge of the Flying V" (now why didn't we think of that?) Both season previews, and undoubtedly the dozens more to come, focus on two questions marks: The health of Jonas Hiller and the hopeful return of Teemu Selanne. Hiller's health was addressed optimistically last month, while Selanne's status appears to ride on his recovery from offseason knee surgery. By all accounts, Selanne (now back in town from his summer home in Finland) appeared to skate well during his annual appearance at the Fedorin Cup charity game last Saturday (here's some video of him), though there has been no indication from him on whether he'll play or not. He did give some insight in a chat with the OC Register's Randy Youngman, in which he said: "So far, so good. I've been skating three weeks now, and I'm really optimistic. I'd like to play one more year, but I want to be sure I can play and enjoy the game the way I always do. "There's still some work to do. I think the main thing right now is to try to get the muscles around the knee stronger. If I get those really strong, I think I can still play. It's a slow process, because you lose your muscles quickly when you can't use them the first two-three weeks after surgery. "I'm doing rehab now. Long days: skate, work out and then I go to the physical therapist. I'm skating four-five times a week, because I want to be sure. I'll have to make a decision between now and start of training camp." (I happened to be having lunch with a co-worker at a teriyaki place near Honda Center when Selanne unexpectedly walked in and joined us for about 20 minutes. We talked a bit about the knee, among other things, but he remained vague about his decision.) Among the other storylines going into training camp is what we'll see from some of the new guys, namely center Andrew Cogliano, the acquisition from Edmonton who joined Ducks fans for a live chat on Wednesday afternoon. Cogliano was friendly and more than agreeable to take part in the chat, which yielded a few memorable lines from him. On his offseason training: "I've got a really good trainer in Toronto that I've been working with the last couple of years. I really like working out and getting ready for the season. I've been focusing more on the conditioning side every year. I cover a lot of the ice and use my speed a lot, so conditioning is really important to me and I've been focusing a lot on that the last couple of summers." On his favorite players growing up: "I was always a big fan of Joe Sakic. I also really liked Sergei Fedorov. I tried to model my game after Paul Kariya when he was in Anaheim, since he was smaller and used his speed. I really wanted to be like Sakic growing up though." On cooking: "I don't cook much, but I really like the idea of it. I watch some cooking shows sometimes and I'm a really big fan of food." On lockerroom pranks: "A couple of guys would do the old water in the helmet trick, where you take the helmet out of your stall and it pours all over it. Some guys would cut sleeves off dress shirts they thought were ugly. I try to lay low." On his favorite TV shows: "I like Entourage. Everyone likes that one. I'm a fan of Big Brother, not gonna lie. Those are what I watch, along with SportsCenter." (He said, "not gonna lie" a lot. I found it endearing.) On superstitions: "I try to stay away from that as much as possible because they tend to get you in a groove that sometimes doesn't work. I've always had a favorite suit that I like to wear for special games or games that are important. It's a navy blue suit." On what number he'll wear: "I'm going to wear 7 this year. It's a number that I grew up with it in minor hockey and wore it in my junior days. It's a number that's been important to me. My brother wore it too. I've had some pretty good years wearing that number, so I figured I'd start new with it again."