Thu, 7 June 2007  Would I have rather it been the Los Angeles Kings who won the Stanley Cup? Of course! But at the same time, I love hockey, especially when it's played so well, and the Anaheim Ducks played VERY well. More than anything, I'm proud that the Stanley Cup is coming to a West Coast team for the first time... and it's in Southern California!Apparently, the third time's the charm. This is the third time that a SoCal hockey team made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and finally... the Cup is coming to Southern California. The Anaheim Ducks, one of the early season favorites to win it all this season, thoroughly dominated the Ottawa Senators in the 6-2 win. Except for about ten minutes in the second period, the Ducks controlled the play on both ends of the ice. The first period saw Anaheim take a 2-0 lead on goals by Andy McDonald (the Ducks' leading goal scorer in the playoffs) and Rob Niedermayer. They never lost the lead and never looked back, answering two goals by Daniel Alfredsson in the second period with two of their own by Travis Moen and Francois Beauchemin. Moen's tally was a fluke goal that he never even touched when Senators' star defenseman Chris Phillips passed the puck under Ray Emery. The Senator goalie slipped on the puck and pushed it into his own net. This was the difference in the game. All the momentum that the Senators seemed to have just dissipated. They mounted a few more attacks, and Alfredsson scored his second, but it didn't seem like their spirit was in the game anymore. The Ducks finished off the scoring with Travis Moen's second goal of the game (one that he actually touched) and a final one by Corey Perry... then the celebration started! Captain Scott Niedermayer raised the Cup for the fourth time after graciously accepting a well-deserved Conn Smythe Trophy. All in all, a triumphant, celebratory night for the Ducks. I'm most happy for Teemu Selanne. The veteran Ducks' forward truly resurrected his career and dispelled all the naysayers who felt like his career was over by finally winning his first Cup after 14 seasons in the NHL. Chris Pronger, much criticized for his move from Edmonton to Anaheim last season also won his first Cup. Much like Scott Stevens and Chris Chelios, Pronger is a warrior who plays on the edge (sometimes to the point of a cheap shot here or there), but there's no doubting how he can dominate a game. Perhaps the most sentimental moment was when Scott Niedermayer handed the Cup off to his brother Rob, one of only three Ducks from the 2003 team that made it to the Cup Finals (and lost to Scott's New Jersey Devils). So congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks! Ownership and management has proven without a doubt that building a winner is WAY more successful than just creating an entertaining team. I hope Disney was paying attention. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 10:40 AM Comments[0] |
Sat, 21 October 2006  Everybody knew that it would take a mighty team to defeat the Minnesota Wild. The Anaheim Ducks were up to the task, handing Minnesota their first loss in seven games. For the Wild, they're discovering that victories on the road are definitely more difficult than at home. Against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night, the Wild were out-played but managed to squeak out an overtime win. Against the Ducks, who are unquestionably more skilled than the Kings this season, the Wild were defeated 2-1.Although the majority of the game was tightly played, the Ducks got goals from defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Sean O'Donnell in a slightly more open second period that saw Anaheim out-shoot Minnesota 15-7. The Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard notched one goal at the end of the second period, but it wasn't enough for the Wild. The first period was all about Jean-Sebastien Giguere once again. The Wild out-shot the Ducks 10-5 in the first, but Giguere saved all of them and made 27 saves on 28 shots. Manny Fernandez was good as well, making 27 saves on 29 shots, but the Wild looked flat once again. The Wild are now 6-1, leaving the Buffalo Sabres as the lone undefeated team. The Ducks improved to 5-0-2 and still have yet to lose a game in regulation. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 9:53 AM Comments[0] |
Thu, 19 October 2006  How many young Anaheim Ducks' forwards play physically, have decent hands, and skate with energy? Another one has made the team, and is making an impact. Rookie Shane O'Brien registered a goal, assist, and fight (a Gordie Howe Hat Trick) in the Ducks' 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, O'Brien's power-play goal turned out to be the game-winner.From beginning to end, the Ducks dominated the Wings, scoring three power-play goals and keeping the puck in the offensive zone for much of the game. Detroit looked flat and barely broke the shut out with a goal by Tomas Kopecky. The Ducks, on the other hand, outshot the Wings 31 to 22 and looked energized throughout. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 21 of 22 saves and looked sharp, only allowing a goal on a broken play. Corey Perry and Chris Kunitz also added a goal and assist, and Ryan Getzlaf added another assist in the win. The goal by Perry was especially revealing. The Ducks looked like an adult team playing against kids, constantly using the cycle to create chances and keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Without a defender on him, Perry lifted the puck easily over a fallen Dominik Hasek. "The Dominator" ended the night with only 27 saves on 31 shots. The Ducks improve to 4-0-2 and have yet to lose in regulation. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 1:10 AM Comments[0] |
Mon, 16 October 2006  The Ducks of Anaheim were faced with the challenge of taking on one of the best teams in the league. It's easy for them to walk all over teams like the Blues, Coyotes, and Kings, but what about one of the league's elite? After doing well in the first period, and coming out flat against the Dallas Stars in the second period, the Ducks rallied to tie the game in the waning seconds of regulation to push the undefeated Stars to overtime. Unfortunately, the Ducks lost another shootout and dropped their second straight game. Starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, trying to maintain his fight for #1 status allowed two goals on 14 shots and was pulled in favor of Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The move proved to be a good one by head coach Randy Carlyle as the Ducks' team responded with more inspired play. They battled back with goals by Scott Niedermayer and Andy McDonald in the third period. The final tally of regulation by McDonald tied the game with a mere 19 seconds left in the third period. For the Ducks, one of the worst teams in the overtime period last season, it was a bad re-run of the other night against Mike Dunham and the Islanders, as Marty Turco and the Stars proved too tough. Turco made a particularly good save on a slick move by Ryan Shannon, and the Stars only needed goals by Sergei Zubov and Jussi Jokinen. In the end, the Ducks are probably proud of pulling out one point in a game that they weren't mentally prepared to take on, but they need to find a way to win those tough overtime games. They'll have another chance to prove themselves against an elite team when they take on the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 4:17 PM Comments[0] |
Thu, 12 October 2006  The Ducks of Anaheim were riding high... they'd won three straight games for their best start in history. The New York Islanders, fresh off of a disappointing loss against the Los Angeles Kings the night before, were 0-3 for the season (their worst start in 35 years). Logic would have dictated that it would be an easy win for the Ducks... however, hockey and parity meant that logic had nothing to do with the Ducks 5-4 loss in the shoot out to the Isles.Leading 1-0 on a goal by Samuel Pahlsson in the first period, the Ducks were the ones with a sustained attack, out-shooting the Isles 17-5 in the first period alone. Then the second period hit and the Ducks had already fallen asleep at the wheel. Mike York, Trent Hunter, and Chris Simon scored within a 1:46 span of time and the Ducks were back on their heels. Pahlsson scored his second goal of the game mid-way through the second period to pull within a goal of the Islanders and start the Ducks comeback... and come back they did. The third period saw the Ducks out-shoot the Isles 21-7. After power play goals by Chris Pronger and Corey Perry, the Ducks seemed to have taken control once again. However, the Islanders, desperate for their first win of the year clawed back again, scoring with under four minutes to play. After a scoreless overtime period, Mike York scored in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Islanders their first win of the season. Perhaps the biggest hero of the night was Mike Dunham, the Isles' back-up goalie, who made 46 saves on 50 shots, and made several huge saves that kept the Islanders' hopes alive. The Ducks can only hope that this was one bad game against an inspired lesser team instead of a portent of poor work ethic to come. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 5:39 PM Comments[0] |
Tue, 10 October 2006  Three games... three victories. Because so many hockey prognosticators picked the Ducks to be among the leaders in the NHL, their fast start isn't necessarily suprising. However, what is surprising is the fact that the starting goalie for two of those victories was Jean-Sebastien Giguere who struggled for much of last season. Giguere apparently has put the injuries and confidence issues behind him. For the second straight game, he looked extremely strong in net, stopping all 34 shots he faced in leading the Ducks to a 2-0 shut out of the St. Louis Blues. Chris Kunitz supplied all the offense the Ducks required, scoring two power play goals from within spitting distance of Curtis Sanford, the Blues' goalie. Not blessed with the hulking size of Dustin Penner, Kunitz plants himself like a young Dino Ciccarelli. His timely goals and Giguere's equally timely saves have helped the Anaheim Ducks to their fastest start in their history. Not willing to concede the #1 goalie status to youngster Ilya Bryzgalov, Giguere is healthy, confident, and looking great. The win was his 22nd career shut out. For the Blues, this represented their third straight loss and 12 straight road loss dating back to last season. Except for the second period, they looked out of step and tired. Keith Tkachuk, a perennial star, was noticeably absent with his involvement. He has one assist in their first three games. If the Blues are to avoid being the worst team in the league, they need him to wake up! For the Ducks, they just need to continue doing all the little things right. The league and press expect them to. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 8:40 AM Comments[0] |
Sat, 7 October 2006  The Ducks of Anaheim may have lost the adjective "mighty," but the players don't seem to have noticed. Playing in their second game in as many nights, the Ducks shrugged off any fatigue and came out strong against the Phoenix Coyotes, winning 2-1 off of a pair of power play goals by Teemu Selanne and Dustin Penner. For the second night in a row, the Ducks were outshot by their opponent, but this time Ilya Bryzgalov was up to the task, limiting the lone goal to defenseman Zbynek Michalek. Bryzgalov ended the night with 34 saves... not as many as Giguere the night before, but more than enough to be a huge factor in the win. Big things are expected of the hulking Penner who had three goals, six assists, and nine points during last season's playoff run. Still considered a rookie this year because he only played in 19 regular season games, his size, skill, and work ethic are a portent of good things to come. The Ducks continue their season Monday agains the St. Louis Blues. Category: Ducks -- posted at: 10:38 PM Comments[0] |
