Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Wire - An Anaheim Ducks News Blog, with Video Links and Photos

Moving on....

2009-02-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

Well as many of you visitors can tell, I have not posted in some time. A promotion at work, the complete meltdown of the real estate industry, layoffs, family and more have sucked up my time. I will still post randomly at my www.davidquiroz.com but nothing additional will be posted here. I hope you all enjoyed the ride and GO DUCKS!

Game Day Preview and a few other things....

2008-01-20T09:21:00.001-08:00

Just a reminder, today's game starts at 12:30 not 10:30 as originally scheduled.

Game Day Preview via Fox Sports and the AP

The Anaheim Ducks have come away with losses in each of their last five visits to Dallas. They have reason to believe this one might be different.

Anaheim (27-17-6) looks to earn at least a point in its 10th straight contest on Sunday when it visits the Stars at the American Airlines Center.

The Ducks are 0-4-1 in their last five games in Dallas since Feb. 10, and have scored a total of four goals in that span.

But since ringing in the new year, Anaheim has played its best hockey this season. The Ducks have won six straight and are 8-0-1 in their past nine games, which has moved them atop the Pacific, one point ahead of the Stars (27-18-5).

Read the rest here - Link

Game preview via LA Times

Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle can be a taskmaster who wants things done his way, but don't accuse him of not being able to listen.
Before a game against Calgary in late November, a struggling Todd Bertuzzi went to Carlyle to discuss the possibility of moving to the left wing instead of the right-side spot that he has played for most of his career.

With his effort to mesh Bertuzzi with Andy McDonald and Chris Kunitz failing, Carlyle took the suggestion and put it into action.

Read the rest here - Link

The Dad's

If the Ducks manage to cap a perfect three-game trip by beating the Dallas Stars today at American Airlines Center, they might want to consider putting fathers of the team's players on their payroll.

Including games against the Phoenix Coyotes and Kings last season, the Ducks are 4-0 when the club has played host to players' fathers on what has become something of a trend with teams around the NHL. The Ducks posted a 2-1 victory Thursday at Nashville and a 4-2 triumph Friday at Minnesota.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks win 4-2

2008-01-18T23:09:00.001-08:00

The streak continues and now we are second place in the conference!

Photo of the Game

AP Photo by Jim Mone

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|MIN

Photos and Video

Official Photos - Link

NHL Highlights - Link

Sean O'Donnell Pre-game Interview

George Parros with his Dad and Parros Cam

Post game show and Todd Bertuzzi Interview

AP Coverage via ESPN

Todd Bertuzzi has rediscovered his scoring touch and his passion. He has linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to thank for that.

Bertuzzi scored twice, Ryan Getzlaf had three assists, and Anaheim's streaking top line lifted the Ducks to a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

"I'm having a blast," Bertuzzi said. "I think it's kind of like being 33 and playing 23, when you're playing with those two. They keep you young. Not only on the ice, but in the room."

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

Jonas Hiller made several key saves, but after Bertuzzi’s second goal, the Wild’s fate seemed to be sealed. Coach Jacques Lemaire did not even pull his goalie for the extra attacker at the end. The Ducks dads, who continue with the team on their road trip, were ecstatic from their suite at the Xcel Energy Center. Last year the dads were 3-0 and this year they are 2-0. Can they make it a perfect trip on Sunday against the Stars?

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Non Game news

2008-01-18T22:34:00.001-08:00

Here is today's non game news.

The Stadium Loft has posted an extended version of their commercial featuring J.S. Giguere

An Article on the Dad's trip

The Ducks' normal traveling party grew significantly on this three-game trip and the players couldn't be any happier.
For the second consecutive year, the Ducks brought along the fathers of their players on an all-expense paid hockey vacation that will continue through Minnesota and end in Dallas on Sunday.

Most of the dads made the trip as they will room with their sons and dine with them in the ultimate bonding experience. On Thursday, they watched the Ducks' 2-1 victory from a suite in Sommet Center.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Duck News - Ducks win 2-1

2008-01-17T22:39:00.001-08:00

And now the streak is 5 and take the lead in the Pacific Division! But they unfortunately lost as well. In spite of the score Chris Pronger injured his knee in the game - Link Hopefully this will heal quickly and he will be back shortly.

Photo of the Game

Frederick Breedon / AP)

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|NSH

Video and Photos

NHL Highlights - Link

Photos - Link

Doug Weight and Ryan Getzlaf Interview with Dads

MVN Coverage

For the first time this season the Ducks have put together a five game winning streak. Their fifth in a row came on the road with a 2-1 defeat over the Nashville Predators. The Predators had earned points in seven of their past eight games, the eighth being their January 7th 5-2 loss to the Ducks. The win put the Ducks one point ahead of San Jose, who were scheduled to play Dallas later on in the evening. A Stars win over the Sharks would leave the Ducks in first place in the Pacific Division. A Sharks win would bounce them back over the Ducks into first place.

Read the rest here - Link

Predators Coverage

The Predators out shot the Anaheim Ducks 34-16, but were limited to just one goal by Anaheim netminder JS Giguere as the Ducks edged the Predators 2-1 at the Sommet Center on Thursday night.

Anaheim opened the scoring at the 15:12 mark of the first period when it converted its second power-play opportunity of the night. The Predators caught an unfortunate break when Jarred Smithson broke his stick while killing the penalty. The Ducks maintained possession of the puck in the Predators zone, preventing Nashville from making a line change or handing Smithson a new stick from the bench. Anaheim patiently worked the puck around the perimeter, setting up Mathieu Schneider for a slapshot from the left point. With Todd Bertuzzi setting a screen at the top of the goal crease, Brandon Bochenski skated through the slot and redirected Schneider’s shot for his second goal of the season.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

Goals by Brandon Bochenski and Corey Perry, and 33 saves from goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere were the key ingredients Thursday night in a 2-1 Ducks victory over the Nashville Predators at Sommet Center.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Non Game News

2008-01-17T21:19:00.001-08:00

Not too much news today, but I've got a few videos gems for you. Enjoy!

Burke has sympathy (?)

As the front office watch with the Toronto Maple Leafs continued Wednesday, the parties involved got some much-needed sympathy from fellow NHL executive Brian Burke.

The Anaheim Ducks' general manager, who recently denied media speculation that he would one day join the struggling hockey team, did not hide his disappointment at the overall treatment of John Ferguson Jr.

Read the rest here - Link

I call it the Niedermayer Effect

Numbers have never truly defined Scott Niedermayer's impact on a team, but there is one set that is the clearest gauge of what he has meant to the Ducks since he ended his dance with retirement.
10-2-2.

Before the defenseman's return, the Ducks were an inconsistent bunch stumbling along with a 15-15-4 record that had them sitting outside the Western Conference playoff picture. Since the return of Niedermayer, the Ducks sit one point out of the Pacific Division lead.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks shopping Edmonton's first round pick

Some might argue that unless another NHL GM loses his sanity and overwhelms Anaheim’s Brian Burke with a trade offer nobody in their right mind would reject, there’s not a hope in hell Burke trades the first round pick he received from Edmonton in exchange for Dustin Penner.

Read the rest here - Link

J.S. Giguere's Commercial

Doug Weight Interview

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday

2008-01-16T23:45:00.001-08:00

Well I've got another Teemu Selanne retirement update and a few other news items featuring Chris Pronger, Jonas Hiller and more!

Teemu Selanne Retirement Update and a little on Drew Miller

Teemu Selanne doesn't have a decision yet, but at least he has a timetable.

"I'll take this week, and next week and we'll see how it goes," Selanne said after a 90-minute workout Tuesday morning at Anaheim Ice.

It's the most specific time frame Selanne has offered for a decision on ending his unofficial retirement. The Ducks' all-time leading scorer began a skating program earlier this month and said he would have a decision sometime in January. The team has not pressed him to make a decision.

Read the rest here - Link

Varius has some reasons for Teemu to play

It can be said that Teemu Selanne, also known to many fans as “The Finnish Flash”, was on his way downhill after landing with the San Jose Sharks and then Colorado Avalanche. He failed to win a Cup in Denver with best-buddy Paul Kariya. He seemed to be done for. However, Ducks’GM Brian Burke decided to take a chance on him. Selanne did have knee surgery and a lot of time to rest during the lockout. Selanne also had some of his best years in Anaheim, so Burke took a gamble that paid off greatly. For just 1 million, he bought himself a 40-goal scorer as Teemu found himself a new man.

Read the rest here - Link

Pronger is going to savor the all-stars

”As a defenseman, you really just have to enjoy yourself at the All-Star Game since it’s obviously a show for the offensive stars in the League,’’ Pronger told NHL.com. “The games played over the past few seasons have been pretty high-scoring affairs and we defensemen get hit in waves. I still feel there comes a point in the game when the competitive juices start to flow for us (defensemen), and we begin to play at a higher level. You certainly want to put on a good show, but at the same time you don’t want to get hurt.’’

Read the rest here- Link

A nice profile/interview of Hiller

"For people who aren't close to the team," he says, "they probably think I sit on the bench all the time and do nothing."

Hiller is the Ducks' backup goalie, No. 2 at a position that accommodates only one. His team played 60 minutes Tuesday against Dallas and Hiller, predictably, played none of them.

He did skate in warmups, faced some shots from his teammates and even extensively stretched his groin muscles.

Then he retreated to the locker room, put on a baseball cap and later assumed his usual spot, near a collection of water bottles and the wooden bin that holds the rest of the Ducks' sticks.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks vs. Predators Preview

The Anaheim Ducks have been a much improved team with Scott Niedermayer in their lineup. Most of that success, however, has come at home.

The surging Ducks play 12 of their next 13 games on the road, a difficult stretch that begins Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.

A career high-tying three points from Niedermayer and another strong performance by goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere helped the Ducks (25-17-6) to their fourth straight win, 4-2 over visiting Dallas on Tuesday.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Update on a lot of things

The Ducks headed out of town this morning with a four game winning streak, second place in the Pacific Division (one point behind San Jose) and fourth place in the Western Conference. The Ducks have put together two previous four game winning streaks this season - November 9 - 17 and December 18 - 27.

The Ducks will try to put together their first five game winning streak in Nashville on Thursday. They also visit Minnesota on Friday and Dallas on Sunday before heading home.

Read the rest here - Link

Casino Night is coming.....

“Casino Night is always such a fun and fantastic event with a great new theme every year,” said Ducks owner, Susan Samueli. “What remains constant, however, is our commitment to raising funds for Orangewood Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit that positively impacts the lives of foster youth in Orange County. We are proud to partner with Orangewood and support this important cause.”

Partygoers will have the chance to place bids on a variety of silent auction items and enter in opportunity drawings throughout the evening. Silent auction and opportunity drawing items include tropical/mountain vacations, Ducks tickets and autographed merchandise and jewelry. Admission to the Cotton Club VIP Lounge was $500 each and general admission tickets were $100 each. For more information, please visit http://casinonight.p11.com/.

Read the rest here - Link

Scottie for the Hart Trophy?

There's not supposed to be any room for part-timers, at least not when it comes to considering candidates for major individual trophies.

Good thing, too, 'cause if they were awarding the Hart Trophy for league MVP honors solely on the basis of impact, without consideration to the number of games individuals have played, it would be a runaway race between two contestants.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Win 4-2 (Yeah this is late, Sorry!)

2008-01-16T23:44:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Game

AP Photo by Mark Avery

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - DAL|ANA

Photos and Video

Official Photo Link - Link

Game Video - Link

Ducks TV - Link

Corey Perry Pre-game Interview

Scott Niedermayer Interview

Anaheim Ducks Game Coverage

If you wanted any more indication the resurgent Ducks may be the class of the Pacific Division, you got it tonight.
Two nights after beating division frontrunner San Jose, the Ducks used a dominating second period to dispatch previously second-place Dallas 4-2 at Honda Center. Scott Niedermayer, Todd Marchant,, Ryan Getzlaf and Todd Bertuzzi each had goals, as Niedermayer added two assists to tie his career best with three points.

It was the seventh straight victory at home for the Ducks, and their first win against the Stars after three straight losses. The Ducks are 10-2-2 since Niedermayer rejoined the team on Dec. 16.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

Coach Randy Carlyle observed, “Our power play got us some big goals tonight We were able to shut down their power play The were 0 for 3. In the games that we previously lost to them, we lost the specialty teams battles. It’s amazing how much of a factor that can be in your success.” That success translated into two points that really mattered. The Ducks moved one point ahead of Dallas to take second place in the Pacific Division. They are now one point away from first place San Jose, who lost this evening to Phoenix, something that was cheered lustily by the fans when it was announced.

Read the rest here - Link

Dallas News Coverage

What a difference a Conn Smythe Trophy winner makes.

The Stars had ravaged Anaheim this season, winning the first three games against the Ducks by a combined scored of 10-2.

But that was while Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer was contemplating retirement.

On Tuesday, Niedermayer had a hand in just about everything good the Ducks did as Anaheim took a 4-2 win over the Stars and moved to 10-2-2 since his return.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Two nights after a dramatic comeback victory over the Sharks, the Ducks pulled even closer to the division leaders with a thorough 4-2 victory over Dallas to finish off a four-game homestand without a defeat Tuesday night at the Honda Center.
Scott Niedermayer had a goal and two assists in his best game since he ended his hockey sabbatical on Dec. 5 and returned to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Todd Marchant, Ryan Getzlaf and Todd Bertuzzi also scored as the Ducks (25-17-6) jumped past the Stars into second place, one point behind the Pacific-leading Sharks.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

Sure, the Dallas Stars seemed to have something of a whammy on the Ducks, winning the first three games between the teams this season. But that was before.
Now that standout defenseman Scott Niedermayer is back in the Ducks lineup, things were dramatically different Tuesday night at Honda Center. Niedermayer matched a career high with three points, including a goal, in a virtuoso performance that highlighted a sparkling 4-2 Ducks victory.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Tuesday

2008-01-15T20:06:00.001-08:00

Hello all, one more player to add to the IR list. Rob Niedermayer is out with a leg issue. Other than that, it was a slow news day.

Here is a pick of Sammy and Giggy with the cup - See the original here - Link

Picks from the State of the Team - Link

Ducks Injury update via MVN

The Ducks held a light optional practice yesterday and this morning they were back to the usual pre-game routine. Missing from action was George Parros, who was put on the IR yesterday after news that he would be out longer than a week with a bruised knee. Rob Niedermayer was also missing due to a leg injury suffered “either last game or in the practice before,” per coach Randy Carlyle.

Read the rest here - Link

Another update on injuries

The Ducks will be without two-thirds of their vaunted checking line Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars at Honda Center, with right wing Rob Niedermayer joining center Samuel Pahlsson on the sidelines.

Niedermayer suffered a groin injury early in Sunday’s 4-3, overtime victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks, and though he made it through the game, the results weren’t good when Niedermayer tried to skate Tuesday morning.

Read the rest here - Link

The Kits for Kids drive update

The Ducks announced today the overwhelming success of the second annual Kits for Kids Donation Drive. Ducks fans and supporters donated over 1,600 Wild Wingers Kids Club kits to patients at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) during the holiday season. A majority of the kits were personally delivered by the entire Ducks roster during the team’s holiday visit to CHOC on Dec. 20, 2007.

“We’re so pleased with the response from the community to our donation drive,” said Ducks Director of Fan Development Matt Savant. “Seeing the faces of CHOC patients light up when they received their kits was priceless and we hope to build on this success for next year’s drive.”

Read the rest here - Link

A profile on Beauchemin

It isn't often that Francois Beauchemin has scored a game-winning goal in overtime.
In fact, the Ducks' third-year defenseman couldn't recall Monday if he had scored an overtime goal in junior hockey or the minor leagues.
"That's not something you really think about," said Beauchemin, a day after his second goal of the season beat San Jose, 4-3. "But I'm glad that it happened."

Read the rest here - Link

Game Day Preview Via the OC Register

2008-01-14T20:39:00.001-08:00

Hello darkness, er, Dallas, my old friend. …

If there is a way to gauge how much they have changed, or not changed, over a near two-month period, the Ducks could not have landed at a better point in their schedule than tonight.

The Dallas Stars come to Honda Center having beaten the Ducks by a combined score of 10-2 in three meetings. The teams play each other eight times this season but last met before Thanksgiving, a 2-1 Dallas victory on Nov. 21.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Monday

2008-01-14T20:38:00.001-08:00

I am finally getting back into the swing of things after a week off. There is a lot to report on as the Ducks have recalled Miller and a few other articles were posted today.

Build your on life size Rob Niedermayer Poster - Find out how - Link

Ryan Miller is recalled, a status update on the injuries and a few other misc. notes via MVN

Miller’s return is primarily due to the fact that George Parros is now on IR with his bruised knee, retroactive to last Wednesday. Although Parros skated lightly today, he is still not progressing fast enough to be reinserted into the line up.

Sami Pahlsson experienced a set back at practice on Saturday with new soreness in the abdominal area. As a result, he was not taken off IR and will not play against Dallas tomorrow evening. Even though he is on IR, he is still considered day to day. It will depend on how soon he recovers and if he does not have further soreness and inflammation.

Read the rest of this great post here - Link

Francois Beauchemin gets a little coverage in the OC Register

“Sometimes the minus is a stat you don’t look at specifically,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “His was minus-12 at one point. We talked to him about trying to do less, be safer, get your confidence from a defensive aspect first before you start to stray out on the other side of it. He’s been more conservative and he’s picked his times to jump into the play. That’s what we ask of all our defensemen.”

Read the rest here - Link

Official Ducks interview of Beauchemin

Having to deal with the absence of his defensive partner from the past two seasons, and as a result an increase in minutes and pressure, Beauchemin had some difficult adjustments to make in the early part of this season. That’s part of the reason the third-year defenseman saw his plus/minus rating this season reach a team low -12 at one point.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks Weekly Notes has been updated

WINNING AT HONDA CENTER: Including a 14-6-4 record this year (excluding Sept. 30 "home" game in London, England), the Anaheim Ducks are 60-17-16 in their last 93 regular season games at Honda Center dating back to Nov. 25, 2006...the Ducks have a .673 winning percentage (103-39-37, 241 pts.) over the last 179 home games, earning at least one point in 140 of those 179 contests (19-6-8 in the last 33 home games of 2002-03 season and 19-11-11 in 2003-04)...Anaheim finished the 2006-07 regular season with a home record of 26-6-9, tying the club record for home wins in a season (26-10-5 in 2005-2006)...the Ducks also went 10-2 at home in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, clinching all four series wins at Honda Center.

Read this and much more here - Link

Bid to get your own game worn jersey

Beckett Media is proud to offer these authentic, game worn road white jerseys, from the 2007-08 Anaheim Ducks. These were worn in regular and pre-season games September through November 2007. This includes the September 29-30 NHL opening dates played in London, England! These are the first Ducks game jerseys in the new RBK EDGE style ever worn and offered. Five of these jerseys are the first ever worn by these players.

Read the rest here - Link

Beckett Select Auction Preview: 2007-08 Anaheim Ducks Jerseys from Beckett Media LP on Vimeo.

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks win 4-3 OT

2008-01-13T22:24:00.001-08:00

That was an awesome game! If you missed you can watch Hazy and Ahlers give you a review of the victory.

Photo of the Game

Getty Images

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - SJS ANA

Photos and Videos

Official Photos - Link

NHL Highlights - Link

ESPN Coverage - Link

Three Stars and Beauchemin Interview

Post Game Review - By Hazy and John Ahlers

Anaheim Ducks official Coverage

One streak was snapped and another rolled on, as the Ducks virtually stole one from the Sharks 4-3 in overtime on a Francois Beauchemin goal just 33 seconds into the extra session.

Something had to give when the Sharks took their 10-game road winning streak into Honda Center, a place Anaheim had won five in a row. It looked late in the game like the Sharks would continue that streak, which ranked second all-time in the NHL, when they led 3-2 with less than a minute left in regulation. But after sending goalie J.S. Giguere to the bench for an extra attacker, the Ducks got a great bounce to tie the game 3-3 with just 27.7 seconds left.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The weather could not have been nicer for the sixth meeting of these two California teams. Last week it was raining and cold. This week it was back to shorts and flip flops. The Sharks played last night against Toronto, coming back to defeat them 3-2 after trailing 2-0 going into the third period. If Toronto had held onto their lead, the Ducks would only be 2 points behind them in the Pacific Division. The Ducks have been resting since Wednesday’s shut out against the same Maple Leafs.

Robo-goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, finally earned a rest, in spite of having started every single game for the Sharks this season. Thomas Greiss got the nod, making his NHL debut against the Ducks. Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the goalie of choice for the Ducks. The points couldn’t matter more. Ducks win, they pull within 2 points of first place in the Pacific Division. Ducks lose, the Sharks pull 6 points away, and they still have three games in hand. Would the Ducks realize this and play like they meant it?

Read the rest here - Link

ESPN Coverage

The difference in the series between the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks and the Pacific Division-leading Sharks has been razor-thin this season, but with Anaheim holding a definite edge.

With the Ducks trailing by a goal, Doug Weight scored with 28 seconds left in regulation, then defenceman Francois Beauchemin scored 33 seconds into overtime Sunday night to rally Anaheim to a 4-3 victory over San Jose.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Ducks Blog report

FIRST-PERIOD SUMMARY
Rookie center Torrey Mitchell gave San Jose a 2-1 lead when he scored for the fourth time this season against the Ducks, short-handed, at 15:23. Mitchell converted a three-on-one pass from Mike Grier. The Sharks took the early lead on a power-play strike by Jeremy Roenick at 2:11, but the Ducks got even when Bertuzzi scored his eighth goal of the season, and second in two games, at 8:58. The teams combined for only 12 shots, eight by the Ducks, in the opening 20 minutes.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Game Day and other Analysis

2008-01-13T13:34:00.001-08:00

BoC Gameday

I'm way too fascinated by the mechanics of the Ducks' post-Niedermayer, post-Weight improvement (first 34 games: 15-15-4, 2.38 GF, 2.82 GA; last 12 games: 8-2-2, 2.67 GF, 1.50 GA). It's not just that the Ducks have improved, but really, what is happening behind the scene in order to generate better results?
The table below only covers even-strength play (5-on-5, or 4-on-4, or with a goalie pulled, or whatever), and here's what it contains. In the columns to the left are the even-strength results for the 34 games before Scott Niedermayer joined the team; the columns to the right are the same results for the 12 games since. In each set, you can see the even-strength minutes, the goals-for per 60 minutes, the goals-against per 60, and the goal-differential per 60. The very last column shows the improvement, and everything is sorted by the second-to-last column (goal differential since Scott's return).

Read the rest here - Link

The LA Times analyzes the Ducks

Having pulled themselves into the thick of the Pacific Division race, the Ducks can take direct aim at the two teams ahead of them in the standings.
The Ducks play host to San Jose tonight and Dallas on Tuesday night in two games that could propel them into first place. But the results against each this season couldn't be any different.

Read the rest here - Link

AP Preview

The Anaheim Ducks have put together their longest home win streak of the season. They'll put it on the line against the San Jose Sharks, whose last road loss came in Anaheim - more than two months ago.

The Sharks go for their 11th straight road victory on Sunday when they visit the Pacific Division rival Ducks, who have won five straight at the Honda Center.

The Sharks (25-12-6) led 2-1 after two periods in Anaheim on Nov. 9, but couldn't close out the Ducks, who got a game-tying goal and the game-winning shootout tally from Andy McDonald for a 3-2 victory.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Vacation Catchup 2 - Misc. news

2008-01-13T13:29:00.001-08:00

The Ducks have cool little tool - Link

Chris Pronger and the Ducks help fight cancer

Captain Chris Pronger Will Wear a Hockey Fights Cancer Commemorative Patch on his Game Jersey Which Will be Autographed and Donated to an Online Auction

The Ducks announced today that in support of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, Ducks captain Chris Pronger will wear a commemorative Hockey Fights Cancer patch on his game jersey this Sunday, Jan. 13 when the club takes on the San Jose Sharks at Honda Center (5:05 p.m.). As part of the 10th Anniversary celebration of Hockey Fights Cancer, the Ducks join the NHL in a weekend of raising funds and awareness for the cause during games throughout the league from Friday, Jan. 11 to Sunday, Jan. 13.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks help at the Aces got skills competitions

Aces Got Skills is taking place over a three day period. Events were held at Anaheim Ice (January 10), Glacial Garden Skating Arena in Lakewood (January 11)and Aliso Viejo Ice Palace (January 12). Corey Perry and Kent Huskins were scheduled to be present at the events.

Read the rest here - Link

Friday Practice news

Missing from practice was George Parros. Parros was the victim of a knee to knee hit in Wednesday’s game against Toronto. Wade Belak was the player who administered the hit and it prompted their second period fight. After the fight, Parros skated off to the dressing room and did not return. His knee was evaluated and it was determined to be bruised. Parros acknowledged being sore, but that he would likely try to skate at tomorrow’s practice and see how he feels.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Vacation Catchup Part 1

2008-01-13T13:18:00.001-08:00

Chris Kunitz is interviewed on the latest Duckcast - Link

Brian Bochenski profile and an upated on Pahlsson/May

Brandon Bochenski first had Orange County on his mind about two weeks ago.

His wife, Jennifer, bought a DVD box set of "The OC," the teen soap opera set in Newport Beach. A week later, on Jan. 2, Bochenski was traded from Boston to the Ducks.

The other, more important twist of fate is that Bochenski has gone from a peripheral player in Boston to a second-line wing for the surging Ducks.

Read the rest here - Link

May is ready

Brad May has been in the NHL long enough that he doesn’t need to be told that there’s always someone ready to fill your shoes.

Nothing is a certainty, even for a 17-year pro like May. The veteran moved closer to returning to the lineup Friday when he skated with the club. But he knows the Ducks have changed dramatically since he went down with a broken bone in his right foot in practice on Dec.15. They’ve gone 8-2-1 with first place San Jose in their sights.

Young players like Ryan Carter and Brandon Bochenski have capably filled roles held by injured Samuel Pahlsson and re-assigned winger Bobby Ryan. The fourth line of Todd Marchant, George Parros and Brian Sutherby had been intact for some time until Parros injured a knee.

Read the rest here - Link

Pahlsson is waiting.....

Samuel Pahlsson wants back in the Ducks' lineup but his sore abdomen isn't allowing it.
Pahlsson missed his eighth consecutive game Wednesday as additional rest has not helped alleviate inflammation in the area. The veteran center has been able to participate in practice but he isn't ready to go back up against the game's top forwards.

"It's frustrating," Pahlsson said. "I felt good for a while and it's frustrating when it comes back. And it doesn't get better. It's no fun to play when you don't feel good."

Read the rest here - Link

But he and May seem to be ready

Back at practice after a day off following their decisive victory over Toronto on Wednesday, the Ducks got some more good news Friday as forwards Samuel Pahlsson and Brad May went through a grinding session without a hitch.
Both appear set to return from injury for the Ducks' home game Sunday against San Jose, leaving Coach Randy Carlyle with this question:
Whom does he sit?
Pahlsson figures to jump back into his customary spot centering the checking line after sitting out eight games because of abdominal inflammation. If that's the case, the Ducks will have to find a new place for rookie Ryan Carter, who has shined in place of the veteran.

Read the rest here - Link

Pronger and Getzlaf are all stars

Back in his early days of junior hockey, Ryan Getzlaf was like many youngsters who dreamed of being a star in the NHL but also worried if they would ever be drafted.
Getzlaf's only worry now is dealing with impending stardom, after the Ducks' center earned his first All-Star game selection Thursday as the Western Conference reserves were announced for the Jan. 27 event in Atlanta.

A participant in the NHL's YoungStars game last year in Dallas, Getzlaf earned a spot in the showcase game as he leads the Ducks with 48 points. The 22-year-old center is on a career-best nine-game point streak and has 17 goals and 31 assists.

Read the rest here - Link

Ryan Getzlaf is an All Star

Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf admits he’s still a kid at heart. He enjoys playing with his three dogs, enjoys watching football or Seinfeld re-runs and will watch plenty of hockey highlights on his off nights.

But don’t let that youthful exuberance fool you. When the 22-year-old Saskatchewan native laces on the skates and steps on the ice, he’s all business. As if leading his team in scoring during its Stanley Cup run last season wasn’t proof enough, now Getzlaf gets an opportunity to skate among the League’s elite after being named to the Western Conference roster yesterday for the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 27 in Atlanta.

"It’s a real exciting opportunity for me and I consider it an honor being selected," Getzlaf said. "I’ve looked up to a lot of the players that I’ll be playing with and against in the game. It’ll give me a chance to talk to them about the different experiences they have been through. I hadn’t made any plans for that day, so I’ll be there."

Read the rest here - Link

Perry not quite an all star (although he is)

Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf and defenseman Chris Pronger were obvious choices for selection to the Jan. 27 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta. The unfortunate part of the equation is the exclusion of right wing Corey Perry.

Perry is tied for eighth in the NHL with 23 goals, and ranks higher on that list than every player in the Western Conference except Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings, each of whom earned an all-star berth in fan voting to choose the game’s starters. And yet, Perry will not be going to Atlanta.

Read the rest here - Link

A profile on Bertuzzi

Since the smiles haven't been coming a lot the past two seasons, it's a relief to hear Todd Bertuzzi say he's "having fun" playing the game lately. The usually stoic Bertuzzi has reason to be happy, since he's playing his best hockey in a long time. It's something he had hoped would happen much sooner after he was signed by the Ducks over the summer.
After back surgery and a concussion limited Bertuzzi’s 2006-07 campaign to just 31 total games (15 in the regular season and 16 in the playoffs) between Florida and Detroit, Bertuzzi was glad to be healthy to start this season. But while just getting comfortable with the Ducks, the Sudbury, Ontario native suffered another concussion after a hit from Minnesota enforcer Derek Boogaard on Oct. 14. The injury would end up costing him another 14 games.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News -Vacation Post

2008-01-09T22:27:00.001-08:00

I am on vacation this week, but I thought I would post some links from today's news

Bobby Ryan sent to Portland - Link

MVN Coverage of today's Ducks Practice and the State of the Franchise - Link

Ducks blog has coverage of the state of t franchise - Link

Ducks trade Darryl Bootland(AHL) - Link

Burke and David Shoalts talk - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Tuesday

2008-01-08T22:41:00.001-08:00

Inside Ducks TV, Nashville vs Ducks - Link

The New Element has been posted

A cool set of highlights - Link

Kids Club Party Report - Link

Parros getting a cut - Link

Game Day Preview

An unfamiliar foe makes its way to Anaheim Wednesday night, as Toronto comes to Honda Center for the first time since 2003. And the new opposing faces are a welcomed sight for the Ducks.
“It’s just nice to see a different team,” Todd Bertuzzi said. “I think after awhile you get tired of the meetings when you know the opponent each and every time. It refreshes things.”
Rated by Forbes magazine as the most valuable NHL franchise, the Maples Leafs, also an Original Six member of the league, are not your average Ducks opponent. With them comes a large fan base.
“I’m sure you’re going to see more than your ample share of blue and white in the stands because there are lots of transplanted Canadians in California,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. “It’s easily the most recognizable hockey franchise. Having played there a number of years ago and with the branding that’s taking place in the game, Toronto is front and center.”

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks looking forward to the Leafs

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle hails from Sudbury, Ontario, the home province of Toronto, so it is safe to assume he was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan growing up rather than a Montreal Canadiens follower.

"Those were the days when it was French vs. English in northern Ontario," Carlyle said. "It made for a natural rivalry."

Carlyle also spent his first two NHL seasons with Toronto. Several of his current players are from the area, and it is with a bit of nostalgia and adrenaline that they will host Toronto on Wednesday in a rare Southern California appearance by the Maple Leafs.

Read the rest here - Link

Getzy and Perry in the All Star game?

Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have carried the Ducks offensively through the first half of the season and rank among the top Western Conference forwards.

On Thursday they will learn if it is enough to make their first All-Star game.

Perry is third in the Western Conference with 22 goals, behind Calgary’s Jarome Iginla and Henrik Zetterberg of Detroit. Getzlaf is sixth among Western Conference forwards in scoring with 17 goals and 29 assists.

Iginla and Zetterberg were named starters on Tuesday. Western Conference reserves, selected by the NHL’s operations department in conjunction with league general managers, will be announced on Thursday. The All-Star game is Jan.27 in Atlanta.

Read the rest here - Link

One more look at Getzlaf and Perry

The hockey world took notice of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring but the true recognition of whether they've arrived as stars might come Thursday.
It is when the NHL will announce the rest of the lineup that will represent the Western Conference in the league's all-star game, which is Jan. 27 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The starters were announced Tuesday.

Both Getzlaf and Perry have credentials that could earn the 22-year-olds a first-time nod in the midseason showcase.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Win 5-2

2008-01-08T00:10:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Game (Parros was break dance fighting)

Gary Friedman / LAT

Offiical Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - NSH|ANA

Photos and Video

Official Game Photos - Link

LA Times Photos - Link

NHL Video - Link

TSN - Link

Doug Weight Pre-game Interview

Todd Bertuzzi 1st Intermission Interview

Chris Kunitz Second Intermission Interview

Ryan Carter Interview

Three Stars and Chris Kunitz Interview

Travis Moen Post-game Interview

Corey Perry Post-game Interview

Official Ducks Game Coverage

Desperately looking for more goal-scoring, the Ducks found the net more times in an 8:07 stretch in the second period than they have in each of the last six games.
Travis Moen, Chris Kunitz, Chris Pronger and Corey Perry each tallied in that window, propelling the Ducks to a 4-1 advantage that would eventually develop into a 5-2 rout over Nashville at Honda Center.

It was the fourth straight home win for the Ducks, who extended their win streak versus Nashville at Honda Center to seven games, dating back to March 23, 2004. The win also snapped a three-game winning streak for the Predators.

"It’s nice and hopefully it continues," said Perry of Anaheim's sudden rash of offense. "It was one of those games where the puck bounced and went in for us. We needed a game like that to take the monkey off our back. It’s just those fractions of an inch either way. Finally tonight, we started getting the bounces."

Read the rest here - Link

Nashville Predators coverage

Four goals in a span of 8:07 in the second period proved to be the difference as the Anaheim Ducks ended the Nashville Predators three-game winning streak with a 5-2 decision on Monday night at the Honda Center.
Marek Zidlicky posted a multi-point (1g-1a) effort in defeat, while J.P. Dumont scored in his fifth straight game to build on a personal best and match a franchise record for longest goal-scoring streak.

The Predators possessed the game’s early momentum, and used it to draw a penalty to Travis Moen just four minutes and change into the game. On the ensuing power play, Nashville’s leading point producer from the blue line, Zidlicky, made the Ducks pay, belting a howitzer from the left point to give the Preds the lead at 4:59. Ville Koistinen set up Zidlicky for the one-time slap shot to pick up the lone assist.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

"Hopefully it continues," Ducks forward Corey Perry said. "It was one of those games where the puck bounced and went in for us. We needed a game like that to take the monkey off our back a little bit."
Travis Moen started the outburst with his second goal of the season and Perry closed it with his team-leading 22nd.
In between were scores by Chris Kunitz and Chris Pronger as the Ducks easily erased a 1-0 deficit after the first period.
Perry, Kunitz and Ryan Getzlaf each had a goal and an assist. Getzlaf, who has four goals in his last five games, extended his point scoring streak to eight games, tying a career high set earlier this season.
Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Predators got the scoring started with a power play goal by Marek Zidlicky at 4:59. Travis Moen was in the box for holding. The Ducks were unable to clear the puck from the zone and Nashville took advantage with a quick pass by Ville Koistinen to Zidlicky, who took the shot from the top of the circle. The Ducks seemed flat and uninspired until the final five minutes of the period. Moen had a great chance late and was sent careening into the net by Ryan Suter after getting his shot off. Shortly thereafter, Doug Weight made a nice cross ice pass in front of the net to Corey Perry, who missed the feed.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

Four different Ducks scored during a furious eight minutes in the second period as the home team cruised to an easy victory agasnst the Nashville Predators Monday night at the Honda Center.

A few moments after Travis Moen was sent to the penalty box for holding at 4:12 in the first period, Nashville defenseman Marek Zidlicky put the Predators up by a goal, firing a slap shot from the top of the left circle. The puck just made it over Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s glove. That was the 46th power-play goal allowed by the Ducks this year. Only Carolina has done worse when skating short-handed, giving up an NHL-worst 48 goals through Monday night.

Read the rest here - Link

AP Coverage via TSN

Two power-play conversions and another goal on a delayed penalty enabled the Anaheim Ducks to enjoy a rare scoring binge against the Nashville Predators.

Chris Pronger and Corey Perry scored power-play goals 1:10 apart to cap a four-goal spurt in the second period, and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 Monday night.

"We stuck with the same program that we've been sticking with the last few weeks - getting the puck in deep, cycling it and taking it to the net. Tonight we finally started getting the bounces," Perry said. "We needed a game like that to take the monkey off our back a little bit. I hope it continues."

Read the rest here - Link

Why the Honda Center was pink tonight

The Honda Center exterior was illuminated with pink lights Monday night to promote breast cancer awareness in Orange County.

The center went pink for a couple of hours prior to the Ducks game against Nashville.
Read the rest here - Link

Technorati Tags: Anaheim+Ducks

Teemu Selanne Retirement Update

2008-01-06T22:42:00.001-08:00

Via the OC Register

Teemu Selanne has begun a skating program on his own at Anaheim Ice, but that does not necessarily mean the longtime fan favorite is set for a return to the Ducks.

Selanne, who was on the ice three times last week and plans to resume skating this week, is still trying to gauge whether he has the desire to return to the rigors of NHL play, he said Saturday.

"So far, I don't know yet," Selanne said. "I'm going to skate for a couple of weeks now, start pushing more and more, and then I will feel for sure if I feel good enough. The good thing is I have done everything I have to do if I want to come back.

Read the rest here (scroll down past the Phoenix Coverage) - Link

Anaheim Ducks Game Day Preview

2008-01-06T22:38:00.001-08:00

Via the AP

The Nashville Predators look to continue capitalizing on fast starts in order to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games Monday night when they visit the reigning Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks.

The Predators (20-18-2) have totaled six first-period goals their last two games, doubling their output from the previous 11 contests in which they went 4-7-0.

They used two first-period goals to get a 4-2 win over the Ducks (21-17-6) on Dec. 8 after failing to get on the scoreboard until the third period in a 3-1 loss at Anaheim on Oct. 17 - their fifth consecutive defeat at the Honda Center.

Nashville scored three times in the opening period Saturday to beat Minnesota 4-1. The quick outburst has Nashville in position to win four consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 24-March 3.

"We have to come out strong," Predators right wing J.P. Dumont said. "We are playing with confidence and that is huge for us. I don't know why it is happening, but I'm glad it is. We are a different team, a tougher team, when we have the early lead.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Sunday

2008-01-06T22:37:00.001-08:00

So much for Sunday being a slow news day......

Pahlsson will be out again

Ducks center Samuel Pahlsson said he likely will miss his seventh consecutive game Monday night.

Pahlsson has an abdominal strain and is trying to strengthen the area. He does not have a target date for his return.

"I don't know when I'm playing," Pahlsson said. "It's gotten a lot better. It's just a matter of when."

Read the rest here - Link

2008 All Star Balloting Results

The fan balloting for the NHL All Star Game has concluded and the results were released today. The Ducks had four players on the ballot, but none of them made the starting line up. Chris Pronger came closest, finishing 3rd in balloting for defensemen. Fellow d-man, Francois Beauchemin, finished a respectable 5th place. Jean-Sebastien Giguere finished in 4th place for goaltenders. Ryan Getzlaf came in 8th place among forwards.

Read the rest here - Link

Varius has a look at Ducks forward situation

With ever-growing rumors that Teemu Selanne is on his way back to the Ducks this season, I figured we should take a look at the potential logjam at forward this presents Anaheim.

Scoring Line 1

Without a doubt, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have cemented their statuses this season as first-liners. The problem is, their coveted left-wing spot has seen a revolving door of guys who just haven’t been the perfect match.

In my opinion, I would leave Chris Kunitz there. He brings energy and grit to an already feisty line and complements the others well. While Perry is agitating and dangling his way off the boards or out of the corners to the front of the net, Kunitz can install himself in perfect deflection position in front of the net. This frees Getzlaf to roam behind the net or to the high slot, where his rocket shot is best used.

Read the rest here - Link

Bobby Ryan is profiled on the Ducks official site

From the moment his name was called as the second overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, right wing Bobby Ryan has had immense expectations to live up to.
Along with being the highest draft pick in Ducks history, Ryan was Brian Burke’s first selection as Anaheim’s Executive Vice President and General Manager. One pick prior to Ryan’s selection, Pittsburgh drafted Sidney Crosby, who was already being dubbed “The Next One” and has since won the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP during the 2006-07 season.

“Oh yeah, there are expectations,” Ryan said. “I’m sure there always will be. You hear what people say and what people think.”

Read the rest here - Link

Playoffs will be a close race like last year

Warning: Objects might be closer than they appear.

The Ducks, rejuvenated and stabilized by the return of Conn Smyth Award-winning defenseman Scott Niedermayer, are now looking ahead as they drive toward the playoffs.

But this season there are no guarantees of reaching the postseason, not even for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

A 6-2-1 surge in their first nine games after Niedermayer ended his flirtation with retirement thrust the Ducks back into playoff contention and boosted their confidence, but it would behoove them to check the traffic in their side-view mirror, too.

After holding on for a 2-1, good-to-the-last-stop victory against Chicago on Friday night at Honda Center, the Ducks were just three points behind Pacific Division co-leaders Dallas and San Jose as they headed to Phoenix for Saturday's universally dreaded finale of back-to-back, home-and-away contests.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks lose 3-2 (SO)

2008-01-06T22:01:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Game

Official Coyotes Photo

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|PHX

Shootout Details

Photos and Video

NHL Highlights - 700K

Game Photos - Link

TSN - Link

Brandon Bochenski 1st intermission interview

LA Times Coverage

Much like their spirited challenge for the net as teammates the last two seasons, the Ducks' Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Phoenix's Ilya Bryzgalov brought the best out of each other Saturday night.
Perhaps this game should have been played four years ago when the NHL was content with allowing games to end in a tie. Both were that sharp from the first puck drop.

Mixing it up

But the league saw fit to make sure there was a winner and a loser by putting in the shootout after the lockout, which is just what it took to decide a 3-2 victory by the Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena.
The difference was that Peter Mueller scored on Giguere and the Ducks couldn't put one by Bryzgalov in their three attempts. Not surprisingly, the Ducks weren't all that disappointed with this defeat after winning 24 hours earlier at home.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

Given that both of them stopped pretty much everything they had a realistic shot at, it was only fitting that Saturday night's goaltending duel between Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Ducks and former protégé Ilya Bryzgalov would come down to a shootout.

For the second time since being obtained by Phoenix on waivers Nov. 17, Bryzgalov beat the Ducks in the NHL's regular-season tie-breaking format. He foiled all three Ducks shootout attempts, while rookie Peter Mueller slipped a shot past Giguere to give the Coyotes a 3-2 triumph at Jobing.com Arena.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

Once again, the Ducks could not score more than two goals in a game, a problem that needs to be resolved. The Ducks were playing the second of back to back games in Phoenix, having played Chicago the night before. Jean-Sebastien Giguere was back in net after sitting out last night’s contest. In spite of having had some “flu-like” symptoms the day before, Giguere stopped 32 of 34 shots. At the other end was former Ducks goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov, looking happily competitive and stopping 29 of 31 shots. It was the second time the goalies had faced off against each other, the first time also ending in a shut out.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Saturday

2008-01-05T12:41:00.001-08:00

Game Day Preview from the AP

Coming off a win last night at home over Chicago, the Ducks will look to keep the momentum going tonight when they face Phoenix at Jobing.com Arena.

Anaheim beat Chicago 2-1 at home on Friday for its second straight win and sixth in its last eight games. Corey Perry scored his team-leading 21st goal 16 seconds into the contest and added an assist for the Ducks.

"For whatever reason, not very often have we scored the first goal. But we build momentum as the game goes along," Anaheim's Sean O'Donnell said. "It's certainly not a habit we want to get into. Our goal has to be to play the way we want to play for 60 minutes."

Perry has three goals and an assist against the Coyotes this season, with two of the goals and the assist coming Nov. 3, in the Ducks' 5-2 win at Phoenix.

Giguere, who was battling the flu Friday, could be back in goal in Saturday after watching rookie Jonas Hiller make 20 saves against the Blackhawks.

Read the rest here - Link

Doug Weight interview via the OC Register

Doug Weight was lucky. He was young when he got hit in the face, by the business end of hockey.

He was 21, in fact, playing for the New York Rangers and visiting Edmonton with his girlfriend Allison, who is now his wife. A couple of hours before the game, he was informed he would not be playing Edmonton, but would, in fact, be playing forEdmonton, in exchange for Esa Tikkanen.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Win 2-1

2008-01-04T23:43:00.001-08:00

The Ducks eeked out a victory over the severely depleted Chicago Blackhawks. I am happy we won, but we really should have annihilated them. Oh well, here is tonight's game reports.

Photo of the Game

Kevin Sullivan, The Orange County Register

Official Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - CHI|ANA

Video and Photos

Official Photos - Link

NHL Highlight Video - Link

ESPN Video Coverage - Link

Ryan Getzlaf Pre-game interview

Corey Perry 1st intermission interview

J.S. Giguere answers the Hockey 101 Question

Tonight's three stars and a Corey Perry interview

Sean O'Donnell post-game interview

Doug Weight post-game interview

Anaheim Ducks official coverage

The Ducks offense got off to a fast start and their defense did the work the rest of the way as two first-period goals gave way to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at Honda Center.

Corey Perry had a goal just 16 seconds into the game and Chris Kunitz had one at the end of the first to lead the Ducks to their second straight win and 11th in the last 12 contests with Chicago (including four in a row). In a game they looked like they should run away with, the Ducks had to rely on their defense to hold a one-goal lead over most of the last two periods in handing Chicago its fourth straight loss.

Swiss rookie Jonas Hiller had 20 saves saves in earning his third win of the season. Hiller got the start since the Ducks were playing the first of back-to-back games, and No. 1 goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is expected to start tomorrow night at Phoenix.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle didn’t even try to pretend that watching his club hang on for a second consecutive 2-1 victory wasn’t nerve-wracking.
“Just a little,” Carlyle said after Friday's decision over the Chicago Blackhawks at Honda Center. “It’s not like I’m back there whistling.”
With the offensively challenged Ducks managing only first-period goals from Corey Perry and Chris Kunitz, who struck on the power play, and Chicago’s Patrick Sharp scoring 1:56 into the second period, that left more than 38 minutes for the Ducks to nurse the most narrow of advantages.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Before they renew acquaintances tonight in Phoenix with their affable and eccentric former teammate Ilya Bryzgalov, the Ducks were happy to show the reason why they were willing to made the popular backup goalie expendable in November.
Looking more comfortable as he gets used to the NHL game, Jonas Hiller stepped in for an ill Jean-Sebastien Giguere on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks and led the Ducks to a 2-1 win at the Honda Center.
Read the rest here - Link

AP Coverage via ESPN

Jean-Sebastien Giguere had a touch of the flu and didn't take part in the morning skate, so it was up to rookie Jonas Hiller to give the Anaheim Ducks a solid effort in net. He didn't disappoint.

Hiller made 20 saves in his seventh NHL start and withstood a couple of shots off posts, making an early two-goal lead stand up and leading the defending Stanley Cup champions to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

"We're lucky that we have the caliber of goaltending that we have," coach Randy Carlyle said. "Jonas Hiller is a guy the organization felt would be able to come in and provide us with NHL goaltending. He proved that tonight, and he's going to have to prove it all along. That's the reality of the position. Hiller also needs to play more games -- not just get the tough hand to deal with when you're playing the second of back-to-backs."

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

In the third period, the Ducks took advantage of a tired and depleted Hawks team. The Hawks took four penalties, including giving up a 5 on 3 with less than four minutes left in the game. Not a good way to tie up a game. The Ducks were unable to convert on any further chances and were 1 for 7 in the game. They killed off all four penalties against them. Khabibulin left the net with 1:00 minute left and the Hawks did their best to get another goal past Hiller. Hiller came up big when needed and stopped 20 of 21 shots.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Friday

2008-01-04T21:27:00.001-08:00

It was a dark and stormy night...... well it is but that is not what I am here fore. I've got a Bobby Ryan profile, some analysis of our Ducks and other important news.

Schedule Change!!!!!!!!

The start time for the Ducks' Jan. 20 game at Dallas has been changed from 10:30 a.m. Pacific time to 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The start time was changed to comply with the contracted flex scheduling related to the NBC coverage of the Boston/NY Rangers game.
The Ducks-Dallas game will be broadcast locally on KDOC.

See the original post - Link

New Ducks Cast with Steve Carroll discussing Scott Niedermayer - Link

Bobby Ryan gets interviewed by the LA Times

There are times when he threads a perfect pass up ice or bulldozes a defender in the offensive zone. And there are times when he looks out of place or can't keep up with the speedsters who zoom by him.
It's all part of the education of the Ducks' Bobby Ryan.
With Sidney Crosby now a superstar and Jack Johnson learning the ropes with the Kings, the Ducks have patiently waited for 20-year-old Ryan to grasp the NHL learning curve and prove they were right to draft him second overall in 2005, behind Crosby and ahead of Johnson.
Read the rest here - Link

The OC Register has a look at how the D is contributing

However far the Ducks go this season, it has become clear they will get there largely on the strength of their defensemen, a group that features the “big four” of Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Mathieu Schneider and Francois Beauchemin.

Since Niedermayer’s return to the lineup in mid-December, the Ducks have not only cut down dramatically on the number of goals and scoring chances they are giving up, but they have received a significant offensive boost from their blue-line corps. Entering Friday night’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at Honda Center, the Ducks have received six goals and 16 points from defensemen in the past seven games.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks Game Day Preview via the Ducks Official Site

2008-01-04T07:00:00.001-08:00

The Anaheim Ducks expect to play better hockey in the second half of the season than they did in the first.

The defending Stanley Cup champions look for a season-high third straight win at home on Friday night while trying to continue their dominance over the injury-riddled Chicago Blackhawks.

Inconsistent play in the first 2 1/2 months of 2007-08 has Anaheim (20-17-5) in third place in the Pacific Division with 45 points, but the Ducks appear focused on making an extended run of success.

Anaheim avoided a third straight loss with a 2-1 home win over Columbus on Wednesday to kick off the season's second half. That contest was the first in a stretch in which the Ducks will play six of seven at the Honda Center.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday

2008-01-03T20:32:00.001-08:00

I've got more news on the Hnidy trade and some other cool news. The Ducks played OK last night, but still need some work. We shall see how the new guy helps get us where we need to be.

Want to raise money for Ducks Care and get a game used stick? Here is where to bid on Rob Niedermayer's stick, Chris Kunitz's stick or Chris Pronger's stick - Link

The January desktop has been posted - Link

The LA Times takes a look at the Hnidy trde and Pahlsson

"It's not healthy for anybody to have eight defensemen," Ducks assistant general manager Bob Murray said. "We had the opportunity to get a guy who has at times in his career scored some goals in bunches.
"It's better for Shane. The first thing he said to me was, 'I didn't play well here. I let you guys down early on here.' "

Read the rest here - Link

BOC has a look at the Hnidy trade

The thing about Hnidymayer is that he's fairly frustrating to watch on defense; one second you think that he's in good position to defend a play, the next second he's got his arm wrapped around some forward begging the referees for a holding call.
Still, there's a lesson to be learned about Hnidy: he's not going to be a good top-four option on defense, but he can be a capable bottom-pairing guy. In Hnidy's first seventeen games for Anaheim (played largely without Mathieu Schneider or of course Scott Niedermayer), Shane played some 214 minutes of even-strength hockey, on the ice for 2 goals-for, 9 goals-against. Additionally, he played some 28 minutes shorthanded, on the ice for 3 goals-against there. Basically, he was a bleeder.

Read the rest here - Link

Bochenski arrives in Anaheim, Miller sent to Portland

The arrival of newly acquired right wing Brandon Bochenski signaled the departure of Drew Miller.

Miller was assigned to AHL-affiliate Portland after the Ducks traded for Boston’s Bochenski on Wednesday.

Coach Randy Carlyle said it was unfortunate because Miller had been playing his best hockey recently, but he was a victim of a numbers game.

Miller had only two goals and three assists and averaged 11:17 of ice tie in 25 games but showed promise. He briefly filled in for Samuel Pahlsson on the team’s checking line.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN has a look at Miller, Pahlsson and Bochenski

Change is inevitable and the Ducks continue to have plenty of it. Drew Miller was sent to Portland this morning. Miller had been a healthy scratch of late and the numbers just went against him. Coach Randy Carlyle said “It’s unfair to Drew. He was playing his best hockey before we took him out of the line up, but numbers dictated that and we made those decisions. For Drew, desperation has to be there day in, day out. That’s part of the learning process. We think this is the best scenario.” Ryan Carter, Miller’s Portland and Anaheim teammate, commented, “Drew’s a good friend of mine. It’s a numbers game. It’s unfortunate, but he’s a good player. He’ll be back.”

Read the rest here - Link

The OC Register has a look at Bochenski

The Ducks have led the NHL in goals against average with 1.60 per game since the return of defenseman Scott Niedermayer on Dec.16. The flip side is they have scored more than two goals only twice in that span.

Their foundation is stellar defense in front of goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and one-goal games like Wednesday's 2-1 victory against Columbus are likely to be common. Any additional offense will go a long way, and Brandon Bochenski could help.

Read the rest here - Link

Bochenski Coverage via AnaheimDucks.com

“I’m excited to be here,” Bochenski said. “Initially it’s sad because you’re leaving friends and family. The more I thought about it, it’s a good opportunity. I think it’s going to give me a chance to play the way that I play and bring to the table what I’m good at.”
In both college (154 points in 120 games at North Dakota) and in the American Hockey League (183 points in 145 AHL contests), Bochenski has shown a potent knack for scoring. But in three seasons of NHL play with three different teams (Ottawa, Chicago and Boston), Bochenski has not had the same sustained success (47 points in 101 NHL games), although the 25-year-old has shown flashes of his scoring touch (22 points in 31 games with the Bruins last season).
Read the rest here - Link

A look at Ryan Carter

With Samuel Pahlsson continuing to nurse an injured abdomen, minutes have been available at the center position on the checking line between Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen. After Todd Marchant spent the majority of time in the position during the team’s recent road trip through Western Canada, Carter got his chance on the line last night in the Ducks’ return to Honda Center. The rookie flourished, earning the third star of the game with stellar defensive play in a career-high 13:17 of time on the ice in the Ducks’ 2-1 victory over Columbus.
“With injury comes opportunity for other players. Especially as a young player, you need to take advantage of your opportunity,” Carter said on Thursday. “My ice time more than doubled last night (from 6:23 at Vancouver on Dec. 30). I think I needed to prove something to myself, the coaching staff and management. Hopefully, I did that.”

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks win 2-1

2008-01-02T23:47:00.001-08:00

That was a fun game to watch. It was a goalies duel that ended with a Ducks victory. Giggy did great and while we did have some penalty problems, we still won. Enjoy the report!

Photo of the Game

AP Photo/Mark Avery

Official Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - CBJ|ANA

Video and Photos

Photos - Link

NHL Highlight Video - 700K

Chris Pronger pregame interview

Ryan Getzlaf 1st period intermission interview

Brad May interviewed about his Rose Parade experience

Three Stars of the Game

Francois Beauchemin Postgame Interview

Todd Marchant Postgame Interview

Official Ducks Coverage

Anaheim got on top on Ryan Getzlaf’s 15th goal of the season, set up by a great saucer pass from the redline by Francois Beauchemin. Getzlaf caught up to Beauchemin’s pass behind the defense, then made a move to his backhand before flicking it past Columbus goalie Pascal Leclaire.

Columbus erased the deficit with 4:01 left in the first, on a play where they appeared to be offside before rookie Andrew Murray rushed into the attacking zone on his way to his first career goal. Murray’s first shot on the move was kicked away by Giguere, but Murray put back the rebound off the post, off Giguere’s skate and in.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

Giguere, who stopped 26 of 27 goals, including one at the final buzzer, thought the Ducks could “still do much better.” There is certainly room for improvement and as Pronger commented, “it wasn’t the best effort or the prettiest effort of the year.” But the results were just what the Ducks needed to start off the new year and it moves the Ducks in the right direction. Next up, the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday evening.

Read the rest here - Link

AP Coverage via ESPN

Pronger, who beat the Blue Jackets with an overtime goal on Dec. 10 at Columbus, gave the defending Stanley Cup champions a 2-1 lead with just 14.7 seconds left in the second period, while Sergei Fedorov was serving a hooking penalty.

The Ducks' captain took what appeared to be a routine slap shot toward the net from the left point, and defenseman Ron Hainsey made a move to glove the fluttering puck. But as he jerked his hand away at the last instant, it deflected off him and past goalie Pascal Leclaire's glove.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

It's not style points, but standings points, that matter to the Ducks.

Given that subtle but important distinction, Wednesday night's exercise at Honda Center qualified as a rousing success, even if it took two fortuitous bounces and an airtight defensive effort anchored by goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere to produce a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

The calendar turned three days ago and the Ducks hope their fortunes have turned as well.
In the first half of the season, the defending Stanley Cup champions underachieved amid a host of injuries and a major shakeup in personnel. Whether it comes back to haunt them in the final 41 games remains to be seen.

But the Ducks started the new year on the right note with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night over the Columbus Blue Jackets before a sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Honda Center.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday

2008-01-02T20:27:00.001-08:00

Well it was no surprise that the Ducks made a move. The Ducks traded Hnidy, a 6th round pick and eliminating part of the Chistov deal to get Brandon Bochenski. There is also a new Duck Cast among a lot of other news.

New Duck Cast featuring Marchant, Moen, Miller and DiPenta having a round table discussion of the Winter Classic- Link

Bochenski NHL Profile - Link

Bochesnki in Action - Link

Ducks trade Hnidy

The Ducks announced on Wednesday that they have acquired right wing Brandon Bochenski from the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenseman Shane Hnidy and Anaheim’s sixth round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In addition, the Ducks relinquished their option to exchange fourth round picks with the Bruins in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft (as part of the Stanislav Chistov deal, Nov. 13, 2006).

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks Blog coverage of the trade

While the 6-foot-1, 187-pound Bochenski might give the Ducks more depth up front, a bigger part of this deal is getting out from under the two-year, free-agent contract the club had given Hnidy last summer, when Niedermayer appeared destined for retirement.

Whereas Bochenski’s $600,000 contract runs only through this season, after which he will become a restricted free agent, the Ducks would have been on the hook for a salary-cap hit of $757,500 to Hnidy next season. While that is a relatively small number in today’s NHL, being free of it does provide a little more wiggle room for the Ducks in their quest to re-sign budding star right wing Corey Perry.

Read the rest here - Link

Pahlsson still injured

“I think we found out the reason,” Pahlsson said Wednesday. “I was compensating for the injury and put stress on some muscles because of that.”

In all likelihood, bad habits Pahlsson developed while playing with the sports hernia last season, all the way through the club’s playoff run to the Stanley Cup championship, came back to haunt him.

Obviously, the hope had been that the off-season surgery would leave Pahlsson good as new. Now it appears he will have to manage the situation for the remainder of this season, and then hope that rest and further rehabilitation and strengthening work next summer will resolve it once and for all.

Read the rest here - Link

The OC Register takes a look at the Ducks

As the NHL's first team to reach the season's official halfway point — 41 games — the Ducks have played anywhere from one to four more games than all but one of their conference rivals.

A more accurate indication of where the Ducks truly stand is winning percentage, which places them 11th in the West with a 19-17-5 mark entering tonight's matchup with the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.

"Yeah, we're right near a playoff spot, but we've played so many more games than other teams," Ducks right wing Rob Niedermayer said. "Everyone looks at where we're at in the standings. We know it's very urgent. Forty-three points — double that is 86. That's not near enough."

Read the rest here - Link

Brad May interview (thanks to BuchananHermit at the official Ducks board)

Ducks forward Brad May is out of the lineup because of a broken right foot, but it freed him to represent the team and the city of Anaheim in Tuesday’s Rose Parade.

May, who came to the Ducks via trade in February 2007, appeared in 18 playoff games to help the Ducks win their first Stanley Cup championship last season.

Before his early wake-up call for Rose Parade duty, May answered five questions from The Register. Here’s what May had to say:

Question: What is the first thing you bought with your first pro paycheck?

Brad May: I bought a Dodge Daytona hatchback. It was a used car. A Dodge Daytona, red with a white stripe. … It’s just because I needed a car. It was $3,000. It cost me $3,200 Canadian. And it was the coolest car. … I was 18 years old.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Pahlsson Update and other things

2008-01-01T20:22:00.001-08:00

Pahlsson update via MVN

Pahlsson, who is currently on the IR for an abdominal strain and did not go on the most recent road trip, skated full out with his teammates. He had been skating on his own this past week, in addition to doing other therapy for his injury. After practice he talked about his most recent injury and his status. “I felt pretty good. I’m getting closer to where I want to be.” Although the extra time off helped with the healing process, he still is “not where I want to be at.” Pahlsson admitted “I don’t think I am going to be 100% this year.” The goal is to get things manageable and feel well enough to be able to contribute on the ice.

Read the rest here - Link

Pahlsson update via the LA Times

Once the holder of the Ducks' record for consecutive games played, Samuel Pahlsson might be spending the rest of this season trying to stay in the lineup. The problem isn't his play. It's his health.
Inflammation in Pahlsson's abdomen caused the defensive whiz to skip the recent three-game trip to western Canada and it could keep him out of Wednesday's home game against Columbus.
Pahlsson skated on his own in Anaheim while his teammates dropped two of the three road games. On Monday, the center took part in the Ducks' optional practice with 10 other players but offered no guarantees regarding his status.
"I want to play," Pahlsson said. "But I'm not going to do it if it's going to make it bad right away. Everyone wants to play but you have to be smart about it too."

Read the rest here - Link

Schneider has his take on the Ducks

"I think we're getting to a point now where it's kind of put up or shut up," defenseman Mathieu Schneider said. "We've talked all year about the same things. The guys in this room now are going to be the guys that'll have to be responsible night in and night out."
What's clear is the Ducks have plenty of work to do over the final 41 games. Calgary needed 96 points to squeeze into the eighth spot in the playoffs last season and over the last four NHL seasons, the eighth-seeded teams have averaged 93.5 points.

Read the rest here - Link

Brad May was in the Rose Parade

AP Photo by Reed Saxon

Flickr photo by yausser

Video

Anaheim Ducks News for Monday

2007-12-31T21:15:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

Here is today's news:

Francois Beuchemin's New Years Resolution Via the 12/20 edition of OC Metro Business

I'd like to be a consistent, productive player on a team committed to defending a Stanley Cup championship. I'd also like to continue being an active member of this terrific Southern California community.

Ducks year in review via Ducks Blog

January 16
The Ducks play their 1,000th game as a franchise, a milestone that is about as meaningful as they "A Mighty Decade" banner that used to hang from the Honda Center rafters.
February 27
While several Western Conference powers stock up at the trade deadline, the Ducks remain relatively quiet, only acquiring winger Brad May. The move turns out to pay off, as May brings leadership, toughness and forechecking ability to the Ducks down the stretch. More importantly, he stands out as a star of the Ducks championship DVD, as his wireless mic reveals him to be a trash-talking genius. In response to an unidentified Ottawa player telling May to "watch out for the boards" after a hit, May turns to the guy, looks at him for one second and says, "Who the [bleep] are you?"
Read the rest here - Link

The Year in photos on the official site - Link

Eric Duhatschek has a look at the Ducks and Niedermayer

"But it's worked out. I'm pretty fortunate the organization kept the door open and it wasn't easy, all the questions these guys had to answer. I'm sure having that hanging around was an extra distraction. I'm sure it was not the best situation for the team."

Maybe not, but the Ducks understood that they were a better team with Niedermayer than without him — and since there was no magic answer about how to deal with the effects of a Stanley Cup hangover anyway, maybe injecting a player of his caliber into the line-up at mid-season was just the way to go. Now, when the Ducks get to April, Niedermayer will be about 50 games into his season and ready for the playoff push.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Lose 2-1

2007-12-31T00:32:00.001-08:00

That was a pretty boring game until the last 15 minutes or so. The Ducks were stifled by the Canucks defense and a few great stops by Luongo. We did not have too many penalties, but what we did have did affect key moments of the game. So go figure. One note on the videos, I will not be posting any fights because hockeyfights.com does a great job of posting the videos and giving people who are interested in watching them a forum. Well, onto the game report!

Photo of the game

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Richard Lam)

Official Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|VAN

Photos and Videos

Canucks Game Photos - Link

NHL Highlights - 700K

TSN Highlights - Link

First Period Interview with Chris Kunitz

Kent Huskins interview from the Element

OC Register Coverage

Given the ever-popular NHL schedule that had them on the ice in Vancouver barely 19 1/2 hours after completing a game some 600 miles away in Calgary, the last thing the Ducks needed Sunday night was to face a five-on-three Canucks power play in the first period.

And yet, there they were, with right wing George Parros and defenseman Sean O'Donnell sitting side by side serving interference penalties, and only center Ryan Getzlaf and defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin to support backup goaltender Jonas Hiller.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks had little time to reflect on their 5-3 loss to Calgary last night as they had to regroup quickly and play against a well rested Vancouver Canucks team. The Canucks have had the Ducks number all season and tonight was no different. The Canucks dictated the play for most of the game.

Daniel Sedin scored on a 5 on 3 power play at 10:28 of the first period. Jonas Hiller, who was giving Jean-Sebastien Giguere the night off, had no chance on the shot. In the second period Matt Cooke made it 2-0 at 4:18 thanks to a great pass from Henrik Sedin. The Ducks were outshot 19 - 11 by the end of the period.

Read the rest here - Links

TSN Coverage

"Luongo's one of the best goalies in the league for a reason and he gives them a chance to win every night," Getzlaf said after scoring his 14th goal of the campaign.

Anaheim forced Luongo to make only 11 saves after 40 minutes and the Vancouver netminder jokingly said he took his penalty "just to get some action going.

"I was looking at the puck behind the net and my stick was stuck on the post. I couldn't move. The only thing I could have done is drop my stick not to make him fall. I asked for an explanation but didn't get one."

Read the rest here - Link

Vancouver Sun Coverage

The Anaheim Ducks may have had visions of a lengthy winning streak with stalwart defenceman Scott Niedermayer back in their lineup, but they'll need a trip to the optometrist now.

After four straight victories, the Stanley Cup-champion Ducks thudded back to dry land on the weekend, losing 5-3 Saturday in Calgary and 2-1 Sunday to the Vancouver Canucks.

"The honeymoon is over," declared Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle following Sunday's defeat. "These games were an indication of how much work we have ahead of us, even with Scott Niedermayer."

Read the rest here - Link

CBC Coverage

But Luongo pulled the game out, sometimes by keeping his pads square, and others by laying his six-foot, three-inch frame across the goal line and challenging the Ducks to shoot it over him.

"[Roberto] can only do so much, but he seemed to make the saves even with people on top of him," said Canucks' captain Markus Naslund. "And that's why he's the best."

Read the rest here - Link

The Province Coverage

"They've got Ds that are so offensive-minded, that once they jump in the attack and being that second and third wave, it makes it really challenging defensively," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "They were clogging up the neutral zone as good as anybody I've seen and we were able to chip away and stay high percentage. We only gave them two chances in two periods.

"They came on in the third, but that's why we've got the goalie."

That would be Roberto Luongo, who was cruising toward his sixth shutout of the season before Ryan Getzlaf struck from the slot midway through the third period to make it interesting. He quickly converted a neat backhanded, corner-boards feed by Scott Niedermayer to make it 2-1 with 10:17 remaining.

Read the rest here - Link

Game Day Preview via the AP

2007-12-30T09:35:00.001-08:00

Vancouver was without defensmen Mattias Ohlund for a second straight game due to neck spasms. He is doubtful tonight, while Ryan Kesler is questionable due to a head injury suffered on Sunday against Colorado. He also did not play on Thursday.
Anaheim lost for just the second time since the return of Scott Niedermayer yesterday. Since he stepped back onto the ice after deciding not to retire, the Ducks have gone 4-1-1 with the reigning Conn Smythe trophy winner in the lineup.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks lose 5-3

2007-12-29T23:40:00.001-08:00

Penalties......Oy! We were doing so well until the second half of the game when the Ducks decided to draw a bunch of penalties. Shockingly enough once we took penalties the Flames came back and took a 4-3 lead and then got an empty netter. The one bright spot is that Parros got his first goal of the season on his birthday. Anyway, here are tonight's game day reports and a new thing I am going to try for the rest of the season.

Photo of the Game

AP/Larry MacDougal

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|CGY

Photos and Video

Photos - Link

NHL Video Highlights - 700K

Scott Niedermayer pre-game interview

George Parros's goal

Getzlaf gets a bobble head

Ryan Getzlaf interview from the first intermission

OC Register Coverage

Jarome Iginla’s second goal of the game, a power-play conversion at 16:34, snapped a third-period tie and sparked the Calgary Flames to a 5-3 victory over the Ducks on Saturday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

Iginla’s 27th goal of the season came on a long one-time shot that caromed off the upper body of Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger and past goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere on Calgary’s fifth power-play opportunity of the third period. Kristian Huselius added an empty-net goal at 18:54.

Read the rest here - Link

Calgary Herald Coverage

The Ducks roared back with a couple of tallies and had it not been for a quick Steve Kozari whistle and a timely Matthew Lombardi hook of Drew Miller, the damage would have been worse.

In the five first periods of their five most recent home dates, the Flames have been outscored by a 5-2 margin and, even more tellingly, been outshot 62-34.

Read the rest here - Link

TSN Coverage

After a lacklustre start to the middle frame, the Flames charged back to tie the contest on goals by Iginla and Huselius. Iginla took a cross-ice pass from Conroy and roofed a shot past Giguere before Huselius stole the puck from Scott Niedermayer behind the Anaheim net and snapped a shot to the top corner to tie the game.

Read the rest here - Link

CBC Coverage

Anaheim went up 2-1 with less than three minutes remaining in the first when Parros converted a shot from the side of the net.

Niedermayer put the Ducks in front 3-1 just 1:15 into the second with a point shot for Anaheim's second power-play goal.

The lethargic Flames finally began to put things together midway through the second after Iginla took a cross-ice feed from centre Craig Conroy and roofed the puck over Giguere at 11:14.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks went into Calgary having won their last four games. Calgary was coming off an embarassing 5-3 loss to Vancouver that had Miikka Kiprusoff pulled from goal. Kipper had his chance for redemption this evening, but it didn’t look good early on. In the first period, the Ducks dominated the Flames, even though the Flames scored on their first shot at 1:42. Dustin Boyd’s goal would be the only shot on goal for the majority of the period.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Name the quickest way to watch a tie score in the third period -- and thus, a four-game winning streak -- evaporate into the Alberta, well, Saddledome, air on Saturday night.
The answer: Four straight power plays, plus part of one that carried over from the second period.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Saturday - Game Day Preview and a few other things....

2007-12-29T09:20:00.001-08:00

So, I have been a bit lazy in writing my usual notes here. But now that the major part of the holidays are past, you can expect my comments again. The Ducks have been playing great since Scott has come back. Some of the articles below get into some of the specifics of how important his return has been. So onto the news!

Scott for MVP?

On Thursday night, though, he managed to get my wheels spinning. We had just got home from my mom's birthday dinner in time to catch Doug Weight score the winner against the Oilers, and my dad offers, "You know, if the Ducks keep this up, that Niedermayer guy should be a shoo-in for the MVP."
My brother and I immediately laugh it off. "No way," I reply. "They'll never give it to a guy who misses 34 games voluntarily. It's not even possible."

Read the rest here - Link

Scott takes a day off

And, on Friday, Scott Niedermayer rested.
It was what the Ducks, in particular Coach Randy Carlyle, are fond of calling "maintenance." No cause for alarm but more an eye fixed on the schedule -- back-to-back games starting here tonight and Sunday in Vancouver -- to merit the defenseman sitting out practice.

The Ducks haven't lost in regulation (4-0-1) since he returned, so it has been so very simple, right? No, Niedermayer just makes it look that way.
"It hasn't been easy, there's no question," said Niedermayer, who logged 21 minutes 37 seconds against the Oilers on Thursday. "There's been a few different issues I'm working through."

Read the rest here - Link

Game Day Preview

Corey Perry notched his team-leading 20th goal for the Ducks, who have won a season-high tying four games in a row overall as well. Jean-Sebastien Giguere needed just 15 saves to pick up his 15th win of the season.
Anaheim is 9-9-1 as the road team this year and will wrap its trek on Sunday in Vancouver.
Calgary has lost three in a row overall and begin a three-game homestand tonight. The Flames were on the road Thursday, but fell in defeat, 5-3, against the Canucks to snap a six-game road winning streak.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Friday

2007-12-28T22:12:00.001-08:00

Some gems from today's practice in Calgary

Moving on, the Ducks are practicing this morning at the old Calgary Corral arena, which is across the street from the Saddledome, where they will play the Flames tomorrow night. The locker room at the Corral (which somehow hosted the Flames from 1980-83) is apparently so small you have to go outside to change your mind. Because of that, the Ducks are forced to change into their gear at the Saddledome, then walk about three minutes across a snow-covered city street with very light traffic to the Corral in everything but their skates.

Read the rest of the post and see more pictures here - Link

How Niedermayer brings value to the Ducks

The addition of Niedermayer has also dramatically improved the club’s penalty-killing, which had been a sore spot all season. Before Niedermayer’s arrival, the Ducks languished near the bottom of the NHL’s penalty-killing rankings, succeeding only 78.8 percent of the time, having given up 41 power-play goals in 193 times short-handed. In the past five games, opponents have converted just one power-play chance in 22 tries, giving Ducks penalty-killers a 95.5 percent success rate.

Read the rest here - Link

Weight gets profiled

Doug Weight said he didn't want to ruffle any feathers in the Ducks' room.

Just fill the bill as a second-line centre and make sure nobody in Anaheim plumage has reason to believe he's in a foul mood following the unexpected end to his six-year National Hockey League stay in St. Louis.

"I want the guys to know I care," he said Thursday morning. "I want them to know I'm happy to be here. I want them to know I don't need to run the show."
Read the rest here - Link

Marchant is a jack of all trades

With standout defensive-minded center Samuel Pahlsson back in Orange County attempting to deal with abdominal inflammation that has hampered him all season, veteran Todd Marchant figures to move into a significant role on the checking line as the Ducks open a three-game, Western Canada road swing Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

Marchant, a former Oiler, will get the first crack at filling Pahlsson’s usual spot between wingers Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer on the Ducks’ shutdown unit that spends most of its time playing against other teams’ top offensive players.

“Those are primo minutes,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “We’ll see where it takes us.”
Read the rest here - Link

Is Pronger as evil as Edmonton thinks he is?

Chris Pronger pretends to be surprised by his place among the NHL's most suspended, and some would say dirtiest, players.

Ask him about his seven career suspensions, second only to Chris Simon's eight, and his jaw drops in mock disbelief.

Read the rest here - Link

Brad May gets to have some "fun"

Our Anaheim city reporter, Sarah Tully, caught up with the Ducks’ Brady May, who next week will ride in the Rose Parade with the Stanley Cup. Here’s her report:

Ducks left wing Brad May’s misfortune became a coup for the Rose Parade this week.

The forward was tapped to ride in Anaheim’s float in the New Year’s Day parade shortly after May broke his foot and was put on injured reserve. Until May’s injury, Anaheim organizers had yet to find anyone to ride on the float, except for the security guard watching the Stanley Cup.

“I would have to think I’m the easy choice since I’m not playing,” May said. “I’m sure if Scott Niedermayer could do it, they’d probably bump me at the last minute.”
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Win 2-1

2007-12-27T22:49:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Game

AP Photo/John Ulan

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|EDM

Photos & Video

Photos (Edmonton) - Link

ESPN Highlights - Link

NHL Highlights - Link

MVN Coverage

Tonight, the Ducks got a belated birthday present with a 2-1 win over the Oilers in regulation. Miracles still happen! Even though Edmonton scored first at 4:32 of the second period on a deflected shot by Marty Reasoner, the Ducks were able to tie things up later in the period. Ryan Getzlaf was able to steal the puck and sent a great pass to Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi shot the puck back to Corey Perry, who was coming at the net hard and easily put it past an out of position Mathieu Garon.

Read the rest here - Link

CBC Coverage

Former Oiler Doug Weight scored the go-ahead goal with 3:39 remaining to give the visiting Anaheim Ducks a 2-1 win over Edmonton on Thursday.

Weight, who played for the Oilers from 1993-2001, took a nifty feed off a rush with teammate Bobby Ryan to get in alone, then snapped a quick shot past the left pad of Edmonton goalie Mathieu Garon.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

The Oilers took a 1-0 lead when Marty Reasoner re-directed Tom Gilbert’s point shot past Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere at 4:32 of the second period, but the Ducks got even on Corey Perry’s team-high 20th goal of the season at 12:38.

Ryan Getzlaf, who had lost the faceoff that led to Reasoner’s goal, led a three-on-two rush that resulted in Perry’s goal. Getzlaf fed on left wing to Todd Bertuzzi, who carried the puck below the goal line and dished in front to Perry, who buried a quick shot just before being flattened by Oilers center Robert Nilsson.

Read the rest here - Link

Edmonton Journal

"The difference between good players and great players is that great players make other players better. He has that ability," Oilers coach Craig MacTavish had said about Niedermayer before this one got underway.

In what was the final regular season meeting between the two teams, the Ducks threw eights shots at Garon in the first 20 minutes while the Oilers generated four of their own - including the shorthanded shot Fernando Pisani rang off the iron.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday - Non Game News

2007-12-27T21:54:00.001-08:00

More info on Pahlsson via MVN

He had hernia surgery that was supposed to correct the problem. As a result of the surgery, he missed the first five games of the season after having played 275 consecutive games for the Ducks. In spite of his medical issues, Pahlsson was still a finalist for the Selke award last year for best defensive forward, an award he should have won hands down.

The surgery did correct part of Pahlsson’s problems, but did not correct everything.

Read the rest here - Link

BOC has a great analysis of Powerplay goals allowed by the Ducks and our rivals to the north

One thing that really caught my eye over at BTN's blog, though, was tracking shots and goals from where they are taken on the ice. This is a pretty fascinating new layer of data, and while its accuracy or its usefulness is still being explored, I think it's pretty darn cool that the data is being collected. It may not mean much just yet, but I think it's day is coming.
As an example, I asked Gabe in the comments of his blog whether it would be possible for him to run some shot and goal charts for the BoC teams, specifically on their 4-on-5 penalty kills. Why the PK? Well, just for starters we've observed this year how the Sharks are killing penalties with ease, whereas the Ducks and Kings have struggled in that area. Perhaps by looking at the shot charts side-by-side maybe some aspect might become apparent--some difference in how the different PK units are allowing shots, and which shots are becoming goals.

See all the great details here - Link

Anaheim Duck Fan has a sneak peak at the City of Anaheim float that will feature the Stanley Cup

The City of Anaheim is sponsoring a float in the Roses Parade on New Years Day.
On the float is a replica Honda Center and riding down the parade route on the 1st is going to be the Stanley Cup. I was hopeful that the Stanley Cup would be appearing before the 31st, and had been told this morning that the Rose Parade was talking to the Ducks about having a player standing with the Cup for the Judging on the 31st. I have been told by a Ducks representative, who was here today, that the Cup will not be here before the first, and that no Ducks player will be here either.

See some pictures and more details here - Link

Ace Got Skills update

The next edition of Ace’s Got Skills will be here in January! Last year’s edition saw four of the eleven youth players representing the Ducks come home with titles at the National Championships in New York City. Several youth players will hope to duplicate that success, taking the first steps at local competitions held in January.

The three local events will be held Jan. 10 from 5:45-8:45 p.m. at Anaheim Ice, Jan. 11 from 6-9 p.m. at the Glacial Garden Skating Arena and Jan. 12 from 3:15-6:15 p.m. at the Aliso Viejo Ice Palace. Anaheim Ducks players Corey Perry and Kent Huskins will be present on the ice to participate and give instruction to participants.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Game Day Preview

2007-12-26T21:57:00.001-08:00

Ducks vs. Oilers via the AP and Fox News

It may have taken three months, but the Anaheim Ducks are finally playing like a team capable of defending their Stanley Cup title.

The Ducks try to match a season-high four-game winning streak Thursday night when they continue a four-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers.

Hindered by the early season absence of starting goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the Ducks (18-15-5) won only four of their first 13 games. They won a season-best four in a row from Nov. 9-17 before going 5-7-2 in their next 14 contests.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday

2007-12-26T21:28:00.001-08:00

I was going to wait until tomorrow, but the news on Pahlsson cannot wait until tomorrow. I will post the rest of the news as well.

Pahlsson out for a few games plus other notes via the OC Register

The Ducks will be without their top defensive forward and best faceoff man for their three-game road trip.

Samuel Pahlsson will stay behind to rehabilitate an abdominal injury while the team plays Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver in the next four days, Coach Randy Carlyle said.

Carlyle said it was a nagging injury. He had been giving Pahlsson periodic days off from practice and decided to use the Christmas break so Pahlsson can get an extended rest.

"We feel at this time it's best give him three games, 10 days off so he can build that area," Carlyle said.

Misc. Notes

Brian Sutherby (groin) practiced for the first time in two weeks, although he didn't finish because of a broken skate blade. Sutherby will make the trip and said Saturday is a possibility for his availability. … Weight spent the break with his family in St. Louis and will join the club in Edmonton, Carlyle said.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

As one key member of the Ducks' penalty-killing unit begins his first extended trip of the season, another is staying home.
Center Samuel Pahlsson, who emerged as a defensive star during Anaheim's run to the Stanley Cup title last spring, will not make the three-game Canadian swing that begins tonight at Edmonton because of an abdominal strain, Coach Randy Carlyle said after practice Wednesday.
"It's just something that has been bothering him periodically," said Carlyle, who made the decision Tuesday. "It's best to give him pretty close until the new year."

Read the rest here - Link

Teemu Selanne enjoyed 2007

Teemu Selanne savoured every second of it.

Hockey's pinnacle moment in 2007, the awarding of the Stanley Cup, was as sweet as can be for the 36-year-old Finn, who finally won the NHL's biggest prize in his 15th season.

"What an unbelievable feeling," Selanne said after his Anaheim Ducks won the Cup. "I've been waiting a long time.

"There were some times when I never thought this would happen."

Read the rest here (very short) - Link

A Duck fan posted his photos of his visit to the Sharks Game(12/18). See all of them here - Link

Christmas Break

2007-12-23T15:03:00.001-08:00

I will be on Christmas break until the Ducks Vs. Edmonton game. I think all of us Ducks fans got our big Christmas gift earlier this year.... around June......

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Our Christmas Gift....

Why we celebrate.....

My wish to you!

Anaheim Ducks News for Sunday

2007-12-23T14:24:00.001-08:00

I have one Scott Niedermayer story and that's about it!

Four games into his return from a five-month hockey sabbatical, Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer said his body is reacting the way he expected when he decided to play again.
The legs are aching, but the adrenaline is flowing and the spirit is willing.
"It's been different," Niedermayer said of his first week back. "The first one obviously, there's different emotions stepping out on the ice for the first time. Now it's four games in.
"I'm still not feeling like the rest of the guys do, I would suspect. But it's gone all right. I've pretty happy with how it's gone so far."
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks win 5-2

2007-12-23T13:38:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Game

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play
Shots
Rosters
TOI - ANA|SJS

Photos and Video

Photos - Link

Highlights - 700K

TSN Coverage - Link

AP Report via the Ducks official Site

Chris Pronger and his fellow Ducks love to silence the Shark Tank, and Anaheim stopped the boos again Saturday night in another one-sided win.

The way San Jose is playing at home lately, even the Sharks think they deserve the boos more than Anaheim's much-loathed defenseman.

Pronger had a goal and an assist, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 27 saves in the Ducks' second win in San Jose in five days, 5-2 over the slumping Sharks.

Todd Bertuzzi, Corey Perry and Chris Kunitz also scored for the Ducks, who won their third straight against one of their most competitive rivals - or at least the Sharks used to be competitive with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Read the rest here - Link

AnaheimDuckFan has coverage

To say that this game was physical is an understatement. While no fighting majors were assessed, five roughing penalties were given, along with 2 tripping, 2 interference, 2 slashing, and one each for cross-checking, hooking, holding, & elbowing, for a total of 15 minor penalties.

Just 1:03 into the first, the first major scrum broke out, letting both teams and all of the fans know just how this game was going to play out. Corey Perry took a roughing call just seconds after that, and when the doors opened to let him out, he played the puck while still standing in the penalty box. I thought it was a horrible call on the Ref’s part, but apparently it is a penalty.

LA Times Coverage

In a jovial dressing room after Wednesday's overtime win over Colorado, Ducks defenseman Mathieu Schneider offered an insight into a changing dynamic within.
"You can sense that some of the guys have their swagger back a little bit," Schneider said at the time. "That little cockiness that's important to have in a winning hockey club."
Maybe the big bad Ducks are back after all.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks finished their Shark week with another win over their Pacific Division rivals. Coach Randy Carlyle surmised that one of the reasons why they play well against the Sharks is the “fright factor.” They don’t want to get embarrassed. “You have to be competitive against elite level teams.” The Ducks were competitive again. The Sharks were coming off a loss to the Phoenix Coyotes who tied up the game late with a short handed goal and then went on to win in overtime. That performance elicited a very long player only meeting. When Joe Thornton was asked his response to the meeting, he said it was “time for us to shut up and do what we’re paid to do.” The Sharks still weren’t up to the task.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

The sixth in a row might as well have counted for two for the Ducks.

The big question entering Saturday was whether the Ducks could extend their five-game winning streak on San Jose’s home ice in the finale of a three-game mini-series between the teams.

Not only did the Ducks come out with a 5-2 victory, they defused a San Jose team that was coming off perhaps its worst loss this season by withstanding a third-period rally in front of a boisterous crowd of 17,496 at HP Pavilion.

Read the rest here - Link

Need a last minute gift and can get to the Honda Center tomorrow after 10 but before 4? (call to verify hours)

2007-12-21T22:34:00.001-08:00

Here are few interesting items beyond the usual t-shirts, jerseys, sweaters and hats that you can get for you the Ducks fan in your life.

Want a piece of the Plexiglas from the Stanley Cup finals? Get it for $17.00

Want pucks with the photos of your favorite players? Get those for 4 for $45.00

Want one of the Stanley Cup champions banners that lined the streets near the pond? $150

Want a 2007-2008 yearbook? OK I admit it, I forgot the price. However they are pretty cheap.

Want some replica pins of the Championship banners? $33.00

They have some other cool items that you can discover on your own. Just remember Saturday is the last day that they are open before Christmas!

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks @ Sharks Preview

2007-12-21T22:27:00.001-08:00

The Anaheim Ducks have at least one point in seven straight games against the San Jose Sharks. That accomplishment, however, has been by no means easy.

The Ducks hope to continue that success against their Pacific Division rivals on Saturday night at HP Pavilion when the teams meet for the third time in seven days.

Although Dallas currently leads the Pacific, there is little doubt that both Anaheim and San Jose will be part of the race for the rest of the season, making any game between the teams particularly important.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN

Although it will be the third time this week that the Ducks meet San Jose, there are “always things to improve.” Carlyle knows it will be a “hostile environment” that his team is entering, but one where the Ducks have met much success in the recent past. The Ducks are a different team since Scott Niedermayer has returned and newcomer Doug Weight has joined the line up. Niedermayer has already infused his calming presence in the locker room and on the ice. The Ducks seem to be panicking less, persevering more. They have been more disciplined regarding penalties. Most importantly, they are starting to earn more points.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News For Friday

2007-12-21T22:26:00.001-08:00

Vote for the Ducks win as the biggest story in 2007 at the OC Register - Link

The Ducks share stories of Christmas Past and Present

Brian Sutherby
I usually like the Griswolds in “Christmas Vacation.” That’s probably one that I make sure I watch every year. It’s a pretty funny movie. Another one that I’ve started watching is “Elf” with Will Ferrell. That’s also a pretty good one.
George Parros
I think “A Christmas Story” is pretty classic. I just grew up with it. It’s always fun to watch little Ralphie.

Travis Moen
I remember as a kid getting a GT racer that was pretty exciting. I always like clothes and those have been some good gifts over the years, but the GT racer sticks out in my mind as a little kid getting that and going out on the snow hill.
George Parros
I got Greyskull Castle one year for He-Man and I was pretty pumped about that back in the day.

Read the rest here - Link

O'Donnell is happy that he did not get traded

"But it is still kind of stressful at the time. . . . It was the first time I was in that type of situation. I mean you hear rumors all the time and you hear your name in rumors all the time, but they are usually speculation.
"This was different. They had to do something to clear space. You look around the room and you just weren't sure who it was going to be."

Read the rest here - Link

Bobby Ryan gets profiled

The first pick that year was Sidney Crosby, and it’s unfair to compare the two. Crosby was a once-in-a-generation prospect; Ryan, Brian Burke’s first pick as Ducks GM, was a project, and Burke knew it.

But Burke deemed Ryan the best player available, and he fit Burke’s power-forward profile at 6-foot-2, 218 pounds.

While Crosby became the NHL’s brightest star, Ryan spent the past two seasons working on his game and his body.

Read the rest here - Link

Four reasons for the trade by TSN

There are fairly obvious reasons why the St. Louis Blues traded Doug Weight to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Andy McDonald.

McDonald is six years younger than Weight, he's got more offensive upside (even though McDonald is way off his usual pace this season) and is under contract for another season after this one while Weight is an unrestricted free agent who wasn't likely to be re-signed

Read the rest here - Link

Evidently the Ducks are not special enough

The Ducks are hoping Scott Niedermayer will be the boost they need to win another Stanley Cup.

The Anaheim Ducks are hoping that the return of All-Star defenseman Scott Niedermayer is the catalyst to another Stanley Cup run. But before they worry about who they’ll be playing in April, the Ducks have some serious problems -- mostly on special teams -- that need fixing now.
A year ago, the Ducks entered the weekend before Christmas with a lordly 27-4-1-5 record; their 60 points were 10 more than Eastern Conference-leading Buffalo. Anaheim’s 134 goals were the most in the NHL (only Buffalo was within 15), and its 87 goals against (including the five shootout goals) was seventh. Most notably, the Ducks were plus-22 on special teams, having scored 44 power-play goals, allowed just 25 and scored three shorthanded goals while allowing none.
Read the rest here - Link

More on how cool Drew Miller is

Drew Miller is a rookie for the Ducks, even though he has his name on the Stanley Cup. He debuted with the Ducks during the playoffs last spring, playing three games with the team. He got his first NHL goal and point on October 17 against Nashville. He has been scoring points off the ice as well, just by being himself.

Haili Todrick loves her teddy bears, Hannah Montana and hockey. At the Fan Fest, she had most of the Ducks players sign the bear with the Stanley Cup Champions jersey on it. One Duck took a little more time with Haili. He took the bear and gave it a BIG hug, smiled and said, "It's so cute! Can I keep it?" Of course she said no.

Read the rest here - Link

More on the CHOC visit

On Thursday, the entire Ducks team visited CHOC for their annual Christmas visit. All of the Ducks players arrived at CHOC and were split up amongst the different floors. Some wore Santa hats, others wore reindeer antlers. They all wore grins and were happy to visit the children and take their minds off their illnesses, if only for a short period of time. The Ducks also handed out Wild Winger Kid’s Club kits that had been donated by fans. Close to 1,500 kits had been donated, which meant that CHOC could distribute them not only to their in-patients, but also to their out-patients as well. That is the first time they have been able to do that, thanks to the generosity of Ducks fans. In addition to the kits, the Ducks distributed blankets courtesy of Hockey Fights Cancer. Especially fitting on the oncology ward.

Read the rest here - Link

One more thing... the last one tonight!

2007-12-20T23:23:00.001-08:00

Here are a few photos I took from the 2nd Wild Wingers Kids Club Party this year. Enjoy!

Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday - One More thing....

2007-12-20T22:46:00.001-08:00

Ducks tough guy George Parros loses the locks for a good cause

George Parros has lost the hair but his fists are still flying.

The Anaheim Ducks tough guy, second in the NHL with 11 fighting majors, had his trademark long locks chopped off last weekend in what has become a yearly tradition.

For the fifth year in a row he donated the hair to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization south of the border that provides hair pieces to financially disadvantaged children experiencing medical hair loss. Most of the time it's children battling cancer.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday

2007-12-20T20:18:00.001-08:00

George Parros gets interviewed

When did you start wearing the mustache?
In college I would grow a mustache for the playoffs or something like that, just to be different or as a half joke. I always had a fond respect for the mustache, and I always loved hockey’s history with the mustache. It used to be that everybody had one. But I didn’t have one for a little while, until two summers ago when I went to Vegas and grew one in for that trip just for fun. I showed up to L.A. and was working out before training camp, and the new coach there, Marc Crawford, saw it and said, “That’s a great mustache.” I told him, “Oh yeah? I’m thinking about keeping it for camp.” He said, “You better.” I kept it for camp and the rest is history.

But you shaved it since then.
When I got picked up by Colorado [just prior to last season], I shaved it and they all got mad at me. They had seen it when I played against them in a preseason game in Las Vegas. When they heard the mustache was coming over to their team, they were pretty disappointed that I had shaved it. So, I grew it back and I had it for about a week or so before I got traded here. They’ve loved it so much, it took on a life of its own.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks Visit CHOC

Photos - Link

“Although we try to be active in the community throughout the year, the holiday season is a special time for us,” said Ducks owner Susan Samueli. “Our players look forward to this annual visit to CHOC, as they enjoy spending time with the children and sharing the excitement of the holidays. Our partnership with CHOC has provided great opportunities to create special memories.”

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks get analyzed again

With the puck headed to the front of his net and a menacing Shark ready to pounce for a tying goal, Scott Niedermayer extended his stick to full reach.

Not only poking the puck out of harm's way, Niedermayer sprung teammate Todd Marchant on a rush that ended with Bobby Ryan scoring late in the second period, a goal that was insurance in Anaheim's 2-0 win over Pacific Division rival San Jose Tuesday night.

So subtle was Niedermayer's play that he wasn't awarded his first point of the season until official scorers reviewed the goal at the second intermission.

Read the rest here - Link

Burke the best GM?

In the wake of the hard-won Collective Bargaining Agreement there was a general consensus that it suddenly became a whole lot harder to be a good-to-great general manager in the National Hockey League.

With a nod to the declaration that no man is perfect, I offer up a candidate for master of the new agreement, the precursor to sainthood and greatness conferred upon the likes of hockey legends Sam Pollack, Bill Torrey and, in more recent times, Detroit's Ken Holland and New Jersey's Lou Lamoriello.

His name is Brian Burke and he manages the defending Stanley Cup champions in that somewhat under-the-radar hockey hotbed of Anaheim, CA.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Duck of Carona? Just kidding, they did open a rink there......

The Anaheim Ducks and Anaheim Hockey Club (In-line) announced today that a new in-line rink will open in Corona, Calif., this January (2008). The rink, named the Anaheim Hockey Club of Corona, will serve as the Ducks’ official in-line facility and complement Anaheim ICE, the club’s official practice facility. Renovations are underway, which will make Anaheim Hockey Club the premiere in-line facility in Southern California.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday

2007-12-20T06:50:00.001-08:00

Ryan gets profiled

"I went down after a good conversation with coach and with [assistant general manager] Bob Murray and realized some of the things I needed to work on down there," Ryan said. "Certainly, I feel like I've improved on them.
"I think that they recognized that I worked hard in those situations. They've granted me another chance and I'm going to make the best of it."
Ryan is back after a two-month stint with the Portland Pirates, the Ducks' minor-league affiliate in Maine, where he put up 10 goals and 24 points in 25 games

Read the rest here - Link

So Does Scott

It's no coincidence that in the three games Niedermayer has played, the Ducks -- whose penalty killing was dragging along at a 78.8% success rate -- have killed all 14 disadvantages they have faced. After losing in a shootout in Niedermayer's first game back, they have now swept a back-to-back sequence for the first time in six tries.
No coincidence there, either.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks beat Avs 2-1 (OT)

2007-12-20T06:43:00.001-08:00

Defense won the day. Thanks to Pronger and Schneider with the the game winner, the Ducks were able to pull out the victory in OT. It was a boring game at times with the way the Avs played, but there were long periods of excitement when the Ducks or the Avs were being aggresive and getting a lot of scoring chances. One amazing stat was that we only had 3 penalties (not counting fighting majors). Anyway, here is the game coverage.

Photo of the Game

AP Photo by Chris Carlson

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Shots
Rosters
TOI - COL|ANA

Photos and Video

Video Highlights - Link

Ducks TV - Link

Game PHotos - Link

Official Ducks Coverage

Hold a team to just 12 shots on goal and you’re usually going to get the win. But the Ducks needed overtime to take down Colorado at Honda Center, and defenseman Mathieu Schneider ended it with a pretty goal 3:31 into the extra session to give them a 2-1 victory.
In a game where the Ducks dominated on defense, it was appropriate that Schneider scored the winner and fellow d-man Chris Pronger had the tying goal in the third period to send it to overtime.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

That mind-boggling collection of top-notch defensemen put together by the Ducks looks pretty good indeed.
Not only did the club’s blue-line corps -- led by the big four of Chris Pronger, Mathieu Schneider, Scott Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin -- help limit the Colorado Avalanche to one goal Wednesday night at Honda Center, but it also produced both Ducks goals in a 2-1, overtime triumph.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks took a pause from their Shark attack to play the Colorado Avalanche at home on Wednesday night. An avalanche is described as “a sudden appearance of an overwhelming number of things.” In this case it would be shots by the Ducks on goaltender Peter Budaj. Jonas Hiller had a drought in comparison at the other end.

Read the rest here - Link

TSN Coverage

"We played a lot of hockey in their end tonight, and I think we just wore them down," Schneider said. "I thought our forwards did a great job of getting in on the forecheck and we controlled an awful lot of the play down low. It should have been a four or five-goal game, but their goalie stood on his head all night.

"We generated a lot of chances. And if we do that consistently, we're going to win a lot of games. You can sense that some of the guys have their swagger back a little bit. That little cockiness is important to have on a winning club."

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

With Niedermayer, Pronger, Schneider and Francois Beauchemin all playing more than 21 minutes, that corps took care of both ends of the ice.
Even after playing 24 hours before in San Jose, the Ducks thoroughly dominated a rested Avalanche team that hadn't played since beating the Kings on Monday. They seemed to play the entire game in the Colorado zone, holding the Avalanche to nine shots after two periods and badly outshot them, 34-12, through regulation.
All they could get on the scoreboard through the first 60 minutes was a goal by, who else, a defenseman.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Game Day Report

2007-12-19T06:39:00.001-08:00

That was a great game. Hard hitting, great goal tending, and a couple of beautiful goals highlighted the evening. Today's game day report is below. Enjoy!

Photo of the game

Getty Images

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play
Rosters
TOI - ANA|SJS

Video and Photos

NHL Highlights - Video

TSN Video - Link

Sharks photo gallery for the game - Link

Game Coverage via the AP

Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 20 saves in his first shutout of the season, and Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan each scored goals for the Ducks in a 2-0 victory over San Jose on Tuesday night.

Giguere's shutout was the 26th of his career for the Ducks, who beat San Jose for the third time in four meetings this season. Scott Niedermayer picked up an assist in his second game since returning to the Ducks, leading a strong defensive game to shut out the Sharks for the first time all season.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Something about playing in HP Pavilion tends to bring out the best in the Ducks.
The loud arena that usually houses a boisterous sellout crowd is often considered one of the toughest venues in the NHL to play in. But it hasn't helped the San Jose Sharks lately in their meetings with their Pacific Division rival.

The Ducks won their fifth in a row there Tuesday night as they used goals by Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan along with Jean-Sebastien Giguere's first shutout of the season in a 2-0 victory that kept San Jose from taking over sole possession of first place in the division.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

From shootout to shutout, it is clear that the Ducks are improving. Tuesday night’s game against the Sharks was the first time the two teams did not need extra time to decide things. Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere earned his first shutout since December 6, 2006! He stopped all 20 shots this evening and his team did their defensive best and blocked another 15 attempts. As good as Evgeni Nabokov was for the Sharks, he was not good enough to stop the Ducks from scoring.

Read the rest here - Link

San Jose Sharks Coverage

“It’s a big game and you’ve got to have people get the job done in big games,” said Sharks Head Coach Ron Wilson. “We shouldn’t play the way we did in a big game like this. This was an opportunity to put some distance between Anaheim and us. I’m most disappointed we didn’t build on the other night. It’s inexplicable to not have the extra passion tonight.”

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

If the Ducks are going to climb their way back into the thick of the Stanley Cup playoff race in the NHL’s Western Conference, Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion would provide the perfect blueprint.
With Corey Perry and rookie Bobby Ryan providing timely goals and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere supplying a solid performance to back a stout defensive effort, the Ducks not only recorded their first shutout of the season, but handed San Jose its first shutout in 34 games this season.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Tuesday - Non Game News

2007-12-18T21:26:00.001-08:00

Here is the news not related to tonight's game.

Ducks have published some stats

PACKING ’EM IN: The Ducks recorded their 52nd consecutive sellout at Honda Center on Sunday evening versus the San Jose Sharks...the 52 current sellouts include 40 regular season and 12 playoff games...in August, the Ducks capped season ticket sales at 15,000 and started a waiting list for future orders...the Ducks currently have the third-longest active regular-season sellout streak among U.S.-based NHL teams...Minnesota leads the way with 261 consecutive regular season sellouts...next is the New York Rangers with 91...Anaheim is third with 40, the longest active streak of any U.S. team on the west coast...Pittsburgh ranks fifth with 29 straight regular season sellouts...among Canadian teams, Vancouver leads with 190 consecutive regular season sellouts and is followed by Toronto (174), Calgary (141), Montreal (116), Edmonton (90) and Ottawa (13).

See the rest here - Link

Bobby Ryan feels privileged

Among the other benefits newly acquired center Doug Weight could bring to the Ducks is his potential influence on rookie winger Bobby Ryan.

The Ducks, who visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at HP Pavilion, are desperately in need of a reliable second scoring line. The search features Weight as literally and figuratively the centerpiece, but clearly there would be no better time for Ryan to demonstrate that he is ready to contribute at the NHL level.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News Update for Tuesday Morning

2007-12-18T06:32:00.001-08:00

I made the right call on the return of Ryan Carter except for one thing. Brad May is out with an injury not Pahlsson. The LA Times is reporting Brad May is out indefinitely with a broken foot - Link

Game Day Preview - Ducks at Sharks

2007-12-17T21:04:00.001-08:00

Via the AP and Fox Sports

Even with Scott Niedermayer back in the lineup, the Anaheim Ducks couldn't find a way to beat the San Jose Sharks in the teams' most recent meeting.

The Ducks have another chance to top the Sharks for the third time this season and avoid a fourth straight loss overall as the Pacific Division rivals conclude their home-and-home series Tuesday night in San Jose.

San Jose (18-10-4), which is tied with Dallas for the Pacific lead, won 2-1 in a shootout at Anaheim on Sunday for its seventh victory in its last nine games.

It was the fourth straight meeting between the clubs - third this season - in which the outcome was decided in a shootout.

"There are always really good games against Anaheim," said Sharks center Joe Thornton, who scored the winner in the shootout Sunday. "Every game we come here or they come up to us, it's always an exciting, low-scoring game. We've been having a lot of shootouts against them, so it's nice to win one."

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks news for Monday

2007-12-17T21:02:00.001-08:00

Well shockingly enough most of today's news covers Scott's return and the associated trade. Ryan Carter is back from the AHL. My thought's on Ryan Carter's return is that Samuel Pahlsson's injury is more severe and he will be out a few games or more. Todd Marchant will move up to center the checking line and Carter will center the 4th line. Now that is a pure guess. It could be we found a trade for Marchant and we are filling that role. However, I do not think it has to do with any trades as we are so close to the Christmas deadline. There is also a bunch of misc. news that I will put up front because I am bored with all of the Scott Niedermayer news.

More coverage on Parros donating his hair

Since the start of his professional career, Parros has been growing his hair long so he can donate it to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children experiencing medical hair loss. Parros, alongside Ducks Kids Club members and season seat holders, cut the minimum of 10 inches of hair it takes to create a Locks of Love hairpiece. Professional hairstylists from TríKo Salon in Newport Beach were on hand volunteering to cut hair.

Read the rest here - Link

See the pics here - Link

Watch the Ducks and Win

Presented by the Orange County Register

Watch the December 30 game on KDOC and during the telecast, three (3) clues will be given about the “mystery player” of the game. Once you have gathered all the clues, simply log onto the OC Register website to enter the name of the mystery player and you could be a winner!

A Grand Prize Winner will receive an Authentic Team Autographed Ducks Jersey! Plus, 25 Runner Up winners will receive an Anaheim Ducks Prize Pack.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ducks will be visiting CHOC

The Club’s Entire Roster Will be on Hand to Greet Patients and Distribute Donated Kids Club Kits

The Ducks will make their annual holiday visit to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange on Thursday, Dec. 20 from 2-4 p.m. The entire Ducks roster will be in attendance in an effort to brighten the season for patients and their families who will receive ongoing care at CHOC during the holidays.

“Although we try to be active in the community throughout the year, the holiday season is a special time for us,” said Ducks owner Susan Samueli. “Our players look forward to this annual visit to CHOC, as they enjoy spending time with the children and sharing the excitement of the holidays. Our partnership with CHOC has provided great opportunities to create special memories.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks Recall Ryan Carter

The Ducks announced on Monday that they have recalled center Ryan Carter from the Portland Pirates, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Carter, 24 (8/3/83), has appeared in six regular season games with the Ducks this season (scoreless). Now in his third stint with Anaheim in 2007-08, Carter made his NHL regular season debut on Sept. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings in London, England

Read the rest here - Link

The OC Register takes a look at the Duck's penalty problems...again

It's safe to say that no one else around the NHL is shedding any tears for the Ducks, who gladly cultivated a rough-and-tumble image all the way to last season's Stanley Cup championship.

The reputation gained in the process might be coming back to haunt them now.

Primarily because of their own lack of focus and undisciplined play, the Ducks lead the NHL with an average of 20.2 penalty minutes per game and have been short-handed a whopping 201 times, far more than any other team in the league and 41 more times than the Ducks have gone on the power play.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducksblog takes a look at the Scott's return

Skating with former Ducks and New Jersey Devils teammate Jeff Friesen and an assortment of far less accomplished mates, nearly all of whom were simply out for a mid-day workout and undoubtedly thrilled to be on the same sheet of ice with a former Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Niedermayer played it very close to the vest. Rarely did he carry the puck for any length of time and hardly ever did he take a shot. Surely, the last thing he wanted was anyone to think he was “showing off.” Anyone who knows Niedermayer would be certain of that.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register takes a look at future of this season

Then the Ducks unwrapped themselves as the defending Stanley Cup champions.

For the first time in this 35-game-old season.

And you thought Christmas took a long time to arrive?

Your calendar is a liar today, folks. Opening night actually was Sunday at Honda Center, the night Scott Niedermayer returned and the Ducks finally were as close as they'll ever be to being themselves again.

Read the rest here - Link

The Canadian Press has a look at the Ducks

The trade finally happened. Their superstar defenceman has returned. Now it's time for the Anaheim Ducks to start winning some games.

"We feel with the addition of Scott Niedermayer back into our lineup and the change we've had to make, that it's given us a little shot in the arm," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle told The Canadian Press on Monday.

"We're feeling better about ourselves today than we did five days ago."

Read the rest here - Link\

National Post take a look at the McDonald trade

Scott Niedermayer's return from semi-retirement set off a salary-induced chain reaction last week with the Anaheim Ducks, whose stalled Stanley Cup defence will now look to two players who began their careers before Sidney Crosby began grade school.

General manager Brian Burke had to carve into his payroll to find space for Niedermayer, the 34-year-old defenceman, and ended up trading Anaheim's longest-serving player to a Western Conference rival. Centre Andy McDonald was shipped to the St. Louis Blues for a prospect, a draft pick and Doug Weight, an ageing 36-year-old forward who has struggled at times to generate offence this season.

Read the rest here - Link

The LA Times has a look at Weight

"It's great to have a role and be singled out in it," said Weight, who'll center the second scoring line with Ryan and Todd Bertuzzi. "I know what I've got to do. I've got two pretty darn good players playing with me right now and some great defensemen. This is team that's got a lot of confidence."
Weight said he has been excited for the last two days since learning that he might get traded to Anaheim after it became clear that he wouldn't be part of the youth movement transpiring under Coach Andy Murray in St. Louis.
Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Sunday - Ducks lose to Sharks 2-1 (SO)

2007-12-17T09:51:00.001-08:00

That was a fun hard fought game with the usual penalty issues. Scott looked good and was the usual difference maker that he is. Weight and Ryan looked great out their with Bertuzzi. They looked dangerous and some of the passes Weight made were absolutely beautiful. Well you can read about that and more in today's coverage

Photo of the Game

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Rosters
TOI - SJS|ANA

Shootout Details

Video and Photos

Ducks TV - Link

Highlights - Link

TSN Video - Link

Photos - Link

Official Ducks Coverage

The long-awaited return of Scott Niedermayer had enough of an impact on the Ducks to hold San Jose to just one goal through regulation and overtime But Niedermayer’s return and the debut of newly acquired Doug Weight was spoiled when the Sharks outlasted Anaheim in the sixth round of a shootout.

San Jose’s Joe Thornton connected in the tiebreaker to give San Jose a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Honda Center, keeping the Ducks from winning their third in a row in the season series. (Each of the three games has gone to shootouts.)

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Judging by the loud ovation he received when his name was announced in the starting lineup, Scott Niedermayer was indeed the center of attention Sunday night in his first game back with the Ducks.
Niedermayer's poise under pressure was welcomed heartily by an often rudderless team and his sense for the dramatic nearly produced another heroic moment at the Honda Center.
Nearly.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

Having missed a storybook finish by perhaps a fraction of an inch, the Ducks instead had to settle for what they hope will be a building block Sunday night at Honda Center.

Joe Thornton's conversion in the sixth round of a shootout gave the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory in a game that marked the return of former Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer, the debut of newly acquired center Doug Weight, and the first home appearance of rookie right wing Bobby Ryan.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

After the game Coach Randy Carlyle felt that the execution level in the third period wasn’t there. The penalties taken in the second period seemed to take their energy away and “you create an uphill battle for yourself.” But the game is something to build on. Doug Weight said that it was the “type of game to change a year.” Certainly plenty to feed off of and build on. Regarding his arrival in Anaheim, Weight said “I have a role. I know what I’ve got to do.” He admitted to running out of steam at the end, but looks forward to getting rest and “off to win a game in San Jose.”

Read the rest here - Link

Press-Enterprise Coverage

The moment was there.

In overtime, after skating nearly 24 minutes in his return, Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer made a sharp move with the puck 10 feet in front of San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

Niedermayer picked his spot and launched the potential game-winner. But the puck quickly snapped off the post and fell to ice, inches from the goal line.

Read the rest here - Link

TSN Coverage

"Getting that first one under your belt is always a big step," he said. "The next two games are back-to-back, so that will be another bit of a test. But it's all part of it, and I've just got to be smart and know what I'm comfortable with out there."

He said his minutes were just about right.

"I really didn't know what to expect, just probably play it by ear and see how I was feeling. If I was tired, I'd get off and change," the 34-year-old defenceman said.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Sunday Morning

2007-12-16T08:28:00.001-08:00

George got his hair cut and a look at what Scott and Doug Weight bring to the table is what's in this edition.

George get a new look.... :)

Photo via the Daily Pilot

Newport Beach stylist Vincent Vu, who owns the Triko Salon on Birch Street, had the honor of cutting Parros’ hair. As he worked, the crowd applauded and took pictures — which probably amounted to the second-most adulation Parros got this year. In June, the Ducks won the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Analysis of Scott and Doug

If this revised edition of the Ducks that includes returning star defenseman Scott Niedermayer, newly acquired center Doug Weight and just-recalled rookie winger Bobby Ryan isn't markedly better than the group that has meandered to a 15-15-4 record to this point, the defending Stanley Cup champions won't be around to defend their title come playoff time.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Analysis of Scott and Doug

Niedermayer said it is up to them to fulfill their potential.
"Things on paper translate sometimes and sometimes they don't," he said. "Our job is to try and make that translate into good things on the ice. That really has to be our focus. It looks good, but let's get out there and play well and do our jobs."
The Ducks are giving Bobby Ryan another shot as they recalled the onetime No. 2 overall pick from the Portland Pirates, their minor league team in Maine.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Saturday

2007-12-15T21:33:00.001-08:00

Well the Ducks made some personnel moves today in anticipation of Scott's return and Doug Weights's arrival. Also an injury update. Other than that, nothing too report.

Ducks add Niedermayer to the roster

The Ducks announced today that the they have terminated the suspension of defenseman Scott Niedermayer and placed him on the active roster.

Niedermayer, 34 (8/31/73), announced his return to the Ducks on Dec. 5 prior to the team’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres. Niedermayer helped lead Anaheim to its first Stanley Cup championship last season, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 playoffs. With 15-54=69 points in 79 regular season games last year, Niedermayer became the first Duck to lead NHL defensemen in scoring, a career first. A finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy (top NHL defenseman) and 2007 Western Conference All-Star, he set career highs in goals, assists and points, breaking his own club single-season records in assists and points from the previous campaign.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks send St. Jacques and Platt down to the Pirates

The Ducks announced today that they have recalled right wing Bobby Ryan from the Portland Pirates, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

The Ducks also reassigned center Geoff Platt and defenseman Bruno St. Jacques to the Portland Pirates, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Ryan, 20 (3/17/87), scored 10-14=24 points with a +6 rating and six penalty minutes (PIM) in 25 games with the Pirates this season. At the time of his recall, he led Portland in plus/minus (+6), was tied for the team lead in power play goals and ranked second in goals and points. He recorded seven multiple-point games, including a season-high 2-1=3 point contest on Nov. 17 at Worcester. That Nov. 17 game sparked an 11-game stretch that produced 7-6=13 points for Ryan prior to his Anaheim promotion.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

One of the reasons Ryan could be playing is that Brad May took a puck off the foot at the end of practice. He had a lot of pain and swelling and hobbled around on crutches after practice. He is questionable for tomorrow. Brian Sutherby reinjured his groin in Wednesday night’s game in the third period. The Ducks are planning to be more cautious with his recovery this time around.n Kent Huskins went through his first full practice with the team and is making progress, although he is still day to day with his knee.

Read the rest here - Link

Don't Forget...............

2007-12-15T08:11:00.001-08:00

Autograph Alert! FYI, they will probably make you buy one and then sign something from the box. This is what they did with the Stanley Cup DVD's (though some may sign anything). If you wait around and get them while they are leaving, they will pretty much sign anything!

Ducks Players Will Sign Autographs at Three Locations on Saturday Dec. 15 to Kick-Off the Partnership
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the club has partnered with Wal-Mart to make Wild Wingers Kids Club kits available for purchase at 26 of the retail giant’s Southland locations. In celebration, three Anaheim Ducks players will sign autographs at three local Wal-Marts on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 2-4 p.m.

“We’re excited to announce this partnership, making Kids Club kits more widely available to the community,” said Ducks Director of Fan Development Matt Savant. “The kit makes a great gift for children during the holiday season while hopefully creating new hockey fans at the same time.”

Retailing for $22.97, a Wild Wingers Kids Club kit contains one ticket voucher to a select 2007-08 Anaheim Ducks home game, a Kids Club t-shirt and hat, a Ducks jersey backpack, a Duck call and an official Kids Club calendar. The Kids Club will culminate the season by holding its annual End of the Year Party with a special appearance by Kids Club captain Chris Kunitz.

Wild Wingers Kids Club kits are available for purchase at Wal-Marts throughout the Southland, extending as far north as Glendora, as far east as Riverside and as far south as Laguna Niguel. On Saturday, Dec. 15, Ducks players will sign autographs at three local Wal-Marts. Ducks forward and Kids Club captain Kunitz will sign at the Foothill Ranch location, forward Corey Perry will sign at the Huntington Beach location and defenseman Kent Huskins will sign at the Pomona location. Each autograph session will take place from 2-4 p.m. Addresses for each location are listed below.

For more information about the Wild Wingers Kids Club, visit www.wildwingerskidsclub.com or call 714-940-2801.

Chris Kunitz
Wal-Mart Foothill Ranch
26502 Towne Center Dr.
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

Corey Perry
Wal-Mart Huntington Beach
8230 Talbert Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92646

Kent Huskins
Wal-Mart Pomona

80 Rio Rancho Rd.

One more thing.....

2007-12-14T23:16:00.001-08:00

Five Questions with Giguere

Q: This being the holiday season, what was your favorite Christmas gift you got when you were a kid?

J-S.G.: I was talking to my wife about that yesterday. It was a hockey net. That was one of the best gifts that I got. Well, that and a pair of Quebec Noridiques PJs that I had when I was 5 or 6. Those were my favorite PJs ever.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Friday - Ducks lost to Wild 5-2

2007-12-14T23:13:00.001-08:00

Ouch. We were completely shut down by the oppressive defense of the Wild. The wild uncharacteristically scored 3 points more than the Ducks. Usually they only win games by one point. For those of you who were sound asleep midway through the game Burke said Scott and the new guy will be starting on Sunday. Good we need them after a game like tonight. One thing I thought of is that the trade of McDonald probably means Teemu will NOT be back. After all what line would he play on? The top two lines are now going to be grinding lines, the third line is a checking line and the fourth is the energy line? Disagree? Leave a comment!

Photo of the Game

Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Rosters
TOI - MIN|ANA

Video and Photos

NHL Highlights - 700K

Photos - Link

Official Ducks Coverage

Added head coach Randy Carlyle, "I think it had something to do with it, but I wouldn’t consider that the sole reasoning behind the outcome. I think we lacked emotion, intensity and we didn’t get the goaltending that was necessary to have success. I didn’t think our forecheck was strong enough. I didn’t think our penalty killing was good enough. There was a number of things that you can point to that we just weren’t good enough in. We have to accept responsibility for the way we played."

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks played a flu ravaged Minnesota Wild on Friday. The flu apparently had abated enough for the Wild to put a full line up on the bench. By the end of the game it was the Ducks who should have felt nauseous. The Wild had only managed to score three goals in the past three games, yet even at less than 100%, they ravaged the Ducks. Josh Harding got the start in goal for the Wild while Jean-Sebastien Giguere got the nod for the Ducks. The Ducks played without Andy McDonald, who had been traded earlier in the afternoon to St. Louis in exchange for Doug Weight.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks Blog

Maybe the Ducks can blame this one on the trade the club announced two hours before Friday night’s ugly 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Honda Center.

With center Andy McDonald having been swapped to the St. Louis Blues in a deal that landed veteran center Doug Weight, the Ducks certainly played as if they were monumentally distracted. Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere surrendered a bad first-period goal to Minnesota’s Aaron Voros, and the Wild drove Giguere to an early exit with the first two of four second-period, power-play goals.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Not that it improved the product on ice as the Ducks capped an eventful afternoon with an emotionless clunker a few hours later, this one by a 5-2 count against the Minnesota Wild at Honda Center.
Normally steady Jean-Sebastien Giguere was pulled in the second period after Eric Belanger's power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead. The Wild had scored just four goals in their last four games, but they hit that total in the second alone, all of them with the man advantage, rendering scores by Brad May and Todd Bertuzzi all but meaningless.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Friday - The rest of the non-game news

2007-12-14T21:19:00.001-08:00

Though most of the coverage will be on the McDonald trade, there are a few other interesting things that came out today.

Chris Pronger's THN blog got it's first post

Scott has the right to retire or play, regardless of his contract situation. What some people forget is, when we sign with a team, that team has the right to play us, not play us, put us on waivers, send us down or trade us. Teams own your rights, they don’t own your soul.
If Scott wants to sit at home and hang with his kids, that’s his choice. He’s the one leaving up to $7 million on the table. He made a decision. Whether we like it or not, that was his decision.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks Toy Drive Reminder

To help spread cheer in Orange County this holiday season, the Anaheim Ducks will be collecting toys as part of the annual Anaheim Ducks Toy Drive at all home games during the month of December. Ducks wives and significant others will be collecting new, unwrapped, toys, books and games to benefit the 13th Annual Spark of Love Toy Drive with the Anaheim Fire Department and ABC 7 and CHiP’s for Kids Toy Drive with the California Highway Patrol and CBS 2/KCAL 9.
Each person with a donation to the Toy Drive will receive an Anaheim Ducks hat (limit one per person). Don’t miss your chance to help make this holiday season special for so many children and families in your local community.

For more information on the Anaheim Ducks Toy Drive, please call 1-877-WILDWING.

The 2008 Ducks Casino Night details have been posted - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Friday - Recap of McDonald Trade

2007-12-14T21:04:00.001-08:00

Here is the rest of the coverage from tonight's trade

Brian Burke Interview - Link

Official Coverage(repost)

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired center Doug Weight, left wing Michal Birner and a seventh round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for center Andy McDonald.

“Andy McDonald has been a great contributor for us over the last few seasons, and we thank him for the tremendous work ethic and character he brought to our club,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. “At the same time, we are pleased to add one of the most dynamic passers in the NHL today with Doug Weight. His production and leadership during his NHL and international career speak for themselves.”

Weight, 36 (1/21/71), scored 4-7=11 points with a +4 rating and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 29 games with the Blues this season. The four-time NHL All-Star (1996, 1998, 2001, 2003) has scored 4-1=5 points in his last four games.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

This transaction also enabled the Ducks to keep what will now become their “big four” of Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Mathieu Schneider and Francois Beauchemin together on defense. That group figures to stack up favorably with any in NHL history.

As difficult as it is to watch the departure of McDonald, who had been the team’s longest-tenured player, the move makes a lot of practical sense. Here’s wishing McDonald nothing but the best in St. Louis, where he will be reunited with former Ducks captain Paul Kariya. Those two could very well make some beautiful music together.

Read the rest here - Link

AP Coverage

Andy McDonald, a key member of the Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup championship team last season, was traded Friday to the St. Louis Blues for Doug Weight, Michal Birner and a seventh-round pick in next year's NHL entry draft.

McDonald, in the second year of a three-year, $10 million contract, had 27 goals and 51 assists in 82 games last season and played in his first NHL All-Star Game. He has four goals and 12 assists in 33 games this season.

The 30-year-old center played in 391 games with the Ducks after signing as a free agent before the 2000-01 season.

Read the rest here - Link

Mirtle Coverage

Well, that's not quite what I expected.
After back-to-back outstanding seasons, McDonald had struggled this year and is on pace for just 10 goals and 40 points. He was due $3.33-million both this season and next, and it's the 2008-09 figure that matters here.
As in, Weight doesn't have one.

Read the rest here - Link

NHL Coverage

The Anaheim Ducks created the cap room needed to bring back All-Star defenseman Scott Niedermayer on Friday by sending center Andy McDonald to the St. Louis Blues for center Doug Weight, left wing Michal Birner and a seventh-round pick in the 2008 Entry Draft.
The trade allows the Ducks to make enough room under the cap for Niedermayer, who announced earlier this week he was returning to the Ducks after considering retirement. Anaheim would have been over the cap next season had it not shed significant salary.

Read the rest here - Link

TSN Video - Link

TSN Coverage

The 36-year old centre had been struggling this season with four goals and seven assists in 29 games, however he seemed to have a breakout game this past Tuesday against his former club, the Edmonton Oilers where he scored twice and picked up an assist. In order to get the deal done, Weight waived the no-trade clause in his contract.

"It's good to be a Duck," Weight said during a conference call from his home. "It's been a strange turn of events over the past couple of days."

Read the rest here - Link

The Hockey News Coverage

There are a couple of questions you have to ask yourself when assessing the trade the Anaheim Ducks made Friday.
No. 1, are the Ducks a better team with Scott Niedermayer and Doug Weight than they were without Niedermayer and with Andy McDonald in the lineup?
No. 2, is this part of a bigger series of moves for the Ducks?
What we do know is that in order to get the tagging money they needed to get Niedermayer back into the lineup, they had to acquire a contract that was due to expire after the season. As it turns out, Weight's deal is up after this season, which gives the Ducks an additional $3.5 million in tagging room, far more than the $900,000 they needed to activate Niedermayer.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News Flash - Ducks trade McDonald

2007-12-14T17:33:00.001-08:00

Here is the official announcement

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired center Doug Weight, left wing Michal Birner and a seventh round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for center Andy McDonald.
“Andy McDonald has been a great contributor for us over the last few seasons, and we thank him for the tremendous work ethic and character he brought to our club,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. “At the same time, we are pleased to add one of the most dynamic passers in the NHL today with Doug Weight. His production and leadership during his NHL and international career speak for themselves.”
Weight, 36 (1/21/71), scored 4-7=11 points with a +4 rating and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 29 games with the Blues this season. The four-time NHL All-Star (1996, 1998, 2001, 2003) has scored 4-1=5 points in his last four games.

Read the rest here - Link

Doug Weight Profile - Link

Michael Birner Profile - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday

2007-12-13T23:07:00.001-08:00

Well, I've the usual Niedermayer news coverage plus a nice article on Andy McDonald, the latest Duck Cast featuring Geoff Platt and a few other interesting tidbits.

Duck Cast featuring Geoff Platt - Link

George is getting his hair cut this weekend - Link

A profile on McDonald

Although Andy McDonald may not have known until the last minute he was going to break the Ducks record for consecutive games played on Tuesday night, the record is still meaningful to him, considering how he got to the mark.

McDonald played in his 276th straight game Wednesday night, breaking Samuel Pahlsson's record.

Previous to starting the streak of 276 straight games, a good chunk of McDonald’s 2002-03 season was derailed by a concussion. Rebounding from that injury is how the new Ducks record started for McDonald, which makes the achievement more important than it would have been otherwise to the veteran center.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN covers Thursday's Practice

Scott Niedermayer got his first full practice in with the Ducks on Thursday, complete with all the barking by coach Randy Carlyle. Although the rest of the team practiced about an hour, Niedermayer remained on the ice with George Parros, Geoff Platt, Bruno St. Jacques and Jonas Hiller for at least another half an hour. After practice Niedermayer said, “I feel pretty good so far. I’m just going to keep working as hard as I can on and off the ice and get ready as soon as I can.” When asked if he would be ready to play on Friday night against the Minnesota Wild, he said “I would be ready.”

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks coverage of Scott's return to the team

While Niedermayer skated with six of his teammates on Tuesday and took part in pre-game workouts before last night’s game against Vancouver, Thursday was the first chance he had to simulate game situations, something the Conn Smythe Trophy winner said was important in getting mentally prepared for his return to the ice.

Read the rest here - Link

Another profile on Scott Niedermayer

Typical millionaire athletes do not drive to games in a Toyota Prius, car-pooling with their baby brother. They do not lend their time and celebrity to a conservation project and, most certainly, do not walk away from $13.5 million in salary.

So, Anaheim Duck defenceman Scott Niedermayer is not your typical millionaire athlete, which is why the 34-year-old will probably make a seamless comeback from "retirement," possibly starting tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register coverage of Scott Niedermayer

A day off in between games equated to another day of waiting for the Ducks to activate Scott Niedermayer.

Niedermayer went through another practice with his teammates Thursday and ended the session still a non-roster player until the Ducks clear room for their former captain. That would involve trading a player, and all heads were accounted for at the team's morning skate at Honda Center.
Read the rest here - Link

Press Enterprise Coverage

The cavalry hasn't come to the rescue yet. But it's in the building, and for the Ducks that's room enough for optimism.

Scott Niedermayer did not suit up for Wednesday night's game against Vancouver. Part of the reason was that morning was the first and only time he has skated with the full team in anything resembling a practice.

The other part is that technically Niedermayer still isn't a member of the active roster, nor will he be until General Manager Brian Burke sheds $900,000 or so to satisfy salary-cap restrictions. Presuming Burke can make a deal in the next 48 hours, it's realistic to assume Niedermayer would make his season debut Friday against Minnesota.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

"Scotty is a special player," Carlyle said. "He could go away [from hockey] for four or five years and then come back and put the skates on and he'd be ready. That's how effortless a skater he is."
For Niedermayer to play, the Ducks must make a trade to create enough salary-cap room. Trade speculation has centered on defensemenMathieu Schneider and Sean O'Donnell, and center Todd Marchant, but as of late Thursday the Ducks had still not made a deal.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday - Ducks Lose to Canucks 3-2

2007-12-13T06:35:00.001-08:00

Well even though the Ducks lost it was a fun game to watch. The key to tonight's loss was defensive breakdowns. These caused the Ducks to be behind early in the game. The Canucks then applied a suffocating defense and kept the Ducks at bay for the rest of the game. Now on to the rest of the game coverage!

Photo of the Game

AP Photo

Official Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Rosters
TOI - VAN|ANA

Video and Photos

Video Highlights - 700K

Photos - Link

LA Times Photos - Link

Anaheim Ducks Coverage

The Canucks scored the first three goals of the game, two by players who had never scored goals in the NHL before, and barely withstood a Ducks charge in the third period.
Trailing 3-1 going into the final stanza, the Ducks outshot Vancouver a whopping 16-1 in the period, but didn’t find the net until there was 1:31 to go in game. That was on a deflected slap shot by Mathieu Schneider from the right circle, with goalie J.S. Giguere pulled from the net to give the Ducks a man advantage. But Anaheim’s efforts to score the tying marker were denied over the final minute and a half.

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

Injury fill-ins Mason Raymond and Jason Jaffray assisted on each other's first NHL goals and the Vancouver Canucks -- without forward Brendan Morrison -- beat the Ducks, 3-2, on Wednesday night at the Honda Center.
Morrison's 542-game playing streak, the longest current run in the NHL, ended when the center was forced out of the lineup by a wrist injury that will require surgery. The streak that began on Feb. 27, 2000 is the 11th-longest in league history.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

In the first period there was not much action or excitement and the crowd went crazier over seeing Snoop Dogg on the Jumbotron alongside black hockey pioneer Willie O’Ree. Then the Canucks woke up. Mason Raymond, who was just called up yesterday, got his first NHL goal at 17:35. Raymond credited his linemates “Hats off to the guys who made some good passes out there. The goal is one I will always remember, always cherish.” Daniel Sedin took advantage of a puck that Chris Kunitz coughed up in the defensive zone and made it 2-0 at 18:40. Ryan Getzlaf said it “was a weird period. We were trying to get our matchups in and it was tough to get rolling.” Obviously.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

As far as debuts go, it’s hard to top this. Jason Jaffray, who was playing in his first NHL game, scored a goal and added an assist to help lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night at Honda Center. Defense ruled the first half of the opening period as both teams had a problem getting close to the net. The Ducks took two shots during the first 10 minutes of the game. The Canucks did them one better, getting the puck to Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere three times during the same span.

Read the rest here - Link

TSN Coverage

It was the first time teammates scored their first NHL goals in a game since Ducks forwards Drew Miller and Petteri Wirtanen also did it in Anaheim on Oct. 17.

"They called two young players up from the minors and both of them made a contribution," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "That's huge when you can have young guys step in and get on the score sheet for you."

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday - Non Game News

2007-12-12T21:10:00.001-08:00

Here is the news not covering tonight's game.

AnaheimDucks.info has a great report on the cap issues involving Scott Niedermayer

The “tagging” issue, while only brought up this past week, actually started for Anaheim the day they extended Chris Kunitz. You see the “tagging” rule in the CBA applies in different cases; whenever a player’s contract is extended or whenever a player with a multi-year deal is acquired. In this case, acquired can apply to being called-up, being traded for, coming off suspension or being signed after Dec.1st in the current season. Due to the fact that the Ducks has to keep cap room open should Niedermayer return, Anaheim was strongly up against the cap when they began the season. They signed Chris Kunitz to an extension which averaged out to 3.725 million a season. Under the “tagging” rule, since Anaheim didn’t have current cap space this year to fit the average of the extension in, the amount is set as “tagged” salary for next year (minus the current cap hit of Kunitz’s expiring deal). Thus, we end up with 2.669 million “tagged” for next season.

Read the rest of this great article here - Link

Niedermayer covereage via "The Provingce"

There's no tree museum where you pay a dollar and a half just to see 'em, not yet anyway.

But the orange groves of Anaheim have long been paved over, replaced by parking lots and subdivisions and malls and roads. And more parking lots.

Anaheim is also home to Scott Niedermayer now and his wife Lisa and their three boys and, like Joni Mitchell sang, he didn't know what he'd got till it was gone.

"I was done," Niedermayer said on Tuesday morning after skating with a handful of his Ducks teammates for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup last June.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN has coverage of Scott's first team practice and other team news.

He certainly doesn’t need the extra practice from the conditioning end of things. Drew Miller, who also skated yesterday, commented that “Scotty was the fastest one out there.” Coach Randy Carlyle said that he “looks like Scott Niedermayer. All the things that you remember about him were very evident again just in the morning skate. His skating ability. The effortless way he moves around the ice.” Carlyle also said that Niedermayer is lighter than he was at the end of the season. While Carlyle meant weight, you can see that Niedermayer’s shoulders are also lighter. Mentally “I feel really good. Best I’ve felt yet. It’s why I’m back here.” When asked if he was refreshed, Niedermayer agreed. “That’s a pretty good word.”

Read the rest here - Link

More Niedermayer coverage from the Ducks Blog

“I was on the short end of a lot of jokes, but I guess that’s to be expected,” Niedermayer said. “It was fun, good to see everybody again and be on the ice with them.”

Instead of returning to action against Vancouver, Niedermayer is likely to make his season debut Friday against the Minnesota Wild or Sunday against the San Jose Sharks. In either case, the game would be at Honda Center, an idea that appeals to Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, who as the home coach would be better able to control Niedermayer’s ice time and matchups.

Read the rest here - Link

Selanne Rumors continue

NHL sources tell us Teemu Selanne plans to follow Scott Niedermayer by putting off retirement and returning to the Stanley Cup champions for the season’s second half.

According to sources, a verbal agreement between Selanne and Anaheim management already has been reached. Before the return becomes official, however, general manager Brian Burke needs to unload a salary or two — and the likely candidates to be discarded are Sean O’Donnell and/or Todd Marchant.
Read the rest here - Link

All-Star voting update

Ryan Getzlaf is eighth among forwards with 84,339 votes, Chris Pronger (133,259 votes) and Francois Beauchemin (103,071) are third and fifth, respectively, among defenseman and J.S. Giguere (68,472) is fifth among goaltenders in the XM / NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks vs. Canucks Game Preview via Yahoo Sports

2007-12-11T21:11:00.001-08:00

Looks like we may not have to face Luongo

A recent slump may not be among the Vancouver Canucks' most pressing concerns, but playing without star goaltender Roberto Luongo for any length of time should be.

With Luongo expected to sit out again due to a rib injury, the Canucks will try to avoid their season-high third loss in a row as they continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks.

Luongo, the Hart and Vezina Trophy runner-up last season, was hurt during a 2-1 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 2 when a hard shot found a gap in his uniform. He then recorded road wins in Chicago and Nashville and played Saturday in a 2-1 shootout loss at home to Pittsburgh despite the worsening injury

On Monday, Luongo skated in warmups but didn't play in a 4-2 loss to Los Angeles.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Tuesday

2007-12-11T21:06:00.001-08:00

Nearly all of today's links cover's Scott Niedermayer and a few other things. So here you go!

Scott Niedermayer doubtful for Wednesday

Back home from a three-game road trip, the Ducks and their returning former captain, Scott Niedermayer, finally got the chance to get reacquainted on Tuesday.
In an optional day of practice at Honda Center, Niedermayer took to the ice with teammates Jonas Hiller, Kent Huskins, Brad May, Drew Miller, Geoff Platt, Brian Sutherby and recent call-up Bruno St. Jacques.
It was the first time the Conn Smythe Trophy winner has had the chance to skate at Honda Center or practice with any of his teammates since announcing his plans to return. The Ducks departed for the road the morning of Dec. 6, around the same time Niedermayer practiced for the first time at Anaheim Ice.

Read the rest here - Link

Scott Niedermayer made an appearance on Ducks Calls (December 10) - Link

Stanley Cup to appear in Tournament of Roses parade and some repetitive coverage of Scott's possibilities to play on Wednesday - Link

Drew Miller makes a kid feel very special (and vice versa)

Back in October I attended the "Face Off Fest" with my wife and our two children(Aiden, 8 and Haili, 7) We had two goals... Get my 06/07 Jersey signed by as many of the Players who's names are on the cup as possible and, possibly more importantly, get the same players to sign my daughter’s Teddy Bear(who wears a Stanley Cup Champs T-shirt). This endeavor was VERY successful, with many memorable conversations with players, But one encounter left a lasting impression on my daughter, Haili.
When Haili handed the bear to Drew Miller he gave it a BIG hug smiled and said "It's so cute! Can I keep it?" Haili gave an emphatic "No" Drew looked over at Andy Mac who told him "No man, you can't keep the bear" we all had a good laugh and Drew promptly signed the bear, gave it another hug and gave it back. We really thought nothing of it at the time... Little did we know how much Drew's playful banter had meant to Haili.
Fast forward to November.

Read the rest at the allducks.com message boards. - Link

Girl with a Puck has a great new round up including news on the State of the Franchise event

... is coming your way, January 8th! Sweet. I've got to start coming up with some questions to pick the brains of Brian Burke (Sleek, here's your chance!), Coach Randy Carlyle, and the unnamed players who will be in attendance.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Monday - Non Game News

2007-12-10T22:27:00.001-08:00

Well either Kent Huskins is worse off than we are aware of, or a defensive Duck will be gone shortly. Of course it could be both. Bruno St. Jacques has been recalled from the AHL. The rest of the news is pretty much all about Scott Niedermayer.

Official Ducks Announcement - Bruno gets a contract and then is recalled

The Ducks announced on Monday that they have signed defenseman Bruno St. Jacques to a one-year contract. Subsequently, St. Jacques was recalled from the Portland Pirates, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

St. Jacques, 27 (8/22/80), has played in 12 games with Portland this season, recording 1-4=5 points. He has also appeared in 13 contests for the Syracuse Crunch, collecting 0-8=8 assists with 16 penalty minutes (PIM). In total, St. Jacques has appeared in 25 AHL contests this season, earning 1-12=13 points with 22 PIM.

Read the rest here - Link

Platt revisits one of his former teams tonight

While he also spent time with Columbus’ AHL affiliate in Syracuse since signing a free-agent deal with the Blue Jackets in 2005, Platt said he already feels more at home in the Ducks organization than he ever did with Columbus. Still, given that he’s been teammates with “all but two or three” of the Blue Jackets players either in Columbus or in Syracuse, Platt could have some extra adrenaline going.

“It’s going to be interesting,” he said.

Read the rest here - Link

More on Scott Niedermayer part 1

Scott Niedermayer is virtually certain to be in the Anaheim Ducks lineup sometime this week, it's just a matter of figuring out which game is most likely.

Maybe Wednesday against Vancouver? That's probably a tad ambitious.

Perhaps Friday night versus Minnesota? The Ducks recall Derek Boogaard's low-bridge hit on Niedermayer last season so they may choose to spare him a wild return.

Read the rest here - Link

More on Scott Niedermayer part 2

Fans of the Anaheim Ducks are delighted that Scott Niedermayer has decided to end his self-imposed retirement and return to the team.

But should they be? And what about all the other hockey fans? How should they feel about it?

The answer is that when you get right down to it, there is cause for concern for everyone in this situation.

First of all, there's the precedent. One instance is a long way from a trend, but we all know how the National Hockey League works. Imitation is the sincerest from of flattery.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Monday - Ducks beat Blue Jackets 4-3 (OT)

2007-12-10T22:19:00.001-08:00

I missed most of this game, but got to watch the third period and OT. The Ducks played hard and survived some unfortunate penalties to pull this game out a sweet shot by Pronger. It seemed like an action packed game that was a not a good one to miss. Anyway, here is the game coverage.

Photo of the Game

AP Photo/Paul Vernon

Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Rosters
TOI - ANA|CBJ

Photos and Videos

Photos - Link

Video Highlights - 700K

TSN Coverage - Link

AP Coverage via Anaheim Ducks official site

Chris Pronger scored a power-play goal with 1:45 left in overtime to give the Anaheim Ducks a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

The 14-year veteran, who earlier added an assist in his 900th career game, blasted a point shot that deflected off the skate of Columbus defenseman Adam Foote and past a surprised Pascal Leclaire, who finished with 24 saves.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks finished off their three game road trip with a visit to the Columbus. They needed to rebound from a penalty laden loss to Nashville two nights before. The Ducks rebounded well with a physical game that saw the power play starting to click, including the overtime winner that made it 4-3. Although they have won several times in the shootout, it was the Ducks first overtime win this season.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks Blog Coverage

Chris Pronger’s power-play goal 3:14 into overtime Monday night gave the Ducks a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

The Blue Jackets forged a 3-3 tie on a power-play goal by Nikolai Zherdev 3:07 into the third period. Zherdev buried a close-range rebound one second after a five-on-three Columbus manpower advantage expired.

The Ducks scored three times in the second period to erase two one-goal deficits and take a 3-2 lead into the third period.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Monday Morning Links

2007-12-10T06:37:00.001-08:00

Penalty problems analyzed by the OC Register

"This is an all-too-familiar statement. We were taking far too many penalties," Carlyle said, baffled to explain the recurring problem. "I've asked that question of everybody, including every player, every member of the coaching staff. It seems at times that we as a group can't help ourselves."

Read the rest here - Link

Perry get benched

Over the last nine games, Perry has drawn 10 minor penalties, many of which have come while the Ducks were on the attack.
"First and foremost, he cannot be less aggressive, but he has to be more careful with the use of his stick," Carlyle said Sunday. "He gets no leeway from the officials because he's a player that's scrappy. And they deem at times that he embellishes.
"And they're constantly on him about it. Verbally. Because I've seen it. He gets no slack in that respect."
Perry says he's finding it tough at times to recognize how much he can do to pester an opposing player before the whistle blows.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN has more Ducks rumors

First need - move a defenseman. The Ducks already have seven players on the roster. Maxim Kondratiev was eliminated earlier this year and is now playing in Russia. With Niedermayer, there is also Chris Pronger, Mathieu Schneider, Francois Beauchemin, Sean O’Donnell, Kent Huskins, Shane Hnidy and Joe DiPenta. So who is likely to go? O’Donnell would free up enough money. Hnidy would not. Schneider, having been the “replacement” in case of retirement might be the best trade option. He would free up considerable money which would allow for the re-signing of Corey Perry. Having three top two defensemen doesn’t seem reasonable either. Joe DiPenta is the only person who will stay as he has no contract on the books for next year.

Read the rest here - Link

The OC Register has more Ducks rumors

Now that vacationing Scott Niedermayer has decided to rejoin the Ducks — don't rule out Wednesday's home game against Vancouver for the Conn Smythe winner's triumphal return to active duty — the player most likely to be traded to make the required salary-cap room for next season is veteran center Todd Marchant or veteran defenseman Sean O'Donnell.

The best fit, salary-wise, is O'Donnell, who earns $1.25 this season and $1.25 million next season.

Read the rest here - Link

A profile of Andy McDonald

At 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, if the roster is to be believed, Ducks center Andy McDonald does not look like the prototype iron man.

It's a description McDonald certainly never would have imagined in 2003, when he missed 39 regular-season games and all of the club's playoff run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals because of a severe concussion that resulted from a blow to the head delivered by then-Colorado Avalanche and current Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Foote.

Read the rest here - Link

The current locker room environment

This is where giddy anticipation collides head-on with sober reality.

Like those reality television programs, in which the survivors have the opportunity to share in great wealth but the losers are voted off the island -- the Anaheim Ducks are about to engage in their own version of that game.

In a matter of days, the defending Stanley Cup champions will welcome back defending playoff MVP and Hall of Fame-bound defenseman Scott Niedermayer. Those left in the Ducks' dressing room will instantly revel in the feeling of once again being considered Stanley Cup contenders.

Read the rest here - Link

Weekend Quick Links....

2007-12-09T22:24:00.001-08:00

So I did not get much time to post this weekend, so here are just the links so you can get your Ducks news fix.

Game Coverage

Ducks coverage of the loss to the Predators - Link

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Video Highlights - 700K

Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Shift Chart
Rosters
TOI - ANA|NSH

Photo of the game - Link

MVN Coverage - Link

LA Times coverage - Link

OC Register Coverage - Link

Miscellaneous News

Five Questions with Andy McDonald - Link

Trade rumors via LA Times - Link

Coverage on Niedermayer's return - Link

One more article on Niedermayer - Link

A closer look on Hiller's mask via Allducks.com - Video Link and Photos

Anaheim Ducks News for Friday - Ducks Beat Blackhawks 5-3

2007-12-07T23:22:00.001-08:00

Well that was a great game. The Ducks continued to play as if their jobs depended on it (which it does). Here is tonight's coverage.

Photo of the Game

via Getty Images

Official Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Rosters
TOI - ANA|CHI

Photos and Video

NHL Highlights - 700K

Photos - Link

TSN Highlights - Link

AP Coverage via AnaheimDucks.com

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 39 saves in the Ducks' 5-3 victory over the Chicago on Friday night.

Chris Kunitz added two goals - including an empty-netter - while Corey Perry and Mathieu Schneider also scored for the Ducks, who improved to 10-0-1 against the Blackhawks in their last 11 meetings.

The Ducks haven't lost to Chicago in regulation since falling 3-1 at the United Center on Nov. 2, 2003. The Blackhawks' only victory over the Ducks since then was a 4-3 shootout decision at Anaheim on Nov. 17, 2006.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

The Ducks overcame Chicago goals early in the first and second periods Friday night to post a 5-3 victory over the Blackhawks at the United Center.

The Blackhawks threw a scare into the Ducks when Robert Lang’s goal at 18:10 of the third period cut Chicago’s deficit to 4-3, but Chris Kunitz scored his second goal of the game, into an empty net, with 28.7 seconds left.

After giving up a goal to Chicago’s Patrick Sharp at the 36-second mark, the Ducks scored twice in the second period to take a 3-2 lead, and Ryan Getzlaf added a key insurance goal on a breakaway 3:31 into the third period

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

The Ducks met a vastly improved Blackhawks team for the first time this season. Patrick Kane, drafted #1 overall this past June, and Jonathan Toews, drafted 3rd overall in 2006, have both made an impact this year for the Hawks and helped put the team in playoff contention for the first time in six years. The Ducks were coming off an excellent 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, coupled with the news that defenseman Scott Niedermayer will be returning to the Ducks this year. Their efforts this evening seem to show that the Ducks have started heading in the right direction at long last.

Read the rest here - Link

Chicago Tribune Coverage

The upstart Blackhawks are still learning what it takes to win, and facing a team that raised the Stanley Cup last season gave them a prime example of how to go about it.
But it was a hard lesson learned. Despite being outshot 42-22, the defending champion Anaheim Ducks came away with a hard-fought 5-3 victory Friday night at the United Center, handing the Hawks their third straight defeat.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks New for Thursday, Part 2 - News not related to Scott

2007-12-06T22:13:00.001-08:00

Well here is the rest of the news if you are interested.....go down one post to see all things Scott Niedermayer.

Watch Party tomorrow at the ESPN zone in Anaheim

Make ESPN Zone your Home while the Ducks are on the Road! Come join us tomorrow, Friday, December 7th for our second Official Ducks Watch Party of the season as the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The game starts at 5:30 pm so come watch the game and join us for dinner. Also, don't miss your chance to sign up to win autographed Ducks memorabilia - winners will be selected that night!

Ducks Players Will Sign Autographs at Three Locations on Saturday Dec. 15 to Kick-Off the Partnership
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the club has partnered with Wal-Mart to make Wild Wingers Kids Club kits available for purchase at 26 of the retail giant’s Southland locations. In celebration, three Anaheim Ducks players will sign autographs at three local Wal-Marts on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 2-4 p.m.

“We’re excited to announce this partnership, making Kids Club kits more widely available to the community,” said Ducks Director of Fan Development Matt Savant. “The kit makes a great gift for children during the holiday season while hopefully creating new hockey fans at the same time.”

Retailing for $22.97, a Wild Wingers Kids Club kit contains one ticket voucher to a select 2007-08 Anaheim Ducks home game, a Kids Club t-shirt and hat, a Ducks jersey backpack, a Duck call and an official Kids Club calendar. The Kids Club will culminate the season by holding its annual End of the Year Party with a special appearance by Kids Club captain Chris Kunitz.

Wild Wingers Kids Club kits are available for purchase at Wal-Marts throughout the Southland, extending as far north as Glendora, as far east as Riverside and as far south as Laguna Niguel. On Saturday, Dec. 15, Ducks players will sign autographs at three local Wal-Marts. Ducks forward and Kids Club captain Kunitz will sign at the Foothill Ranch location, forward Corey Perry will sign at the Huntington Beach location and defenseman Kent Huskins will sign at the Pomona location. Each autograph session will take place from 2-4 p.m. Addresses for each location are listed below.

For more information about the Wild Wingers Kids Club, visit www.wildwingerskidsclub.com or call 714-940-2801.

Chris Kunitz
Wal-Mart Foothill Ranch
26502 Towne Center Dr.
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

Corey Perry
Wal-Mart Huntington Beach
8230 Talbert Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92646

Kent Huskins
Wal-Mart Pomona

80 Rio Rancho Rd.
Pomona, CA 91766

Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday Part 1 - The Scott Niedermayer Post

2007-12-06T21:50:00.001-08:00

Today was a news filled day with Scott returning and a few other items.. So onto the news!

Duckswire Roaming Reporter Diana went today's practice and got some video!

Video from today's interview - Link

Photo of the Day

Official Ducks coverage of today's skate

“I’ve felt better, but hopefully each day I feel better and better,” Niedermayer said in assessing his time on the ice. “I’ve skated a little bit on my own but not the caliber that I’m going to be preparing to skate in the NHL. I have some work ahead of me for sure.’
While he will not get a chance to practice with his teammates until next week when the Ducks return home from a three-game road trip, Niedermayer said being back with them is one of the main reasons he decided to return to the club.

Read the rest here - Link

NHL.com coverage via the AP

In a mostly deserted rink, a solitary figure zipped around the ice.

Scott Niedermayer was back at work.

After the Anaheim Ducks won their first Stanley Cup last summer, Niedermayer was almost completely convinced he had played his final NHL game.

Gradually, as he watched the Ducks play, he changed his mind.

"It's one thing to make the decision in the summer, but then to be here opening night when the banner went up, we got our Stanley Cup rings, all pretty special times. The best of times of being a professional athlete," the 34-year-old Niedermayer, more gray than black in his stubble, said Thursday after skating seriously for the first time since June.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

He knows that his absence caused frustration and questions, something he regrets. Yet he does not regret being given all the time he needed to make the right decision. “I’m thankful for that because without that I’d probably be sitting somewhere now regretting or wishing I had made a different decision.” Watching the team struggled “probably played a small factor” in his decision, but the biggest factor was “realizing I still wanted to get out there and compete.” He also confessed that he missed the “special friendships and experiences” with teammates. “I didn’t think I would as much as I did.”

Read the rest here - Link

Press Enterprise Coverage

Exactly six months after winning the Stanley Cup, the Ducks now have a reason to realistically think about defending that championship.

General Manager Brian Burke announced Wednesday that star defenseman Scott Niedermayer will be returning to the team and hopefully will be back in the lineup within one week.

Niedermayer had been contemplating retirement since the Ducks won their first Stanley Cup championship, and his fourth, on June 5. He called Burke on Sunday to indicate he was ready to return.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register in depth coverage

ROB NIEDERMAYER: "Making sure that he got to do this on his own time ... that was big. I don't think something like that would happen with a lot of other organizations. That was pretty classy. He just mentioned what he was doing to me the day before, and I was thrilled. He's a pretty low key guy, so all he did was tell me, 'I'm coming back.' I know that it was something that he has been getting asked a lot about, so I didn't want to put any pressure on him to come back. It was a big decision for him with his family and everything. I'm just glad he made the right one."
ANDY MCDONALD: "There's no doubt about it, we are an excited group to have Scotty coming back. He's a terrific player and we are going to become that much better as a team. It is great to be out there with him. He moves the puck really well. It makes things a lot easier when you can get that pass from a defenseman under pressure. Like I said we are an excited group."

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Analysis

"I don't think one player is going to make all the difference. Not even Gretzky – well, maybe Gretzky could have. For us it took 20 of us to win the Stanley Cup last year and that's what it's going to take this year."

Still, it's no coincidence that the Ducks remembered who they were Wednesday night when they shellacked Buffalo – "we looked like the old Ducks," General Manager Brian Burke said – after they heard their former captain and future Hall of Famer was coming back.

Read the rest here - Link

MSNBC Analysis of Scott's Return

On the surface, this seems like a huge break for the Ducks, who are struggling along at hockey’s version of the Mendoza Line, the cutoff point for playoff qualification. Adding a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman of Niedermayer’s capabilities — he led all defensemen in scoring with a career-high 69 points last season — would appear to once again make them a serious challenger for Stanley Cup honors.

“We are obviously very pleased that Scotty has chosen to come back and play,” a naturally excited Burke said. “He earned the right to take time in making a decision, one that was clearly difficult for him.”

Read the rest here - Link

LA Times Coverage

His salt-and-pepper beard a little stubbier and grayer, veteran Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer worked out Thursday in Anaheim, showing he's on course to rejoin the defending Stanley Cup champions after a three-month hockey sabbatical.
Niedermayer, 34, went through individual drills at Anaheim Ice, performing such rudimentary tasks as puck handling, skating on three-man breaks and one-touch slap shots. He mixed in a few short bursts of speed between the blue lines and finished off with some longer strides around the rink.

Read the rest here - Link

The Fourth Period Coverage

As part of the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, a "Tagging Rule" comes into play for the Ducks, which indicates that after December 1 of a season, a player can only join a team if his salary not only fits into the current season payroll, but it must remain within the set salary cap for future years.

"We will have to move contractual obligations for next year," Ducks GM Brian Burke told the Register.

The Los Angeles Times reports forward Todd Marchant and defensemen Francois Beauchemin and Sean O'Donnell could be involved in trade talks.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Ducks Win 4-1 Over Buffalo

2007-12-05T23:20:00.001-08:00

Well that was a great and fun game to watch. The Ducks played well and did not have too many penalties. The stat for the game was that it took the Ducks 35:55 seconds for the Ducks to get their first penalty(not counting fighting majors). Anyway, here is the game coverage

Photo of the game - For the first time ever, a TIE!

AP/Mark J. Terrill

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Official Game Reports

Scoresheet
Super Stats
Boxscore
Faceoffs
Play-by-Play

Rosters
TOI - BUF ANA

Photos and Video

Photos - Link

Video Highlights - Link

Official Ducks Game Coverage

In the morning before they were to face Buffalo at Honda Center, the Ducks learned that Scott Niedermayer would soon be returning to the team.
Then they went out and played like he was already back.

Though the players were informed hours prior, Niedermayer’s comeback out of a retirement indecision was announced by the team less than a half hour before the Ducks began their dismantling of a streaking Sabres team 4-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,147 at Honda Center

Read the rest here - Link

TSN Coverage via the AP

Andy McDonald had a goal and an assist, Mathieu Schneider and Corey Perry scored power-play goals, and the Anaheim Ducks snapped a 10-game winless streak against the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-1 victory Wednesday night.

About a half-hour before the opening faceoff, Ducks general manager Brian Burke announced that playoff MVP Scott Niedermayer decided to return to the defending Stanley Cup champions after spending five months contemplating retirement. Burke's remarks were replayed before the game on the video board the game and again during the first intermission, with the sellout crowd of 17,174 crowd roaring its approval.

Read the rest here - Link

OC Register Coverage

The Ducks dominated the second period, outshooting the Sabres 12-0 through the first 13 minutes of the period and took a 2-1 lead when Schnieder scored his third goal of the season, this one coming from the top of the right circle. It could have been 3-1 at that point, but Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller dove and covered a loose puck, which was slowly rolling toward the goal line. It came within inches of giving the Ducks another goal.

Read the rest here - Link

MVN Coverage

Up to this evening the story has been the Ducks slumping. This evening the Ducks have a new distraction - Scott Niedermayer will be returning to the Ducks this year and will begin skating tomorrow. Clearly the news of his anticipated return gave the team a boost. Before the players can deal with anticipating the former captain’s return, the Ducks had a date with the Buffalo Sabres, a team they hadn’t played since 2005.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Scott Niedermayer Coverage

2007-12-05T20:19:00.001-08:00

Here is all the news related to his return.

TSN has good analysis of the effects of his return Video (Pre Announcement)- Link

TSN Report

The Anaheim Ducks made it official Wednesday as the team announced that Scott Niedermayer would return for the remainder of the season.

The announcement, made prior to the Ducks game against the Buffalo Sabres, ended weeks of speculation surrounding the four-time Stanley Cup champion's pseudo-retirement.

"We are obviously very pleased that Scotty has chosen to come back and play," said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. "He earned the right to take time in making a decision, one that was clearly difficult for him."

The three-time all-star has not played this season after capturing the Conn Smythe trophy last season while helping lead the Ducks to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. He has been under suspension by the team after failing to report to Ducks training camp as he has mulled retirement.

Read the rest here - Link

Globe and Mail Coverage

Even as he broached the possibility of retirement soon after the Anaheim Ducks won the 2007 Stanley Cup, Scott Niedermayer was always careful to keep the door open for a possible return.

Niedermayer, who skipped training camp and the first two months of the season to ponder his future, made it official Wednesday — he will return to the Ducks for the remainder of the 2007-08 season and playoffs, assuming they qualify for postseason play.

Read the rest here - Link

Battle of California Coverage

Let's cover the key points about the press conference, though I'm not going to add too much just yet.

The announcement was strictly that Scott would play for the Ducks this year, but the timing is still up in the air. One of the main complications comes from a CBA thing called 'tagging'--I'm not going to do the proper research here, so here's Bob McKenzie's description:
With Niedermayer potentially returning, and with another year left on his contract after this season, the Ducks could not add him to the roster now without freeing up cap room for next season. In the new CBA, it's called 'tagging' room and the Ducks don't have enough of it next season to allow Niedermayer back on the roster this season – unless they move a player who is under contract for next season.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News - Niedermayer's Official Announcement

2007-12-05T19:01:00.001-08:00

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that defenseman Scott Niedermayer will return to the team for the remainder of the season.

“We are obviously very pleased that Scotty has chosen to come back and play,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. “He earned the right to take time in making a decision, one that was clearly difficult for him.”

Niedermayer, 34 (8/31/73), helped lead the Ducks to their first Stanley Cup championship last season, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2007 playoffs. With 15-54=69 points in 79 regular season games last year, Niedermayer became the first Duck to lead NHL defensemen in scoring, a career first. A finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy (top NHL defenseman) and 2007 Western Conference All-Star, he set career highs in goals, assists and points, breaking his own club single-season records in assists and points from the previous campaign.

“I’m excited to be rejoining my teammates and getting back on the ice,” said Niedermayer. “I would like to thank the Samuelis, Brian Burke and especially my teammates for their patience while I wrestled with this very difficult decision.”

Signed as a free agent on Aug. 4, 2005, Niedermayer has won four Stanley Cup championships since making his NHL debut with the New Jersey Devils during the 1991-92 season. He is the only player in hockey history to have won a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Cup, Memorial Cup and World Junior title. Niedermayer has been named a Norris Trophy finalist each of the last three seasons, winning the award in 2004. He has been named to four NHL All-Star teams during his career and has produced 10 overtime goals, the most all-time by an NHL defenseman.

Originally selected by New Jersey in the first round (third overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Niedermayer has split his 15-season NHL career between the Devils (1991-2004) and Ducks (2005-07). In 1,053 career games, Niedermayer has recorded 140-468=608 points with a +186 rating and 660 penalty minutes (PIM). His Anaheim totals include 28-104=132 points with a +14 rating and 86 PIM in 161 regular season games.
Anaheim Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke made the first announcement during a press conference tonight at Honda Center, about 30 minutes before the Ducks were to take on the Buffalo Sabres.
Burke also announced that Niedermayer will skate tomorrow at Anaheim Ice at 11:30 a.m. and could play for the Ducks within "7-10 days."

A transcript of Burke's press conference will be available soon.

Here is the official Announcment

Anaheim Ducks News - Scott is back

2007-12-05T18:53:00.001-08:00

Here is the audio of Burke's announcement - Link

Niedermayer is coming back - More to Come....

2007-12-05T18:48:00.001-08:00

An announcement on Scott Niedermayer tonight - Per the Ducks

2007-12-05T16:48:00.001-08:00

Anaheim Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke will make an announcement regarding the playing status of Scott Niedermayer tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Honda Center.
AnaheimDucks.com will have a report on that announcement immediately after it's complete.

Ducks Wire Special Alert - Scott Niedermayer to Announce Something Tonigh!

2007-12-05T14:19:00.001-08:00

So goes the rumor......

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday - Part 2 Personnel Moves

2007-12-04T20:42:00.001-08:00

We have an interesting alignment of rumors and personnel moves. I will link the stories in a way to help build up to the final analysis.

Marchant was a health scratch last game and is not happy with that

Todd Marchant admitted it was a tough pill to swallow Sunday when he was a healthy scratch for only the second time in his 14-year career.

“As a player, I’m not happy about it, but the only thing I can do is control what I can control,”

Marchant said after Tuesday’s practice.

Marchant has been moved around the forward spots and played on mulitple lines this season. Coach Randy Carlyle said he would like to see more tenacity from Marchant, a former Olympian who has been known as one of the faster skaters in the NHL.

Read the rest here - Link

Ducks recall Geoff Platt from Portland

The Ducks announced today that they have recalled center Geoff Platt from the Portland Pirates, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Platt, 22 (7/10/85), scored 7-9=16 points with a +6 rating and six penalty minutes (PIM) in nine games with the Pirates this season. Acquired from Columbus in exchange for defenseman Aaron Rome and left wing Clay Wilson on Nov. 15, 2007, Platt began the season with the Syracuse Crunch (Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate). In 24 AHL games between the Pirates and Crunch, he recorded 11-12=23 points with a +5 rating and 12 PIM.

Read the rest here - Link

Niedermayer retirement watch continues

Could this be the week Scott Niedermayer ends his retirement and returns to the Anaheim Ducks?

It's beginning to look that way.

Sources close to Niedermayer suggest he is prepared to return to the NHL team in the near future.

If so, it would be welcome news for the Ducks.

The Ducks do not have any salary cap issues this season that would prevent Niedermayer from re-joining the team. They have plenty of room below the $50.5 million salary cap, but that is not to say there aren't other financial considerations that could be problematic for the Ducks unless they trade a player.

Read the rest here - Link

Eric Duhatschek has an analysis of all the rumor

Truth be told, the player the Ducks would most like to ship out is Todd Marchant who earns $2.517 million - too much for what he brings to the table as a fourth-line checking forward. Who would take Marchant, up front, at the figure? No one. That's why the Ducks might need to get creative to make a deal happen. Someone with salary-cap space might take Marchant off their hands, provided Anaheim sweetened the deal by including their own 2008 first-round choice in the transaction.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Tuesday - Part 1

2007-12-04T20:34:00.001-08:00

So this is news not related to Scott or any personnel news.

An All Star voting update - Link

Here is a great analysis of Andy McDonald without Teemu

It’s hard to get mad at Teemu Selanne. He seems like such a nice fellow, always smiling and driving cool cars at ridiculously fast speeds. Oh, and scoring goals set up by Andy MacDonald.

At least, that’s what he did for two seasons. Now that Teemu’s just lounging around some sauna in Finland, MacDonald’s numbers have gone way south and, not coincidentally, so has a big part of the Anaheim offense and power play. So if anyone on the planet can actually be mad at Teemu Selanne, it’s Andy MacDonald. Let’s look at MacDonald’s numbers:

Read the rest here - Link

Update on the latest Ducks practice

Carlyle spent a lot of time on drills that addressed specific weaknesses. Carlyle felt that the Ducks had “lost a little bit of edge.” As a result, he tried to “create battles, competitions, being in position to drive that middle lane.” To that effect, he had several drills that focused on battling, especially deep in the corners. He told the players that they “can’t accept giving up the puck in those areas!”

Read the rest here - Link

Miller vs. Miller via OC Register

Drew and Ryan Miller were just like any other hockey-loving brothers who grew up in East Lansing, Mich. From the time they could hold sticks, they played out their NHL dreams around the house.

"Street hockey, mini-hockey, we always battled," Drew said. "Checking each other into the boards in the basement or sticking each other in the street — we always competed and had fun together."

Read the rest here - Link

Miller vs. Miller via Anaheim Ducks

For the first at any level of their respective hockey careers, the paths of Ducks forward Drew Miller and his brother, Buffalo goaltender Ryan, will finally cross on Wednesday when the Sabres make their first appearance at Honda Center since Oct. 24, 2003.

Making matters interesting is the fact that left winger Drew will be looking to score on his brother minding the net for the Sabres.

“You don’t see it too often in the National Hockey League, where brothers face each other and it’s goaltender versus forward,” Ryan said.
Read the rest here - Link

Pirates and Ducks move to separate?

If Anaheim was going to stick around, you’d have to think that they would have agreed to accept the two-year option, as it was only a year prior when Brian Burke and Pirates sat down to redo the previous five-year deal. Also, the Oct 1 deadline came and went without so much a whimper and that usually signals a divorce in the making.

Read the rest here - Link