Anaheim Ducks News - Vacation Catchup Part 1

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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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Anaheim Ducks News for Thursday

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.' "

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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).

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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.”

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Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday

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).

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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