Anaheim Ducks News for Friday

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 for Wednesday - Part 2 Personnel Moves

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 Thursday

Lots of news today.  From Scott Niedermayer to the state of the Ducks to player profiles.  Lots of interesting stuff

A new Duckscast has been posted featuring Dave Farrish - Link

More Scott Niedermayer news via the OC Register

Just about the time his past and perhaps future Ducks teammates wrapped up practice Thursday at Honda Center, Scott Niedermayer began a game of pick-up hockey some 11 miles away at Westminster Ice Arena.

While the Ducks were preparing for Friday night's matchup against the visiting San Jose Sharks, Niedermayer was skating for the second time in a week, laying groundwork for a potential comeback that remains uncertain.

"No decision has been made," Niedermayer said. "Really, there is no change in anything right now, other than the fact I'm skating. When the decision does come, if it is to go back and play, I'm a little bit closer."

Niedermayer, 34, has been contemplating retirement since winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the Ducks' run to the Stanley Cup title last season. Despite having two seasons left on a four-year, $27 million contract he signed in 2005, Niedermayer has remained away from the team during training camp and the first six weeks of the season while pondering his future.

Read the rest here - Link

The OC Register puts the Ducks under the magnifying glass

The Ducks have played Phoenix at home twice now and gone 0-1-1.

"I think we can take a lot of positives out of this," Jean-Sebastien Giguere said.

The Ducks have given up 49 goals overall in 17 games.

"We'll take the point and move forward," Coach Randy Carlyle said.

The Ducks lost this game, 6-5, in overtime, which meant they had scored five times and still lost for the first time since Feb. 6, 2006 (Edmonton).

"I better get back out there and help these guys," Scott Niedermayer said.

Well, if he did say that, he didn't say it in a public forum.

It was left to 17,147, some of whom dressed as red upholstery, and maybe 20 former teammates to think it.

The Ducks faintly congratulated themselves for overcoming a 4-2 deficit Wednesday, but still lost, 6-5, to the Coyotes.

They held visiting coach Wayne Gretzky scoreless but hardly anyone else, and now have yielded 11 goals in their past two games, both at home and both against the Pacific Division.

A look at the Duck's pregame skate

The need for pregame skates has been debated about for years but it is clear that Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle sees the importance in them.
Under Carlyle, those skates aren't just about leisurely moving around the ice to get loose. But while a spirited session can be productive, it doesn't necessarily translate to a sharp game that evening.
Take the Ducks' 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday night, a defeat Carlyle didn't see coming.
"Monday's pregame skate was the best pregame skate we've had in probably a year and a half," he said Wednesday. "We had lots of energy and lots of jump. We were efficient with the puck. We did all the [right] things.
"We were jumping and it was only 20 minutes. But it didn't translate into that type of effort that night."
Carlyle said he has seen a handful of occasions in his two-plus seasons when the Ducks wouldn't be sharp in the morning but turned in a strong performance hours later, when it counted.

Read the rest here - Link

The LA Times has a look at the state of the Ducks and informs us that Maxim Kondratiev has been placed on Waivers.

The Ducks have won only six of 17 games this season and were outscored, 11-5, over their last two games.
Time to panic? Not exactly, according to the Ducks, who will play Pacific Division rival San Jose tonight at the Honda Center.
"At different moments we've played pretty strong, but with us it is about putting good games together more than putting good shifts together," center Andy McDonald said of the Ducks' lack of consistency this season.
Added forward Travis Moen: "We're looking to put two or three games together because as of late, we've struggled a little bit. We have to play better in our own end."
Playing tighter defense and getting better goaltending have become issues for the Ducks after Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to Phoenix and Monday's 5-0 loss to Dallas.

Read the rest here - Link

A profile on Todd Marchant

Are you sick of the richest Laker's laments? Tired of another millionaire athlete's off-the-field antics? Bored by the latest selfish superstar's braggadocio?

Try learning more about Todd Marchant, the Ducks center with the peach-fuzz buzzcut and the flames beneath his skates' silver blades.

What he does outside the ice rink involves things you can't coach, record on a stat sheet or necessarily put toward a down payment on the next Stanley Cup.

On Saturday night, Marchant, Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere and their wives will chair the yearly Dux in Tux charity event at the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach. He will make a speech and hand out $280,000 in grants to 28 local not-for-profit organizations who have appealed to the team's charitable arm, Ducks Care.

Read the rest here - Link

Corey Perry Profile and Highlight Video

Perry video highlight from last night - Link

Given an opportunity to see an increased role with the Ducks on the ice this season, Corey Perry has thrived, blossoming into one of the team’s most feared offensive threats.
'He's getting more of an opportunity to play all the key offensive situations," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. "And he's taken advantage of that."

The hard-hitting Perry has four goals in his last five games.

Beginning with his two-goal performance in a 4-1 win over Los Angeles during the second game of the year in London, the 22-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario has had or been tied for the team lead in goals.

“Things are just going in the net,” Perry said. “I’m just going to the loose areas and getting shots on net. You battle hard and things happen. It’s nice.”

With his ninth goal of the young season Wednesday against the Coyotes, Perry is already halfway to his career high of 17 goals, posted last season.

Read the rest here - Link

The Wild Wingers Kids club is having a contest

Duck Calls with Josh Brewster will be holding an exclusive contest for all Wild Wingers Kids Club members to become an on-air guest host with Josh Brewster after the Sunday, January 20th game against the Dallas Stars. The winner will have the opportunity to go to the Duck Calls studio and receive a tour as well as watch the Ducks game with Josh Brewster. After the completion of the game, the winner will guest host the show live and will have the ability to talk about an assortment of Ducks topics WITH Ducks fans. To enter this contest, please email an essay of why you deserve to be a guest host on the show. The essay can be no longer than 500 words. Please email your essay to kidsclub@anaheimducks.com, and make sure you type “Duck Calls with Josh Brewster” in the subject line of the email. Please provide your name, age, address and phone number is the essay as well. This will be the first of two contests to guest host Duck Calls.

Read more here - Link

Ducks worth some big bucks

Read about how valuable each team is along with your Ducks here - Link

Anaheim Ducks News for Wednesday

Schneider is Back! He will be making his debut this Thursday. In other news Burke is still continuing to shop Bryzgalov and a report from the latest Ducks practice. I also have some other minor news

Schneider is back! Or is that he is here, I mean after only playing one preseason game was he really here?????

Mathieu Schneider will make his long-awaited official debut with the Ducks on Thursday night at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets after six weeks of rehabilitation to repair a broken bone in his left ankle.

Schneider, 38, missed most of training camp and the first 13 games of the regular season after breaking his ankle in a Sept. 15 exhibition game against the Kings -- his first game with Anaheim since signing a two-year, $11.25-million deal.

"I'm chomping at the bit," Schneider said. "I'm sick of riding the [stationary] bike and I'm sick of practicing already. So I'm ready to go."

Read the rest here - Link

Bryzgalov is still being shopped

With just 10 points in 13 games, the title defense of the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks is off to a sputtering start.

The absence of several key players, though, is partly to blame.

Team captain Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne, last season's scoring leader, remain out of the lineup pondering retirement, and injuries to Ryan Getzlaf, Todd Bertuzzi, Mathieu Schneider and Rob Niedermayer has hurt Anaheim's offensive production.

General manager Brian Burke recently admitted shopping around in hopes of bolstering his forward lines. He is believed to be dangling goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov as trade bait, but thus far he's had no luck finding a trade partner.

Burke recently told the Los Angeles Times that other clubs aren't willing to deal this early in the season, citing the salary cap as the main stumbling block.

Bryzagalov likely will be dealt before midseason, perhaps no later than the Christmas trade freeze in late December, when teams seeking a goaltender will be more willing to absorb his $1.363 million contract.

Read the original article here - Link

MVN has a report from today's practice

The Ducks were given Monday and Tuesday off from practice, but were back on the ice Wednesday morning. Both Ryan Getzlaf and Rob Niedermayer were practicing with their regular linemates. They will be evaluated further after tomorrow’s skate and a game time decision will be made. However, they should be ready to go. Defenseman Mathieu Schneider was also on the ice practicing full out with the team. Todd Bertuzzi (concussion) still has not been cleared to work out.

The Ducks went through an off ice workout, then went on the ice for a 50 minute practice that included plenty of drills. Once again the lines are switched up, but with all the players going in and out of the line up it is understandable. Andy McDonald has been reunited with Chris Kunitz and Todd Marchant has joined them on the top line. Marchant, who recently shaved his head for Halloween (last year Dr. Evil, this year Mr. Clean), seems to be a good speedy match for that line. Ryan Getzlaf was back with Corey Perry and coach Randy Carlyle was trying out Travis Moen on that line. Carlyle stated that they needed to “explore all the options available to us.” However, that combination is not etched in stone. Instead of Moen on the checking line, Drew Miller continues with Sami Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer. Miller filled in on that line while Niedermayer missed three games with a sore groin. Miller fits well on that line, but Carlyle does not believe it is fair to put that kind of pressure on a young player with the expectations that are on that checking line. As a result, Miller and Moen might switch lines. The fourth line was made up of Brad May, George Parros and Mark Mowers.

Read the rest here - Link

Vote in the FSN name the rivalry - Link

Marchant shaves his head and other Ducks notes

Last year Marchant shaved his head bald to go as Dr. Evil.

Halloween traditionally evokes images of pumpkins, ghosts and goblins. For the Ducks, it means a second straight year of Todd Marchant going bald.

After shaving his head to don a Dr. Evil costume at last year’s team Halloween party, Marchant once again took a razor to his scalp, this time to be Mr. Clean at this year’s team gathering held Monday in Newport Beach.

“I enjoy it,” Marchant said after Wednesday’s practice. “I look forward to dressing up. You try to make a statement I guess.”

The 14-year veteran center feels the fun of Halloween came at a good time for the Ducks, winless in their past four games.

“It lightens things up around the dressing room and hopefully we can turn this around,” Marchant said.

Among the other Ducks attended the dress-up soiree, rookie Drew Miller went as a wizard, a costume that sounded fairly intricate.

“I had the mask, the whole robe, the hat and the big cane,” Miller said.

As the Halloween fun is put to rest Thursday, the Ducks will look to scare Columbus off Honda Center’s ice for their first win since Oct. 17. They will likely have the help of previously injured players Ryan Getzlaf and Rob Niedermayer, and possibly Mathieu Schneider. Each took part in Wednesday’s 50-minute practice.

Read the rest here - Link

Anaheim Ducks news for Wednesday - Part 1, Non Game News

Just a little bit of non game news today.  Huskins gets more coverage about him and his first goal and the Ducks have some new wallpapers.

The OC Register has an article on Huskins as well as covering Marchant's and Bertuzzi's injures.

Around this time last year the NHL was still a dream for Kent Huskins. The defenseman had toiled in the minors for five years and wasn't showing much in his second training camp with the Ducks.

Coach Randy Carlyle, who coached Huskins with the AHL's Manitoba Moose, put it bluntly when asked what he saw in the previous two training camps.

"I saw that he couldn't play in the league," Carlyle said.

Now beginning his first full season in the NHL, Huskins is growing into the role of solid second-tier defenseman that the Ducks hoped he would assume when they signed him as a free agent in 2005.

His first NHL goal Monday gave him three points in eight games, which equals his point total in 33 games last season. And his confidence has grown since he was called up in December.

Read the rest here - Link

The LA Times has an interview with Huskins and an update on Marchant and Schneider

Kent Huskins hasn't had time to think about where he wants to put it, but he figures to keep a close eye on the puck he received Monday night.
Not only did the defenseman score his first NHL goal in the Ducks' 6-3 victory but it came against the Detroit Red Wings. And he put the puck past future Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek.

"He's one of the best ever at that position," the soft-spoken Huskins said. "To sneak one by him makes it a little extra special."
Perhaps the biggest thing about the goal is that Huskins had the confidence to jump into the play without fear of making a mistake. That was something Coach Randy Carlyle didn't see during Huskins' initial training camps with the Ducks.
"For whatever reason, the two previous training camps . . . were terrible," said Carlyle, who also coached Huskins while with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. "And he can't explain that. He was at a loss to pinpoint why his performance in training camps were so poor.
"I was perplexed because I'd had him as a player in Manitoba and both he and Joe DiPenta played together there. And in a lot of ways, he was a higher-level player than Joe DiPenta and Joe DiPenta has played two years in the league here. You're wondering why, why, why."
The reasoning was simple. Huskins often pored over any mistake he made and it eventually affected his overall game. And with five years in the AHL, the window to make an impact was closing.
"You get to your fourth or fifth year and in your mind, it kind of becomes a do-or-die situation," Huskins, 28, said. "This might be my last chance. I've kind of learned since then to just take it shift to shift and just concentrate on working hard every time I'm out there."
Huskins earned a recall midway through last season when the Ducks' defensive corps was hit hard by injury. He impressed the brass with his solid play and his ability to carry the puck out of his zone but was eventually returned to the Portland Pirates, their minor-league team in Maine.

Read the rest here - Link

New Ducks wallpaper available in a variety of sizes here - Link

Busy News Day - Part 1, The Stanley Cup

So there is a lot of news today so I am breaking up tonight's post into multiple parts. This post is all about the Stanley Cup.  The Stanley Cup Journal was updated.  Unfortunately the Cup Keepers Photo Blog was not.  There was also some more on the Cup summer with the Ducks and Carlyle's day with the cup (they also discussed with Burke other Ducks news).

Stanley Cup Journal's update featuring Bob Murray.

There's a lot to be said for consistency, and Bob Murray practically defines the word.

Drafted by the Chicago in 1978, Murray spent his entire career — all 1,008 games — in the red, black and white of the Black Hawks. A tireless worker and a fearless leader on the ice, Bob brought those same attributes to the organization when he was appointed a scout for the Hawks after hanging up the skates for good in 1990. A year later, he was Chicago's Director of Player Personnel, and by 1995, Bob was the club's assistant general manager. During the summer of 1997, Murray was promoted to general manager, a role he held for two years. In all, Bob spent 28 years with the Chicago organization.

After a one-year stint Anaheim, Bob worked with the Vancouver Canucks from 1999 to 2005. In July 2005, Murray returned to Anaheim, hired as the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations.

Bob met the Stanley Cup at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Saturday, September 1. It was the first time Murray had contributed to a Stanley Cup championship, although in 2005, he had watched both the NHL Ducks and their AHL affiliate in Portland go to the conference final.

Read the rest here - Link

More on Carlyle's day with the cup and a discussion of other topics

This might tell you something about Randy Carlyle.

The Anaheim Ducks coach had the Stanley Cup for two days in mid-August and arranged for two public appearances with the Grail. His first stop was the Edgar LeClair Community Centre in his hometown of Azilda, Ont., a building Carlyle helped construct 178 years ago when he was a teenager.

There, some 2,000 people lined up to have their picture taken with Carlyle and the Cup. This is noteworthy because there aren't 2,000 people in Azilda.

Azilda, we hasten to add, was also the more glamourous stop on Carlyle's summer victory tour. The next came in Rockville, near his summer home on Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay, where 1,000 or so locals queued up to visit with Stanley.

Carlyle is asked about Rockville's population.

"Maybe 35," he says.

He's then asked what taking the Stanley Cup to those two outposts meant to him.

"It allowed me to share that success with friends and family," says Carlyle.

That, at least, was the meaning this summer. As of Sept. 29, when the Ducks open their season in London freaking England, it will take on a slightly different dimension.

Read the rest here - Link

The Ducks Summer with Stanley retold by Jeff Miller at the OC Register.

He speaks French and lives in Canada, but he sang the English words of an Australian band.

Being a champion can bring a man to tears, move him to make out with a trophy and even convince him that he can rock. Sadly, though, carrying a puck and carrying a tune are wholly unrelated.

Not that Francois Beauchemin was, in the most technical sense, actually singing.

"I was just yelling," the Ducks defenseman said. "I had a couple too many that night. That always helps."

Particularly when drinking from a cup that is nearly 3 feet tall.

Anaheim's professional ice hockey team has returned to work, preparing to defend its NHL title, putting behind it a whirlwind of love, a summer during which players were celebrated, decorated and, yes, occasionally saturated.

They partied on both sides of the Atlantic, on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border and on both sides of midnight. They received proclamations from cities, had their jerseys retired and, in the extreme case of Chris Pronger, had their entrances announced by bagpipers.

The Ducks pretty much covered it all, from Sean O'Donnell taking the Stanley Cup to Ottawa to meet Canada's prime minister to George Parros taking the Cup to New Jersey to have lunch at Cluck-U Chicken.

Read the rest here - Link

The Stanley Cup visits Peters Canyon Elementary School

Everyone wanted to see and touch "Stanley" when he stopped by Peter's Canyon Elementary.

That's because "Stanley," as it was nicknamed during the visit, is one of the oldest and most revered trophies in professional sports – the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup.

The family of Todd Marchant, a center for the champion Anaheim Ducks, played show-and-tell on Friday by taking the 35-pound trophy inside classrooms.

"This is a famous hockey trophy," 5-year-old Timothy Marchant told a class. "My dad won it."

Timothy, 9-year-old Lilli and 7-year-old Ashley, children of Todd and Caroline Marchant, all attend Peters Canyon. The three rolled the trophy on its case into most of the school's classrooms, including kindergarten classes.

"Wow," the kindergarteners said as the shiny silver trophy rolled in.

Mike Bolt, the keeper of the cup for the hockey hall of fame in Toronto, watched to make sure the trophy was safe. He explained to students what the trophy represents.

Read the rest here - Link

Wednesday News

Today was a news filled day. Not only was training camp going on, but a lot of "Official Ducks News" was released today.  So on to the news!

Ducks show their new home uniform.  Not much of a change is it?  Here is the official announcement

The Club Joins the League-Wide Initiative in Unveiling a More Modern and Sleek Look for the Upcoming Season

The Anaheim Ducks announced that the club will debut the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System on Thursday, Sept. 13 vs. Los Angeles in the Ducks’ preseason opener. The updated look is a result of the NHL’s partnership with Reebok in developing a uniform to meet the performance demands of today’s professional athlete. This change adds an exciting twist on the new uniforms that the Ducks unveiled prior to the 2006-07 season. 

“This is an exciting new technological advancement made by the NHL,” said Anaheim Arena Management and Anaheim Ducks Senior Vice President/CMO Bob Wagner. “We think both the fans and players will appreciate the new, sleek look.”

The Rbk EDGE Uniform System is being implemented after more than two years of research and testing. The system features technologically advanced materials and fabrics that are more breathable, more water-resistant, more comfortable and more compatible with equipment. It will be worn by all 30 NHL teams in their respective colors and designs. The introduction of this system for the 2007-08 season marks the first time in the history of North American professional sports that a uniform innovation has been implemented League-wide.

On June 22, 2006, a new era began for the franchise as the team became officially known as the Anaheim Ducks.  In addition, a new logo and color scheme was unveiled. In shaping the new logo design, the focus was sharpened to create an overall image that expressed excitement, speed and a competitive edge. A classic color palette of black and metallic gold was developed, with an accent of orange as a metaphorical link to the team’s Orange County home. The new look proved successful as the Ducks made history, winning their first-ever Pacific Division en route to becoming the first West Coast team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1925 Victoria Cougars.

Buy yours here - Link

Ducks extend their contract with AM830 - via the official website

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the club has extended its radio broadcast agreement with AM 830, the flagship home of the Anaheim Ducks. The multi-year deal includes pre-, regular and post-season coverage on the 50,000-watt station.

“We are very pleased to be able to extend our agreement with AM 830,” said Anaheim Ducks Director of Broadcasting Aaron Teats. “The powerful signal the station provides is a great benefit to our fans.” 

The flagship home of the 2007 Stanley Cup Champions, Ducks fans will continue to enjoy pre- and post-game shows along with other hockey-related programs as part of the station’s regular lineup. Radio coverage of the Ducks’ 2007-2008 campaign begins with all eight preseason contests, starting Sept. 13 vs. Los Angeles at Honda Center (7:05 p.m.).

Steve Carroll returns for his ninth season as Anaheim Ducks radio play-by-play voice in 2007-08. Joining Carroll in the broadcast booth is Brent Severyn, who begins his third season with the club as radio color analyst. 

AM 830 is owned by a partnership led by Arte Moreno, who also owns Angels Baseball. In addition to exciting Ducks play-by-play action, AM 830 carries Monday Night NFL Football, Sunday NFL Football, and is the flagship home of the 2008 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. As well as running marquis sporting events, the New AM 830 is the home of independent talk personalities such as Glenn Beck, Jerry Dole, Rusty Humphries, Michael Savage and many others. 

Ducks resign Brent Severyn to a multiyear contract extension... as a radio analyst - via the official website

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that radio analyst Brent Severyn has been signed to a multi-year contract extension with the club. Severyn begins his third season with Steve Carroll in the Ducks radio booth for all pre-, regular and post-season games in 2007-08, led by flagship station AM 830.

“Brent has been a very important member of our broadcast crew for the past two seasons,” said Anaheim Ducks Director of Broadcasting Aaron Teats. “His passion for hard-nosed, physical hockey has made him a fan favorite and entertaining listen on our broadcast.” 

In addition to his in-game duties with AM 830, Severyn also serves as co-host for the Ducks’ Post-Game Radio Show immediately following every home game in front a live audience, giving fans a chance to interact with the hosts and various players. Before coming to Anaheim, the former Duck logged five years of hockey broadcasting experience in both radio and television. He worked as an analyst with FSN Southwest in Dallas, and with the Stars’ post-game radio coverage on 1310 AM, The Ticket.

A seven-year NHL veteran drafted by Winnipeg in the fifth round (99th overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Severyn played 328 games between Quebec, Florida, the New York Islanders, Colorado, Anaheim and Dallas. In 1999, he was a member of the Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Stars. 

A native of Vegreville, Alberta, Severyn was a member of the 1997-98 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He is actively involved in the community and has been the recipient of the community service award for both the Ducks and the Dallas Stars. Severyn works extensively with athletes from all competition levels and has started his own community program called Sevy’s Bikes for Kids and Assistance.

Brian Burke was on a conference call with the GM from the other Socal team

Ducks Executive Vice-President/General Manager Brian Burke and L.A. Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi sat down for a media conference call Tuesday. Here is a transcript:

Q. How do you like your team's chances to defend this first championship regardless of whether or not some players come back into your fold?

BRIAN BURKE: Well, I think it's tough to defend. It's always been tough to defend, and I think in a cap system it's even harder to defend because if you look at teams that defended in the old system, often there was a payroll disparity that prevented them from doing that. So we think we play in the toughest division in the National Hockey League. I think a lot of our success last year was because of the playoff pairings that we got by winning our division, and it's going to be tough. It's always tough.

Q. Brian, who do you see as the teams to beat other than yourself, the teams you know will be hard to beat?

BRIAN BURKE: Well, I'll leave that to you guys. We broke a record that was 50 years old I think at the start of the season for the best start in the history of the NHL with points in our first 16 games, and that broke a record I think 40 or 50 years old, and it still went down to the last weekend of the season. When we went on the ice for our last game in Columbus, we were still watching the San Jose and Vancouver game. Vancouver won in overtime and that's how we won our division. That's how tough our division is. We have a very healthy respect for all the teams in our division. In the west we've got you guys. I think the west is a terror for a general manager.

Q. Brian, first of all, welcome back. I guess this is the way you want it, a nice short off season. I guess that means you did well, correct?

BRIAN BURKE: Correct.

Q. Talk about how this trip to London might take both clubs out of their routine? And that's pretty much what athletes are into, is a routine.

BRIAN BURKE: Well, we were honored. The LA Kings, AEG Entertainment operates the building where we're going to play these games, and I'm told it's a beautiful venue. When the league asked us to go, we were honored to go. First off, we have a very healthy rivalry with the Kings. We think that to take regular season games to Europe is a milestone for our league, so we were honored to be asked. Is it ideal from a preparation standpoint, no and I'm pretty sure Dean would agree so. But I think when the league asks you to go, you go. I think, like I said, we were flattered. We were honored. We told our players this is the schedule. We have three road games when we come back that are all going to be tough, and it's going to be a tough five-game start to the season, but we have to deal with that.

Read the rest here - Link

Here is a very nice article on Todd Marchant by Randy Youngman of the OC Register

ANAHEIM -- Who's that little guy?

Ever since he laced up his first pair of skates as a youngster in suburban Buffalo, Todd Marchant has stood out on the ice.

He was always the smallest kid at the rink — and usually the fastest.

"My dad has some video of me when I was 6 or 7 years old," Marchant said Tuesday at Anaheim Ice after the Ducks' first official practice as the defending Stanley Cup champions. "I looked like a little waterbug flying around the ice."

When he was playing "mite" and "squirt" hockey, it was cute to be so small and so talented.

But as he got older and the competition got better, Marchant's size became a perpetual obstacle he had to overcome, at least in the eyes of those who judge talent.

"I was always the smallest guy on my team, at every level," he said. "And the people involved in the sport would always say, 'Good player, but he won't excel at the next level because he's too small.'

"I didn't hear it all the time, but my parents heard it. And you know what? It was motivation for me, to go out and prove people wrong. ... I'm still probably one of the smallest guys on the team — and in the league, for that matter. So I have to go out and prove myself every single day."

Read the rest here - Link

A little brief on Schneider and Bertuzzi's quiet debut at training camp via the OC Register

ANAHEIM -- Most anywhere else, in most any other season, the addition of marquee free agents Mathieu Schneider and Todd Bertuzzi would be the focal point of an NHL team's training camp.

Schneider and Bertuzzi, who left the Detroit Red Wings to join the Ducks in early July, have remained mostly under the radar because of a preoccupation with the potential retirement of team captain Scott Niedermayer and unrestricted free-agent right wing Teemu Selanne.

While neither Niedermayer nor Selanne was present Tuesday when the Ducks opened camp at Anaheim Ice, Schneider and Bertuzzi were there — noticeable for sure but still minus the hoopla that might have greeted their arrival otherwise.

"I think Todd and I both enjoy that," Schneider said. "It takes a lot of pressure off us."

Given the huge roles played by Niedermayer and Selanne when the Ducks captured their first Stanley Cup championship last season, their absence will create more than enough pressure to go around. Schneider, 38, certainly doesn't lack for experience, having won a Stanley Cup ring with Montreal in 1993.

Read the rest here - Link

Burke's take on the London road trip via the CanWest News service

For Brian Burke, having the Stanley Cup-champion Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings open the NHL's regular season in England is as much about salesmanship as it is about being a good corporate citizen.

"We've got to look at extending our brand outside North America whenever we can," Burke, the Ducks GM, said yesterday. "The league's been, I think, very successfully taking the NHL overseas.

"If the league asks you to go, you go."

The Kings and Ducks will play on Sept. 29 and 30 at O2 Arena in London - the first regular-season games ever played in Europe.

Ducks suspend Niedermayer: Star defenceman Scott Niedermayer, who is still trying to decide whether he'll return to the Ducks for the 2007-08 NHL season or retire, was officially suspended yesterday by the Stanley Cup champions, Burke said.

The move, which was expected by the player and the team, means the $6.75 million Niedermayer was to earn this season won't count against the league's $50.3-million salary cap.

The original article is here - Link

The New England Hockey Journal has a great interview with Brian Burke

Two of the Anaheim Ducks general manager’s would-be returning stars – Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne – are currently in roster limbo and still deciding whether they want to return to active duty.

And then there was that matter of Edmonton luring young forward Dustin Penner away from the defending Stanley Cup champions with a lucrative Group 2 offer sheet.

But three months removed from watching his team skate away with the most coveted trophy in hockey, Burke can still relish what the Ducks accomplished – even as he’s looking forward at a difficult defense of the title.

“Well, if anyone on this call hears me complain about anything, they should throw something heavy at me,” Burke said with a laugh during a conference call Tuesday. “It's what we aspire to, to wake up in the morning dreaming of winning that trophy, and you go to bed at night dreaming of ways to win it. No complaints here.

“I would say it was a rather unique set of circumstances when two, I believe, locks for the Hall of Fame tell you they're not sure if they're coming back, so it's required us to take some steps maybe we wouldn't have otherwise. I assured the local media on July 1 that we would not be active, and we ended up signing two guys. From my perspective, no complaints. We like the character of our group, and it's our intent to defend.”

The two additions Burke made after free agency opened were defenseman Mathieu Schneider (Mt. St. Charles, R.I.) and forward Todd Bertuzzi, who were both teammates in Detroit last season – on a team that lost to the Ducks in the Western Conference finals.

Read the rest here - Link

AndyMacAttack from the official Ducks board has posted a couple of pictures from his visit with the cup and....... Sammy Pahlsson!

See the originals here - Link

Monday Evening News

Hell All,

Well today was a lot more interesting than the weekend. We have a surgery, fund raising, guest appearances and more. So here is the latest in Anaheim Ducks News

Giguere undergoes successful sports hernia surgery

CBC Sports - Link
OC Register - Link

Giguere plus info on Bryz, Niedermeyer, Selanne and his off season by Burke - Link

Fundraiser with Anaheim Ducks Todd Marchant and Teemu Selanne and former Anaheim Ducks Noah Clarke, Craig Johnson and Sean Pronger. The event is on August 24 and 25. - Link

Three more Teemu photos - Link, Link, Link

Geztlaf interview on the 2 Man Advantage, you will want to fast forward to about the 4:40 mark.

News not related to Dustin Penner

Believe it or not there is Ducks news that has nothing to do with Dustin Penner. Here are the links:

Interview with Todd Marchant - Link

A lucky family go to go on the Ducks cruise, they posted pictures - Link

OFF TOPIC ALERT!

Here is an interesting article on the state of hockey in..... MONGOLIA! - Link

Friday Evening News

Slow news day today. Only Stanley Cup news for you!

Todd Marchant with the Stanley Cup - Link

Brad May future date with the Cup - Link

Morning News Roundup

Well a few newsworth items, but nothing major. Ducks sign Maxim Kondratiev, cap issues, some UFA analysis, and some coverage of the cups visit to Buffalo.

Ducks sign Kondratiev - TSN

Ducks sign Kondratiev - Official Ducks website

Todd Marchant in Buffalo with the Cup - Buffalo News

Burke's comments on keeping UFAs - USA Today

Anaheim Ducks cap and UFA analysis - TSN