The Ducks Blog | Archive

Remember This Wings Fans?

Posted on April 30, 2009

My favorite game of the series against the Wings was Game 5. With the late goal by Scotty in the third off of Lidstrom’s stick and the impressive forechecking by Andy McDonald, Selanne was able to close out Game 5 in Overtime with this unforgettable goal against Hasek.

With Game 1 starting tomorrow in Detroit, as a bold Ducks fan I say Anaheim can win it in 6 just as they did two years ago. I think that the adrenaline of beating San Jose will carry over and the Wings will not be as prepared with an easy sweep of Columbus.

Anaheim will win one of those first two games in Detroit. They need to if they want to win the series at all.

The Ducks will close the series out on home ice at the Honda Center.

Getzlaf must continue to play his “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” style of play. Selanne needs to find the back of the net more often. Overall I am very pleased with our defenese, especially from Beauchemin and the newcomer James Wisniewski.

Detroit will be a great contender and by no means should be looked at as “just another huge ego” as many of us Ducks fans looked at San Jose. Many of those players know how to turn it on in the playoffs and will do so. I think that the lack of Draper will hurt them in Games 1 & 2, but only if people like Drew Miller, Todd Marchant and Andrew Ebbett can play similar to how they played in the series against the Sharks.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Moving right along…

Posted on April 30, 2009

This will be my last statement about the San Jose Sharks and their first round loss to the Anaheim Ducks…I think.

This morning I was listening to XM 204 and they were talking about “what went wrong in San Jose?”

Here’s what I think about that very stupid question:

Nothing went wrong in San Jose. Nothing. A team that finishes the regular season 53-18-11 = 117 points and wins the Presidents Trophy…you did nothing wrong. Unfortunately you met up with a red hot Anaheim Ducks team and you couldn’t keep up. You paid for the Stanley Cup experienced roster in the previous off season and they helped to lead you through a regular season in an alarmingly fantastic manner. HOWEVER…your regular season pace was too slow for the post season. Now, you’re claiming injuries. Every team claims their injuries when they’ve been eliminated…no room for excuses there. I still believe that Bobby Ryan was injured in game 5. You play through those injuries in the post season.

I really wish that people would stop pointing blame at what the Sharks did wrong. Instead maybe someone will finally say…a really good team lost to a much better team. End of story.

—–

Enough of that madness, the Sharks are gone and the Ducks are moving on.

Tomorrow the puck drops on what will be a highly intense series in the NHL. Detroit hates Anaheim for the numerous upsets they have been dealt by the Ducks in the past and everyone else hates Detroit for being Detroit.

I won’t lie, they’re at the bottom of my list when it comes to opponents in the NHL. For various reasons that lie outside of their being the Yankees of hockey…I have to say one of those reasons is their fan base. I would LOVE to have a fan prove me wrong, and while yes, I can’t lump them all together…I’ve yet to meet a HUMBLE Red Wings fan. They apparently don’t posses the bone in their body that will allow them to say…hey, we lost because we didn’t play well. Or, yea…that team was better than ours. IF Detroit loses, the blame will always be on the opposing team or the refs.

So what does this mean to the Anaheim fan base? Look out. It doesn’t matter what you say about the Ducks or the Red Wings, you’re going to be wrong in their eyes. You can agree with them, and now you’re not a good enough Ducks fan. You can disagree, and they’ll be blaming YOU for the missed hooking call. You can be silent and sit back and watch and they’ll attack you for having no passion or pride in your team. It’s lose lose.

I suggest that the Anaheim fans do what they do best. Show up to games 3 and 4 and scream your ass off. Cheer like you’ve never cheered before. Wave your orange towel with pride. Suz Broughton and I will be doing just that during game 4…PROUDLY. I can’t wait!

I don’t care how many championships you’ve got. I don’t care that your fumbles in game 5 are the reasons for OUR cup. I care about tomorrow at 4pm (PACIFIC) when we meet you again in a classic battle of The NHL’s Untouchable Unicycle Wheel vs. The Always Underestimated Team that NO ONE Wants to Play.

Let the stress and the light-headedness begin!

GO DUCKS!!!

Popularity: 10% [?]

Twitter Weekly Updates for TheDucksBlog.com

Posted on April 29, 2009

http://tinyurl.com/cudn3a #
ducks heading to the joe… curious to see what will happen with san jose… selanne scored the go ahead just like I said in my blog this AM #
I would like to see Ryan Getzlaf sing my like would suck without you tonight to Bobby Ryan after he gets the game winner. Thoughts? #
uuuughhhh…. ducks in 6…. #
So I came back in the room a few minutes later. Calmed down. Apologized to my wife for getting ticked. Then 5 minutes later we tie it. Wooho #
I was so mad when Setoguchi scored that I turned off the tv and left the room. My wife said “now they are in trouble” and I got ticked. #
And to think I turned the TV off and walked out of the room about 20 min ago after the SJ 2nd goal… my wife is patient with me… #
@sriggles you got that right… in reply to sriggles #
@SKeleven if you love ryan carter so much, why don’t you marry him? in reply to SKeleven #
WOO! Gotta love it! TIE GAME! #
my head & my heart say #Ducks win 4-2… but I really want to keep beating #San Jose. I am really enjoying it… I did call it in 6 tho… #
Am I a nerd because all of my external hard drives are named after Ducks players? Niedermayer, Pronger, Selanne, Perry, Giggiy, HIller. #
Retweeting @AnaheimDucks: Ducks Caravan for Game 5! Join us for the trip to San Jose! Meet tomorrow at 9am. Who’s in?! http://tr.im/jEOV #
Gotta love the game last night… will blog in next 24 hours on the victory, Bobby Ryan and not jumping the gun just yet… #

Popularity: 7% [?]

Ducks Best The Best!

Posted on April 28, 2009

Well, I am totally enjoying the rest that comes after winning a series. What a game!! Many things occurred that were a first for my eyes. First off the talk of today definitely has to be the Joe Thorton and Ryan Getzlaf tussle two seconds into the game. I read this morning that Joe had actually challenged Getz to fight in game five, but according to Getz he did not feel it was appropriate having a 3-1 lead in the series. God, you have to love hockey! This one of many reason why people should bee watching this more than any other sport. The little battles that are all part of the big picture! OK back to the game….the the big centers went at it and quickly set the tone for the rest of the night. I had said in game 5 that this type of game play was too intense for the Sharks to keep pace with and eventually they would run out of gas. I had hoped that would have happened in the 3rd period of game 5, but I’ll take game 6 any day!

Then it happened…a barrage of penalties against the good guys and the sharks go on one of 4 (I think) power plays eventually scoring first. the first thought that entered My mind was hearing Brian “Hazy” Hayward say that teams that score first in this series have gone on to win the game. So naturally I was not happy. Thankfully the Ducks struck back and scored before the end of the period and tied it up. That alone led me to believe that the Ducks were going to clamp down, tighten the vice grip (*LA) and shut the Guppies down like they did every team in 2007.

In the end there were many great moments; some comedic (Perry being dragged by the skates), others agonizing (Boyle breaking his stick realizing a goal went in off it), and also satisfying moments like Getz and Thorton hugging and shaking hands, JR spending extra time on the ice with Nieds and Hiller, and watching “Big Joe” slam his water bottle on the bench. We’ve been there before, specifically last season when we could not figure out the Stars to get past the first round, (I still have no0t forgotten you, Turco). Probably the one that hurt the most was when the OT goal in game 5 slowly etched it’s way over the line giving the Sharks the win, man! That sucked! What a series! (Oh, and there’s this uncomfortable moment I found for Sharks fans)

57302828

So now we play the Red Wings. The defending Stanley Cup Champions. As one of my friends put it; “I hope the Sharks beat the Ducks! We can’t beat the Ducks.” What i think is funny is that we went from being the forgotten team that just barely made it into the playoffs, to the team no one wants to face. How did that happen? I think everyone was secretly relieved when we had such a bad regular season, so much so that no one thought they even had to make plans to face the Ducks. Now, the Wings are no slouches, and I continue to give the respect that I give all opponents. I’m not here to make predictions or attack the Wings, all I am saying is that we need to play at the same level we played the Sharks. After all, the Sharks are still the best team in the NHL, as of last night.

What I love now are all the Wings fans coming out of the wood work with their anti-Ducks sentiment. It seems with each round and each opponent there is always trash talk that comes our way. I especially like this Detroit fan page that breaks down the reasons why we’ll lose by re-introducing us to key players on Detroit’s squad. I couldn’t help it but to comment at the bottom.

Well, let’s all relax for one day, because round 2 starts Friday! I love playoff hockey. Remember what I said from the beginning of the playoffs, I like our chances in a seven game series, because in the playoffs…..anything is possible! Go Ducks!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Seaons are nice, but the Playoffs are better

Posted on April 27, 2009

“You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone. Not fit to f*@#!ing tread the ground that I am walking on!”
-Harder to Breathe; Maroon 5

I’ve been waiting to use that one for a while now. It feels good.

You know what else? Barry Melrose must look like a GENIUS right now! Basically the ONLY “expert” to have picked the Ducks to take the first round from the PRESIDENT TROPHY WINNING SAN JOSE SHARKS…the Ducks are convincingly victorious in my opinion.

I don’t like to talk about the games…some of you may have noticed on Twitter. A typical response from me is…”Shhhhhhhhh!” Don’t be offended, I just don’t want to talk about it. Okay, catch me in November against Edmonton or something, and I MIGHT join in on some trash talk, but I don’t touch the playoffs with a ten foot pole. However, I have NO PROBLEMS talking about the now eliminated San Jose Sharks. The joy that I feel right now, having seen the EIGHTH seeded Ducks REMOVE the PRESIDENTS TROPHY WINNING SAN JOSE SHARKS, that joy is indescribable.

Here is something I said to a few people…very few people…

On Saturday, the Ducks were awful…no kidding right? The first two periods were terrible and YET, they found a way to come back and tie it up. That, to me, was a HUGE motivational boost for this Ducks team. I think with that loss, while yes it sucked, still showed that they are able to beat this team and they might just be BETTER THAN SAN JOSE! Which is all they needed to know about themselves! With the amazing victory last night, I think they proved to the rest of NHL that the Ducks are that good.

It seems to me that San Jose is a great team. There is no doubt that they had the ability to go far this post season. It’s just unfortunate for them that they were forced to face the team that “no one wants to play”. So what’s next for San Jose? Tee Time and a long restful summer with the Presidents Trophy! There isn’t anything better than that right? Oh wait…Stanley…he’s better…but they wouldn’t know that feeling.

In all sincerity, San Jose was a great team this season. They didn’t just win the Presidents Trophy by luck, they were good enough to deserve it. They dominated at home and they dominated in most of the games they played. Unfortunately they were hot during the wrong time of the year. On the other end…the Ducks got hot at just the right time.

Next time? Nah, not if the Ducks have anything to say about it.

Mini has given up seafood for this victory. Every year she gives up something for each round pertaining to the team the Ducks are playing. She no longer votes for Senators and for a year refused to have Little Caesars pizza. Last year she gave up Famous Star burgers…but that one didn’t work out too well. So this year…she’s not allowed to have seafood until THE NEXT SEASONS PLAYOFFS BEGIN! It’ll be a tough year for her, but the hockey gods have called for it, and now she must pay. I love her for it!

Highlight of the night? Yea, there are the obvious…Teemu Selanne finally breaking though; Jonas Hiller the Shark Killer was amazing YET again (probably the MVP for the Ducks in the first round); Francois Beauchemin, the poor mans Scotty, who is insanely underrated; Scott Niedermayer himself, amazing as always; Ryan Getzlaf who is GOLD when he shoots the puck and provided a huge dominating physical presence last night. But my highlight? Mini says, with 14:00 minutes left in the 3rd period…”When are they (San Jose) going to pull him (Nabokov)?” I LOVE YOU MINI! It was classic- and man, I love her thinking!

Okay, something else that I have chosen to keep hidden from this first round. On Thursday morning I woke up stressing as always about the playoff game that night. For some reason, as I was waking from my restful slumber, I kept thinking we were playing DETROIT that night! I don’t know why I kept thinking about Detroit, but for some reason I kept thinking we had a huge game against them that Thursday evening. When the Ducks managed to take care of business on Thursday night, I was feeling pretty good about my subconscious premonitions.

This playoff run is just getting started, but in terms of small victories…taking down the Presidents Trophy San Jose Sharks…that just feels DAMN GOOD doesn’t it?!

I’ll gladly eat my words any day of the week! Which is exactly why I don’t talk about games beforehand. I’d rather not gloat that a team is going to win and eat THOSE words…I’d rather be a little more humble about it to begin with. Which brings me to this. The final match up against the Chicago Blackhawks (I know, you’re thinking…we haven’t played them in months…what is she talking about?…I’m getting to it), I did a little Q & A with the Committed Indian over at Second City Hockey. The final question was if I thought the Ducks would make the playoffs and if I thought it would be worth it. Here’s that Q & A:

Are you guys gonna make the playoffs? Is there any point?

That’s the million dollar question in Ducks land right now. Honestly, with how tight everything is in the West, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. The problem is we’re all still waiting for this team to catch fire. With so few games left (especially for the Ducks), that fire better be now. Is there any point? Probably not. The Ducks have had serious issues with first place AND last place teams this season. I can’t foresee them upsetting any of the top teams in the West.

I LOVE eating those words!

—–

Small exhale, as I begin to hold my breath for…ugh, do we have to talk about it already? Detroit.

Total side note. We have a friend who decided to tune in and watch some of the game. He sent my friend a text, “Who is that Miller? He’s awesome!” we all laughed that he MUST have meant HILLER, but that it was a typo…sure enough about 20 minutes later he sent back…”OOPS, I meant HILLER, not MILLER.” …yea, okay, it was funny.

I saw this one the other day…and it made me think of both the Ducks and the Sharks in this first round. I wanted to make sure it was true though before I posted it…

“Losing streaks are funny. If you lose at the beginning, you get off to a bad start. If you lose in the middle of the season, you’re in a slump. If you lose at the end, you’re choking.”
-Gene Mauch

GO DUCKS!!! OH! And Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Ducks in a Row…game 6

Posted on April 27, 2009

“In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.”
-Robert Collier

Here is hoping that the Ducks have evaluated Saturday night’s loss, reflected, learned from it, and will now move on.

There is no time like tonight to try and finish this thing off. Notice I said TRY!!! Nothing about this game is guaranteed. Nothing about tonight is certain.

Both the fans and this Ducks team need to remember that.

The fans are going to need to bring 110% of their loyalties and dedication to this team tonight. Without the fans support and encouragement this game is going to be a tough battle.

On the same note, the guys are going to need to bring 150% of themselves. They are facing a team who is up against elimination- and we all saw what kind of determination they brought to the table on Saturday night. The Ducks must be faster, smarter, stronger.

This game is not impossible, but it is imperative…I, for one, do not want to see this series go to a game 7!

The Ducks are going to require the services of their top two lines tonight. Once again Bobby Effin Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are going to need to dominate on all ends of the ice. In addition, it’s equally necessary to see the second line step up. Teemu Selanne has been absent lately, and now would be as good a time as any to show up!

And once again, we will need to see Jonas Hiller as the human wall.

I’m already nervous and I’m already shaking in my Nike’s (literally, I’m wearing the Ducks Nike’s today).

There is no time like today…

GO DUCKS!!!

Popularity: 9% [?]

What May Come

Posted on April 27, 2009

The Ducks have an important game tonight in Anaheim. There are a few advantages to the situation the boys in black have. Must-win games familiarity, home ice and the elimination record.

All this season the Ducks have played games where they were in “must-win” situations. With the rest of the season upon them at the trade deadline, the Ducks found themselves to be a team on the outside looking in. Somehow, some miraculous way, Coach Randy Carlyle got his new blood team to band together and get back up to the 8th seed. The Sharks have coasted through out the season and while the President Trophy winners have obviously played spectacular, they haven’t had to turn on the heat when it mattered. Here’s to hoping the Ducks know how to turn on that heat easily.

Home ice. Every elimination game that the Ducks faced in 2007 during the Stanley Cup run ended in a victory. Anaheim fans need to rise and intimidate the Sharks. There must be no seat left unsold, no shirt left turned Orange, Black or White. While home ice this season has not be a factor for the Ducks, it has been in the past two years. Fans know how to support their team in this town, but that is not to say that we have been doing the best job as of late.

Selanne's actions are a major factor in the outcome of the game tonight.

The elimination record. The Ducks are around 14-6 now in games where their opponent faces elimination. The Sharks are 5-16 when they face elimination. I do not have the exact stats with me, but I quote from memory from Versus televised broadcast Saturday night. The Ducks know how to destroy the hope of a team looking for the faith that they can win.

I expect a big showing from Selanne, Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer tonight. I would throw Hiller in there too, but I am enjoying being surprised by him way too much. Selanne needs to bring his game up just enough to get a goal. I was impressed by his play on Saturday night and his crossbar hit was heartbreaking, but his veteran leadership isn’t enough on its own. He needs to get a goal or an assist on a key goal.

Popularity: 12% [?]

It’s not how you play the game…

Posted on April 26, 2009

It’s whether you WIN OR LOSE!!!

Remember when you were five and your parents would tell you that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s all how you play the game? That doesn’t apply when you’re making 5 million a year and you’re playing for a professional hockey team in the NHL trying to win a Stanley Cup. That motto is irrelevant.

I don’t care how you play, I don’t care if you close you’re eyes for the entire game…in the end, I care if you WIN OR LOSE. Tonight, you lost.

That’s really all the post season comes down to.

Remember game 5 against Detroit in 2007? The Ducks, for all purposes, played AWFUL. They were terrible. They did NOT deserve to win that game…but a late goal by Scott Niedermayer with less than a minute to go sends the Ducks into overtime. Teemu Selanne roofs the OT winner…if you ask me…the Ducks win the cup with that one victory. That’s right…a VICTORY. That’s what the post season is all about. It doesn’t matter that for 59 minutes the Ducks played like crap, what matters is that they found a way to win and they DID. It’s all about the scoreboard at the end of 60+ minutes…not who had more SOG, not who made fancier passes, bigger hits, more penalties…it’s all about the scoreboard. Moral victories and motivational moments mean NOTHING in the post season. There is no time to take that and grow on it…you have to play in the now and win this game…no matter how ugly it looks getting there.

Last night, the Ducks had the opportunity to turn that in their favor, and they failed. Because when it comes down to it, the scoreboard has the final say, the final word. The Ducks were on the wrong end of that word.

I had been thinking about this idea for the last few weeks. For all purposes, the Ducks have been the team who have found ways to get the win. When they managed to tie the game thanks to Ryan Carter and Corey Perry, I was thrilled. To see the way the game had been going up to that point, there was no way the Ducks deserved to win the game. But like I said…

It’s not how you play the game…it’s whether you WIN OR LOSE.

Plain and simple…the Ducks lost. It wont matter what they did well, or what they did poorly. They lost. It wont matter that the first two periods they played like crap, it wont matter that they turned it on in the third, and it doesn’t matter that they had chances in the OT session. They lost.

We ALL know that these Ducks are better than what they showed the hockey world last night. In the same sense, we ALL know that the Sharks are just as good as they were last night, maybe better. But here’s the kicker. This is all at square one again. That’s right. We’ve heard it time and again from Randy Carlyle…10 minutes, then it’s time to move on. MOVE ON. There is still a game 6 and even better it’s in front of the Ducks’ home crowd. Going back to San Jose is NOT an option!

The only thing I can even make positive about last night was one Jonas Hiller. There is NO WAY the Ducks would be where they are in this series without his services. I’ve seen a lot of people calling him lucky lately. That’s crap. I hate that word, ‘lucky’. To me, there is nothing about hockey that is lucky. This is a game of inches. This is a game of posts, bounces, wide shots, deflections and fanned passes. Nothing about any of that is ‘luck’. Someone who faces 48 SOG is not lucky to see only 3 get past…he’s good. He’s damn good. He shouldn’t be the only factor in a Ducks victory/loss and it was the only saving factor for the Ducks last night. They provided very little support on the defensive end, and for all purposes did nothing to help on the offensive end. Here’s why…

This Ducks team has a tendency to get lazy and when they do, they STOP MOVING THEIR FEET! There is no way you can get to lose pucks, play physical hockey and move the puck well when you’re NOT MOVING YOUR FEET! MOVE YOUR FEET! We saw what that did for the Ducks on Thursday…THEY saw what it did for their team on Thursday…WHY WOULD THEY STOP DOING THAT NOW?! Oh right, they got comfortable. That’s crap! There is no time to be relaxed when you’re playing against the best team in the league. I don’t care if you’re up in this series, if you can’t close this one out…there is no point because you’ll be done, you’re gone!

As it is, I have a very hard time watching playoff hockey. Don’t get me wrong, I love it…but I am always overly tense/anxious/nervous/panicked/sweating/freaking/shouting/stressing…and games like the one the Ducks played last night…they make all of those things a million times worse.

I am VERY aware that these Sharks are lethal. I am VERY aware that there is a chance they will come back in this series and make the Ducks pay for lazy play, soft penalties and ridiculously lame efforts. I hope everyone else is aware of this as well.

More importantly, there are 20+ guys on that Ducks roster who should be DAMN aware of this fact.

You don’t have the time or space to play cute/lazy hockey. You worked your ass off for this post season, now go out there and remind the fans that you actually give a damn about doing something with it.

Yea, I’m pissed.

BUT I WILL ALWAYS SAY…

GO DUCKS!!!

Popularity: 15% [?]

I can see the reflection of a teal jersey on your face. Oh?! You’re choking? YIKES!

Posted on April 24, 2009

WOW!

I’m speechless. Not just because I have no voice, but because I have missed this team! This team is gooooooooooood. These Ducks are gooooooooooood.

THESE DUCKS ARE DAMN GOOD!

This is the first time in a really REALLY long time that I’ve left the Honda Center…IMPRESSED! I was blown away by what I saw from these guys last night.

I honestly feel that this has been one of the best showings we’ve seen since…wow, dare I say…the 2007 finals?!

First off, the little things. I have a Ryan Carter jersey. Yea, I’ll admit it…he’s not necessarily my favorite player on the team…but he’s my favorite. I have a jersey “routine”, which is not important, but yesterday, I decided I was going to sport Carter. Good call SK! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t happy to see Petteri Nokelainen a healthy scratch, but on the other end, I was very happy to see Carter on the ice and playing his heart out. I just wanted to throw that out there.

THE DUCKS DEFENSE IS HOT!

Last night, there was at least one key/ HUGE play by each guy on the defensive core. Here’s a great way to open this thought…

“That (Scott) Niedermayer makes it look easy,” Roenick said. “He skates so well, it looks like he’s not even trying. And he never gets tired.” Roenick finally grinned. “He’s a great player. I hate him.” OC Register

Beautifully said Mr. Roenick. Scott Niedermayer had countless poke checks and one skate block shot in particular that was just typical Scotty, and I don’t think it’s necessary to say more about the future Hall of Famer than that. Ryan Whitney…this was probably the best game I’ve seen from him since the Ducks acquired him in the trade for Chris Kunitz. James Wisniewski who had numerous blocked shots last night, and one in particular with about 7 minutes to play in the third period allowing the Ducks to hold on tight to their 2-0 lead. Chris Pronger looked alive tonight for the first time this series, and of course, Francois Beauchemin, who I consider to be the “poor mans Scotty”, doesn’t look like he has missed a game this season.

I find it so ironic that for a whole SEASON I’ve been complaining and wondering where the defense was! Turns out, not only has it been found, but it’s better than ever. And of course, how can you forget the Shark Killer himself, Jonas Hiller. This guy is just getting better! Standing tall and never breaking an emotional sweat, Hiller has instantly become a major factor for the Ducks. In a season where goaltending has been shaky from time to time, Hiller is showing the organization that there is plenty of heart and skill in his game. Posting two shutouts in his first 4 NHL playoff match ups, he’s currently riding high in the playoffs with a .959 SV% and carrying so much of the weight on his shoulders as the Ducks muscle through the first round of this post season.

Even though the Ducks played a DOMINATING game (to put it mildly) they were still out shot by the Sharks. It really didn’t feel that way. Other than their two power play opportunities, I never felt that the Sharks were threatening the Ducks all night. I can’t believe I’m actually saying that.

To say I called this game…well, I called this game.

The first line was clearly unstoppable. Bobby Effin Ryan. BOBBY EFFIN RYAN! How UNBELIEVABLE is this guy?!?! BOBBY EFFIN RYAN! He’s so smart and he’s got such great hands and his shots are spot on! I was so worried that after the Ducks had all of that momentum and that HUGE delay while the glass was getting fixed, that they weren’t going to be able to get that momentum back. Then, Bobby Effin Ryan showed up and there was no question that the Ducks were going to continue to dominate this game.

THE DUCKS DOMINATED THIS GAME.

It might be safe to say…there is no other line in the NHL right now that is as good as Bobby Effin Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. I don’t think there is a question in my mind about that.

Penalties. There were so few…it must have been some sort of Anaheim record! I don’t care if the Ducks never go on the PP, but to ensure that the Sharks never go on the PP, I’ll take that any day! In fact, San Jose knows that a disciplined Ducks team will be their downfall. For a team who was so reliant on their Power Play during the regular season, it has shown that having an ALL AROUND game is so important to success. If the Ducks can play this same game, dicsiplined hockey, they are going to do well in future games. In fact, here is a very short conversation UJ and I had last night:

UJ: It’s like there are twice as many Ducks out there tonight than there are Sharks.

SK: It’s called hitting and getting to the loose puck.

How such a small act of physical play, where you move your feet, can completely re-write a season for just one team. Discipline and physical play…that makes this Anaheim team LETHAL!

San Jose has a slim chance to turn this series around…but don’t get too over confident Ducks fans, it’s still possible. I won’t be calling this series over, until it’s actually over. 91% of teams that take a 3-1 lead win the series…until the Ducks have won at 100%…I won’t be able to relax. IF IF IF I get the opportunity to gloat about a series victory over San Jose, I’ll quickly take another deep breath in preparation for Detroit.

I still can’t believe that the Ducks have a 3-1 lead in this series…but you bet your ass…I’ve got NO complaints about it!

GO DUCKS!!!

Popularity: 20% [?]

Three Down, One More To Go

Posted on April 24, 2009

There’s a great scene in Rocky when the night before the big fight with Apollo Creed, he goes down to the arena to look at the ring and just get a feel for things. Rocky notices the fight banner with his likeness has the wrong color trunks. The fight promoter shows up and tells Rocky he should be in bed. Rocky then says “My trunks are the wrong color on the banner,” to which the promoter says, “It doesn’t matter now does it?” It seems like that might be a familiar response in San Jose. It seems like no matter what San Jose does each season in terms of milestones, the overall response may just be that; it doesn’t really matter now does it? I think right now with confidence I can say that the moves that Bob Murry made were dead on! I was the only one in my blog universe (as far as I know) that stood by the moves and felt they would make a quick return. It’s safe to say that just by the mere fact that we’re in the playoffs and have a three games to one lead on the “best” team in the NHL, Bob Murray should get GM of the year.

Come on guys, there's no crying in hockey

The Ducks played a disciplined game and were throwing bodies all over the arena! In fact Bobby Ryan got so physical he knocked out the glass (for a 17 minute intermission before the intermission) as one of many things he did right last night. This kid is a stud; and who would have thought we’d see him and Frankie on the ice at the same time. That was the only reason why he came up to begin with, cause of the cap space Frankie gave up for the DL. Ahhh, how strange the world is sometimes!

Speaking of Ryan, his line mates Getz and Perry were great. In game 3 you could see and hear the frustration of these two when things do not click, as Getz was yelling at Perry after missing a pass….yeah, frustrating to say the least.

So where do we stand now? Well the Ducks need just one more game to win, in order to go to round two. We could talk about round two opponents, but I like to be a little humble about things (unlike some of my fellow bloggers) and respect my opponents. I will say this, from watching games around the NHL the teams to beat are Detroit, Boston, and Vancouver. As for this list, none of them have been tested. They have yet to play a team with heart, talent, speed, and the uncanny ability to dominate when asked to. Sound like anyone you know? Saturday night is Game 5; that’s the night I want Coach Carlyle to tell our boys to play so hard, that the Sharks remember the night they played the Ducks.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Select Any Page Below for More

1 2 3 4 5 Next

Select Any Page Below for More

Copyright 2012 Your Company Name - All Rights Reserved