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Updated Hockey news and moves:

Anaheim Ducks: as of today the Ducks have traded Chris Pronger in return for Lupul and Scbisa, or something like that. Anyhow, sad to see Prongs go, but I think he’s not fitting into what the Ducks need now. When the Ducks won the cup, brutal force was the way to go; teams adjusted and now can defend against that so its back to the drawing board which has scoring and speed written on it. Also, late today the Ducks re-signed Erik (Spell) Christiansen to a one year deal along with Troy Bodie.
Updated: Scott and Teemu both returning to Ducks for 1 more year. Also, Teemu has notified the Ducks he will retire after that making this upcoming season his retirement tour!

Flames: Jay Bouwmeester was the biggest name being tossed around draft day as the hot property everyone wanted (before the Pronger trade happened out of no where). So now Calgary has “THE” man of the hour and maybe a renewed sense of being.

Rangers/Kings: The Rangers got the rights to Brian Boyle, a good hard nosed player that I thought worked well for the Kings, but I think they have other plans.
The Kings made a splash by not only signing Defense man Rob Scuderi and now Ryan Smith. Look for L.A. to break its playoffs drought this season.

Penguins: In the first feel good story of the off season, Bill Guerin took a hometown discount to remain with the Penguins, making Hossa look like scum, and letting his team know he’s ready to repeat!

Jaws 2: Rob Blake is going to give it one more try and see if San Jose knows the way to the cup. He signed for 1 year.

Devils: Johnny Oduya re-signed with NJ. Why is this significant? Someone somewhere had him listed as a potential Ducks deal, but low and behold, no dice. Ducks won’t be doing Oduya.

The other Jonas: GUSTAVSSON that is, won’t pick a team until…after July 1st. Why? Make a bigger splash! He’s the most sought after rookie goalie, and as of now everyone and their mother think he’s headed to Toronto.

Le Big Mac: In one of today’s biggest stories, the NY Rangers made a 6 player trade with Montreal that sent Scott Gomez packing to the Canadians! There were 5 other players involved but only care to notice Scott so there.

The biggest Non-Trade today: Heatley was traded, then not traded, then might be traded tomorrow to the Edmonton Oilers! In a deal that supposedly will send Dustin “It’s my fault contracts are so expensive” Penner and a few other bums to Ottawa in return for Heatley and some souvenirs! This deal was apparently finalized tonight around 5 p.m. PST, but then something happened and Heatley hasn’t officially agreed to being traded, so the world is holding its collective breath tonight for some sort of conclusion tomorrow…stay tuned. FYI: Heatley still in limbo.

Possible deals: I’m hearing that Havlat and Gaborik are going to be L.A. Kings tomorrow which I think will definitely spice things up for L.A. and make them a playoff contender this upcoming season. Updated: Gaborik signed with Montreal, and Havlat signed with Minny-sota!

Koivu: This is the rumor that won’t die. Apparently the Canadians have declined to offer Koivu and offer which would make him available tomorrow, which for some reason means he’ll come to Anaheim. Hey, I’ll take him, but first let’s see if this rumor is true. Updated: As more time goes by, the reality of Koivu coming to Anaheim seems more likely.

Sedins: This is another story that will be huge once it’s finalized. Vancouver made the Sedins an offer, which apparently they did not accept. The other rumored teams involved trying to sign the twins? Montreal and Toronto. Is it just me, or are all the Canadian teams stock piling players? Is this the year Canada gets the cup? Updated: The twins stay in Vancouver!

Hossa: According to what I’ve read, he turned down a multi year deal with Detroit, and may be headed to Edmonton. Updated: Hossa has cursed the Chicago Black hawks for the next 12 years! Hope it wasn’t a NTC!

Beaucheman: This guy is still without a team! I can not, for the life of me, understand why anybody has not swept this guy off his feet yet. The last thing I read, was that the Kings and Frankie were a year apart on terms.

Finally there is suppose to be a major three way deal on Monday involving the Hawks, Sharks and Maple Leafs, and the only clues that were given were that two goalies were involved and also a NTC. (WTF?)

Again, these are the deals that are of interest to me, so don’t message me saying I left so and so out. I’m aware of that. More updates as they happen.

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While we wait for the inevitable Pens vs Red Wings II, I am starting to hear all sorts of rumors. Now I must stress that they’re only rumors, but I like postulating as much as the next bum does so lets get on with the tabloid talk!!

First off, for the record I think Adam Lambert should not only have won American Idol, but he needs to immediately start touring with Queen. Is it just me, or is that the closest Queen will ever get to having someone that sounds like Freddy Mercury? Unfortunately, people are still afraid of the alternative sexual orientation liberation army and fear that a vote for Adam would have brain washed America into kissing the person next to them and becoming a deviant. (Sigh) OK, back to hockey!

First story I saw yesterday was a story from twitter that “Sk” had “Tweeted” in which the Neidermeyer brothers’ agent was interviewed on Vancouver radio. I’m paraphrasing but basically the interview says that the brothers do not have to play together but it would be nice to have them play for Vancouver, either as a package or individually. Wouldn’t that be crazy? The Neidermeyer brothers on the same team as the Sedin Twins? Sounds like a Circus Act! Anyhow, from what I am hearing, Scott will more than likely re-sign with Anaheim. Robbie is another thing. Although he is more likely to re-sign with Anaheim as well, I would not be surprised to see him go to either Vancouver or New Jersey. Yes, Robbie; that’s who I am talking about.

I’m also hearing that Rob Blake might be interested in coming to the Ducks. The one weighing factor is whether or not Scott stays in Anaheim. The reason being is that if Scott retires or leaves, that will leave room to keep Beaucheman. If that happens, Blake is a sure thing in my book. Blake brings with him a big physical presence, veteran experience, and hard shot from the blue line. It’s the closest you can get if Scott leaves. Plus, Blake was the only consistency the Sharks had in the playoffs, so he is a proven force to deal with.

Other rumblings? Travis Moen might make an attempt to come back to Anaheim; I personally would not sign him. I don’t think he brings anything to the table. Mike Knuble form Philly? I would definitely take a look at that possibility. Plus, I still say there will be a huge attempt at trading Jiggy to either Toronto or Philly during the off season. it will be interesting to see what happens, but just like the trade deadlines, rumors are just that…only rumors.

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In comparison, we saw our fate coming. The Wings score a sloppy puck in our net, but we at least had a full two minutes left to score. We were tied at 3 games a piece, and with a tie score of 3-3, and had two minutes to make a difference. Ducks lost, but at least we went down fighting. I don’t like to sell out like everyone else and say we didn’t belong there, so I’ll just say that the Wings were the better team that day. So rather than rant and rave and cry over spilled milk, I want to make a list of the ten crucial moments from the now, old season before turning the page and looking forward to the off season, and then to 2009-2010 Olympic season.

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10 Key Moments of 2008-2009

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10. Seleanne Cuts Leg- When Teemu went down to injury, it seemed to trigger the beginning of hard times for this Duck team. It was a tough period because finding some to fill in Teemu’s shoes would prove to be a tough task. It would also be a tough time for our power play unit, as most of their success came at the hands of Teemu. The positives? Andrew Ebbet step forward and displayed the speed that garnered him success and open the eyes of Ducks management securing him a spot on the second line for the remainder of the season.

9. Beauch Tears ACL/ Beauch Returns- When Frankie went down to injury, I knew it would be a huge blow to our defense, but I also knew that it would create some room for Bobby Ryan to come up and show his stuff. Bobby never backed down and his play seem to improve with each game he played. The only other bright side to Frankie’s injury, was his miraculous return during the playoffs. Before it happened, people only talked about it like a pipe dream. As soon as he made his successful return, his presence was immediately felt with some experts comparing his return to a huge pick up at the trade deadline.

8. Road to the Playoffs/Making the Playoffs- Probably the most exciting last 2 weeks I’ve seen in a while (Not counting the 2007 Cup win). There was a time when the Ducks were in 12Th place and already looking forward to next season. I was in Vancouver during the last few days of the trade deadline, and was hearing all kinds of rumors…Scott was being traded, Pronger was going to Boston in principle, Carlyle was being fired, etc. Then Bob Murry (new GM) said he would wait and see if we were still in “it” before making any kind of decision. Well, we stayed in “it” and made the playoffs winning almost every single remaining game of the last two weeks in what was one of the more pushes to make the playoffs. It came down to 1 point, that would have made our first round far less exhausting. (ironically, our last playoff game came down to 1 point we didn’t get).

7. Bobby Ryan Scores First Blood vs. Sharks- In what looks similar to the famous Bobby Orr pic, Ryan scores the first goal in a game against the San Jose Sharks by knocking in his own rebound, thus firing up the Ducks for the remainder of the series.

6. Getz and Big Joe “Go Time”/Beating The Sharks- Two of the biggest most dominant Centers in the sport dropped the gloves and go at it two seconds into game 6 of the Quarter finals. The two had a history going into the game as Big Joe was being criticized in the media for not showing up to play in the playoffs. After rejecting Joe’s challenge in game 5, Getzlaf came out and agreed to dance in what proved to be a tussle that both the Ducks and Thorton needed for morale reasons.

5. Jiggys Fathers Death- This was a tragic event in Jiggy’s life and one that affected him, no doubt. It was also the beginning of the end for Jiggy’s starting job as goalie. The Passing of a parent is a traumatic event, and it isn’t fair to judge Jiggy’s performance because for all we know, he may bounce back and be in top form for the 2009-2010 NHL season. What I do know, is that after his father died, the Jiggy we all knew from previous years, was no longer there.

4. Bobby Ryan Hat Trick- Nothing much to say other than Dang! It sure looked sweet!

3. Brian Burke Leaves- This was something we all knew was going to happen, and still could not believe when it did. It was so bitter sweet to see Burke go, but at least he brought a cup to Anaheim. As far as I am concerned the Brian Burke experiment was a success! Not only are we Stanley Cup Champions, but Burke created a brand of tough, hard nosed hockey from days of old, and everyone now refers to it as Ducks Hockey.

2. The Trades- Everyone in Anaheim was crying fowl (clever) on March 3rd when Bob Murray pulled the trigger and traded away 6 popular players at the trade deadline. It seemed like Murray was rebuilding, giving up on the 2008-2009 season. Little did everyone know that Bob “I’m ready to jump off the balcony” Murray had a plan! All season long he said that we have a load of talent on the team, but something wasn’t clicking. well apparently that something was Kunitz, Sammy, Montador, Huskins, Moen (I need more $$$), and Morrison. Bob cut the cord (i like saying that a lot) and the moves revitalized a stagnant team, thus propelling them into the playoffs. Bob Murry not only proved he was the right man for the job, but he could get just as crazy as Burke.

1. Hiller- Its seems like all rookie goalies should go to Anaheim. Every season, it seems a rookie comes up, something happens, and then they make a name for themselves in the Playoffs. With all the drama the Ducks as a team had all season long and then when Jiggy had his personal crisis, it seems the only stability the team has was in the net. Mike Babcock said, “without Hiller, the Wings win the series in 5.” Experts have said, without Hiller, we never would have made it past San Jose. And without a doubt, without Hiller, we never would have made it INTO the playoffs. Hiller gave the Ducks a chance to win every time he was in goal. And ultimately that’s all the Ducks needed; just a chance to win, because all season long anything was possible with this team.

Final thoughts: The Anaheim Ducks that started the 08-09 season are long gone. The Ducks team that exists now got a taste of success that should translate to bigger and better things for sure. Before the trade deadline there were 14 UFA’s, now there are only 7. The Ducks have more wiggle room to re-sign most of the 7. Right now is that time when the Duck players take a breather and reflect on the season. The Ducks should be proud of what was accomplished on the job. Most NHL experts said a team has never traded away half of its starters and still be able to contend in the playoffs, let along make the playoffs. The Ducks did. I believe in Bob Murray and feel the Ducks have a sound blue print to work with now. I think Murray will shock the world with an off season trade, that will be huge for our team, as well as revitalize another. I think 2009-2010 will be another magical season. what do you think? See you all in October!

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A week before the playoffs began, I wrote that I liked our chances in a seven game series against anyone. At the time I was talking about the Sharks, and now I am referring to the Wings. After a few below average games, the Ducks were able to tighten their chin straps and beat the Red Wings in game six, forcing a seventh and deciding game in the series. All that stands between the conference finals is 60 minutes of hockey. The Ducks need to play with the same force and intensity (Scott Neidermeyer) they exhibited in last nights battle. Game seven is the time to leave it all on the ice. Some might say that the Duck’s playoffs were the weeks leading up to the playoffs. Some will say it was against the Sharks, or maybe even the Red Wings. Truth of the matter is that these playoffs are against themselves. The Ducks have to dig deep and fight off complacency, and fatigue. They have to fight off sitting back on their heels and allowing teams to out skate them. They have to fight off allowing soft goals. Yes the Ducks are facing an even greater opponent, than the ones dressed in red and white. The good news is that, this is a familiar opponent, one that can be used in their own favor. The bad news, is that the Ducks must battle this same opponent, in order to get past Thursday, past the conference finals and beyond. I’ve seen the Ducks do it before…..its the playoffs, anything can happen.

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Dear Anaheim Ducks:

I am writing to you today to ask you for a favor. I keep reading comments in the papers from members of the Ducks saying that your level of play was below average and that everyone knows they can play at a higher level, yada, yada, yada. It sounds almost like the team was on cruise control, and did not play at a more intense level. This has been something that has been done all season. This team has fallen behind in games only to suddenly turn up the level of play and pull out a victory. This team seems to think, that by playing at a sub par level, they can still squeak through and win. Well, here is my favor I am asking of you. If your plans are to win tonight and just try and squeak out a win in game 7, then don’t bother. Even though we beat Detroit twice, the stats showed that we should not have. When Detroit has beaten us, we look like we should not be on the same ice with them. Point being, win or lose, Detroit plays hard all the time. So, either you play hard tonight and in game 7, or do me a favor and just roll over, and pack in the season. Play like champions. Play like you did against the Sharks. Just Play hard for 60 minutes. Clear your heads, win the next two games, or go home.

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 Game 3 was, as I predicted an intense battle on the ice. It had it’s controversy, but show me a Red Wing vs Ducks game that did not have a controversial goal? For that matter, these are the moments that become Playoff folklore for years to come. I can remember an incident involving the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers in which the goalie makes a save, and yet it looks as if the puck passed the goal line, (See it here) That’s playoff hockey! Who can forget the infamous Brett Hull goal in the SC finals? (See it here) In fact if you do a search for controversial calls, you’ll get a long list of results. That’s what makes sports so fantastic. ABC used the phrase “The Thrill of Victory, and The Agony of Defeat.” That sums it up. Game 3 was a hard fought battle, and as Hiller so eloquently put it, the Ducks fought hard, and when you fight hard, you earn the right to be a little lucky. That can be said for either team. And let’s remember, these two teams seem to always play one point games.

So game 3 is behind us with the Ducks up 2-1, so what’s the prediction for tonight? PAIN. If you read the boards like I do, Wing fans everywhere are up in arms and looking for revenge tonight. So look for not only the Wings to come out and explode with everything they have (personally I think they’re too old and tired) and look for the refs to give the Red Wings a Mulligan for the last game. Tonight game is basically a make up game for the Wings; and I have a feeling that Refs are looking to redeem themselves by giving the Wings a few blind eyes. Bottom line: I’m expecting the defending Stanley Cup Champs to make an appearance tonight, giving us the dream match fans have been calling this series. Its going to be the 2007 SC Champs Anaheim Ducks v.s. the 2008 SC Champs Detroit Red Wings! Whats at stake? Bragging rights; Pride, and the Conference Finals. Tonight is game 4. Tonight one team goes up 3-1, or one team ties the series 2-2. Which team will show up?

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Boy… this is familiar territory now isn’t it? we’re back home for game 3 after splitting 2 games in Detroit during the playoffs. And how about game 2? Three overtimes…whew! That’s a lot of hockey. I would first like to thank both the Ducks and Wings for an entire day of hockey and also a rabid Ducks fan that creates marvelous posters for games, like he did for tonight. It seems like playoff games go by so fast; it was actually nice to be sweating all day long while watching the Ducks. Now on too business…..

Tonight is game 3, and one would seem the teams are tired. These two teams are going to play their butts off tonight. I do not think that either team can afford to let the other take the lead in the series, so look for both sides to play hard but cautiously. Once again the Ducks need to just concentrate on their game. The pressure is on Detroit right now (Sound familiar) because they are the unofficial Stanly Cup champions this season. I woke up to different papers basically saying the Ducks have been very lucky to make it this far, but the cup belongs to the Wings for the taking. The press has been so disrespectful to Anaheim, the Denver Post went as far as saying that “in this sport, more than any other, a team can be lucky in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as was the case for Anaheim in 2007.”

Are you kidding me? Not only did they disrespect the Ducks with a stupid comment like that, but the entire NHL and previous cup champions as well. Lucky?

Were the Wings lucky last year? Were the Hurricanes lucky? Tampa Bay? How about the Avalanche, being that the story comes out of Denver? If it just takes luck, why are there only 17 different Champions in the Cups 100 years of existence? Luck? I think not.

Tonight’s game will be intense, hard hitting, unforgiving, and loud….but one thing these teams are not….is lucky.

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After what I would call good hockey by both teams during regulation, the real fun began in OT. Never a team to disappoint, the Ducks have made OT a familiar word in their vocabulary. It didn’t take one, or two but three over times for the Ducks to beat their playoff rivals. I for one love this kind of hockey. This is the kind of hockey that romances new fans! Its the kind of hockey where you separate the flash in the pan teams from the championship caliber ones.

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I am ignoring the “You’re a post game blogger” people because I am amped up for today’s showdown. Today’s game needs to be a must won. The only thing better than wining the first two games on the road is to split the series. I do no like the idea of coming back to Anaheim down 2 games, so the boys have to turn up the heat for sure. Hiller has seen the Wings crash the net, and should just attack things similar to how he did with San Jose. The first game was exciting and very fast. The Ducks need to slow things down to their tempo, and keep up the physicality but within reason. With Brown in the line up I think the Wings will be too preoccupied with retaliation and could then make mistakes more than usual. I say dangle Brown like a steak, and when everyone chomping at the bit to get him, our guys can move in for the kill.

Another thing to remember is that although we’ve played the wings in the playoffs before, this was the first time for our “trade deadline” guys; so I have to assume there were many nervous Ducks on the ice, I think the Brown incident was one of those over zealous moments. Look for the “trade” guys to be more comfortable in today’s game. They’ve proven to be quick learners, so today should be a different story.

I am looking forward to the Ducks playing this game like they can when they want to. Puck drops soon, and I can not wait! Go Ducks!!

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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)

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!

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