Hockey is officially over.  The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on Wednesday by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime.  It only took 49 years since the last win!

The Finals certainly offered something for everyone.  Great action.  Plenty of goals.  Hitting.  Hatred between the two teams.  Chris Pronger being made fun of in the Chicago Tribune.  Marian Hossa finally being on the winning side of things after losing out with two other teams the previous two years.  Players making stupid comments about Chris Pronger.  Jeremy Roenick getting teary eyed and choked up because he never won the Cup.

But now it's over.  Hockey is done and training camp won't start for three more months.  In between is the draft on June 25 and 26 and free agency begins on July 1.  Until then, what is a hockey fan to do?

Watch the NBA Finals?  I don't think so.  There just isn't the edge of your seat excitement in the final minutes as the clock ticks down in the game.  In the NBA, the final two minutes takes about 30.  After all the stops and starts and free throws and delay tactics, any build up of tension or suspense is long since gone.

So who would have guessed that FIFA World Cup Soccer could be a nice transition into the off-season?

Having seen the Mexico vs. South Africa match and the US vs. England match, both have been enjoyable to watch and filled with plenty of end to end action, good goaltending, the occasional save off the goal post and periodic diving to embellish minor infractions.  So far so good.  OK, I have never heard a constant buzzing in a hockey arena that sounds like horde of angry mosquitoes of Biblical plague proportion, but eventually you tune that out, sort of like small annoying children you have to live with.

Both games have proved exciting, and while not high-scoring, it makes it even more interesting when the ball does go in the net.  Or even when it comes close.

It's not hockey, but it sure is a lot of fun and it will help to pass the time away during the great hockey drought known as the off-season.

 

Ducks fans want to know what is going on with restricted free agent, Bobby Ryan.  They also want to know if free agents, Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne will return for another year with the team.

Fans will still have to wait for news on that front, but at least there is one more veteran defenseman signed for next year.

Sheldon Brookbank signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.5 million today.  The 29 year old defenseman appeared in 66 games for the Ducks in 2009-10, scoring 0-9=9 points with a +10 rating and 114 penalty minutes (PIM). Brookbank, who appeared in his 100th career NHL game on Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh, set career highs in points, assists, plus/minus, PIM and blocked shots (59). The 6-1, 200-pound blueliner also finished second on the Ducks in plus/minus and PIM.

Acquired from New Jersey in exchange for David McIntyre on Feb. 3, 2009, Brookbank has collected 1-12=13 points with a +13 rating and 165 PIM in 95 career games with the Ducks. The Lanigan, Saskatchewan native has also appeared in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Anaheim, going scoreless with 18 PIM. Originally signed as a free agent by Anaheim on July 21, 2003, Brookbank appeared in 134 American Hockey League (AHL) contests with the Ducks’ Cincinnati affiliate from 2003-05, registering 3-20=23 points with 397 PIM. In 361 career AHL contests, Brookbank earned 29-96=125 points with 970 PIM. In 2006-07, he won the Eddie Shore Trophy as the AHL’s top defenseman, leading all blueliners in points (15-38=53) and assists.

Nothing against Brookbank, but this was not the signing Ducks fans were waiting for.  However, this, and a couple of other recent signings, indicate that the Ducks are finally in negotiating mode.  July 1 is coming quickly and you know that general managers would be more than happy to submit an offer sheet to Ryan if he is not signed prior to that.

Come on, Bob Murray, now that you have gotten in some practice with Brookbank, how about Bobby, too?

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As June approaches, the Ducks are no longer dormant.  They have begun making some minor transactions in advance of the entry draft next month and free agency beginning on July 1.

First, the Ducks signed Brandon McMillan to a three year entry level contract.  The 20 year old left wing most recently played for Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring 4 goals and 8 points and in six contests.  Team Canada won the silver medal.

The Ducks also traded the rights to goaltender Matias Modig to the Pittsburgh Penguins.  In exchange, Anaheim acquired a sixth-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.  The sixth-round pick originally belonged to the Montreal Canadiens.

Apparently the Ducks were not close to signing the 23 year old Swede and if they did not sign him, he would have gone back into the entry draft.  The Penguins have already reportedly come to terms with Modig.

 

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When your favorite team is no longer playing, it is hard to get inspired to write, hence the two-week delay.  However, watching the playoffs, even though a bitter reminder that your team has been golfing this past month, is proving to be more inspiring than expected.

How can you not like the spunky Montreal Canadiens?  No one gave the Canadiens a chance in round one but they came in as the #8 seed and killed off Alexander Ovechkin and the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals.  Many so-called "experts" did not give them a chance in round two either. After all, round two was against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins headed by Sidney Crosby.   Perhaps those so-called experts need to rethink things a bit.

Jaroslav Halak has been very strong since putting on an amazing performance in the Olympics.  He's been pretty consistent in rounds one and two and does not show any signs of slowing down.    Halak has not been perfect and does not have a single shut out thus far in the post season.  His teammates haven't needed him to be perfect, as they are all pulling their weight and playing as a cohesive unit from top to bottom.

As the Canadiens wait for the outcome of the Boston/Philadelphia series to finish on Friday, they can no longer be considered "surprising" and instead be considered contenders.  The last time they made it to the conference finals (1993) they went on to win the Stanley Cup.  Canadiens fans have to be absolutely besides themselves at this point.

Another surprise is the Boston/Philadelphia series.  Boston was up 3-0.  Philadelphia continues to be hit with injuries, including an MCL injury to goaltender Brian Boucher that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the playoffs.  Philly is like the Monty Python running joke - "I'm not dead yet!"  They are taking the Bruins to a game 7, hoping to become just the third team in history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a series.  Odds are not good, but at this point, they really aren't dead yet.  Boston needs to figure things out quickly or else they will risk being mightily embarrassed in front of the home crowd, not to mention the wrong end of answer in a hockey trivia question.

In the West, both the Sharks and the Blackhawks are resting up, waiting for the conference finals to begin.  Would anyone have thought that San Jose would not have choked by now?  After all, it seems to be their traditional playoff modus operandi.  Granted, there is still time, but taking down the venerable Detroit Red Wings, in just five games?  Not the sign of a team in need of the Heimlich maneuver.

They will get to host the Chicago Blackhawks, who had a sense of deja vu in defeating the Vancouver Canucks for the second year in a row in the second round of the playoffs.  Certainly they will be a lot happier meeting up with the Sharks than a repeat against Detroit.  Or so you would think.  Depending on the outcome of the series, Chicago might wish it was the Red Wings and their annoying octopi.

Vancouver will have to wait until next year to exorcise their Blackhawk demons.  Each additional series between the two teams can only ramp things up a notch in the hostility department, both between the teams and their fans.  The Canucks can hopefully take heart that someday they can vanquish their foe.  After all, the Red Wings were the playoff thorn in Anaheim's side for several years until the Ducks swept that curse away in 2003.  Third time's the charm?

The most refreshing aspect of the playoffs is seeing teams who have not been to the Cup Finals in years, if at all.  The Sharks have only made it to the conference finals once before in 2004 and never made it to the Cup Finals.  The Blackhawks lost to the Red Wings last year in the conference finals, but had not been there since 1995 and last won the Cup in 1961, six months before Chris Chelios was born!

As mentioned before, Montreal last made it to the conference finals in 1993, the same year they last won the Cup by defeating the Los Angeles Kings.   Boston last made it to a conference final in 1992 and has not made it to the Cup Finals since winning the Cup in 1972.   The Flyers won the Cup in 1974 and 1975, but the last time they made it to the Finals was an unsuccessful attempt in 1997.   They are probably the most recently experienced at conference finals, having made it there last year, 2004 and 2000.

One thing is certain, the next round won't be dull, and it will likely continue to provide more surprises as play unfolds.  Sure, it's more fun to be watching your team play, but this year, the playoffs have provided enough excitement and interest to keep at least one viewer tuned to the TV.

 

 

The Stanley Cup truly is the most difficult trophy to win in all of sports and in the playoffs, anything can happen.

Round one of this year's postseason is over and eight more teams have packed up their lockers and gone home.  Some of those teams are not surprising.  Others are downright shocking.

In the East, you cannot deny that the Montreal Canadiens defeating the President Trophy winning Washington Capitals in seven games was a huge upset and something no one could have foreseen.  Beyond being a #8 seed knocking off a #1, something that has only happened 32 times since 1994, the plucky little Canadiens came back from a 3-1 deficit in the series.

Was it Washington doing a choke job of astronomical proportions?  If you answer yes, then you greatly underestimate the abilities of the Canadiens.  Jaroslav Halak proved that with great goaltending, you can do a lot.  Halak was immovable and impenetrable in the final three games of the series.  131 saves on 134 shots?  Against a team that averaged nearly four goals a game in the regular season?  That is effective goaltending.

And in front of every effective goaltender is a solid defense that helps him out.  The Capitals were lacking in both departments.  Their offense was good enough to get them the President's Trophy, but it isn't just about the goals scored.  The Canadiens made the most of their chances and eliminated the Capitals scoring threat.  Game and series over.

Now the little engine that could Canadiens take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in another seeming mismatch.  Two guesses that this team will not be taken as lightly as they were in the first round and if Halak continues on a roll (Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 comes to mind), the Canadiens have a pretty decent chance of moving on to the Eastern Conference finals.

The other match up in the East is between the #6 Boston Bruins and the #7 Philadelphia Flyers.  The Flyers only needed five games to finish off the New Jersey Devils in round one, but came out of the series with injuries to Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter.  They have had the most time to heal while waiting for round two to begin.  The Bruins knocked off the Buffalo Sabres and goaltending from Tuuka Rask has been exceptional so far.  Neither of these teams were likely to advance, and both are more than capable of making a good run to the Finals.  The Flyers will get more playing time, because this one will not be over in five games.

Interestingly, there is still one of every seed left between both the East and the West.  In the East the top three seeds were knocked off, leaving the #4, #6, #7 and #8 seeds.  In the West, the #1, #2, #3 and #5 seeds remain.

The #5 Red Wings get to take on the remaining #1 seed and perennial playoff poor performer, the San Jose Sharks.  No rest for the Wings, who had to use all seven games to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes just two days ago.   Will the Sharks, so good in the regular season, finally overcome their post-season vanishing act by getting to the Western Conference finals this year?   Getting by the Colorado Avalanche in round one wasn't easy.  The Wings will be that much more difficult.  If the Sharks can maintain home advantage, that will go a long way to seeing them move on.  Otherwise the Wings will happily continue their post-season successes.

The #2 Chicago Blackhawks and #3 Vancouver Canucks will see a rematch from last year in the second round.  Both teams will be better honed thanks to worthy opponents in round one.  This series could easily go all the way to seven games.

At the end of this one, there will only be four teams left who have a chance at Lord Stanley's Cup.  Don't go to Vegas just yet to place your bets, because chances are, there will be a lot more twists and turns before this one is over and someone is crowned the winner.  That is what makes hockey so exciting, even when it isn't your favorite team.

 

 

 

While difficult to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs (because the Ducks are not in it), it has been an entertaining and closely fought first round.  I cannot remember a time when every single series was tied after the first two games.   Not one single team will be swept in the first round.

As play has continued to develop, some interesting trends continue to emerge.  In the regular season, the Western Conference was the most competitive and tightly fought.   The post-season is looking to be the same way.  Three of the four series in the West are knotted at 2-2.

Chicago and Nashville have only played three games, but it is likely they'll end up at 2-2 as well after the fourth one is played.  How Nashville continues to perform year after year regardless of personnel, or changes in net, is beyond comprehension.  Then you look behind the bench and Barry Trotz has done an amazing job with what he has been given.  Nashville, currently ahead, for the first time ever in a post-season, has a chance to win their first playoff series ever.  If so, that would be a huge upset of the #2 seeded Chicago.

Who would have expected that San Jose and Colorado would be tied at this point?  Colorado limped towards the post-season, taking longer than it should have to seal their playoff hopes.  The Avs clearly were the last team anyone expected in the post-season when the year began, and yet despite their March slump, they have pulled it back together in the playoffs.  This evening one of these teams will have a 3-2 advantage in the series.  Three out of four games have gone to overtime, so no reason to expect game five to be done in regulation.

If San Jose goes down 3-2 before heading to Colorado for a game six, the Sharks players may not want to return home any time soon.  If the Avs win the series, it would be quite an upset, despite the Sharks notoriety for needing the Heimlich maneuver in the post-season.

Vancouver and Los Angeles might be won by specialty teams.  The Kings power play is smoking hot and the Canucks penalty kill is not.  You know Vancouver is getting desperate when they start putting the Sedin twins on the penalty kill.  Unless the Canucks can find a way to stop taking penalties or improve their penalty kill, this series will be a catfight to a game seven.   Either team could win this one.

Detroit and Phoenix has been another back and forth affair.  Detroit is not the powerhouse it once was, but is still a formidable adversary.  Phoenix is enjoying the post-season for the first time in eight years.  At the number 4 and 5 seeds, these two are pretty well matched and it has been an entertaining series.  If Phoenix can maintain home ice advantage, they'll see the next round.  If not, they'll just have to build on this for next year.

The Eastern Conference has developed some interesting patterns of their own.   Three of the four lower seeds won the first game, but upsets do not come easily in the playoffs.

Washington has not yielded again to Montreal after dropping the first game of their series.  The Capitals can finish off the pesky Canadiens on Friday at home, assuming they stick to what works.  That includes have Simeon Varlamov in goal instead of Jose Theodore.  Washington quickly learned that while defense and great goaltending might not have been necessary in the regular season, it sure is needed in the post-season.  The Capitals had so much offense to make up for it in the regular season, it didn't matter.  Montreal, who has gotten strong goaltending from Jaroslav Halak, made the Capitals rethink that game plan.  If the Caps go on to the Cup Final, they should go back and thank Montreal for waking them up in time.

Pittsburgh also yielded game one to Ottawa, but has come back to lead 3-1 in that series.  Ottawa is not going down without a fight, but they might not be strong enough in net to deal with the Penguins firepower.   If Pittsburgh closes the series tonight at home, the Senators will continue to be also-rans.

#7 Philadelphia is the only lower seed with the opportunity to close out a series tonight.  The #2 Devils have not been exceptional and the Flyers have been gritty and determined.  However, Philadelphia has lost both Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter to surgeries and that might hurt them as they continue in the playoffs.  It seems highly unlikely that the Flyers will lose the next three consecutive games to New Jersey.  You never know, but the odds are against them doing so.

Buffalo and Boston is also looking to be a potential upset, with the Bruins leading 3-1.   Last night's double overtime game continued to show why Ryan Miller is probably the best goaltender in the game right now.   It still wasn't enough to stop Boston, who had Tuuka Rask matching Miller's performance.  Will Boston finish off the Sabres in Buffalo on Friday?  Doubtful.  But it will be a good battle the rest of the way.

One can only hope that round two will be as fun and exciting as round one!

 

Over the past several years, the Ducks have been too busy with the playoffs to bother about being in the World Hockey Championships.  Held in May, only players from eliminated teams are able to participate.

This year is a different story.

Corey Perry has agreed to play for Canada and Ryan Carter has been named to the US team.  Both players are somewhat of a surprise.

Perry played in the Olympics this year, and was part of the gold medal winning team there.  Bobby Ryan, who also played the entire regular season, as well as in the Olympics, opted out of the tournament.   It would appear that Perry is interested in adding to his trophy collection and edging up on Scott Niedermayer.  Perry has already won a Memorial Cup, a World Junior Championship, a Stanley Cup and an Olympic Gold.  A World Cup and World Championship are the only two left off of Perry's resume.

Carter received limited playing time this past season, spending much of it as a healthy scratch.  However, Carter is a very versatile player.  He is strong at center, and had the best face-off percentage of all the Ducks players at 52.5%.  In just 38 games he scored 4 goals and 9 points and he can play a variety of roles, whether on the scoring line, checking line, fourth line, or penalty kill.

The World Championships will be held in Germany from May 7 through May 23.

Good luck to both players!

The NHL playoffs have begun in earnest.  Fans are excited.  Teams are focused.  The Sharks have already lost a game.  Everything seems normal.

Except Ducks fans are sitting home, missing the party.  To rub further salt into the wound of not making the playoffs for the first time since 2004, that team up the road, the Los Angeles Kings, get to make their playoff debut tonight.  It only took them eight years of mediocrity before they could get to this spot.  How many Ducks fans are now Vancouver Canucks fans?

In 2003, when the Ducks made their Cinderella run to a game 7 Stanley Cup final, things were magical and who knew when they would do it again?

After the lockout, new ownership and a solid group of players, the Ducks made the playoffs, won the Cup, and have given Ducks fans plenty to cheer about.

Now those fans have been spoiled and maybe even took being in the post-season for granted.

Not this year.  The players stated they had a sick feeling in their stomachs when they were mathematically eliminated.  The players had plenty of company in disappointed and upset fans.

Who could blame them?  On paper, the Ducks looked like a reasonable contender at the start of the season.  Oh how the formerly Mighty have fallen.

It would be easier if the Ducks could point to one specific problem and work on it, but there were many causes for the Ducks demise.   A defense that lacked the depth it had in previous years, an inability to keep leads in critical games, a poor road record, mediocre goaltending to start the season, specialty team struggles, a lack of clearly defined lines.   All those little things added up to big things.

So instead of only being able to plan things for two weeks at a time this spring, Ducks fans get plenty of free time, just like the players.   However, the fans have been paying for tickets all season (those who still showed up).  The Ducks?  Have been collecting paychecks, no matter what the results showed.

It says a lot when instead of being overjoyed at doing unexpectedly well (2003), fans are now expecting nothing less a good playoff run every year.

Unfortunately, it will be a long time before the Ducks get the chance to redeem themselves.

Come October, they better be prepared to do what is necessary to have success on the ice.  Starting from day one.

 

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By the time this one began, everything was all over.  Every playoff match-up had been determined.   There was nothing left to decide between the Ducks and the Oilers, except final positioning in the standings for the Ducks.  The Oilers had been at the bottom of the Western Conference and the prime candidate for the first overall draft pick in June for quite a while. 

At least the Ducks looked like they cared in the 7-2 victory, their final outing of a dismal season and their worst finish since before the lockout.

The Ducks got off to a quick start with a goal from Ryan Carter at 2:04 and Steve Eminger just :32 seconds later.  They sat back briefly allowing Edmonton to get on the board at 8:59 with a goal from Mike Comrie, but that was as close as Edmonton ever got.

Matt Beleskey, having a fabulous rookie season, scored #11 at 13:24 to make it 3-1.  It turned out to be the game winner.

It was fan appreciation night at the Honda Center, and possibly Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer's final game, but even that could not draw a sell-out crowd, something they only did once this season - opening night.

The fans certainly appreciated when Selanne scored his 27th goal of the season, this one on the power play, as usual, just :16 seconds into the second period.  The "One More Year!" chants really got going then.   Selanne, who only played 54 games this season, still finished 3rd in the NHL in power play goals and still averages a goal every other game.   Not bad for a guy who is turning 40 in July.

"This isn't exactly the way I wanted to finish the season," Selanne lamented while talking to various media for at least 20 minutes after the game.  "We are way too good of a team to miss the playoffs.  It's still hard to swallow when you believe you have a better team."

Selanne's status for next year is unknown, although it was clear he is ambivalent.  He told the crowd, who refused to stop chanting for more playing time, "let's see what happens."  He also admitted that if he was playing bad, it would be an easy decision.  Perhaps for the Finn, it will be a good thing to have a long off-season with time for the family and time for rest and reflection.  By the time September rolls around, fans can only hope that he will be hankering for a little more ice time.

The third period saw the Ducks keep rolling, despite a goal from former Duck, Ryan Whitney at 2:50.  For some reason the crowd booed him mercilessly every time he touched the puck, as if he were Chris Pronger.  Perhaps if Whitney had played better and seemed less sour about the trade to Edmonton the crowd would have been more forgiving, but this is a tough bunch of folks who expect a lot, reasonable or unreasonable.

Carter got his second goal of the game at 9:34 for his first two goal game since he scored his first two NHL goals in New Jersey on February 8, 2008. 

George Parros, the ultimate fan favorite, took advantage of a turnover and showed the wicked shot that he has, getting another one past Jeff Deslauriers at 11:42.  

Kyle Chipchura's first short-handed goal at 16:46 just sealed everything up for the Ducks and gave the fans a nice way to end the season, albeit extremely disappointing.   Fans weren't the only ones disappointed.

"As high as we can be after scoring seven goals and a very entertaining hockey game for our last game, it's very disappointing for our group," said coach Randy Carlyle.  "We play this game to win and we didn't win enough."

Now the Ducks can only go on and watch the playoffs from afar and sit and reflect on what to do better next year.  Done in April is a strange feeling, and one they do not want to get used to having.

In other notes:  Jonas Hiller made 18 saves before exiting the game with back spasms late in the second period.  He made a stop on Andrew Cogliano that looked awkward and then proceeded directly to the locker room without returning.  Curtis McElhinney came in and made 11 more saves. Todd Marchant was out with a strained oblique muscle suffered on April 3.  Ryan Getzlaf will have the entire summer to rehab his ankle sprain.  Brett Festerling had his bell rung in St. Louis on Friday and sat out the final game as well.

Neither the Ducks nor the Stars are in the playoffs this year, both having been mathematically eliminated.  That does not mean there is nothing left to play for.

For Anaheim, it was another chance to look at youth with a glimpse towards next season.  For Dallas, it might have been the last game that Mike Modano would play at home.

After the Dallas win, 3-2 in shootout, Modano expressed indecision about retirement, although his actions seemed to prove otherwise.

"It was tough to leave the ice, not knowing what the future holds, whether that was it or it wasn't," Modano said. "I didn't really have an idea what to expect, but it was a nice way to possibly end it, how it unfolded. The fans were fantastic."

Modano made numerous jersey changes throughout the game and the tribute to him with five minutes to go in the game left him on the bench emotionally overwhelmed and tears visibly streaming down his cheeks.   Modano will be 40 in June and has been with the Stars franchise for his entire career, a rare feat these days.  He is clearly one of the best American born players to play the game.

If it was his final game in Dallas, it could not have played out any better.  Modano assisted on the first Stars goal of the game and deflected Trevor Daley's shot out of the air at 18:13 of the third period to tie up the game and send it to overtime.  Modano also scored in the shootout, with Jere Lehtinen clinching it for the Stars.

That gives Modano 557 goals and 1,359 points in his career.

Bobby Ryan, who got both of the Ducks goals and is also American, wears #9 in part as a tribute to Modano.

"He is the reason I chose #9 when I was coming up," Ryan said.. "He stymied us tonight, but if anybody deserved it, it was him."

The Ducks left home Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Scott Niedermayer and Todd Marchant so they could get a better look at the young ‘uns.  Ryan Carter and Dan Sexton made it back into the line-up after sitting for the past five games. Carter assisted on Bobby Ryan's first goal.

Ryan Getzlaf also remained at home, nursing his ankle sprain.  Lubomir Visnovsky was scheduled to have surgery to repair his broken hand on Friday morning.  He broke his hand on Tuesday against the Kings and will be out for the rest of the season.

Jonas Hiller, who had missed the past five games with back spasms, was healthy enough to go on the road trip and started in net for the Ducks.  Good thing he had plenty of time to rest and rehabilitate his back because he was called upon to make 49 saves in the game.

The Ducks now head to St. Louis for their final road game of the year.  This will be another game between two non-playoff contenders, but another chance for the young guys to make a case for why they should be in the line-up when October rolls around.