The Ducks have survived two out of three games in a row, but after two games, felt confident in making a few more cuts to the roster.

Anaheim has assigned defensemen Mathieu Carle and Jake Newton to Syracuse of the AHL.  Joining them are forwards Mark Bell, Matt Kennedy and Rick Schofield.

Emerson Etem was returned to Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League, as he is not old enough for the AHL.

Mark Bell seemed to have a good chance coming into camp of earning a fourth line spot, but did not sufficiently impress.

On the other hand, there are other players who seem to be making a stronger case for themselves.  Andrew Gordon, Peter Holland and Devante Smith-Pelly, for example.  All three were getting yet another look in the game against the Kings on Sunday evening, and at last check, Gordon had a goal and both Holland and Smith-Pelly had assists.

Certainly with 37 players left on the roster there will be more cuts, including two more goaltenders (although the team is allowed a third goaltender to take to Europe).  

So far, the cuts have been pretty easy to make.  It will only get tougher as the numbers shrink.  Players like Gordon, Holland and Smith-Pelly know that in order to stick around, they have to earn it.   The effort will be worth it if they do.


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Some nights are not worth mentioning.  Friday night's game against San Jose is one of them.  The only thing that needs to be said about that loss was 5-1 and the shots on goal a despicable 49-14.   Ouch.

Three consecutive losses.  Outscored 18 - 6.  Something had to change.

Putting a line up that consisted primarily of players who will be on the opening night roster certainly helped.  Yelled at by coach Randy Carlyle probably did not hurt. 

In Vancouver, the Ducks finally learned that the fourth time was the charm.  A 4 - 1 victory felt really, really satisfying, but as Carlyle always has pointed out, enjoy it for 10 minutes then move on.  The Los Angeles Kings are next tomorrow evening.

But we are still in our 10 minute glow time,so let us enjoy this win fully. 

After having a much stronger start to their game, Saku Koivu got the scoring started at 15:29 of the first period.  His shot went right through Cory Schneider's legs.  

Cam Fowler extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:43 of the second period.  It was the first two goal lead of the pre-season for the Ducks.  Those two goals also equaled the total production in the past two pre-season tilts.

Late in the second period, the top line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan finally figured things out.  Perry got on the board with a tip in shot on the power play at 18:05.  It was classic power play goal with the shot by Getzlaf landing at Perry's feet, who was perched right in front of the crease, continuing to vex and harass netminders everywhere. 

Less than a minute later, Andrew Gordon got his second goal of the pre-season by roofing the puck.  It was yet another feather in the young man's cap and hope that he might provide some much needed depth scoring if he can survive final cuts to the team roster.

The Ducks headed into the third period with a 4-0 lead.  Perhaps the best sign of all was not the score, but the fact that Jonas Hiller was taking the shut out with him into the locker room.  It was Hiller's first game since suffering severe vertigo symptoms last spring.  While Jeff Deslauriers took over for the third period, Hiller could breathe a sigh of relief that things went well for him.  Duck fans, too.

The shut out did not remain.  Kevin Connauton got the Canucks on the board at 12:55, but that was all Vancouver wrote.  Anaheim was able to hold on, despite the chippy nature of the remainder of the game. 

There is no rest for the Ducks, who now fly back to LA for their third game in as many nights.  No matter who is in the line-up, the Ducks have to duplicate these efforts against the Kings and keep the momentum going.

With three games in a row on the road, the Anaheim Ducks need all the bodies they can to make sure they have enough rested players for their roster.  
 

 That being said, the roster has been slimmed down minimally.  Goaltenders Igor Bobkov and John Gibson have been returned to their junior teams.  Both Bobkov and Gibson shared netminder responsibilities on Tuesday when the Ducks hosted Phoenix (and lost miserably). 

Joseph Cramarossa and Rickard Rakell have also been sent to juniors.  Rakell was the Ducks first round draft pick this past June.  

Of the remaining 43 players on the training camp roster, most of them departed to San Jose for the beginning of a three day journey.  Injured players remained at home, including defenseman Toni Lydman, who is still a couple of weeks away from returning to the line up.

The line up against the Sharks includes Dan Ellis and Jeff Deslauriers in net.  Jonas Hiller will likely get his first nod in Vancouver on Saturday evening.  Other players include Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who need to redeem themselves from a lackluster performance on Wednesday night.  Rather than being a dominant line, they seemed to perform a vanishing act. 

Andrew Gordon, who did anything but vanish on Wednesday night, will get another chance to impress the coaching staff with his hustle and positive attitude.  Peter Holland, who had a good game on Tuesday night, also gets a second look in a game situation. 

In other notes:

Hockey wives have come up with a remembrance and fundraising idea for the members of team Lokomotiv, who all perished in a plane crash on September 7. 
 

You can purchase prayer bracelets (adult size, $50, kid size, $25), that are "comprised of semi precious jade beads which symbolize healing, hope, love, and generosity."  100% of the proceeds will go to the Foundation set up in honor of the lost team.

Silicon memory bracelets are also available for sale for $10 each.  More details are at www.loveforlokomotiv.com

I expect to see plenty of these bracelets on all hockey fans this season.   One will soon be gracing my wrist.

 

 

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So far the Ducks have been outscored 13-5 in the first two games of the pre-season.  I am going to make a safe guess that they want to clean that up just a bit before the regular season commences.

Playing the second night in a row, this time against the San Jose Sharks, the Ducks did not fare any better than their first game, despite the different roster. 

Not getting any shots on goal for the first 17 minutes of the period did not help Anaheim's cause.  There was a smattering of applause when Francois Beauchemin finally registered the first shot, because up til then, there was not much to cheer about. 

The Ducks finally seemed to wake up and finished the first period well, including a goal from Andrew Gordon, who had a great scrimmage on Monday.  He was no less impressive in this game, always seeming to be in the right place at the right time and showing plenty of speed and hustle.   Nonetheless he, was dissatisfied with the Ducks overall effort.

"We went about 15 minutes without a shot on net," Gordon analyzed.  "We were having trouble breaking out of our zone right from the get-go.  We have a lot of speed on this team and we weren't really using it because we were stuck in our own end so much. Scoring the first goal doesn't always mean that you're off to a good start. We have to have a better effort off the puck drop. That is one thing we have to take from this."

There is no question he is fighting for a spot on the team.  He certainly has the right attitude.

Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry made their pre-season debut, but the most telling item about their on-ice performance was in the third period, when the person next to me commented "Getzlaf and Perry and Ryan are playing?  I hadn't noticed them earlier."

Ouch.

Despite several power plays, the Ducks could not get things going, but San Jose managed three power play goals, including one 5 on 3 goal. 

Iiro Tarkki and Jeff Deslauriers split time in net.  Deslauriers fared better in the first half of the game, only letting in two goals.  Tarkki did not look spectacular, and still has a ways to develop if he wants to play in the NHL.

Logan Couture netted two of the six Sharks goals and San Jose fans went home very happy.  Ducks fans left the building early.

Thursday will be a day for the players to regroup, refocus and prepare for three consecutive games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  One thing is certain - they have to score more and stop more.  If not, it's going to be another bumpy beginning for Anaheim, and I don't mean the turbulence on the way to Finland.

You can't make too much out of pre-season games, especially the first one that teams play.  It's a good thing, too, because the first one between the Ducks and Coyotes was nothing to write home about. 

Phoenix outscored the Ducks, 7-4 and both teams clearly need work. 

Peter Holland shone in his first game this year and continues to show progress since being drafted three years ago. 

“In reevaluating where our young players were last night I thought he was the top of the class,” said coach Randy Carlyle. “He didn’t change his style or what he brings. He was involved and around the puck. That’s what impressed me the most.”

There was not much more to be said that was positive. 

Sean Zimmerman, Nate Guenin, Andrew Cogliano and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Ducks. 

Andrew Miele, Maxim Goncharov, Evan Bloodoff and Brett Hextall each scored one for the Coyotes.  Former Duck, Patrick O'Sullivan scored two and another former Duck, Petteri Nokelainen, finished things off for Phoenix with an empty net goal. 

The Ducks had John Gibson and Igor Bobkov splitting time in net. 

For tonight's game against the Sharks there will be a virtually different line up.  Iiro Tarkki and Jeff Deslauriers will split time in net.   Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will be together on the ice, but one line cannot do it all.  The Ducks will need to tighten things up and figure out the simple task of how to score more than their opponent. 

Pre-season doesn't really matter in terms of points, but it IS preparation for the regular season, which will be here before you know it.

After two days of teaching and drills, the players were ready to add a little more fun and competition to their day.  The Ducks had their first (and only) scrimmage of training camp on Monday morning.  While there were not a lot of people to watch the first group practice in the morning, plenty had gathered for the 10:00am scrimmage. 

Team Black, who had just finished their time on the ice, had less jump in their step.  While they took at early lead with a goal from JF Jacques just 5:00 minutes in.  Anaheim's newest draft pick, Rickard Rakell, took advantage of a muddle in the neutral zone and got the puck to Jaques, who finished it off.  It looked promising, but that was all they had to show for their efforts at the end of 60 minutes.

Peter Holland tied up the game for Team White midway through the first half with a shot that made it from the blue line through traffic and into the net. 

A breakaway from Dan Sexton was stopped by John Gibson, who looked very poised and solid in net considering that he is only 18 years old. 

The teams entered the second half tied at 1-1, but it did not take long for White to pull away.  Andrew Cogliano got his puck up and over the shoulder of the netminder and Team White never looked back.

Andrew Gordon, got the next two goals, making certain that coaching staff remembered his name.  Gordon took Bobby Ryan's spot on a line with Holland and Cogliano.  Ryan did not practice or scrimmage after pulling a groin in yesterday's camp session.   Gordon clearly stepped up and made an impression.

Nick Bonino made it 5-1 with six minutes left to go in the scrimmage.  Black was frustrated further when Emerson Etem upended Sheldon Brookbank mid ice.   Brookbank retaliated with a hook on Etem, but he should have remained focused on the game instead of exacting revenge.  Etem had the last laugh by finishing off the shift with the final goal of the day, leaving Brookbank's dignity completely disgraced.

After the scrimmage, Team White held their drill practice, but nothing as eventful as yesterday.  No injuries is a good thing.

Tomorrow the Ducks get down to business with their first pre-season game against Phoenix.  I would be surprised if Gordon's name is not on the first list of players to dress for the game. 

In other notes:  Defenseman Kurtis Foster has figured out what is causing his knee inflammation.  After breaking his leg in March 2008, there were all sorts of wires and pins placed in the leg for stability.  One of the wires was determined to be causing the irritation and inflammation in his knee. 

Therefore, Foster underwent surgery at UCI Medical Center to remove the wire this morning.  He will be out two to four weeks recovering. 

It is only day two, but there have been some bumps and bruises in the Ducks training camp.

Bobby Ryan left the ice early in his session with a groin strain.  Ryan expects to be on the ice for Monday's practice and scrimmage, so it is not a serious strain.  In this case, it is a matter of "better safe than sorry" approach.

Maxime Macenauer, who pulled his groin during day one of camp, determined he could not practice today and left the ice after testing it out. 

Coach Randy Carlyle did not feel that either groin was a problem at this point in camp. 

The more serious of the day's injuries came to defenseman, Mathieu Carle, who crashed and burned into the end boards at the conclusion of a drill.  Carle was on the ice for a significant period of time before being helped off by trainers.  He did not return and was reportedly "woozy."  While not 100%, Carle was good enough to leave practice on his own, which is encouraging news.  It will be likely that he will not participate in camp on Monday morning.

Kurtis Foster sat out practice once again with knee inflammation.

After the rough start with group B, group A had a relatively "quiet" practice in comparison. 

The focus of the day was once again on teaching and systems.  Learning has been deemed far more important at this juncture than scrimmages, although competition is still the name of the game. 

“We explained to the players and basically told them that we’re evaluating three things,” Carlyle said.  "We’re going to evaluate their ability to retain and their hockey IQ, the amount of heart that they display and the level of conditioning that they are competing at.  Those are things that I’d think you can say are top of the list day in and day out. Specifically for players that are in a position to compete for a job here. There’s a lot of them.”

When there are only one or two spots open on a roster, the competition is there, but still limited.  With plenty of forward spots open (as well as finagling with the defense), nearly everyone is competing for a spot and a ticket to Finland. 

Tomorrow will be the first scrimmage of camp, and those players, who have been reading Carlyle's quotes and hearing the message from him directly, will be ready to show the coaching staff that they deserve a spot on the team. 

For those of you with Monday to Friday jobs, Adam Brady will be attempting to broadcast the scrimmage via the Ducks website.  For those of us with more flexibility in our schedules, reporting will come direct from the Honda Center.

Usually it still feels like summer outside when training camp begins.   This year, there was a touch of fall in the air.   Despite the cool and overcast morning, over 1,000 fans poured into a cold ice arena to see the Anaheim Ducks take to the ice for the first time since April.

Judging by the amount of cash overflowing the money box, most fans ponied up $5.00 apiece to go to the Anaheim Ducks Foundation.  Having hockey back seemed to put everyone in a good and generous mood.

The crowd, hungry for their favorite team, were easily pleased by what they saw on the ice.

Players were split into two groups and ran through standard drills and conditioning.  Nearly every puck that went into the net was cheered.  When Jonas Hiller stuck his head out of the locker room tunnel, fans erupted in support. 

By the time the Zamboni had cleared the ice for group two, everyone knew who would be on the ice in this group.  Including some 41 year old guy from Finland.   Teemu Selanne got a standing ovation just for coming out onto the ice.  No need for "one more year" to be chanted, as he has already signed that contract. 

There are three players at camp not cleared for contact - Toni Lydman, Matt Beleskey and Matt Kennedy.  They wore the "don't hit me" red jerseys and participated in regular skating drills but none of the contact drills.  Kurtis Foster was not on the ice at all due to an inflamed knee.

Hiller, who suffered from vertigo for the final half of the season, looked sharp during drills.  While he was a bit foggy and a split second behind in his reactions in the spring, he looked on top of his game.  If Hiller can avoid further bouts of vertigo (which can come at completely random times) things look solid for the Ducks in net.

While players will be competing for spots in the bottom six forwards, the defense seems pretty set.  Goaltending will likely be Hiller and Dan Ellis, but Ellis will have competition for back up with Jeff Deslauriers and Iiro Tarkki.

Sunday will be another day on the ice for both groups and then Monday will see the first scrimmage.  By then, they will be chomping at the bit to hit someone and try to make the best impression they can to the coaching staff. 

The first pre-season game is on Tuesday, so there is not much time to figure everything out and get down to business. 

One thing is certain - hockey season is back and it feels really good!

He's back!  Teemu Selanne, who in a message to Ducks fans proclaimed his middle name as "one more year," is back for one more year. 

The Finnish Flash signed another one year contract, worth $4 million, just in time to take his physical and get his picture taken as the Ducks proceed to training camp. 

"Obviously, I’m very happy to sign a new contract for a year," Selanne said in a conference call this afternoon.  "I’m very happy to be back. During the summer, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to play again because of the knee surgery I had in early July. It took a long time for it to start working properly. I’m extremely happy and excited about this year, and it’s so nice to be with the Ducks team again."

It did not take long to agree to a contract with GM Bob Murray.  Talks began yesterday.  (How many hockey players can you say that about?  Hmmmm Drew Doughty and the Kings.)

It certainly helps when you know the team you want to play for and you know you want to play.  The rest are just details. 

"As he showed again last season, Teemu still has the drive, determination and skill to play at an elite level,” Murray commented. “Most importantly for us, his passion comes from not just playing, but playing for the Ducks.”

With the Ducks playing a pre-season game against Jokerit, Selanne's former club in Finland, as well as opening in Helsinki, that had to play a part in his decision.  The Ducks will also get to visit Winnipeg in December, thanks to their reappearance in the NHL.  Playing in Winnipeg again, the team that drafted Selanne, had to have played a part, too, right?

"Those things weren’t a factor in me coming back," Selanne claimed. "I looked at them both as really nice bonuses for me and great experiences. Both places are very important places in my life and I’m extremely excited about playing in both places. It’s going to be fun."

Fun is a gross understatement.   

Seeing as I am going to Finland in two weeks on the Ducks road trip, it will be amazing to see first hand how Selanne is revered in his home country. 

Will this finally be the last year for the 41 year old?  He claims that it will be. 

Can we believe him?  It is highly likely that this will, indeed, be Selanne's final year as a player.

He has 1,259 games under his belt.  637 goals.  1,340 points.   Two thirds of his career has been spent in Anaheim. 

Many 20 or 30 year olds would have loved to have had 31 goals and 80 points last season.  Even getting older and "slowing down" the guy still blows other competitors out of the water.

Whether this really is his final year or if he will once again live up to his middle name and do it all over again next September, it doesn't matter.  He has had one hell of a career and the privilege of seeing him play in person, night in and night out, has been priceless. 

I think we are all in it with Selanne and want nothing less than another Stanley Cup win.  How can you not root for the most likeable guy in all of hockey?

Players report tomorrow (Friday) and take to the ice for the first day of training camp on Saturday.  This year, the Anaheim Ducks will be taking the ice at the Honda Center and not at Anaheim Ice. 

Anaheim Ice (also affectionately known as the Anaheim Iceberg, a place where even men have commented about how cold it is and start remarking about the comparison to Edmonton in January) has been home base for training camp since the Ducks first began in 1993.  No more.

The Honda Center has several advantages over Anaheim Ice - no need to move equipment back and forth between buildings, more seating for spectators, ability to sell their own concessions to make money.   Veterans will likely be in the main locker room, with rookies and prospects in the visitor's locker room.  Both accomodations are roomier than those at Anaheim Ice. 

Camp is open to the public except on game days.  Training camp begins in earnest on Saturday, with players split up into two groups.  At Anaheim Ice, the players could practice simultaneously on both rinks.  At the Honda Center, players will take turns on the ice, so spectators don't have to go from rink A to rink B. 

Training camp schedule is 9:00am - 10:15am for group A on Saturday, September 17.  Group B takes the ice from 10:30am - 11:45am.  On Sunday, reverse that schedule.  Monday, September 19, group A is on from 9:00am - 9:45am and group B is 11:15am - 12:00pm.  

On Monday, there will be a scrimmage in between the two groups from 10:00am - 11:00am.   

Throughout training camp, fans will have an opportunity to make a $5 donation to the Anaheim Ducks Foundation when entering the arena.  The Foundation facilitates and supports programs that produce positive change for children and families throughout Southern California.

The public part of training camp will take a pause on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will be the first two pre-season games (against Phoenix and San Jose).  

Fans can once again watch camp, with likely fewer bodies, on Thursday, September 22, with group A set for 9:00am - 10:30am and group B following at 10:45am - 12:00pm. 

After three more games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the remaining training camp schedule will be determined at that time.  It is likely there will only be one group left, with only the final cuts remaining.

As the Duck will be heading to Finland to start the season, things will have to come together quickly for the team.