Duck odds and ends

The Joe DiPenta Lasagna Dinner Fundraiser event that I attended last month (the original post can be found here) made it onto the latest edition of "The Element." Yours truly can even claim a brief 5 seconds of fame. Check it out:



In other news, I'm hearing that the Ducks are finalizing a possible one-year contract with James Wisniewski. Good call on it being one year. We'll see if Wiz is good enough to command another year's worth of valuable cap space at the end of this season. Personally, I really liked his performance for the few months we had him. The guy was almost Marchant-like, blocking shots, giving his all. However, he does have some maturing to do, and it shows in some of his decisions on the ice where he'll find himself horribly out of position.

I think a one-year contract is best for both parties involved.

The Ducks have signed another defenseman, Atlanta Thrashers Steve McCarthy, to a one-year contract. His last time in the NHL was the 2007-08 season during which he totaled 1-6=7 points and 48 PIM in 55 games. His best point season was the one prior, in which he totaled 4-12=16 points. I don't know anything about this guy besides his stats, so we'll see how he does meshing with our guys in training camp.

The best thing about him will probably be that he'll add a little maturity and experience to our green defensive lines. Nothing against Brett Festerling, Sheldon Brookbank, Troy Brodie, or Brian Salcido, but I'd feel better with a few d-men who are less wet behind the ears.

The Twitter foray is looking quite positive, although yours truly needs a lot more time to get a handle on it. I've found a number of excellent Duck blogs, check out the new (and old) links posted in the sidebar. If you are a twittering Ducks fan interested in meeting other twittering Ducks fans (or just a Duck fan looking for other Duck fans), there is an OC Tweetup being planned for the end of August. More details will be posted here a little later.

Speaking of the sidebar, I know the player pictures need to be updated. I'm going to wait until the free agency dust settles and we have a better idea of who's going to be on our 2009-2010 Duck roster before I start juggling pics in and out. Although, I must admit, I am INCREDIBLY excited to add Saku Koivu in a Ducks jersey to this page!

Just the thought gives me chills.