Ducks vs Los Angeles Kings

There's a lot riding on this game. Not just the Freeway Faceoff title, although that's a big one. But also, the Ducks are out of the playoff standings for the first time this season. They need this win!

Nothing against J.S. Giguere, cuz I love Giggy, but I'm a little bit relieved to see Jonas Hiller start in net tonight. I think Giggy took a beating in the last game, against the Thrashers, and I'm concerned how that might affect his game.

Right as the first period starts, our boys are moving their feet, it's an aggressive game. I'm hoping they won't repeat their habit of giving up that first goal... but somehow, I doubt it...

And then, the Kings get one past Hiller.

But that's not to say that Hiller isn't on the ball. He made some excellent saves. In the first period, there was a great point blank, one-on-one save against a rushing Anze Kopitar. On the other side of the rink, the Kings' netminder tonight is Jonathan Quick, an excellent goalie in his own right.

To prove that point, the first period comes to a close with the Kings leading 1-0.

Even though our Ducks open the second with the rest of a power play, they can't get one into the net. It's a bit frustrating, cuz the guys are making great shots on goal. Especially when, at the middle of the game, the Kings get another one between the arm and the body of Hiller. It's now 2-0 and my mood has dropped considerably.

Emotions are running high already, and even more so with this deficit. Mike Brown already fought Wayne Simmonds in the first. And after every whistle following a goalie save, guys start pushing and shoving in the crease.

Finally, in the later half of the second, a faceoff win by Ryan Getzlaf finds its way to Scott Niedermayer, who sends it towards Quick. The rebound is picked up by Teemu Selanne, who slams it through some major traffic to find net. Ducks get on the scoreboard, 1-2.

The third period starts with a penalty against Jack Johnson for intercepting Chris Kunitz. On the resulting power play, Getzlaf does an amazing play down the center of the ice and gets the puck past Quick to tie the game. Play intensifies as the period stretches on. Lots of energy on the ice... and bad calls when Bobby Ryan gets clipped in the face by a high stick, with no call from the zebras.

Moments later, he's sent to the penalty box with one of the Kings for a hooking/holding the stick combo. And then ANOTHER penalty against the Ducks, and the Captain is sent to the box for slashing.

The Kings take advantage of the 4 on 3 play and retake the lead.

And then more penalties. Both Niedermayer brothers and no Kings because of a huge, multiplayer scrum behind the Kings net? I don't get it. But it's a 5 on 3 game again, with pressure running high on Hiller to keep those pucks out of his net. Unfortunately, he can't, and the Kings take another goal.

With less than five minutes to go, it looks like our Ducks are doomed. But not without a fight! Kunitz gets an amazing goal between the pipes. My boy Bobby has already attempted an excellent shot on goal that was denied by Quick, and then again, he makes a great slap shot that gets covered. You can read the frustration off his face.

Without the Captain, I can't say I hold out much hope for an equalizer. And indeed, the Ducks can't pull through. The Kings take the game, and the Freeway Faceoff Title, 4-3.

The Rinks, Corona inline launch

I'd heard about The Rinks program via a link from the Ducks official website. There would be a launch ceremony at the newest rink, at the Corona location. Since I had the Monday off work (a rarity for me), I decided to drive those ten minutes from my parents' house to check out the festivities.

I didn't really know what to expect. Maybe there'd be some freebees, maybe some news announcements, maybe a few familiar faces. Nothing could have prepared me for the incredible day ahead of me.

Author's note: I might lapse into bouts of teenaged excitement in this entry. You'll have to forgive me, I've never been so close to our Ducks before.

The rain was falling, but I found the rink with little trouble. I was early, but the place was set up for fun, and there were already quite a few people in attendance.


The entire place would become standing room only as fans and players waited for our Ducks to arrive.

I walked around, snapping pictures and sizing up the best places to be to get other great shots. It felt like being in high school again, when I was on the newspaper staff, trying to get good angles for the Homecoming game/track meets/drama theatricals. I could flash my press pass and be able to get right out on the field. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a press pass for Ducks events like these?


The Rinks setup included a shot target for the kids to practice their aim.

The Ducks Color Analyst Brian Hayward walked right by me as I measured up angles outside the rink. I smiled and said hello, he was polite and nodded at me. I probably could have gotten a picture of him, or with him, as he did with fans later... but it didn't occur to me at the time. He went on stage and announced that a few of our Ducks would be present to inaugurate the new Rink and coach its first game. How exciting!

Now I didn't feel foolish for tucking my Ducks hat and a silver sharpie in my purse. Maybe I'd get an autograph or two.

Our Ducks arrived late thanks to a longer-than-usual practice and some incorrect driving directions. But my boy Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne were the first to arrive. I had a perfect spot on the right side of the audience, with a clear shot of the stage. And yes, the teenager in me was positively thrilled to be so close to Bobby. w00t.


Teemu and Bobby talk about how proud they are to be a part of the future of hockey through the Rinks program.


Brian grills the guys about the difficult practice session that made them late to the Rinks event.

And then, Chris Pronger shows, much to the cheers of the audience. By the way, I'm absolutely astounded by the showing here. It's raining outside, and Southern Californians hate rain. Hell, that's why we live in SoCali. The Ducks haven't been as strong as they have in past seasons. But still, the fans drive out, the fans are here... and they still love their Ducks.

You want to know why? I have a feeling it's got something to do with events like this. Our Ducks aren't just a sports team. They are an active force in this community, and they use their high-profile position to help the community. The athletes are down-to-earth guys, humble and grateful, devoted to their fans. They make us want to be there for them because they've earned our respect. That's why I love the Ducks. Because they GIVE BACK. Not like some other teams... ahem.


Brian Hayward takes questions from the audience for Pronger, Teemu, and Bobby.

Some of the kids in the audience had some great questions for the guys. I especially liked: "How do you feel when the crowd screams your name?"

Pronger: "Screaming? How about booing? I get a lot of boos, but I like that."

I love how I got a feel for the guys' personalities as they stood on that stage. Teemu had the politically correct answers. He's the one who sounds like he's done tons of appearances and interviews. He knows what to say and he's very comfortable in that skin. Pronger is quite the character, joking around and not taking himself seriously. He's the guy who'd be great to sit down and knock back a couple of beers with. And Bobby, the rookie with new-found fame, seemed rather shy and quiet. Maybe he's not quite comfortable yet with the spotlight, but the boy is very talented and I'm sure he won't be this way for long. But while he is, it's very endearing. I'm looking forward to watching him grow into an amazing player.

After the questions, the guys joined a few of the players of the inaugural game to perform a ceremonial faceoff. Photo op. But I was in the wrong place for this. I got stuck behind Pronger and, as the guy is massive, I couldn't see anything except his huge 25 in my face.


The ceremonial faceoff.

The crowd broke up after the faceoff and that's when the scurry started for autographs. I was hoping that would have been a little more organized, because there was a lot of pushing and shoving... but somehow, I got pushed right into Teemu. He quietly signed autographs as he walked towards the rink, not really making eye contact or conversation with fans. I think he just goes into a zone. I got him to sign my hat before he headed off to coach his team of youngsters.


Teemu signs autographs for the fans.

I really wanted to get Bobby's autograph, but he'd already disappeared to the rink. The press was allowed onto the rink to snap pictures of the guys with their respective teams. The rest of us clustered around outside of the player boxes, and I settled for shots through the glass.


Bobby and Teemu give their team encouragement and game pointers.


Pronger coaches his team during the debut game.


Bobby intently watches his team.

What a great opportunity for these kids. They were mostly nine and ten-year-olds, playing inline hockey. To have actual NHL players show up to coach them during a game... I mean, wow.


Chris Pronger sneakily tries to overhear the opponent's game strategy.


The only thing between me and greatness is a pane of glass...

At some point during an intermission, Pronger left his box and stepped out of the rink. It's probably a correct assessment to say I wasn't alone in waiting for this opportunity.


Pronger gets swarmed by fans as he steps off the rink.

"Woah," Pronger exclaimed. "Back up, everybody. I'm getting claustrophobic and believe me, you don't want me to freak out."

The crowd did as it was told, and Pronger was visibly surprised. He reached for the hats, jerseys, and player cards that were held out to him, signing them with his own black sharpie while laughing and engaging in small talk. I got him to sign my hat too. I backed up as far as the crowd would let me and snapped pictures.


If you think Pronger looks really tall in these pictures, that's because he is! On a good day, I come up to his armpit.

At around this time, Robbie Niedermayer finally arrived. I was talking to another Bobby fan when we heard a deep voice behind us. "Excuse me."

"Oh sorry," we stepped aside, and Robbie walked right by us. "Woah, wait. That's Rob Niedermayer!" We laughed. Rob looked like he was in no mood to sign anything, and headed straight to Pronger's bench to catch up with his team. That was okay. Having gotten Teemu and Pronger, my sole intent now was to catch Bobby.

By the time the game wrapped up, the scoreboard reading 4-2 echoed the fact that it was definitely an eventful game, the crowd had figured out the most probable path for the players to exit the rink and placed themselves strategically there in a mass of bodies. I was a little miffed, but I'd still try my best.

The guys evaded that route, probably noticing how packed it was, and opted for the back door. I fought my way over there as Rob, Teemu, and Pronger were practically out the door. Bobby lagged behind, and I took advantage of the opportunity. He looked me straight in the eye as I handed him my hat. Taking my pen, he signed a hockey stick and a puck before handing it back. "Oh," I said, "the pen was meant for my hat,"

"Oh!" He exclaimed, and gave me a sweet smile. Okay, now I was officially starstruck and dumbfounded.

After he signed my hat, I managed, "Can you sign my shirt too? I promise that next time, I'll have your jersey." I turned around so he could sign on his number.

He laughed, "No problem, this is great!"

"Thanks so much, Bobby. Love ya!"

"You're welcome! Anytime!" He smiled at me again and I stepped back, totally oblivious to the fact that he was standing right there in front of me and I had a camera that I could easily have used to capture the moment. Oh well. I have this amazing event emblazoned in my memory, and that will have to do. I also slipped the url to this blog into this pocket, so hopefully he'll visit these pages and not be scared off, haha.


I had the opportunity to get a much better, closer picture of Bobby, but I was too starstruck to remember that I had a camera hanging around my neck.


My question is, can you wash autographed shirts and hats? And if so, how?

Ducks vs. Atlanta Thrashers

I wonder if, at any point during the second or third period of tonight's game against the Atlanta Thrashers, one of the Ducks thought, "Okay, joke's over. Somebody wake me up now..." I can tell you that thought went through the head of almost every Duck fan.

Because honestly? Tonight's game was nothing short of a horrible nightmare!

What the hell happened? I couldn't even listen to the entire game. I was at work, listening to the radio broadcast with two of my coworkers (avid Duck fans in their own right) and we decided to turn the radio off after J.S. Giguere was pulled from the net, Jonas Hiller replaced him, and the Thrashers quickly welcomed him to the game by sliding a puck past him.

Hell, his skate blades hadn't even gotten cold yet.

I can imagine this was Hiller's thought as he took the net: "What? You expect me to salvage THIS?!"

I have the game recorded and waiting for me in my VCR, but something tells me I'm not going to want to watch it. Imposing depressive episodes isn't exactly my thing. I will, however, watch the highlights so that I can see my boy Bobby Ryan score. In fact, the only Duck goals in this game came from the second line.

Teemu Selanne, Andrew Ebbett, and Bobby Ryan have something beautiful going here, and I hope that Randy Carlyle knows enough not to mess with it.

I hate to say it, but I almost expected this to happen. How can the same team which whipped the Flames two times in a row lose to teams like the Thrashers, the Islanders, and the Lightning??? Seems the Ducks have found a way.

Let's just hope that the Los Angeles' Kings recent climb in the standings no longer labels them as a "losing" team that the Ducks "should" beat.

Ducks vs. Calgary Flames

I'm very excited to be AT this game; it'll be my very first Ducks game on home ice. I met up with a fellow Duck fan and meetup member (my meetup endeavor didn't prove very fruitful, but I've at least found a handful of Duck faithfuls to talk to).

Wearing my black Bobby Ryan #54 t-shirt, I loved being around so many other Ducks fans. Very cool. My friend and I had a brief ticket snafu, but were still able to get to our seats in time to watch a special opening ceremony. Steve Rucchin made an appearance to present Teemu Selanne with a photo collage award for playing the most games in the history of the club.


Way to go, Teemu!

As the game starts, I realize how far up our seats actually are. Considering I won my tickets (and didn't have to pay a cent for them), I'll take what I can get. But, my fear of heights would have kicked in if I hadn't been so damn excited.


Don't breathe too hard, there's limited oxygen up here.


Look at those championships!

As has been the Ducks tradition, the first goal of the game goes to Calgary. Argh. J.S. Giguere is starting in net again, having won our last game also against the Flames on Saturday. However, we don't get the luck of having Curtis McElhinney in the Flames net. Instead, it'll be the daunting Miikka Kiprusoff.

Before the game is six minutes in, George Parros decides to go for Round Two with Andre Roy, whom he fought when Calgary hosted the Ducks five days ago. I think our boys did well with that energy, as they made shot after shot on goal. But see, this is Kiprusoff they're up against, and getting anything past that netminder is close to impossible.

The Ducks get their first power play on the heels of an injury to Ryan Getzlaf. Anytime you see a guy as important as Getzlaf limping off the ice, you get that feeling of dread in your stomach. I prayed Getz would return while anxiously watching a number of Chris Pronger's shots on goal get denied by a on-the-ball Kiprusoff.

As the power play comes to a close, Getzlaf comes back onto the ice and much cheering is heard.

The first period finishes with the scoreboard reading 0-1, but not for lack of energy. Our boys were fighting hard. I just hoped they'd have something to show for it.

At the first intermission, it was time for one of the most important events of the game: hot dogs and bevvies. My friend treated me to a wiener and a coke, yummy.

Can I just say I'm really liking the Ducks' second line. Teemu, my boy Bobby Ryan, and Andrew Ebbett just seem to mesh together. They pass well, they anticipate each others' moves... it just looks like it works well. I love it.


Expect good things to happen when you see #54, #8, and #48 on the ice together.

And then, we get a chance to see if Mike Brown, who the Ducks just acquired from the Vancouver Canucks, can live up to his words. I remember reading an article shortly after his acquisition, in which he referred to himself as a physical player. He likes to fight, he likes to agitate the opponent. Supposedly, this was the reason why he's been added to the Ducks' roster. And wow, Brown comes through like a champ. I watched him deliver a series of blows to Eric Nystrom, and consequently receiving more than a nod from his teammates on the bench.

The number of shots on the Flames goal heads skyward, yet no reflection on the scoreboard. Kiprusoff remains cool as a cucumber.

Actually, Giggy is making quite a few excellent saves as well. He just hasn't seen as much action as the puck has been spending most of its time on the other side of the rink. And Corey Perry's doing some pretty moves of his own. Look for those on the highlight reel.

Finally, a break? Dion Phaneuf is sent to the box on a hooking penalty and we have another Ducks power play. Indeed, our boys capitalize. The Captain jumps on a rebound and slams it home. The crowd, including yours truly, erupts. It's tied, 1-1.


If you're looking at this in your zone and Getzlaf is in that faceoff, you should probably keep your eyes open for pucks.

Before the end of the period, the Flames grab back the lead. Did I mention I'm expecting the Ducks to lose this one? Again, not for lack of faith, but more so superstition. Seems when I honestly expect them to lose, they don't. With less than a minute to go, Ebbett takes an open ice hit from Phaneuf's elbow (or shoulder, hard to tell) to the face, breaking his nose. There's no call... are we surprised? But Chris Pronger gets two minutes in the box for coming to his teammate's defense.

How stupid is that? I suppose we Ducks fans should be used to bad calls.

In the third, after Pronger gets out of the box, Getzlaf wins a puck from out of the boards and passes it straight to Brendan Morrison, who sends it in past Kiprusoff for a goal. Yay! 2-2 and we're tied again.

The rest of the period is a nailbiter, tons of excellent plays, tons of excellent saves. But nobody retaking the lead. The horn blows at the end of regulation and a multiple player scrum erupts in front of the Calgary net. Chris Kunitz and Cory Sarich are sent to the box. It's going to be 3 on 3 in overtime.

No less than 55 seconds into overtime, Scott Niedermayer sends a marvelous pass from Todd Marchant at Kiprusoff. The puck carems off the netminder's stick and into his goal.

Ducks win it in overtime, 3 to 2!! My friend and I are jumping up and down, screaming and cheering, the Ducks' bench empties and all the boys are out on the ice, piling around Scotty. He manages to sneak off, but the guys keep celebrating. And they should, cuz they truly deserved this one.


Hey, where's the guy who just won the game?

Ducks at Calgary, vs Flames

I went into this one expecting our Ducks to lose.

Not because I don't have any faith, mind you, but because hey, our boys have been so unpredictable this season, it was a road game, AND it was against the Flames. Also, my friend and I would be attending a watch party at the local ESPN Zone so, even if the Ducks got their asses handed to them on a silver platter, I'd be getting buffalo wings and nachos handed to me on a restaurant plate. I would make the most of it.

If there's one thing about me you've probably guessed by now, it's that good food can make my day. I'd like to think I have my priorities straight.

Maybe expecting that loss was the magic formula. Maybe the energy from those 50 or so fans in that ESPN Zone room, with its awesome big screen and surround sound, helped our boys extinguish those Flames. Maybe we lucked out because Miikka Kiprusoff wasn't in the Flames net. Maybe the Flames had indigestion from a bad breakfast which made them make crucial mistakes at just the right moments, when our boys were able to capitalize and get pucks into the net.

Whatever the reason, that Saturday game was a win our boys desperately needed. And it was an official Ducks watch party that I thoroughly enjoyed, topped by a few extra special events that I'll share after my comments on the game.

Finally breaking that horrible tradition of letting the other team make the first goal, my boy Bobby Ryan sunk a puck off an assist from Andrew Ebbett early in the first period, much to the cheers and screams of us fans. And then, with less than a minute left in the second, Corey Perry intercepted a puck at middle ice, storming down on Flames' netminder Curtis McElhinney one-on-one. It was a basic shootout play, and a successful one with Perry extending the Ducks' lead to a comfortable two goals. The Flames managed to slip a puck past Giggy in the third period, after at least 40 long minutes of trying to get on the scoreboard.

The game was definitely physical, as you'd expect for these two clubs. Two fights broke out, one between big guys George Parros and Andre Roy in the second, and another between Steve Montador and Cory Sarich late in the third. After Perry's goal, the Ducks went into a defensive MO, trying to keep pucks out of their net and ride out the game with their 2-0 lead. J.S. Giguere made a number of phenomenal saves, and I was happy to see him looking like he was truly enjoying himself out there.

Maybe his slump is over? I'm hearing opinions all over that Giggy's past his prime, that he needs to be traded. I can't disagree more. On a basic level, I think it's plain sad that we'd want to get rid of a guy with a great track record just because he's fallen on a few hard times. I mean, a whole season of bad playing, that's one thing, but a few thrown games shouldn't get a guy booted. After all, in Giggy's case, he lost his father. That's something that will hit anyone hard.

I understand the argument that hockey's a business and clubs have to build lines that score goals. The NHL wants teams who can move the puck and get butts into the seats.

But hockey is also a recreational sport, and an emotionally charged one at that. Fans get attached to teams, they get attached to certain players. And with the way the Ducks are so involved with the community, good guys like Giguere give the team a human, compassionate side. Fans go to the games to see a good show, but they also go because they feel strongly for their team and their favorite players.

I know it doesn't make a lot of business sense to say this but, I feel like the Ducks wouldn't be the Ducks without key guys like Giguere. He's one of the guys who takes us to the playoffs. He's one of the guys who earned the Stanley Cup in '07. A few bad games and you want to trade him? It just doesn't seem right to me.

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now.

The game ended successfully for our Ducks, the Flames never managed to get that equalizer. I felt that the win was even sweeter having been shared amongst 50 cheering Duck fans.

And now, for my special treats. During the second intermission, I spied a familiar face sitting a few tables from me. At least, I thought he looked close to the small image in the header of the official Ducks webpage blog written by Adam Brady. I read Adam's blog religiously, and I email/bother him quite frequently with questions and comments. Obviously, I never read his blog before I've written mine; I'm not interested in consciously or unconsciously stealing anyone's intellectual property... and the art of writing can be hugely subliminal.

I introduced myself and we shared a little small talk. It was very cool to finally meet the guy.

Treat number two came with the presence of the radio show Duck Calls producer Josh Brewster. I've listened to Josh's show before, but I would never consider calling in or anything because I feel like a lot of Josh's callers are HUGE fans. They talk stats and technical details and other such things that a more passive Ducks' afficionado like myself wouldn't know the first thing about. I'd never want to come across like some sort of lame poseur!

So, when Josh announced that he'd be doing his show right there at the ESPN Zone after the Calgary game, I didn't think too much of it. Maybe I could meet the guy, shake his hand, and tell him I like his show. But that would be it, right?

Wrong.

My friend thought it would be funny to push me into that sound booth, as Josh waved us in while we peeked in through the glass. "She's a huge Ducks fan," he announced, while I stood there looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Josh promised me it would be painless as I was given a seat and a pair of headphones. I hope I didn't look as nervous as I felt. But, as he asked me questions about how I felt about the game our Ducks played against the Flames, and being able to watch it at the ESPN Zone, my nerves disappeared.

Get me talking about my boys and I've apparently got plenty to say.

We talked a bit about the upcoming NHL trades and my opinions on the Ducks' playoff potential, and it was great fun. I became star-stricken after the whole thing was over, excitedly telling my friend, "I was on the air with Josh Brewster!"

So Josh, if you're reading this, just know you totally made a great day even better =D

Now, if the Ducks can just beat the Flames again on Wednesday... Maybe I'll just assume they'll lose, and resolve myself to enjoying my beer and hotdog... and then cheer and scream like a mad person when they win.