It turns out the Anaheim Ducks aren’t roasted poultry just yet.
Although most hockey pundits considered them to be dead in the water after a horrific month of December, the Ducks have cut in half what was once a 20-point gap between them and the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference thanks to an 11-2-2 run.
If you happened to drop in on the Anaheim Ducks’ Tuesday practice at the Honda Center, you would have seen a rare sight for the team this season: smiles.
The team is finally enjoying showing up to the rink as a result of their recent 5-0-1 surge, their first six-game points streak in the standings since November 2010.
After winning just five games through the months of November and December, the Ducks are finally starting to resemble a hockey team. Over the course of their six-game stretch, they have scored 25 goals and allowed 11. In January, they have scored 26 goals in seven games (3.71 per game), second in the NHL behind the Boston Bruins (29 goals in seven games: 4.14 average.)
Professional sports leagues, with the exception of the NFL the Pro Bowl, typically frown upon the idea of having their star players miss their respective All-Star games.
The NHL is no different.
Back in 2009, Detroit Red Wings stars Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk were given a one-game “suspension” for skipping out on the All-Star Game in Montreal because of a League mandate that excused injury only if a player missed the game immediately preceding the All-Star break. While the punishment may seem a bit extreme, you can’t blame the league for wanting to promote its star players.
With the NHL trade deadline just about a month away, more and more rumors are beginning to surface regarding some key players. However, due to the fact that the standings are so tight right now in both conferences, we may not see much activity until the final weeks leading up to the Feb. 27 deadline. Nevertheless, here are some of the names that are currently linked to various rumors—some of which may actually be true.
James van Riemsdyk and Luke Schenn
This rumor started running wild last week when a report came out of Philadelphia claiming Flyers director of player personnel Don Luce scouted the Leafs in recent games.
There is no doubt in anybody’s mind that Teemu Selanne is an All-Star player through and through.
He also happens to be an All-Star person in real life.
As the 41-year-old Selanne continues to defy his age and to produce and perform in this, his 19th season in the NHL, it comes as no surprise that the Finnish Flash was presented with the opportunity to make his 11th career All-Star Game appearance.
However, Selanne instead lobbied that his Anaheim Ducks teammate, Corey Perry, was much more deserving of the nomination to represent the Ducks for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game Jan. 29 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.
Many in Anaheim were hoping that a head coaching change would possibly salvage the Ducks’ atrocious start to the 2011-12 season.
Randy Carlyle was fired on Dec. 1. Bruce Boudreau has been behind the bench in Anaheim for a little over a month and the Ducks are just 3-9-2 under his watch.
So maybe 2012 would be kinder to the Ducks?
Not if the San Jose Sharks had anything to say about it.
It turns out Bruce Boudreau won’t have to go out and wait in any unemployment lines.
After being fired on Monday by the Washington Capitals, Boudreau was named the Anaheim Ducks new head coach Wednesday night, just hours after the Ducks fired Randy Carlyle following the club’s 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
The victory was only the second for the Ducks in the month of November, and despite the two points, the Ducks are 14th in the Western Conference and 29th in the overall standings.
The Ducks also relieved assistant coaches Dave Farrish and Mike Foligno, and video coordinator Joe Trotta of their duties.
At 6-13-4 and having lost 16 of their past 18 games, the Anaheim Ducks have to do something to shake up their team.
Bobby Ryan knows this, and that is why he has said that he wouldn’t be shocked if the team decided to trade him.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Ryan said. “That’s all I’ll say about that.”
Ducks GM Bob Murray has reluctantly announced that the Ducks are in fact shopping the perennial 30-goal scorer. Ryan, 24, was the second overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft behind Sidney Crosby. Although His current contract carries a $5.1 million cap hit through the 2014-15 season, Ryan’s 112 goals in three-plus seasons will demand a huge return for the Ducks in a potential trade scenario.
April may have been the cruelest of months for T.S. Eliot, but the Anaheim Ducks aren’t exactly huge fans of November right now.
The team is just 1-10 on the month and they are currently mired in a five-game losing streak. Some superstitious fans may want to blame it on goaltender Jonas Hiller’s “Movember” mask, but the root of the problem lies much deeper than equipment.
But could it be that the Ducks are actually scared of winning?
NHL goaltenders are a unique breed in that they are the only players in professional sports who get to customize their own gear.
And while there have been some legendary goalie masks over hockey’s history, none might be cooler than Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller’s new lid.
The mask, which features head shots of all of his teammates with airbrushed and rather ostentatious-looking mustaches, is a tribute to Movember, the month-long effort to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues by growing fabulous facial hair throughout November.
Keep up to date with your favorite NHL team via our team Twitter accounts
Detroit Red Wings
Philadelphia Flyers
Nashville Predators
Columbus Bluejackets
Carolina Hurricanes
Buffalo Sabres
Calgary Flames
New York Rangers
Tampa Bay Lightning
St. Louis Blues
Washington Capitals
Phoenix Coyotes
Edmonton Oilers
Chicago Blackhawks
