Un-Duckin' Believable: Anaheim wins Cup

The Anaheim Ducks have done it - Stanley Cup Champions. I'm very happy for the fans in Southern California. As I've been saying to many friends via e-mail today (including my friend Eel, who was at the game last night - lucky Duck!) - it's a great thing for the sport when a team that has never captured the Cup before finally wins it.

The coolest thing about this Cup victory? Other than Captain Scott Niedermayer, who won three other Cups, no other player on the Ducks had ever won a Cup before. That's pretty amazing, and a testament to the leadership on this team, from Owner Henry Samueli to GM Brian Burke to Head Coach Randy Carlyle to Captain Niedermayer, this team has solid leadership who knew how to get it done.

This site didn't break my heart - Senators Captain Daniel Alfredsson watching the Ducks celebrate after the final horn. The Sens captain did one of the most classless things I've seen in hockey, ever, during Game 4 before the end of the second period, when he intentionally shot the puck at Ducks Captain Scott Niedermayer. He's lucky he didn't get the living stuffing beat out of him. The footage:

One of the things I love about hockey is the code that exists between the players. After the final horn last night, all of the players lined up and shook hands. You don't see that in the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals or the World Series. And all of the Ducks shook hands with Alfredson.

Fittingly, Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. Everyone knows that the Stanley Cup is the coolest, most recognizable championship trophy in all of sports, but the Conn Smythe Trophy doesn't get enough recognition. It's a very cool trophy; I saw it up close when I was at the Hockey Hall of Fame in the mid-1990s. Most people probably can't even name, much less recognize, the MVP trophy in any other major professional sport in North America, but the Conn Smythe has personality. (Incidentally, the trophy is a rendering of Maple Leaf Gardens with a Canadian Leaf behind it.)

Captain Niedermayer lifts the Cup; the captain is always the first, as he's presented the trophy from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The first person the captain handed it to was his brother Rob Niedermayer; the duo are the first brothers to win the Stanley Cup together since Brent and Duane Sutter won it with the New York Islanders in 1983.

It was very cool to see Teemu Selänne win his first Cup last night. It's been a long time coming for the Finnish super star, and he's waited a long time. He broke in with the Winnipeg Jets during the 1992-93 season, when he notched 76 goals and 132 points (both are records that still stand) while capturing the Calder Trophy.

Ducks G Jean-Sébastien Giguère with the Cup. Few people deserved a championship more than "Jiggy," who led the Ducks the the Finals in 2003, only to fall short. He won the Conn Smythe that year, one of the few players on the losing team in the Finals to win the award. I can still remember the tears streaming down his face after the Ducks lost to the Devils.

This picture is awfully hard to look at - it's former Edmonton Oilers Chris Pronger (left) with Todd Marchant celebrating their Stanley Cup win. When the Oilers traded Pronger to the Ducks last year for Ladislav Šmíd, Joffrey Lupul and picks galore, it was recently revealed that Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe told Ducks GM Brian Burke, "I'm giving you a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final." Burke responded that if the Ducks made it to the Finals, the Ducks would throw in one more first round draft pick. Draft picks are nice, but there isn't a soul in Edmonton who would not rather be in a Stanley Cup parade this weekend with Pronger still on the team.

Pronger will be Public Enemy No. 1 in Edmonton for a long time for deserting the team the way he did. But, I've got to give the man his due - he had a very big impact on the Ducks. The duo of Pronger and Scott Niedermayer are the best 1-2 punch on the blue line in the NHL.

Marchant and Pronger are the 17th and 18th ex-Oilers to win the Stanley Cup since Edmonton last won it in 1990. Yay.

This is just a cool photo - it's Ryan Getzlaf celebrating with some bubbly.

Ducks Owner Henry Samueli celebrating with Stanley.

The Ducks team photo. This year marks the 19th anniversary of the first on-ice team photo after the deciding Stanley Cup Final game - Wayne Gretzky asked his teammates to pose for one in 1988 after they beat the Bruins (below left). Two months later, he was traded.

I have to admit that I'm pretty happy the Finals are over, because this marks the beginning of the offseason, and hopefully a resurgence for the Oilers. They've got a lot of work to do.

As far as the coverage, it was pretty good - NBC did a pretty nice job. I do get sick and tired of seeing and reading all of the negative press about the NHL's ratings. There are a number of reasons for the NHL's low ratings, most notably it's lame TV contract with Versus, with some occasional games shown on NBC. It's too bad the league didn't stay with ESPN & ESPN 2.

One final note to the season. I heard Don Cherry on TV in between periods the other night giving the league some body blows, and I happen to agree with him. (Below, that's me meeting Don Cherry before last year's Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.) In Cherry's opinion, the league should do away with the instigator rule, where anyone who instigates a fight is given an extra two-minute minor in addition to a five-minute major for fighting, giving the opposing team a power play. Cherry couldn't be more right - when the league allowed more fighting, the players policed themselves, and idiots like Daniel Alfredsson would have the crap kicked out of him for being a classless player.

Since the NHL implemented the instigator rule, stick work and stupidity have both increased, not decreased. I'm not holding my breath that the league will change the rules, though. Just like it won't fix the stupid scheduling format, where a team plays divisions outside its conference once every three years. It's letter writing time.

All photos by AP except bottom photo
Bottom photo by R.J. Corby

NHL right in suspending Pronger

Maybe it really IS the New NHL.

In light of Ducks D Chris Pronger's cheap shot elbow to Senators LW Dean McAmmond (below, knocked silly on the ice) on Saturday night, Colin Campbell, the NHL's Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations, sat Chris Pronger (above) for Monday's game four of the Stanley Cup Finals.

This never would have happened 10 years ago, and definitely not in the 1980s. I can still remember Philadelphia Flyer G Ron Hextall taking a baseball-bat swing at Oiler C Kent Nilsson in the 1987 finals; he was subsequently suspended for multiple games to start the next season. Anyway, I digress - there are numerous examples throughout the 1980s and even the early-to-mid 1990s where players would commit blatant penalties with intent to injure, knowing that they wouldn't get suspended for playoff games by a spineless league.

So, arguably the best blue liner in the game, and definitely in this series, will have to sit down tomorrow night. That's a big minus for the Ducks. Even if McAmmond can't go for the Sens, and it's looking like he won't with a nasty concussion, Ottawa still wins this trade-off. I'm sure McAmmond would have rather weakened the Ducks another way, but Ottawa has got to be favored tomorrow night.

Not only was Pronger's hit a cheap one, but his explanation was equally as cheap, when asked if he could change the way he plays the game:

"I don't think I can, for me to be the type of player I can be," Pronger said. "Obviously, it's a fine line and getting finer every year, and we have to make subtle adjustments. But I don't think I can make wholesale changes and still be the type of player I can be."

What a load. There are plenty of players his size in the game who don't have to play with their elbows and sticks.

As ESPN's Scott Burnside so succinctly points out in a column early today, there are a number of players Pronger's size or larger who don't have to resort to the on-ice tactics Pronger is becoming known for:

Look around the league. Zdeno Chara, all 6-foot-9 of him, was a recent Norris Trophy nominee, but he doesn't resort to the kinds of behavior that has marked Pronger's play. Neither did Larry Robinson, perhaps the greatest big-man defensemen of all time.

Stick that, Pronger.

What's worse about his behavior was his noted lack of remorse, at least publicly:

"I don't think there's any apologies that need to be made. I think they understand how I feel and the situation we're in. I don't think that's going to do anybody any good in our locker room. We need to look forward and look toward building toward Game 4 and getting better."

McAmmond, for his part, feels the hit was less than legit:

"I think it should have been a suspension because it was a blow to the head," McAmmond said in a statement. "It wasn't incidental. It's not like that couldn't have been avoided."

Monday's game should be a good one.

Go Sens.

Finally, something to cheer about in hockey

I'll admit it - I've gone from Cup Crazy to Cup Lazy in less than 12 months. When you're looking forward to the draft more than the playoffs, that's when you know your team is bottom feeding.

I guess that's what happens when your favorite hockey team goes from the penthouse, the Stanley Cup Finals, to the outhouse, missing the playoffs, in nine short months. I haven't had much to cheer about this hockey season. My Edmonton Oilers did not make the playoffs, and I'm still in mourning. I haven't watched this few playoff games since I've been an NHL fan. I love hockey, and it will always be my favorite sport, but this season was such a letdown, I just haven't been able to shake the disappointment.

But, I'm wakin' up - it's Stanley Cup Finals time. Even though two teams are in the finals that I don't have any rooting interest in, I have to confess that I'm rooting for the Ottawa Senators. I will go to my grave believing that just about any Canadian city would appreciate a Stanley Cup more than an American city. There are plenty of fantastic hockey cities in America - I live in one, Philadelphia. In addition to Philly, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York (especially New York) have all gone nuts in the past and will go nuts again when their teams win the Stanley Cup. But, in America, it's a city rooting for a team to win. In Canada, a nation roots for a team when a Canadian team makes it to the finals, as Edmonton did last season and Ottawa has this season.

Anyway, I was rooting for the Anaheim Ducks to get to the finals. Just to get there - not to win it, because of the departed, despised defenseman Chris Pronger. Because the Ducks have made it to the finals, Edmonton gets Anaheim's first-round draft pick next season to complete the Pronger trade. That's huge. How huge?

The Oilers now have five first-round draft picks over the next two seasons. The next two drafts will make or break Edmonton for the next decade. If Oilers GM Kevin Lowe and his staff snag 2-3 blue chippers and a few great role players, they will be in the finals again sooner rather than later.

Edmonton needs lots of rebuilding after last season's disaster, so hopefully Lowe makes the most of what's coming to the Oilers.

As for the finals, Anaheim is firmly in control. After a 1-0 victory the other night, they Ducks are up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. (At left, Sens goalie Ray Emery spits in disgust after giving up the winning goal in game 2.) Tomorrow night's game is hyper-crucial to Ottawa's chances. It's stating the obvious by saying that if the Sens lose tomorrow night, it's all over but the cryin'.

Even though I'm rooting for the Sens, it will be cool to see the Ducks win the Stanley Cup, too. Since the Ducks were founded in 1993, the team has never hoisted the Cup, and it's always good for hockey when a team wins its first Cup. Plus, our friend Eel and his daughters are big Ducks fans out in Southern California, and I'm quite certain they would be more than overjoyed.

As for me, well, I'm watching the finals, but I'm waiting for free agency and the draft. That's pretty pathetic as an Oilers fan.

Sigh. Well, there's always next year.

A big trade, & other NHL thoughts

I've given up on promising not to talk hockey for any length of time - it's just not possible, but summer will be the lean months. However, the league has seen a flurry of activity this week, and I had to discuss a few notable happenings.

Well, the Oilers finally were forced to do the inevitable on Monday, trading Chris Pronger to the Anaheim Ducks for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, a first round pick in '07, a second rounder in '08, and a conditional first rounder. More on that in a minute.

First, I'd like to pay tribute to one of the greatest team captains in sporting history, the Detroit Red Wings' Steve Yzerman. (Pictured above walking off the ice for the last time following the Wings elimination in this year's playoffs at the hands of my Edmonton Oilers on May 1, 2006.)

Stevie Y announced his retirement this week, and it's certainly the end of an era in Hockeytown and for all of hockey. What a class act, what a warrior. After 22 seasons as a Red Wing, Yzerman has decided to hang up his skates, no doubt tired of all of the recent rehabbing he's had to endure on his balky knees. He will be a first-ballot hall of famer, taking his place along side other legendary hockey captains such as Messier, Gretzky, Howe, Bourque, Clarke, Esposito and Orr. He ends his career a one-team man; the Wings jersey is the only one he will ever wear - a rare feat in today's sporting world. Even rarer still - he holds the record as the longest-tenured captain in North American sports history - over two decades with the "C" on the front of his sweater. I'm just glad he didn't end up as one of the greats without a championship ring on his finger - he's got a couple well-deserved rocks from some great Wings teams. Bravo, Stevie Y, bravo. You will be missed.

On to the trade I've been dreading for weeks. What a tremendous disappointment. I was just coming down off of the high of having seen in person two of the Oilers Stanley Cup Finals games in Carolina. It was a disappointment that they didn't get it done, but it was a remarkable and unexpected run. Immediately after the series was over, I rushed to the Poconos to be with my dying grandmother. I'm gone for about five days, I come home, and the first thing I read when I boot up my computer is that one of the league's top three defensemen, Chris Pronger, wants out of Edmonton. Ouch.

Anyway, Pronger (above) is gone, and I'm not quite as disturbed about his departure as I thought I would be. It's heartbreaking and a huge hole to fill, but the Oilers didn't do all that badly in this trade. First, a congrats to my friend Eel and his daughters, avid Anaheim fans who no doubt are salivating at the prospect of having the top defensive duo in the league in Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. They should be excited - next year could be Anaheim's turn to parade Stanley around the ice. Later, Pronger. I'm over you. This was a tough trade to swallow, but the Gretzky trade it ain't.

Anyway, a few words on the new Oilers. Give it a year or two, and both could be studs, and could potentially be parading Stanley around the ice in June.

Here's TSN's take on Joffrey Lupul: First line winger. Has a goal-scorer's mentality, creative instincts and unlimited offensive potential. He can line up either on the wing or at center.

Oh yea, baby, I like the sound of that. If healthy and surrounded with talent (and right now both are a big yes), he has 40-to-50-goal scorer written all over him. And at 22, he's a baby in the sporting world. Bonus - he's Edmonton born, so he won't be whining and complaining about the city like Pronger and his wife did.

I'm even more excited about Ladislav Smid, pictured above as a member of Portland in the AHL this season. Here's his Scouting Report: The son of famous Czech Extraleague and international defender, Ladislav Sr., has been widely regarded as the top 1986-born defenseman prospect in his country. Smid is a rare combination of size, skill, and smarts found in so few defensemen. Was impressive at the recent 2004 IIHF World U-18 Championships while helping to lead the Czechs to a solid third-place finish while earning a spot on the tournament's All-Star team. Talent-wise, Smid instantly catches your attention with his tall frame, smooth powerful skating, crisp accurate passing, and excellent puck control. Defensively, Smid is more of a finesse defenseman that uses smart positioning and ability to read the play, rather than punishing physical play.

NHL Potential: Power play quarterback with plenty of offensive upside. Could pan out big time for a team with patience.

Again, me likes. And Smid's only 20. He could turn out to be every bit the defenseman Pronger is, and he's 11 years younger. Hollah!

Anyway, there are holes to fill on the blueline now, but today the Oilers started addressing their most glaring problem by signing Daniel Tjarnqvist to a one-year deal. It's a start, but Kevin Lowe has plenty of work to do. But, he's got my confidence after the just completed cup run. I know he's got a plan.

Locally, the Flyers seem to be in disarray and haven't done much, save signing R.J. Umberger, and goalie Antero Niittymaki. I hear Peter Forsberg may not even play next season, and that will just be brutal to Flyers fans if that doesn't happen. The best case scenario I heard a few weeks ago was January, and now that's even in doubt. The Flies are my second favorite hockey team (hockey is the only sport where I follow two teams - that's how much I love hockey. But, Philly will always be a distant second to Edmonton), and I hope to see Philly do well, but they look to have many problems. At least with Forsberg out, I won't have to listen to the three-headed jackass that is the Flyers broadcasting trio of Jim Jackson, Steve Coates and Gary Dornhoffer blabber on and on about Forsberg being "the best player in the world." Not if he can't put skates on, boys.

One of the biggest priorities in town is signing left wing Simon Gagne, who didn't file for arbitration. "We want a long-term contract and the Flyers want a long-term contract," Gagne told the Philly Inquirer. "We started talking last week, and hopefully we will find a solution."

Bob Sauve, Gagne's agent, rejected the Flyers' initial four-year proposal last week and countered with his own. Gagne is asking for about $5 mil per. He'll get it, unless Bob Clarke and Ed Snider have lots their minds. But, with Forsberg out, Gagne is a must-sign.

I miss hockey already, but football is right around the corner, and the Red Sox are doing well.

One final slapshot to the mouth

Talk about a shitty week. First I travel all the way to Raleigh to watch the Oilers lose game 7 (But it was still a sensational, memorable time that I'll always cherish and never forget). After the game I find out my grandmother has had a stroke. I rush home Tuesday and go up to see my grandmother midday on Wednesday and she dies early Friday morning. I'm still dealing with her loss and will be for a long time. I didn't love my grandmother any more than I did my other grandmothers, but I had a special bond with her, and in many ways I was a little too shocked to really break down and sob like I felt doing inside. Anyway, I was with my family all weekend and come home late yesterday evening.

This morning, just to get my mind off of my grandmom and my grief, I go to an Oilers fan Website, OilFans.com, and I read that the Oilers best player, Chris Pronger, wants out of Edmonton. Greeeeat.

I'm not equating sports with my Nan's death. Far from it. Sports is trivial on a good day and family means everything. But this was another chink in the armor today. Unreal. Often, I watch sports for a bit of an escape from everyday life; when your team does well, it lifts you up, and when they lose, you're just a bit down. That's the tradeoff. The older I get, I realize that you have to truly cherish a championship when your favorite team(s) wins one, because it's never a given that it will happen in any given year, or ever.

I know, I know, I promised no more hockey, but I had to vent about Pronger wanting out. This is going to be very difficult for the Oilers to overcome. No way Edmonton even gets to the second round in the just-concluded playoffs with no #44. Now, he'll be gone.



It sure looked like Pronger was stoked to be an Oiler (and a successful one here after scoring a goal in the playoffs, above). He had signed a four-year deal, had begun to build a house in Edmonton, and it looked like the Oilers were building something pretty good, too; coming one win away from a Stanley Cup.



As it turned out, Prongers return to Edmonton after game 7 (above) was hello... and goodbye. To be honest, this makes me resent the game 7 loss all the more and just deepens my disappointment. The Oilers were THIS close. And now they feel so far away, and the offseason has just started.



This guy, #47, defenseman Marc Andre Bergeron, will always be the guy that lost us the Cup. He pushed a Carolina player into Conn Smythe candidate Dwayne Roloson in game 1 of the series vs. Carolina, ruining our Cup chances. Yes, the Oilers came back and tied the series, but the odds were against us. I think even the most ardent of Edmonton haters would agree that the Oilers could have won at least one more game with Roloson in net. Nice job, Bergeron. The only way he vindicates himself? By lifting the Stanley Cup next year during a parade route through Edmonton. And those odds look a helluva lot longer now. Now, I'm not taking away from Carolina's Cup - they earned it and won it fair and square, no *. Injuries are part of the game, but injuring your own player is a bad idea, especially when it's your best player, and your starting goalie, no less.

Oiler GM Kevin Lowe certainly has his work cut out for him. He did a masterful job putting the Oilers together to make a highly improbable Cup run. Now he has to parlay arguably the best defenseman in the league into another very good defenseman, and perhaps some goaltending help. If anyone can do it and get value, no question it's him. Get goin', KLowe. We want the Cup.

Sweet Caroline-Aah! Still got the receipt for that Colt 45, Caniacs?

A Category 5 disappointment blew through Raleigh tonight, soaking the area with heavy tears of disappointment. Who's responsible? Hurricane Pisani, of the previously counted-out Edmonton Oilers. Zoom in and look at the faces of some of these victims. Priceless.

What a game. Win or lose for my Oilers, I really enjoyed watching it. Great stuff. Of course, I liked the end result a whole lot better. I knew when Chris Pronger scored 18 seconds into the first period and the Oilers scored with a little over a dozen seconds left in the first period that I was in for a wild night.

Kind of lost in all of the excitement of the win is the stellar play of Oiler replacement Goalie Jussi Markkanen. He played well in game 2, but in games 3, 4 and 5, he's been just about stellar. He's keeping them in games and making just about every clutch save. And when he's a bit off, Canes shooters have been just a bit off, too, clangin' posts or just missing the net. Hey, I'll take it. Jussi is playing like he's got nothing to lose, and really he doesn't; no one counted on him giving the Oilers a chance to win games, and right now, that's all he's doing.

I love the fact that the Stanley Cup Finals, and the feeling I get from the fact the Oilers are in it, is going to last through Saturday, at minimum. It's such an amazing experience and so much fun to watch.

Before I go to sleep with a big smile on my face, a few pictures from tonight's game. ...



Am I the only one who gets disturbed by men dressing up as women for sporting events? This picture is, uh, a little unsightly. It reminds me of those stupid asses who used to dress up for Redskins games (and a few of the losers who still do. Nevermind the fact that it was de rigeur about 20 years ago).

Um, yea Redskins fans, you look, uh, cool. Anyway, back to some snaps from game 5 Tuesday night. ...

In what turned out to be a preview of things to come, Fernando Pisani celebrated a first period goal. He'd have much more to celebrate a few hours later.

Fast forward to overtime. It starts with an Oilers onslaught, and that's just the way it ended. Edmonton came out to start the OT with lots of jump, outshooting the Hurricanes 7-0, but it all could have come crashing down about three minutes in, when Oilers D Steve Staios went off for tripping. Giving the lethal Canes powerplay a chance to win the Stanley Cup was about the last thing I wanted to see. But, then fate stepped in, or should I say Fernando Pisani did. A quick turnover found Fernando headed toward a one-on-one duel with Canes G Cam Ward.

Ward lost. Sweet shot, and sweet shot, too. Love this picture.

Oh, and for you history buffs? Your are looking at a picture of the first short-handed, overtime game-winning goal in Stanley Cup history.

Pack your bags, boys - we're headed back to the great white north! Ya heard?!?

Anyone who has visited this blog knows how much I love goal cam shots, especially when it's of an Edmonton opponent's goalie fishing the puck out of his own net.

Righteous!

I'll bet the boys are sleeping even better than I am tonight. But, there's lots of work ahead in order to get a chance to sip from the Cup.

Two sensational Canes players make their way off the ice; Eric Staal (above) and Cam Ward (below). Lots of hockey left to play, and both will play important roles for the Canes.

Ward (above right) is a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy, but hopes for that trophy may be a bit dimmed after tonight's performance. Of course, no player on either team is worried about the MVP - they are all striving for the Cup.

...And then, elation. How hilarious is this picture, from a bar in Edmonton?

A message to all Hurricanes players and their "Caniac" fans...

And I found this on a fan Web site tonight...

Okay, okay, just kidding. Just a little good-natured fun. I can't wait for Saturday, and I still believe.

GO OILERS!

Crossing my fingers

Well, tonight's the night - game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers clearly are a team that's reeling. Take a look at the "smile" of Edmonton Head Coach Craig MacTavish, and that tells you all you need to know.

I was just telling Vandra today - these playoffs have been so much fun, I just hope the Oilers can extend it for at least one more game, because I don't want it to end. If the Oilers can win this one and kick it back to Edmonton, anything can happen in this series. One thing's for sure - if the Oilers don't get their offense going, it's over tonight. I hope MacT makes some lineup changes - Georges Laraque needs to sit - get a fireplug out there on the 4th line. Considering all of the postgame press conferences that I watched, I think the team is loose and taking it one game at a time.

The Oilers have played pressure hockey for the better part of the last three months, and they were one of the best road teams in the NHL during the regular season. They've been counted out more times than a Hulk Hogan opponent, so I think they have a shot.

The man below will make a big difference in the series tonight. It's all up to you, big Chris!

Go Oilers! I still believe, but I'm a nervous wreck!