It’s hot. 

The ice is beyond melted…it’s boiling. 

I don’t like it.  I was okay with the on-going June gloom and I’d be okay if the temperature never reached above 80 degrees.  Ever.

If you aren’t from Southern California you might be surprised to hear that just a week ago we were experiencing cooler than usual temperatures for this time of year.

Today, we’re expecting triple digits.  

Oh, Global Warming.

I’m missing the cold interior of the Honda Center that much more.  My chilled nose and red ears.  That longing for a big save, hit, or goal, just to have a reason to clap my hands and keep the blood flowing through my limbs.

Normally, I can’t wait to be bundled in my jersey. 

*Current temp…90 degrees…

Not today. 

Pre-season chill in 28 days!

GO DUCKS!!!

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It was the first time I’ve watched the game in it’s entirety since that wonderful evening on June 6, 2007; only this time I was certain my heart wasn’t going to pound through my chest.

There is something about watching a hockey game that you’ve seen before, it’s strikingly familiar, even if you haven’t watched it in over three years. 

I remembered each of the goals as if it was yesterday.  Not just as they were happening, but as they were developing.  

I had goose bumps all over again.   

On this occasion, I noticed the things that I was still too naïve to understand at the time.  The overwhelming impact of Samuel Pahlsson, Travis Moen, and Rob Niedermayer.  The squirmy effectiveness of Andy McDonald.  How much Corey Perry‘s skating has improved over the past few years (no, really, it has).  Just how lucky the Ducks were to have Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger patrolling the blueline (it didn’t take long to learn that lesson, believe me).  And how long Teemu Selanne has been in the process of retiring. 

I miss that team.  Their effectiveness as a whole.  The work ethic and the domination that they possessed. 

I miss the WINNING!

And of course, the elite prize of the Stanley Cup.

It was a wonderful reminder of a fabulous time for the Anaheim Ducks and their fans.

Let’s hope we’re only 51 days away from those winning ways once again.

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I had a dream nightmare the other night. 

Awful.

The Ducks had adapted to a new style of play.

Roller Hockey.

I’m not going to bash Roller Hockey, because if that’s your thing, more power to you.  And hey, it worked for Emerson Etem. 

However, my dream took it to a whole new level.  I couldn’t even tell you who the “Ducks” were playing in this Roller Hockey “event” – it wasn’t a game, I know that much.

Scott Niedermayer was playing (and skating as flawlessly on wheels as he does on blades) as were Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.  I couldn’t tell you anyone else playing in this “event”.

But Roller Hockey as a whole wasn’t the weirdest thing about it.  Half of the rink was flat, and the other half was a huge sloping hill.  It didn’t slow them down one bit. 

It gets worse.  They then began interacting with the crowd and each other as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters.  Doing stunts, playing jokes on one another, and practicing various trick shots.  It turned into a circus really. 

The arena emptied quickly.  Genuine hockey fans were not going to be having any of this nonsense.  

Wow, I miss the ice.  A lot. 

It better be there in 42 days.

GO DUCKS!!!

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You may see this a few places elsewhere today, but every year it just reminds me that, as Ducks fans, we must give thanks.

Who do we thank? 

The Los Angeles Kings. 

How does that taste in your mouth?  Kinda makes your face turn into that uncomfortable sour puss expression for the moment, doesn’t it?

If you don’t know where I’m going with this, shame on you. 

Today, 22 years ago, the Kings traded for The Great One, and changed the way Southern California embraced hockey…forever.

As Ducks fans (and hockey fans in every city dubbed a “non hockey market”) we must be thankful for what the Kings accomplished for the Golden State when they brought Wayne Gretzky to this market. 

I’m not saying the boom is necessarily still being felt today, but it definitely helped accomplish a ripple effect in terms of growing hockey in the unlikeliest of places. 

I was thinking about all of the things that would be missing from my hockey life if that infamous trade had never happened, and this post, for one, is a great start.

I most likely wouldn’t dedicate free time to writing about the Ducks.  Or about hockey in general for that matter. 

I probably wouldn’t even be a hockey fan come to think of it. 

I wouldn’t know the Canadian National Anthem, and I wouldn’t have a clue who Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and for the sake of it all, Teemu Selanne was in the scheme of things.  (Even Selanne’s return to Anaheim would be lost on me). 

I definitely wouldn’t have one eye glued to the internet waiting to hear about Ilya Kovalchuk‘s contract status.  Actually, I’d probably see the news scrawl on Sports Center one evening and go ballistic about the contract in general (wait, that happened anyway).

I’d certainly be asking others about “icing” rather than answering the question myself.  And there is no way I’d have an opinion on possible changes to the overtime procedure being evaluated in Toronto.

July 1st would simply indicate the second half of the year; and upon hearing about a 49-year Cup drought in Chicago it would simply make me think they were having serious pottery issues.   

I probably would have changed the channel on the gold medal game during the Olympics this past February, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have a calendar, team photo and countdown tracker on my desk at work.

I would still be a sports fan, but, admittedly, the chances that I’d be a hockey fan aren’t likely. 

I’d definitely be missing out on the greatest sport on earth.

One thing is for certain…

Without Gretzky’s arrival in Los Angeles, the likelihood of Anaheim having a team is slim. 

This means, in a round-about way, without that trade, the Stanley Cup still wouldn’t have found a home in Southern California.

As a Ducks fan, and a hockey fan in general, I’m thankful for what that infamous day has meant to hockey as a whole. 

I show my appreciation today by reminding you all that there are only 43 days until the pre-season begins again. 

Until next year…Happy Hockey Thanksgiving!

GO DUCKS!!!

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This morning I somehow ended up on *TSN’s video page. For just about any hockey fan, you know once you get started on watching highlight reel goals, saves, hits, etc…you can’t stop with just one. 

Eventually, I ended up on the 10 best shootout list.

I know there are some debates on whether or not the shootout should be the way the NHL decides the winner of a tied hockey game, but just watch the top ten TSN has offered up for your viewing pleasure and you might rethink your stance on the shootout. 

At the very least, enjoy the fancy moves.

46 days til the next possible shootout. 

GO DUCKS!!!

*They really should offer this to those of us who live in the States.  I’d much rather watch their Sports Centre, dedicated more to hockey, than our Sports Center, dedicated more to whether or not Brett Favre is returning for another season.

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Jonas Hiller, gliding over blue paint, arms outstretched. 

A glaring focus through the bars on his face mask, never losing sight of the puck, he’s ready to defend.

Crack!

Sticks hit the ice and the puck is sent flying, a perfect saucer racing toward the goal. 

Zooming past sticks, between legs and arms…

Buried behind the battle for position, Hiller falls to his knees as his right arm shoots to the sky.  Like a propeller cutting through the air, he grabs the puck before tucking the glove to his body for extra protection. 

As he rises to his feet to sweep the ice, fans clap respectively. 

In less than a second, another scoring chance for the opponent, denied. 

He’s got quite the knack for the dramatic, doesn’t he?

However, when that glove hand flashes, it’s nice to know the puck is nestled inside. 

If he doesn’t throw his shoulder out, I’d gladly witness it for the next four years. 

A bit of randomness…

If you’re following Bobby Ryan on twitter and have noticed his mention of Kent Huskins’ constant ability to face plant into the ice, you are probably laughing as much as I am.  For two reasons: one- the mental image is hilarious, and two- as lacking as the Ducks’ defense is at the moment, I’m reminded that it could be worse.

In 48 days we get a look at it during pre-season action…

GO DUCKS!!!

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My butt is lonely.  It feels lost, like it’s missing something important.

It’s not necessarily missing the comfort, heavens knows the seats in the Honda Center aren’t the first place you think of when you want to relax, but it is missing the atmosphere.

Ironically, when I’m at the games, it’s my butt that propels me from the seats when the Ducks score a goal.  It’s a love/hate relationship I can’t seem to get enough of.

I miss the annoying cup holders that threaten to spill their drinks with every movement of an arm.

I miss the people who sit around me, their theories, the predictability of their fan-ship.

I miss the way people react when they reach that top most row, out of breath and afraid to turn around without hugging the wall.

I miss my seats.

For three hours, 41 nights a year, my butt feels complete.

There are still far too many days…

GO DUCKS!!!

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It’s one of the biggest highlights of being at the game, seeing your friends.

I’m not talking about the ones on the ice, although I definitely miss them as well.

The friends I’ve made over the past few years thanks to places like Twitter and Facebook, and seeing their happy shinning faces when I pass them in the halls, or when we all gather to watch warm-ups down by the glass.

We don’t sit together during the game, but occasionally I’ll send out a text for an “air high five” from across the rink.  After games we chat about those who are playing hot, and those who are simply playing with fire.

Together we brand players with their own special nicknames and have our own private jokes.

I’m counting down the days til hockey starts again, and I get to see my friends hanging at our favorite place of all.

53 days til we meet again.

GO DUCKS!!!

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I don’t know how your hockey-less summer is going, but mine has been extremely uneventful.

I’ll give credit where credit is due…

Yes, it was exciting to see the Hawks win the cup for the first time in decades…but that was almost two months ago.

Draft day was altogether uneventful, but very positive for the Ducks organization.  On the same note, Prospect camp was enjoyable and great to get a taste of the future.

Of course, whether you care or not, it has been difficult to ignore the Ilya Kovalchuk shenanigans.  I have strong opinions on not wanting him to play in Southern California for that purple and black clad team, as well as the length and absurd amount of money thrown his way, but that is irrelevant.

And speaking of the Kings, I could have had less of them this summer all around.

Some good things have come the Ducks way – signing at least 1 key defenseman, Saku Koivu‘s two year deal, and the recent addition of Cam Fowler‘s contract.

However, none of these things are in any way a replacement for this Ducks fans desire to see some quality puck action.

Just to reiterate, I don’t do baseball, so it’s not as if I can find solace in another sport.  And being that I have a normal work schedule, I didn’t see any of the 8:00 am soccer games.  Not that I would have watched anyway.

In fact, just thinking about sitting through four hours of baseball is making me want to take a nap.  And even though I didn’t watch any of the World Cup matchups…I somehow can’t get the buzz of the vuvuzelas out of my head either.

With that in mind, it’s time to start focusing on the countdown…again.  If I forget to tweet it, you can always find it here on DUCKSandPUCKS where it will be posted in the column on the right.

So while we wait for hockey to resume, and until that glorious day when I’m sitting up in the 400′s and watching the Ducks skate onto the ice, I thought it would be fun to post a little blurb about ”what I’m missing about hockey today”. 

Entitled “Melted Ice”, these will be short/long/random/chaotic thoughts that allow me to take a few moments out of an uneventful hockey day and give my brain flashes of stimulation and excitement. 

Plus, until there is actual news about the indecisive Teemu Selanne or the long awaited/much desired contract negotiations involving Bobby Ryan have been sorted out, I don’t see this summer getting any more eventful.

No matter what, we’ll see how this experiment goes and how far I get before I just start posting inexplicable crap about how baseball is awful.

So let’s begin!

What I’m missing about hockey today…

Line changes.

Line changes, seriously?  Yes.

Seems kind of minor and most of the time people don’t even realize they’re happening.

And that is exactly why I love them.

What other sport shuffles through their 20 man roster over the course of five minutes without blinking an eye?  It’s one of the reasons that hockey is usually tops on my list when it comes to comparing sports.  The amount physical exertion for just 45 seconds is enough to warrant the impressive line change to take place.

It happens so seamlessly too.  Well, most of the time.

What may look like a mish-mash of mass confusion to the outsider is harmonious to a hockey lover.

Watching that first guy jump over the boards, you know what’s coming up next for your team.

“Okay, Perry’s on the ice…it’s time to see some offense boys!”

When the game is winding down, and whether they’ve got a commanding lead, or are trailing horrendously, sometimes seeing that one player jump onto the ice can give the crowd a flicker of hope. 

It might just be enough to change the energy in the entire building.

The line change.  I bet you didn’t expect anyone would find it so fascinating.  Well, we have about 54 days before the puck drops on preseason hockey, I hope you’re prepared for more subtleties that I love and miss about hockey.

GO DUCKS!!!

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Summer - which ultimately means nothing is going on in the hockey world.  Unless you’re Ilya Kovalchuk, and in that case, you just made $102 million and lost it all in a matter of hours.

It also means clinging to any ounce of hockey news…and sadly, this is my hockey news…

If you’re a Ducks fan, you are wondering when the team is going to add a defenseman of value, find the middle ground with Bobby Ryan and his contract, or you’re hoping to win big bucks on the “Teemu Selanne will he/wont he?” pool running through your circle of friends. 

If you are this Ducks fan, you’ve just returned home from a lovely weekend vacation.  Four days, three nights on the Carnival Paradise.  A great trip to Ensenada Mexico with 3,000 strangers, too much great food, oh, and 50 of your cross-town rival’s fans.

That’s right, only I would end up on the Kings fan cruise.

It wasn’t something that I bumped into half way through the weekend.  No, 20 minutes on board the ship, while getting lunch up on the Lido Deck, I turned to see about five Kings staff workers decked out in various polo shirts and lanyards.  I knew right away what was in store for the remainder of the weekend.

It didn’t help that I had my Ducks bag over my shoulder.  They knew I was the enemy right away.

Occasionally I would find myself behind a purple shirt in line for dinner.  I even found myself in the midst of one of their on board events while reading on the Promenade Deck.

I left before they pelted me with anything they could grab.

I didn’t recognize, bump into, or see any of their players on board, but I passed enough black and silver jerseys to be reminded all weekend.  Even Bailey was terrorizing guests, or maybe he was just bumping fists with Kings fans, I couldn’t tell the difference. 

Ironically, I was hassled more by the US Immigration officers on the way off the ship than I was by the fans themselves.

The first officer who was checking our passports made a mention when he saw my sweatshirt.  ”Do you know what cruise you were just on?”  I should have known he was going to make a mention, the very Kings staffers that I bumped into on the first afternoon were ahead of me in line while going through customs.

Apparently the same officer recognized Davis Drewiske as he came through his line at customs.  When he asked him what he did for a living, Drewiske replied, “I’m a geologist.” 

Liar. 

The last officer we encountered asked me if was hassled for being a Ducks fan while on the cruise.  He assumed I was confused, stating that I needed better taste in hockey.  I told him that I was perfectly fine with my choice.

He “quacked” at me as I walked away. 

Overall, it made for an ironic vacation, but a fun one all at the same time. 

OH!  I did take a picture in front of one of their event signs on the ship.  I don’t think I should post it here though, one of my “fingers” was in the way!

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