I’m not quite certain, but these aren’t the Anaheim Ducks.

Yea sure, they have some of the qualities and characteristics of this team that I once knew, but these aren’t the same guys.

The guys I’ve seen playing in Anaheim lately have their act together…for the most part. I mean, these guys are playing to win games and they’re playing some form of smart hockey. It’s mind boggling really. The scoring, the defense. Where did it come from?! Someone must have swapped these guys out overnight, because I don’t recognize them anymore.

They’re battling hard and pushing the envelope. They’re shooting the puck and defending against it when they need to. Long gone is that ridiculous brand of dump and chase and it has been replaced with an infusion of passing and cycling that I’ve yet to see before in Southern California.

I can’t imagine that this is the same Ducks team that I saw play in the month of November…AND December. It couldn’t possibly be the team that was at one brief point in last place in the West and has been sitting pretty in 14th for a loooooong while now.

I don’t know about you, but I was gearing up for a first overall pick.

Correction, I’m STILL gearing up for a first overall pick.

I’m sorry, but I still can’t bring myself to accept that this is the same team. I can’t find it in my heart to say that things have truly CHANGED. Do I want that to be the case? Most definitely. Am I appeasing the Hockey Gods? You bet your ass I am.

The truth of the matter is, there HAVE been changes in Anaheim. I don’t know how many games you gave new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau to find his way and to make his mark, but it’s quite possible that it has happened.

21 games into the new coaching era and there are great differences to this team. To the way they play the puck and to the way the team is played as a whole. The third and fourth lines are seeing ice time unimaginable in the Randy Carlyle era. The power play mentality and formations are completely different and, once again, we’re seeing great things come from having star players like Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan on the penalty kill. Take Perry’s shorthanded goal against Phoenix as a great example.

They may not be a different team, but they’re sure doing their best to pretend they are.

The return of Jason Blake has seemingly done wonders for a third line desperate for a boost. Individually, players like Andrew Cogliano and Nick Bonino are behaving as if they’ve played alongside Blake for years.

Is it because of Boudreau’s positivity that the Ducks are seeing a different light? Do they really feel the need to prove Bob Murray a worthy GM? Will Murray seek changes despite the recent winning ways?

Does it all really matter if this is just a fluke, a flash in the pan…a case of imposters in Anaheim?!

I am still hard pressed to accept that there has been a corner turned, a hurdle overcome, a new lease on the season. I can’t bring myself to look past a top draft pick, or a season that ends outside the playoff bubble.

Do I see the positive changes in Anaheim? Definitely.

But I’ll be dammed…I just can’t believe it.

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

Remember back in October, the Ducks had won 4 straight and we were all celebrating a season that started different than those of years past?

It was a great feeling. Everyone had high hopes for the next six months – we had looked at beating San Jose in consecutive meetings as a sign that the tides of the Pacific Division had changed.

Then Movember happened and the whole damn plan went to hell. A dismal December followed that grim month with more losses and January started out much the same.

Then, with a bit of luck and a visit from a few crappy teams, the Ducks once again find themselves on the right end of a streak with three consecutive WINS (with 2 nifty hatties to add to the collection).

But it still doesn’t feel as exciting as those first wins in October, does it? Perhaps that’s because it’s not as sweet or the phrase, “it’s about damn time” rolls too easily off the tongue.

Is it too soon to ask how the rest of the season will go? Oh, hell yes.

Go ahead, ask yourself that one question that is on the tip of your tongue…is it more likely the Ducks will make a serious run at the playoffs, or at a high first round pick? Be honest when you answer.

Three games…that doesn’t buy you a new lease on the season. It’s a start, don’t get me wrong but nothing has really changed. Has it?

Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps things have changed. Maybe the new coaching staff, who I do love by the way, has found a way to run a system that this team can work with. A system that suits these players to what skills THEY posses. Maybe the team as a whole has begun to embrace this new style of play and they better understand their skills and talents with which they have to contribute.

Maybe that grizzly of a bear has been woken from a very long slumber. Maybe the constant reminders that their jobs are in jeopardy were enough to put some serious effort on the ice. And if that is the case, what the hell took them so long?

Or maybe not. The Ducks who have been having what I believe to be a hell of a time in goal, may have just taken a further step back from that. With both Dan Ellis and Jonas Hiller suffering from groin issues, it’s going to be the talk of the NHL if the “never heard of them” duo of Jeff Deslauriers and Iiro Tarkki can pull them through. Perhaps we’re seeing that the Ducks can continue to improve offensively, as it seems the lines are starting to stick. And defensively, well, we’ve seen far worse.

Of course, now I’ve basically talked about it, I’m sure I’ve thrown all that is good and evil in the hockey world into a cosmic meltdown of epic proportions. I’m not being pessimistic intentionally, I’m simply being realistic. It is definitely nice to cheer and come home from a win smiling, but let’s face it, I’m not about to get my hopes up.

So if you’re asking me, go ahead – ask, have the Ducks actually started to make themselves into something other than the horror we’ve witnessed through the first half of the season?

No. Not a chance. Ask me again next month.

Then again, you know how much I love being wrong about this kind of thing.

GO DUCKS!!!

SK.

It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve written anything.  And while I’ve yet to post anything around here, I’ve been doing a few odds and ends over at Anaheim Calling.

I just can’t bring myself to talk about the Ducks these days without saying the same things over and over again.  I’m sure you feel my pain.

People who know me and are invested enough in the sporting world will ask me, “What’s up with the Ducks?”  They’re looking for the same answers I’m looking for.  Why aren’t they scoring?  Why aren’t they winning games?  Why is the best player on the team a 41 year old on the verge of retirement?

The sad part is, I have no idea.  I can’t come to any conclusions that make me feel better or could possibly make anyone else feel any better.

So, instead of dwelling on this season that is all but lost for this team, I’ll continue to be grateful that I have a hockey team to watch play 82 games a season.

I have my seasons seats high in the sky and my best friends to share the time with me.

We talk and ponder the plays and the mistakes.  The way the team looks under new coach Bruce Boudreau and how long it’ll take before Mini accepts the fact that this Ducks team just isn’t very good.

But I’ll be dammed, I have a hockey team to love and enjoy.  The up’s and the down’s will come and as hockey fans we grow with our team.

Things might not be fabulous right now, but they will be again one day.  Until then…Ducks for life.

Happy Holiday’s Hockey fans…enjoy the season!

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

Welcome to the 2011-12 Ducks season!

Pull up a chair the festivities are just about to begin! I’ve been waiting for 8 months for the hockey season to start and it’s finally arrived!

Oh, what’s that? They’ve been playing since the beginning of October? Really? I guess I missed that.

The good news is that today is the first day of the new season for the Ducks. It’s a new month and a new era is about to begin in Anaheim.

In the wee early morning, Wednesday, while getting ready for work, this post popped into my head. A 40 minute bus ride into work and it was completed. I can’t remember a post I’ve been so proud of in a long time. (Puck Daddy was impressed too…)

That night, while at the Ducks second win in the entire month of November, I eagerly chanted, “FIRE CARLYLE” whenever I got the opportunity. Mini and I joked about the likelihood of his not returning to the bench for the start of the third period because he had been fired mid-game.

Oh, we’re hilarious.

The Ducks won; I assumed Randy Carlyle bought himself another day and Bobby Ryan was sure to be wearing new threads come Thursday morning. Stupid trade rumors.

And then I got the tweets.

@icemancometh: Ducks are expected to announce the firing of Randy Carlyle. #NHLDucks.

@AnaheimDucks: Bruce Boudreau replaces Randy Carlyle as #NHLDucks head coach. Details to come.

I don’t need any details. You’ve just given me all the information I need to know!

And then I screamed like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. (More of my opinion on the coaching change as well as the rest of the great writers at Anaheim Calling.)

So, here we are…Friday, December 02, 2011 and we officially mark the kick-off to the Bruce Boudreau era. I’m excited as hell.

I don’t expect that all of a sudden things will be different in Anaheim. It might take a little bit of time before we see any sort of major changes, but hopefully the subtleties are going to start looking different immediately.

If there is one thing we know, Boudreau has a buttload of experience with some high octane offense. I mean, we’re talking the guy who let Alexander Ovechkin BE Alexander Ovechkin simply because he IS Alexander Ovechkin. It wasn’t until he tried to pull that guy back that Boudreau’s job was taken from under him. And hot damn…what great timing for Anaheim!

So if there is anyone that the Ducks could get to coach a team with what appears to be a pretty offensive minded group, then this is our guy. The Ducks could see changes on the power play or the penalty killing unit. There might be defensive pairing changes and even line mash-ups. Whatever Bruce wants to do, I’m on board. That’s right, I’m buying into his system, what ever that system may be.

I’m suited up and ready to go into action with this guy behind the bench. 100%.

Won’t you join us?

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

It is soooo hard to write about this team after they lose a few games.  After the November they’ve had, it’s damn near impossible.

I’m trying my hardest to stay positive.  Even Mini doesn’t want to officially give up on them…until December.

For the past few seasons, I’ve been writing about what the Ducks have to be thankful for (2009, 2010).  If you can imagine how difficult it is to write a post about how the Ducks have been playing recently, just take a gander at how hard it is to come up with something to be thankful for!

In recent years one thing has been a constant for Anaheim; Corey Perry’s presence in the Ducks line-up has been unparalleled, understandably so.  However, in the early parts of the 2011-12 NHL season, it seems Perry won’t be making this years list of things the Ducks can be thankful for.

Worse yet, I can barely think of any one thing the Ducks have to be grateful for thus far, but I’ll give it a shot anyway.

So here’s your helping of dry turkey and burnt rolls.  Sorry, we’re out of gravy, drive and determination.

Those 6 wins – Somehow, remarkably, Anaheim has managed to win some games.  If you’ve seen them play recently and, believe me, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve turned the TV off a few times, you know that “winning” isn’t exactly a reason to watch Ducks hockey.  A season that, at one point, looked like it was going to turn into a successful campaign has since plummeted into the dark bowels of the Earth…and the Ducks should be thankful that at sometime early on in this season they did in fact know how to win.

Jonas Hiller, healthy – Not so fast, I didn’t say, Jonas Hiller the all-star!  I’m simply thankful the guy is healthy and stronger than he was at the end of last season. He may not be playing like the millions we’re giving him, and he’s not alone on that, but at least he’s ABLE to play.  Plus, the Ducks may be ugly, but his Movember helmet is still badass.

Lubomir Visnovsky got hurt – The flip side to seeing a healthy player is seeing one get sidelined? Yes.  I know it seems crazy, and I’d never wish an injury on anyone, but the Ducks needed Lubomir Visnovsky to sit out a few games and get his head back on straight.  He clearly needed some rest and rehabilitation for more than a few broken fingers.  Not that his return to the line-up will create the magic the Ducks need to win, but maybe it’ll give Visnovksy a great chance to hit that re-start button.  Maybe we should be thankful for a few more injuries?  Feel like breaking a toe Corey Perry?  Ryan Getzlaf?  Entire Anaheim Ducks Roster?  Anyone?

Atlanta Thrashers turned Winnipeg Jets – Quite simply, I am so thankful that I have a crappy team that plays just 20 minutes away from my house 6 months a year.  They may be ugly, undisciplined and unmotivated…but I have a hockey team nearby.  Yea, okay, I have two…but I’ll never embrace those fools.

Sidney Crosby – Yes, that’s right.  Since this year’s list of reasons to be thankful include a bunch of healthy, injured and available hockey players, this is one that EVERY hockey fan should be grateful for.  The return of Sid the Kid (are they still calling him that?).  No doubt, the guy is incredible.  Don’t like the overly excessive coverage of one player?  I understand, but make sure you understand why he’s getting all of that coverage to being with.  The guy is incredible and he’s what this league is all about. He is this generations Wayne Gretzky.  Yes, I said it and we are lucky to have him healthy again. He may never be the overall player Gretzky was and he may never have the numbers Gretzky has, but he is by and far the best the NHL has seen in quite some time.  So stop hating and embrace the guy.  Be thankful he was able to step onto the ice again and hope he’s still skating around for a long long time to come.

Happy Thanksgiving Hockey Fans!

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

A moment of rare free time.  I figured I should take advantage of it.  Let’s see…what have we missed?

Anything good?

HA!

Well, I will say this much, despite what the Ducks have been producing, I’ve been busy having a great time.  Not necessarily in the hockey world, but in my own world!

As far as hockey is going, well that’s a different story all together.

I’m a bit concerned.  Correction. I’m really concerned about this Ducks team.  They aren’t what you’d call, “easy to look at”.  No…they’re ugly.  They’re terrible.

Just like you, I don’t understand it either.  You’d think that when you have arguably 4 of the best forwards in the league on your team, a clump of good defensemen and two great goaltenders that you’d be a bit better.

Like I said…you’d THINK.

I can get into the whole “Fire Carlyle” rant that I generally entertain at this time every season, but that seems like old news.  We can talk about how Bob Murray is ready to “ship off players before the coach goes…” but again, old news.

I’ve been talking about this a bit over at Anaheim Calling, but I thought maybe we could get into some more detail here.  Why not?

I want to set a grenade on the lineup.  No, not dismantle it, but shake the crap out of it.  I’m very fearful that Murray is going to do something insane and trade away some of the players and cause Ducks fans decades of heartache and pain.

So lets get dramatic and really rock it into next week.  Split up the big line, shift the Finns around and re-group the defensive pairing.

Call me ridiculous, but I don’t see you making up your own “what the hell are you thinking?” lines!

Hagman – Koivu – Ryan

Yes…I know it says he’s a left winger, and I know Randy Carlyle insists on keeping him there, but Bobby Ryan is an effin’ right winger dammit (even my Ducks calendar says so!), and that’s where I’m putting him.  Plus, he and Saku Koivu had some success back when Teemu Selanne was out previously with injuries. Throw in an extra dash of Finn and everyone should be happy.

Cogliano – Getzlaf – Selanne

I like the way Selanne and Andrew Cogliano are working together, and I think there is good reason to keep them together.  Ryan Getzlaf would add some rough and tough to this line which these two guys could desperately use since neither are what you’d call a physical force.

Beleskey – McMillan – Perry

A big factor here is to try and split up the ice time more evenly.  Get each of these guys more time on the ice, and to try and spread the love a bit.  Not to mention, get these kids some more grooming and playing time.  Matt Beleskey and Corey Perry already have some ice time experience together, maybe they can continue to grow.  Not to mention, I honestly feel that Brandon McMillan will find his grove again if he’s got a bit more talent on his line.  Perry will make things happen on his own regardless of who’s he’s playing with, and if that means getting some of the the bigger better defenders off his back because the talent is spread out, so be it.

Smith-Pelly – Macenauer – Gordon

These guys aren’t the leftovers, but they’re the guys that kinda have to grove together on their own anyway.  I like what the 3rd and 4th lines have looked like, and this is the feeble attempt to keep some of that intact.

Yes, these are absurd and absolutely crazy line mash-ups that no way in hell would they ever matriculate to being something, but the point of the matter is…the lines, the way they are assembled right now (in real life), aren’t working either…so why not try something crazy? Who knows.  And, because dammit, Ryan is a right winger I don’t care what you say.

On defense…

Lydman – Beauchemin

These two have been our best defenders this season thus far, lets put them together like we did last year when Lubomir Visnovksy was considered one of our best (seriously, what is it with that guy this season? He has to still be injured beyond a couple of fingers).

Fowler – Sbisa

I loved the kids together on the occasional crappy defense change last season, so lets give it another go ‘round, shall we?  Plus, any excuse to break up the Cam Fowler – Francois Beauchemin pairing is alright by me.

Foster – Brookbank

It could be worse.  It could be Andy Sutton – Ryan Whitney.

So, feel free to critique all you want and throw things at my virtual head, but hey…what the Ducks are working with right now is just as ugly.

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

I know. I’ve been absent for weeks. It’s like I went on a 2 week, 7 game road trip and all you got was 4 points this lousy post.

I have nothing important to say because I’m highly disgusted (that’s not entirely true…I have TONS to say, but no time to say it).

However, I did just get this email about an upcoming movie…and I highly support movies with hockey in it.

So check it out! Oh…and the preview is not suitable for kids and stuff.

This is blatant robbery.  I’ll admit it.  Inspired by Anaheim Calling’s bit of banter, I thought it would be fun to incorporate my best friend into the blog.  She and I can go on and on about hockey from time to time and, after we spent about an hour talking about this very subject, I figured it would be a good time to start posting those discussions here.

After Jonas Hiller posted a shut out against the San Jose Sharks on Friday night, I figured that Randy Carlyle would plan on playing Dan Ellis against St. Louis on Sunday evening and Hiller against the Sharks on Monday.  When Hiller played Sunday evening I still figured the plan would be to play him in the back-to-back scenario.  I posted this as such on Anaheim Calling’s preview for Monday’s match-up.  Not long after posting it was announced via Twitter from Eric Stephens that Ellis would be in net. 

Damn.

Now, to clarify, I was more upset than anything that I was WRONG and it was posted as such.  Not to mention, I was upset that the Shark Killer wouldn’t be in net.  So, to discuss this, Mini and I had a bit of a banter session regarding the recent and future play of Hiller and here it is for your reading pleasure.

SK:  If I was coaching this team, I think I would have taken the fact that Hiller posted a shutout against San Jose on Friday night and has clearly had their number in multiple instances as an indication that he should be the man on Monday.  Apparently, I’m not the coach of the team (I’m still waiting on that memo telling me so).  Regardless, I wasn’t disappointed to see that Ellis was playing as I’m sure that guy would love to see some ice time, and quite frankly, he NEEDS some ice time to keep and maintain any sort of confidence he may have…I just would have rather seen him play on Sunday.  That being said and, in retrospect, I’m certainly thrilled with how it all turned out. 

Mini: I totally thought we would see Hiller between the pipes on Monday as well. I figured they would give Hiller a try at back-to-back games plus the guy loves playing against the Sharks.  I’m not certain of the stats on it but I am sure it is phenomenal. Anyway, I have to admit when I got in my car on Monday and I heard them say Ellis between the pipes I immediately thought…“NOOOOO!”.  I knew this would be a tricky situation.  You can play Hiller and chance him being fatigued or him losing and killing his confidence or you can put Ellis between the pipes and have fresh legs and let that guy get his feet wet. Although if they would have started Hiller, Ellis’s confidence may have dropped as well, so I saw it as a delicate situation. If I was the coach, I would have probably put Hiller (100%) but they chose Ellis and it was a genius move instead of a catastrophic one.

SK:  The funny fact about Hiller is that I, initially, didn’t even like the guy.  Yea, I thought he was a decent goaltender, but there was still a part of me that was bitter about losing Ilya Bryzgalov for nothing and seeing what a beast he was becoming in Phoenix.  Because I’m not as seasoned a fan as others, my emotional attachment to JS Giguere was far less and, when it came time to choose someone to move forward with, I did in fact choose Hiller over Giguere.  However, I still wasn’t sold on the idea.  Sure, he’s solid between the pipes and that glove hand is red hot but I didn’t feel he was consistent enough.  I watched him steal many a game for the Ducks and dominate in the 2009 playoffs against San Jose, but I felt he was sometimes questionable as an everyday goalie.

Mini: I was very biased when Hiller came to the team.  I was “Team Giguere” the whole way.  I just enjoyed the guy on and off the ice.  He had a great presence in the crease, he moved so elegantly and yet still had that fire burning.  So for a person that doesn’t like to pick favorite players, I appreciated Giguere to the highest.  When Hiller did get starts, I always found myself being more critical with him; anything he did was wrong or at least not as good as Giguere. I know he was young and still acclimating to a new team, but that didn’t matter to me. Plus it didn’t help that Giguere got the Ducks to the playoffs and obviously that memorable season.  

When they let Giguere go, I was very upset but also knew that was giving the opportunity for young talent to come in and maybe giving Hiller an actual shot in my eyes. So I watched Hiller very close last season and realized the guy was a pretty solid goalie. 

SK:  Ultimately, losing Hiller last season was an eye opening realization for me, that he really is a quality player.  I’ve learned to appreciate what I have and the Ducks organization is lucky to have a goalie like Hiller.  The glove is hot and the focus on the ice is unparalleled in my opinion.  Hiller is one of those players who loves to play the game and hates to lose.  The best part of the current situation is that the Ducks have, hopefully, a healthy starting netminder and a fabulous backup in Dan Ellis.  I just wish Hiller wouldn’t show his colors so much…don’t let them see you sweat!

Mini: During the off season, I was hoping for the best, that Hiller would come back and would be capable of playing again.  This sport is rough on the body and mind and Hiller was dealing with some serious issues. I have been paying close attention to Hiller these first games.  I’ve noticed that he is moving good laterally, seeing the puck and he is comfortable in the crease.  This is obviously Hiller’s Team.  I think Hiller is playing like every game may be his last and because of that he actually gives it his all every night. Like he is a rookie trying to earn his spot on the roster all over again. I love it. The guy appreciates the ice, the moments and the game in its entirety. As a fan, you can’t ask for anything better.

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

I’ve always found it interesting to know how it is that fans got involved with hockey.  As a fan in southern California, I’ve always found local hockey fans to be a rare breed.  I mean, we’re battling against those baseball crazies, endless basketball championships and college athletics.

So when I meet someone who’s got an interesting story, I love to share it!  Over the course of the season I’m going to share some of those stories here on Ducks and Pucks.  I hope you check them out.  If you think you’ve got an interesting story on how you became a fan, send me an email ! 

My first guest is Colleen, whom I met through the great world of social media.  She’s been a hockey fan for most of her life.  Born and raised in Moncton, New Brunswick, she feels that hockey is in her DNA.  Lucky chick!  Now I know that hockey fans that are born in the great white north aren’t all that rare, but Colleen has a special story. 

“I spent a lot of time watching with my best friend’s father, Beenzy.  He was a Montreal Canadiens fan, but I loved him in spite of that!”

Colleen’s hockey heart started out tenderly as she says, “I cheered for the underdog most years, but I didn’t start following a team until 2003 when the then Mighty Ducks went to the finals.  An amazing underdog story.  Loved the Niedermayer brothers’ story line.” 

While she gladly cheered for younger brother and underdog, Rob Niedermayer, to win the cup, we all know how that turned out.  But it didn’t matter, Colleen was hooked and rapidly becoming a fan of the Mighty Ducks. 

“I started listening to their games on the radio and then finally got the Center Ice package.  Now I’m up most nights until 2:00am!  I love it!”

Thankfully Colleen was able to watch the Ducks lift the cup in 2007 and it has since spawned one of her favorite memories, “Perry scoring that final goal late in the 3rd period of the Cup clinching game sticks out in my mind.”  Naturally, as a Canadian, that Hockey Night in Canada theme song brings back great memories from her early days cheering on the New York Islanders during their incredible cup stretch and, not to mention, watching Wayne Gretzky tear up the ice. 

But what I find most interesting about Colleen’s story is that she’s NEVER been to a hockey game!  “I’ve seen ONE exhibition game between Montreal and the Islanders, I’m really hoping to change that this season.”  We hope so too, Colleen, because we ALL know that there is nothing like watching a live hockey game (and exhibition definitely doesn’t count)!

It’s truly special to say that I’ve been introduced to this amazing Ducks fan that lives some 3,500 miles away from her favorite team.  Despite the influence to love the Canadiens early on and, fall into the trap of becoming a part of Leaf’s nation, Colleen waited until a real underdog destined to do great things convinced her to become a dedicated fan! 

So thanks, Niedermayer’s, for giving Colleen a reason to become a Ducks fan, I’m sure she was thrilled to watch you BOTH lift the cup together!

If you want to talk Ducks hockey with Colleen, you can find her on Twitter @NBDucksgal where she’s bound to be discussing hockey and nachos! 

GO DUCKS!!!

SK

On this amazing day where we celebrate Corey Perry and his personal achievement’s from last season, I am again reminded why he’s such an amazing player.

October 14, 2011:

It’s the third period and time is winding down on the clock.

:07 seconds…The Ducks are up 1-0 against an always hated rival, San Jose Sharks.

:06 seconds…The fans are on their feet, cheering as Anaheim chases down San Jose forwards to prevent them from entering their zone.

:05 seconds…Entering San Jose’s territory are two Ducks forwards, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry.

:04 seconds…a shot is fired by Ryan; miss.

:03 seconds…the rebound is corralled by San Jose.

:02 seconds…fans get louder

:01 seconds…horn sounds to indicate the end of regulation, Ducks shutout San Jose, 1-0.

-:02 seconds…the reason Corey Perry has the Hart…a tiny fist pump in celebration.

It was so small, so fast, so insignificant, but I wasn’t the only one to notice.  Immediately UJ turns to me and says, “Did you see Perry?  Small fist pump…he’s just happy to WIN.”

I don’t have to remind you, but Perry has been showing that drive and passion to win for a long time now.

It’s really good to know that Perry still has hart.

GO DUCKS!!!

SK