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