Back at Home Bonanza!

The Need-to-Know... in case you needed a refresher before tomorrow's home opener! Don't forget: Honda Center. Ducks v. Bruins. 7:05pm. Championship banner goes up at 6:45pm.

7. Last year, the Anaheim Ducks closed out the season with the Holy Grail of Hockey raised high above their heads. Despite that fact, the boys in black-and-gold are having some difficulty early on defending the title. They've recently gotten their hands on the rings (or, well, their rings on their hands) as of yesterday, but they are still missing some key players from last season: namely Jean-Sebastian Giguere and Samuel Pahlsson -- both of whom are still out with injuries. They're recuperating from hernia surgery (Jiggy from 1, Sammy from a rare double hernia surgery) and both are "close" to coming back. Drawing conclusions based upon Jiggy's interview this morning with KROQ's Kevin & Bean, it sounds like we won't have to wait long. By all accounts, the answer is certainly sooner rather than later. (See OC Register and the LA Times)

6. Two guys that helped catapult the Ducks' prior success are still, well, sitting Ducks. Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne are contemplating -- still -- whether or not to retire. Scotty has confirmed that he will be in attendance for the home opener, though I have yet to hear whether or not Teemu's going, I expect he wouldn't miss the raising of the Championship banner either. Though, can I just say it's interesting to see that THN has Scotty listed as "suspended" for not reporting to training camp. I just thought it was kinda funny to put it that way. =)

5. If you're interested in the run-down of what players did with the Cup (and don't want to read through the Stanley Cup Journal put out by the HHOF), sneak a peak at Ducks Notes, where they've conveniently listed the travels of the Cup.

4. Last year, the Ducks' fearless Captain was the contemplating-retirement-Scott Niedermayer. The alternates were Chris Pronger and Rob Niedermayer. This year, Chris Pronger has been named Captain with Rob Niedermayer stepping in as alternate and Chris Kunitz taking the second 'A'. Having the twice-suspended, battle-ready (read: lively and somewhat tempermental) Chris Pronger as Cappy this year will make for some interesting matches as I highly suspect both trash talk and added chutzpah will be the order of the day when it comes down to facing off against certain opponents. Certainly his type of leadership (which provided the fire to Scotty's calm, ain't-nobody-gonna-ruffle-my-feathers-cuz-I-keep-it-cool-like-that approach) will spark some heated battles. I can hardly wait for the fireworks.

3. Notable off-season losses: Dustin Penner. *boo-hoo*. I miss the guy. He had a promising talent that would've continued to make (formerly called) PPG (Perry-Penner-Getlzaf) line insanely beautiful both in physical hotness and on-ice play. But, I can't waste much time bemoaning his absence. With that gap in the roster, the Ducks now have an opening for any one of the other young Pirates to step in and build a case to stay up in the Show (hint hint, nudge nudge Bobby Ryan). Speaking of the youngster, B-Ry has yet to play in a Ducks home game, so I have yet to get a good look at him. Regardless, keep tabs on the farm because it's likely that this season will be the one in which he flies cross-country several times for stints up in the Bigs. Obviously, other key players missing from the lineup are the aforementioned Scotty & Teemu.

2. Notable off-season acquisitions: Todd Bertuzzi (RW) and Mathieu Schneider (D). Bert, around whom speculative controversy sometimes still lingers, dropped some weight in order to make the most of his opportunity here in Anaheim. He was signed as a free agent as a filler for the gaping hole left in the roster while fan favorite Teemu Selanne contemplates his future. In like manner, Schneider was acquired in the off season from my most despised opponent, the Detroit Red Wings, where he has played the last four NHL seasons, in an effort to fill the monstrous canyon-sized hole in the defense left by the still-debating-about-retirement Scott Neidermayer. Granted, one man a team does not make, but can I just tell you how much easier it is to breathe when Scott's on the ice? *sigh* Anyway, Schneider hasn't played in a regular season game for the Ducks yet because he suffered a left ankle injury during pre-season and will be out "indefinitely".

1. What to look out for: Ilya Bryzgalov may be on the move this season. After trying to cart him during the summer, and despite an amazing professional approach to the talks surrounding his (impending) trade, it looks like everyone's favorite Russian could be packing his bags and headed on the road to salvage any one of the teams in need of a goaltender. The baby young sensation--baby young, because at 19 25, it's darn close--Jonas Hiller put on quite a show over pre-season and overseas. It puts the young, funny Russian netminder in a somewhat precarious position. How long before Burke starts actively shopping again? Not to mention, if the boys cannot get their offense running like a well-oiled machine, OC Register beatwriter Dan Wood suggests that Burke will go shopping for another scorer... Hm... something to ponder, eh?

*Sorry about the age confusion. I somehow had him mixed up with the Kings' baby goaltender who's 19. My bad. (Thanks, Sheridan).

Keys to Success in 07/08: Keep winning. Pretty simple, right?

Well, in order to do that, the Ducks are going to have to tighten up the game (aka "product") they've been putting out on display for the first 5 games of the season. Defense, without Scotty, is going to have to be smoother, tighter, harder. Who's going to play rover out there with the arguably best skater since Paul Coffey sitting in the stands? Scheider? Well that $5-million salary is presently patching up his ankle and waiting for the go-ahead. Lucky for us, Francois ("Franky") Beauchemin has received plenty of training from the great Scotty over the course of the last two years. He's shown consistent development and promise, and I suspect he'll be taking on a little bit more of an agressive role in the offense defenseman column this season without Scotty. Check him out already, he's notched 4 assists and leads in the plus/minus column. Let's hope he'll tag on a couple goals to that point total.

On the front end, the top line has to regroup and try to fill in the empty-Teemu spot. Andy McDonald, who orginally centered a line alongside the dynamic Finn, will now have to figure out a way to mesh with whomever Randy Carlyle throws into the mix. Last year, he played spectacularly with Chris Kunitz on the left wing, but Kuni is also bouncing around lines thanks to Randy Carlyle's mix-and-match attempts to mesh lines. Getz and Pears, I presume, will continue to weild their magic touch all over the ice this season while I wonder if A-mac will struggle to hit a stride with new linemates at every turn--at least early on in the season til maybe December.

The penalty kill misses demigod Samuel Pahlsson like a woman on a diet misses chocolate, and his line, which will probably remain unchanged from last season, will more than likely continue to be the backbone of the team. The grinders, the nitty-gritty workhorses that sacrifice glory and spotlights for the less-praised, but all-important grunt work. Keep a careful watch on this line. Their hard work, combined with a solid defense/goaltending, and a potent all-around scoring ability from all four lines is what got this team through to the Promised Land last season. If they can recapture that, there is a very good chance that they can once again dominate.

OTHER NOTES:

- Congratulations to the McDonald Family on their new addition! Andy McDonald missed practice to attend to his wife Gina. She went into labor and gave birth to a little Jake Gene McDonald (7 lb. 5 oz., born @ 12:50pm Monday!) . Congratulations A-Mac!!! You have a Mac-baby!!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

- The NHL Network is coming to the US! (I haven't yet figured out if my cable, which hasn't yet been installed, will include this channel).

- Jason Blake of the Toronto Maple Leafs has a rare, but treatable form of leukemia. My best wishes for a quick treatment and recovery to Mr. Blake & family.

- Totally random. The entryway to the Honda Center off Douglass, has been re-named. To Stanley Cup Way. As my laffable buddy Barney Stinson would say, "Niiice. That's awesome!" I am so taking a picture of it on my way into the arena tomorrow!

goal by Finny at 12:45 PM