ThisTakesTooLongToType

Sean Avery of the New York Rangers was hospitalized with a lacerated spleen after the Rangers 5-3 loss on Tuesday. First off, he’s not going to die. Second of all. HA! HA!

This couldn’t happen to a more deserving individual. I have never like Avery and wish him a slow, painful recovery.

Avery makes a fine case for making high-sticking legal.

Every season it seems that it takes time for the Teemu Selanne to get up to game speed. There is no reason to think anything different this season. The problem is, The Finnish Flash probably won’t play for a couple of games and when he does he’s still way behind everyone else. People that play the game or have played know that practice is essential but there is nothing you can do, short of a scrimmage, to simulate game-speed. In addition to clearing the fog and getting faster is the line mate situation. Without his left hand man, Andy MacDonald to center him, how will Teemu respond to the extra Weight? …See what I did there? This we won’t know until he can actually turn on the Jets…I did it again. In the first 30 games of last season, Teemu scored 36 points; however, that was with guys he’d worked with before. I’m sure they’ll try him with Getzlaf but you don’t mess with success too much. You need to keep the twins together, (Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry).

Anyway, with only 30 games left in the season, I predict that Teemu puts up 20 points before the Ducks get to the playoffs. However…with Teemu well up to game speed and, quite honestly, very fresh after taking most of the season off, I wouldn’t want anybody else to my Right during the playoffs. Teemu is the Ducks all-time goals and points leader in the playoffs. I further predict that if the Ducks go the final that Teemu will earn the Conn Smythe and will have no less than three game winning goals during the 2008 playoffs. Other predictions: He’ll have had a nice steak the night before playoffs start and will forget his toothbrush at home. (shrug)

A brief look at history…

PRE ALL STAR 2007: 30 – 12 – 8 (60%)

POST ALL STAR 2007: 21 – 7 – 5 (71%)

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A brief look at the present…

PRE ALL STAR 2008: 27 – 20 – 6 (57%)

BEFORE SCOTTY’S RETURN 15 – 15 – 4 (50%)

SINCE SCOTTY’S RETURN: 12 – 5 – 2 (68%)

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A brief look at the future…

POST ALL STAR 2008 PROJECTION: 20 – 7 – 2 (72%)

PROJECTED SEASON TOTALS AND PREDICTION: 47 – 27 – 8 (102 points 7th seed)

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I think this year’s team is better than last year’s.

Don’t hate me just yet. The twins have as many points at this point in the season as they did all of last year. Scotty and Teemu are fresh. Sammy will be back soon after a 15 game vacation. Big Bert has averaged a point per game for the last 20 games. Pronger is still Pronger. The 2 high ticket guys putting up softer numbers right now are Schnieder and Weight.; I can’t wait to see them in the playoffs. Blah…I’m tired. G’night.

Alberta Canada (Edmonton) 8-3-2007: Dwayne Roloson’s NHL contract will be sold on eBay by the end of the week according to sources close to Kevin Lowe, the General Manager of the NHL franchise Edmonton Oilers. Read more

When Penner was playing well in the playoffs last season I said he was going to be a big time star in NHL some day. He’s not a Crosby or Jagr; but he’s going to get you 70-80 points a season and help you in the playoffs. They guy is big and if you haven’t seen him play a lot, he has really soft hands. The guy’s going to be an amazing NHL player, (NHL 2010 cover worthy). Having said that, Burke won’t (never mind that he can’t) match that offer for Penner. Read more

Just in: Ottawa Senators eliminate Buffalo Sabres in Overtime Read more

The Ottawa Senators had a big win against the Sabres yesterday to bring their series to 3-0. With Buffalo on the mat and and the ref starting to count attention swings to a more entertaining series. The Ducks square off with the hated Red Wings at 6:00 pm tonight in that hockey hotbed known as Southern California.

With Chris Kunitz to have hand surgery, the (mighty) Anaheim Ducks are at a little bit of a disadvantage coming into tonights SoCal tilt. The gritty play and post-season points of Kunitz will be missed. He had scored six points so far in the post season after scoring a career high 60 points in the regular season. First line production has been tough this post-season to begin with. There was only one game that saw more than one goal from the first line. However, Kunitz has been by far one of the toughest players on the Ducks roster and will be missed in tonights game.

Don’t have time to finish so…LET’S GO DUCKS!

Best,

David

With faces only a mother could love, the Anaheim Ducks will face off with the hated Red Wings today at 4:30 PM today. The Ducks have an uphill battle down 0-1 in the series. Only one team has won a series in this year’s playoffs after losing the opening tilt and that was the Detroit Red Wings in the last series versus the Sharks of San Jose.

No doubt about it, it’s going to be tough. Ducks need a win today to come back home with home ice advantage. Keys to todays win: hitting hard, throwing the people’s elbow every now and then, (thank you Bret Severyn), put pucks toward the net, and taking advantage of rebounds, (few as they might be).

With the Ottawa Senators up over the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 and now heading back to Canada, it seems as though the Sens are in full control of the series. Unless the Ducks kick it in another gear get a couple quick wins, we could be looking at a late May Stanley Cup Final match up.

(exact photo credit unavailable right now. I know it came from http://www.hfboards.com)
GIVE US YOUR LUNCH MONEY!

Best,

David

Norris Trophy nominees take the ice tonight.  Norris Trophy Wikipedia

The last six Norris trophy winners will take the ice tonight when the Stupid Red Wings take on the AWESOME Anaheim Ducks of Anaheim, (not the LA Ducks of Anaheim).  Little Nicky has won four and Mr. Scott Niedermayer and Mr. Chris Pronger have one the award one time each in that span.   Of course, Chris Chelios is a three time winner as well.  So, when the award is passed out this year the four men will have a decade of top defensive awards between them.  I’m blathering on because I can.

Anyway, this is going to be one hell of tilt!   I think the Wings will take the first game just because the Ducks have come off of a long lay off while the Wing nuts just finished a skate early this week.

The Ducks are a tougher team.  With 71 fights in the regular season, the Ducks lead all teams while the Wings are low on the pole with only 10.

Look for the wrap up later.

Best,

David

LET’S GO DUCKS!