To save you from my long diatribe, I am not going to do anything with this blog anymore and I am going to open it up to anyone that wants to take it over. If you do not know anything about Wordpress and need some help, I am willing to help you out and set the site up how you see fit. If you know how to use it, then she is all yours and you can change the theme, etc. I will still keep “ultimate” power, but I will probably never post, I just keep it in case something needs to change. If you are interested in such an offer, free by the way, then go ahead and send an email to daniel@ducksblog.net and we can set things in motion.
Continue reading ‘Up for Grabs’
Author Archive for Daniel
10
May
Up for Grabs
19
Mar
Bandwagon Time
It is almost crunch time and I figure I will join the internet again. I will try to be a little more objectable this year and almost root against the Ducks, but not really. I am too lazy to port all my posts over to Joomla!, but that thing is pretty much set up, if only someone would make a Worpdress to Joomla transfer mechanism.
I am happy to see Pronger getting suspended for 8 games, maybe even a game or two in to the first round of the playoffs would have been a better punishment. He has always been allowed to be a dick, knowing only one game would be his punishment. Why doesn’t Colin Campbell just tell him he face the corner and be quiet, you know, throw the book at him. But I am excited for the playoffs, because if the Ducks some how pull out this miracle run, I would be shocked. San Jose has a game in hand and easier opponents, so I doubt they get the division this year. Lets shoot for the #4 seed and beat Dallas, then an upset of the 2 or 3 seed so we can face Detroit in the WCF. Touch and go I say.
Gonna watch tonights game tomorrow with a few friends, so I will abstain from all hockey news until then.
19
Oct
Long Time No Type
Yea, it has been forever and a few weeks since I last posted something here, been kind of busy and haven’t even watched too much hockey. It is a far cry from last year, but I guess since they won, I don’t have that itch like I did. Just like the Angels in 2002 and I don’t watch any baseball now. It is different with hockey though, so I do not worry about it.
Really, what I have been doing is waiting, waiting for my new platform to be developed. Wordpress is nice and all, but it takes too much rigging to get things to work well, so I have moved on to Joomla! Joomla will allow me to have the community site I have wanted since last year and I wont have to tear apart PHP code, these really smart people already did that. So I have a small preview of what the front page is going to look like when it is all said and done. Not much to look at really, but it’s all about what lies beneath and beyond the front page.
Ugh, what a let down huh? I created that banner myself and had a little bit of help from my buddy Jason, he made Selanne and the Cup glow a little bit. My Photoshop skills reflect my freehand skills. Limited is the nicest word I can come up with, other than suck. Patience is a virtue and I am waiting for things to come along with Joomla, those guys are almost done.
As for the team…
George Parros officially has more points than he has shots on goal. When you get stats like that, you know that the team will pull out of its early funk. Just need to get everyone healthy, then it is time to steam roll. A deserved salute to Brad May for taking on Booger. His punch last year was cheap and he is still a dick, but he owned up. And to anyone saying he just hung on, shut up. Why don’t they just “hang on” to Boogard and see how many fractured bones their face endures before slipping into a coma.
30
Sep
Game 1
I was mulling over my thoughts on what I thought about the first Ducks game of the year. I must say, they looked lost. This looks like a team looking for an identity, they did not look composed at all. I know everyone on the roster will battle for each other, every single player would step in and fight (except Andy Mac, sorry Andy…). So that is big positive that should work out the kinks after a few games.
Kunitz pounced on Brad Stuart’s face after he gave Perry a cheap shot. This is a nice new addition for Kunitz, that new “A” is going to really pay off and the team will get a little more from him this year, and he wasn’t too damn bad last year.
I liked what I saw from Todd Bertuzzi, he looked better than he did in Detroit. With him dropping the weight and taking care of himself, you have to be a happy Ducks fan. Bertuzzi is a bad man, he is a serious player. The Steve Moore incident is very bad, that is something that should never happen. But the league let him back in, so I will take that stand too. A good Bertuzzi will be something like 25 goals. That isn’t 48, but you can’t expect that.
I have learned that Shane Hnidy is very good at getting penalties for being a douche or generally bad play, he might be sent down when Schneider comes back, one can only hope. Bobby Ryan looks like he is 15 and taking his driving test and by that I mean he just looks very wide-eyed and excited. He knew to go to the backhand on that goal though, so he has that finishing touch. Then you have Getzlaf…I already have a post dedicated to him in the works, but he looked good in this game.
While the team searches for who they are, looking for Scott Niedermayer, they should struggle in the first few games. You know it is like the General has left the tent and the soldiers think they can slack a little. Pronger needs to whip everyone around, we need Giguere back and we need Pahlsson back so we can balance the lines.
While I am still here, I say trade George Parros for a bag of hammers and get us a real fighter. Those mustaches are like the stupid rally monkey across the 57. He wastes a roster spot where we can have a 7th defenseman or better forward.
07
Sep
New Design
So, I finally did something with this blog again, I changed the layout. It is a slightly modified theme that I found, because I was simply to lazy to make one myself. I have one I made in mind, but I probably wont use it. Anyway, this is step one of the project that is this blog. I chose a very simple theme with a very simple scheme, because of the other things I want to add in the near future. That way I can easily make all of the services match with some simple editing of some style sheets. The last challenge is to make it so a visitor has to only register once to use all of the goodies, or not at all. I would prefer not at all, but I don’t know if that is possible. I am still tinkering with this thing, so for the two people that visit, don’t scared if something looks odd. Enjoy and keep checking back in, it is going to be a great season.
PS: Teemu Selanne has been my favorite hockey player since I was about 11 years old and I found this picture to be very touching. Kind of like skating off in to the sunset with the thing he wanted most. It just fit.
29
Aug
A Quick Jot
I was poking around the LA Times website when I just happened to look at the Ducks page. Surprisingly the Kunitz signing was not the most recent article. This one was. The day Brian Burke brought in Mathieu Schneider, I had a glimmer of hope that Scott Niedermayer would return. I think the reason that Scott Niedermayer wanted to retire after this season was that he was worked very hard under Randy Carlyle. He had a puck shot at him, he apparently played with a broken bone in his foot, he missed time around the All Star game. The man played half the game, every night and had people looking to nail him. While he was good at avoiding that, you know sometimes they connected.
My guess, he comes back for at least one more year. Not because he needs to win anything else, but just because he can. He can play with his brother, he can play a lot less and he can still be the man. It will be an insane blue line, with Sean O’Donnell finding himself on the third pairing with either Kent Huskins of Joe DiPenta. Maybe even trade bait for a decent forward, to add some depth.
The bad thing about this, I think it will force Teemu Selanne to retire. Unless he plays for hockey sticks and “Pannukakku” made by Chris Pronger’s mom, the team can’t really afford him. So start trading away some assets Burke, Bryz needs to go. Isn’t his contract up anyway?
That is my opinion, I think we see #27 back in the new threads. Plus, I don’t want to see Chris Pronger with a “C” on his jersey. I think he is a great hockey player, but not so sure he deserves to be the captain…
28
Jul
Project Penner
As I started reading Brian Burke’s first public words about this Dustin Penner signing, I started to think why is this such a big deal. Everything I read has this notion that the Ducks need to sign Penner, they need to know if the two stars are going to retire, that way we can get Dustin signed. Sorry, he isn’t worth $4.3m right now. The stats have been posted, Earl Sleek over at the BoC did some great number crunching as usual and even came up with a pounds per dollar sum, lol. It is crazy to think that Penner would get paid that much money, given his rocky road to get to this level. I am not one to believe in things like your placement in the draft should dictate your salary, your play on the ice should. He had a great rookie year, no doubt, but why did he have such a rough trek to the NHL?
From watching him play all year, he sometimes has a lazy mentality, but all the tools to dominate. Who is that big with such good hands? He dishes, he scores and he is fucking huge. Randy Carlyle has put him in the dog house a few times for what was reportedly not giving 100% and showing up late. Dude, stop living on the beach, you should be showing your teammates and the executives that you are committed to the cause. I think if he had done that all season, gone out and been a terror in front of the net and punished people, Burke would have an easier decision to make. If a possessed Penner shows up every game, you have to look at what John Leclair, Keith Tkachuk and even our very own Todd Bertuzzi have done in the past. Leclair had three 50 goal seasons in a row, Tkachuk had two and Bertuzzi peaked at 46. Dustin Penner is younger, bigger and more talented than any of those three.
| Memories: Remember when he scored the goal that killed Canada? |
So Burke has to question all of this. Does he take a big risk on a player that has literally limitless possibilities and jeopardize the stability of his team or does he take draft picks in what is said to be a deep draft in 08? The more and more I wrote here, the more I think that he needs to take a risk on this kid. This might crush the return of Teemu Selanne, even if Niedermayer retires. So thank you Kevin Lowe, you stupid prick, you have created a really stupid trend. Every RFA with similar or beyond numbers is going to want the same inflated, baseless contract that you tendered to Penner.
This also flies into the territory of bumping up the salaries of Ryan Getlaf and Corey Perry next year, when you know someone will easily offer Getzlaf $5m+. Todd Bertuzzi needs to come off the books already and he hasn’t even played a game for the team…
26
Jul
Son of a Bitch
I do not like Kevin Lowe, this really pisses me off. Edmonton wants to give Dustin Penner $21.5 million over 5 years huh? Brian Burke said he would match any offer that was given to Penner, but this one is pretty tough to swallow.My math is bad, but that’s something like $4 million a year. That is a lot of money to offer a player who had a great rookie season, but was sometimes put in the doghouse for lack of effort, punctuation and willingness to get hit by pucks shot by Chris Pronger. Can Burke really match this offer and fit Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne under the cap, if they so wish to return? If he matches this offer, at the very least one of those guys has to go, will Burke really tell them that? My gut feeling is that the Ducks will not match this offer, they gambled and got burned. I bet he is on the phone right now with Niedermayer, asking him what he is leaning towards right now.
Does this mean we get back all of our picks from the Chris Pronger trade?
This is probably a bad idea, Knob Creek seems to be no joke, but who really reads this anyway right? Who really cares, I will write a post just to spite myself.
I should start by saying something about the signings the Ducks have made, that would be the best part. First off, Brian Burke has started to sign a lot of guys with NHL experience who spend most of their time in the AHL this year, just in case someone gets hurt. This is a good idea, because we do not need to trade for Ric Jackman in the middle of the season and have him play horrible defense in the playoffs, then score one goal and be a hero, now do we. So a big thumbs up to Burkie for doing that, way to think ahead, way to think that your two Norris defenders are not invincible.
Now on to the good signings that we have made.
First we start with the man protecting the net. Jean Sebastian Giguere should officially retire an Anaheim Duck. This man is 100% class, he is a family man and he gives you everything he has without sugar-coating a thing. Giguere says the right things to the media without coming off as a douche bag, praises his teammates and loves being an Anaheim Duck. What more can you ask for? He also took a huge discount to play for the Ducks. I think the doctors and Francois Allaire had a very small part to do with his decision, but I believe the biggest reason was that he felt management did him right and the team has a chance to be good for a couple of years at least. Thank you J.S. and thank you Brian Burke, you made the right decision.
Let us move on to Mathieu Schneider, the heir apparent to the impossible. Not since Elvis Grbac in San Francisco has a single player had to replace such a integral part of team. Welcome to Anaheim Matt. Grbac did a really shitty job when he was with the 49ers, I really hope that Schneider doesn’t have the same fate. I am not too familiar with him to be honest. My buddy, who happens to be a Kings fan (I know, I know…”buddy”) says that he was upset when the Kings traded Schneider to the Red Wings, so that makes me think he is a decent player. Being 38 scares me a little bit, but so does Chris Chelios and he almost as old as my dad. So let me say that I think #23 will stop the bleeding if Scott Niedermayer retires, but will not heal the wound.
Now on to my favorite signing, Todd Bertuzzi. I am pretty sure I ragged on him when the Ducks were playing Detroit in the WCF, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the guy. In fact, I am a big fan of Todd Bertuzzi. I was hoping that Burke traded for him two years ago, but that never happened. What he did to Steve Moore was down right vicious, he should probably be in jail or should have been, but he isn’t. I base everything on the here and now. Todd Bertuzzi is here in Anaheim and now has a chance to help out the club I cheer for. Funny how a change in uniform can change your opinion on a guy huh? Not really, he scared me in Detroit, if he played big, the Ducks would have probably lost that series. I will go out on a limb and say that Todd Bertuzzi has a productive season and flirts with 80 points 2008. But Burke over paid for him, that is for sure. He should have said here is $2,000,000, if you want $4,000,000, go get some points. Nothing drives an athlete like money.
I wont say much on the retirement issues. I think they both retire honestly, with Scott Niedermayer the most likely to return. Teemu Selanne accomplished what he wanted to, he has no contractual obligation to come back and I think his age, with his family, will play a big role. Both men have nothing to prove, Selanne is one of the best European players to ever lace them up and I will let Niedermayer’s resume speak the volumes it already has. I will be very sad when Selanne says he is officially done, he has been my favorite player since 1993, he radiates class. I was very honored to have my picture taken with him and to play a couple hands of blackjack with the man, he really is as charismatic as he seems.
Until next time folks, it is midnight and my eyes are getting really heavy. Deftones was the only thing to keep me awake while I wrote all this.
13
Jul
Clear the Dust
Wow, it has been so long since I have posted, this site isn’t even my Firefox browser history. Whoops. I also haven’t done very much on the other parts of the site either, but they are pretty much working, so there isn’t much to do. I will write another post in a couple days, because I feel I should. I wanted to wait until Selanne and Niedermayer made some more headlines, but they are holding out on us I guess. Until next month…
