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Dirty Ducks
by Paul on 03/05/08 at 03:05 PM ET
Comments (7)
from Team 1200’s Dean Brown,
I want to start by saying something I have said over and over on both radio and TV. I have great admiration for the way the Anaheim Ducks play the game. I believe their philosophy is not new but it is brilliant. It plays on the one constant in NHL officiating. That is the official’s internal calculator….
Anaheim is the dirtiest team in the NHL and all the stats prove that. But what fans miss in their anger because their team was the victim of the Ducks “thousand cuts” game plan is the excellence Anaheim has achieved in executing this type of game plan. Getting everyone to play this way. Getting your skill players to play this way. Not an easy thing to do, but they have. It is not the type of hockey you can do half way.
thanks to a KK member and fellow blogger for the pointer…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
All these things may be true.
However, the Ducks posses something that proves it works. It’s called the Stanley cup.
They may just get to keep it for another year as well.
Posted by Laker from dapuddle. on 03/05/08 at 04:16 PM ET
Dean Brown is one of the dirtiest broadcasters in the NHL.
Posted by Itlan on 03/05/08 at 04:37 PM ET
An excellent article. Kudos to Mr. Brown.
If the Ducks win the Cup again this season, two scenarios will play out with other owners/GMs:
1.) Strong calls for
A.) Earlier reporting dates for players “considering retirement” (signed and UFA) and
B.) Enforcement of the rule book as written. If your team commits 30 penalties, then that’s how many will be called.
When those calls fall on deaf ears, we’ll see:
2.) Increasing imitation of Burke’s tactics both on and off the ice. Of course, as more and more teams follow suit, we will eventually have the pleasure of hearing Burke come out and proclaim that the game must be cleaned up.
Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 03/06/08 at 10:48 AM ET
YzermanZetterberg,
There is no doubt in my mind that Burkey and co. used the semi-retirement of Selanne and Neidermayer as cap saving, develop younger talent.
I am not sure how you would stop it before the trade deadline though.
As for the Ducks style of play. It is what it is. I’d rather watch them than Minnesota that is for sure.
Posted by Laker from BC on 03/06/08 at 11:28 AM ET
Laker,
The solution I’ve heard proposed (can’t remember where) would set a reporting date of Nov. 1—or, at the latest, Dec. 1. If you can’t agree on a contract or decide against retirement by that date, you aren’t eligible to play until the next season. I think that would definitely help. (While I’m sure some team[s] would try to get around it with “injury exemptions,” that issue could be managed by requiring documentation of the injury, second opinions from independent doctors, etc.)
Also…good point RE: Minnesota (The State of Hockey? Oy!)
Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 03/06/08 at 05:25 PM ET
I’m not sure why the late reports of Selanne, the good Neidermayer or, for that matter, Forsberg, are a problem needing a solution. If they had to report at the beginning of the year, I suspect none would be playing now. This is an issue that only applies to elite players (that is, only they can get away with it and have the size salary that makes a difference), and I’d rather see elite players play - or fail, becasue they are too old or out of shape - even if it’s for just half a year. It just adds an itneresting element to the season.
Of course, as a Ducks fan, its pretty easy for me to say….
Posted by David Karpa from Irvine on 03/06/08 at 08:49 PM ET
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This is one of the most even-handed, logical, and fundamentally correct assessments of Anaheim’s style of play that I have read, from either the Ducks side of things or from an opponent.
Kudos, Dean. You’ve nailed a lot of what I feel about Burke’s team, and even called me out for abusing the defensive line that Anaheim is the most penalized team in hockey.
A great read, one I’ll feature on BoC tomorrow.
Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 03/05/08 at 04:06 PM ET