Ducks Roughed Up at the Garden: A First-Hand Account

Unfortunately, I have not been able to watch many Ducks games at all this season. Tonight I got the chance to see the Ducks live at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. I don’t know how the Ducks have been playing other than how they look on paper, so forgive me if I say anything that you disagree with.

Tonight, the Ducks were on the wrong side of a lopsided game. They did not have the intensity that one would expect from a team desperately clawing their way to a playoff berth. The Bruins, on the other hand, displayed why they are number one in the Eastern Conference. Some immediate notes: it was good to see Getzlaf on the ice, just two days after getting his nose broken by a high hit from Buffalo Sabres forward Paul Gaustad. Getzlaf understandably seemed to play a bit more reserved than his usual high-intensity game, but still had a strong presence throughout the night. The Ducks also had a new member on the ice tonight, newly-acquired defenseman Ryan Whitney. The 26-year-old puck moving d-man was brought over from Pittsburgh for gritty winger Chris Kunitz and offensive prospect Eric Tangradi. Whitney, by chance, happened to be in Boston visiting family when he got the call that he would be staying in town to join the Ducks at the Garden that same night. Despite playing with the Ducks for the very first time, Whitney logged an impressive 24:19 minutes of ice time, second on the Ducks behind Chris Pronger (25:42). Whitney was one of only seven Ducks without a minus rating. Full marks to both of them for their gutsy efforts tonight.

The Ducks’ effort on the backcheck seemed to be lacking today. 5 out of the 6 goals against were off the Bruins’ rush. Two that I noticed were off of bad line changes. In the second period, with just about 30 seconds left in Steve Montador’s tripping penalty, the Ducks penalty killers cleared the puck and skated off the ice, not realizing the puck went straight to Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Thomas moved the puck up the ice to Michael Ryder who skated in on a 3-on-1 and scored a quick goal against Jonas Hiller. In the third, just as I was thinking of how Ryan Carter was having a strong game (aggressive forecheck, constantly challenging big Zdeno Chara for the puck), he took a bad line change, slowly skating back to the bench as the Bruins skated into Anaheim’s zone. The result? Byron Bitz’ 4th goal of the season.

When the defense has an off night, the goalies need to step it up to hold their team in the game. Such was not the case tonight. Both Ducks goalies looked like they were lacking confidence, letting in goals that they would have stopped had they been at the top of their respective games. Both Giguere and Hiller played pretty deep in the net tonight, showing more net for the Bruins snipers to pick at. I’m waiting for Giguere to show the aggressiveness and confidence that he showed a couple years ago when he was challenging shooters and taking away angles, leaving nothing to shoot at.

The second period had plenty of hostility between the two teams. Old teammates George Parros and Shawn Thornton came together at center ice after Parros laid a heavy hit (that looked clean from my seat) on Boston's star forward Marc Savard. Regardless of the hit, I’m almost certain the two heavyweights were planning on scrapping at some point in the night. There were a few big punches thrown, but it didn’t look like many landed. It was more of a grappling match than a boxing match. Thornton did well for himself against the larger Parros, and ended up getting the takedown. Later in the second, Mike Brown took exception to Milan Lucic lingering in the crease in front of Hiller. Brown pushed the young Bruin, trying to start something, at which point Lucic spun around, pulled Brown to the ice, and proceeded to repeatedly punch him in the back of the head. As Lucic continued to pound away, Sheldon Brookbank came to the aid of his teammate, and a large scrum ensued. Brown and Lucic continued to jaw at each other as they were escorted to their respective penalty boxes, and Brookbank was escorted off the ice after receiving a game misconduct for being the third man in. Two things greatly upset me about this. First is how Lucic continued to punch Brown as Brown was on the seat of his pants on the ice. Living in Boston, I have heard a great deal of buzz about the young, heavy-hitting Lucic, but tonight I lost a lot of respect for him. Believe it or not, there is a code in hockey fights. Top in the code is that when your opponent is down, you stop. Watch the top fighters in the league going at it. Of course they want to win, but the intent is not to (really) injure the other fighter. Often fighting is to stick up for oneself, to stick up for one’s teammate, or to sway the momentum of a game. Enforcers are respected by their teammates and by their opponents for their roles of protecting their team. There is nothing respectable about repeatedly punching someone who is prone on the ice. The second thing that upset me about this “fight” is how the refs let it happen. They should have quickly jumped in when Brown went down and couldn’t fight back. Instead, they allowed Lucic to rain punches on Brown’s helmet, which prompted Brookbank to rightfully step in and help out his teammate. Because the refs failed to respond to the situation, Brookbank and the Ducks got penalized for having a third man in. Shortly after this penalty, Ducks captain Scott Neidermayer got in a short scrap with Marc Savard, who both received roughing minors.

Not all was terrible for the Ducks, though. It was refreshing to see Bobby Ryan playing strong hockey. Throughout the night, he was aggressive on the forecheck and skating hard on the backcheck. He was patient with the puck, looking to make the smart play, yet not afraid to take shots. Parros also had a very strong game in my eyes. He had some very hard hits in all three zones and created some good scoring chances. He dropped the gloves with Thornton in an attempt to fire up his team, and tried for a second fight, but the Bruin (I didn’t see who) backed down from the challenge, leaving Parros with a holding penalty, which unfortunately resulted in the Bruins’ 5th goal.

A few parting thoughts: the Ducks need to find new chemistry for their lines. That is, of course, if they are done making moves for the season, which might not be the case. Getzlaf and Perry started the night playing with Rob Neidermayer, who didn’t seem to fit on the line in my opinion. In the second, the top line played with Parros, which I assumed was to make sure none of the Bruins took liberties with our young stars while tempers were flaring. They played well with Bobby Ryan in the third, but I think Randy Carlyle wants to keep Ryan with Selanne to create two threatening offensive lines. I think the best match for now is to have them play with the speedy Todd Marchant. With that combination, the three had a strong presence in the offensive zone. Also, the Ducks continued to play strong while shorthanded, at least in the first period before things got out of hand. Both Marchant and Getzlaf had good chances to make something happen on the penalty kill, with Marchant getting a breakaway and Getzlaf dangling around the Bruins’ defenders.

It’s these small positives that the Ducks need to take away from this game. Should they reflect on the beating they took tonight? Of course. They need to play with more urgency and intensity if they’re thinking of the playoffs. But getting down on themselves isn’t going to get them anywhere. All of us Ducks fans know they have it in them to be a good team. They need to work at getting back to the dominant team they were two years ago, and they can do that by focusing on small things little by little, keeping up their strong points and improving their weaknesses. It will undoubtedly take time for this to happen. Let’s hope it happens before it’s too late, if it’s not too late already.

A Long Awaited Night

I have been waiting for this day since I came to Boston for school. Just a few subway stops away from the TD Banknorth Garden, I have been anticipating the day that I could cheer on the Ducks in the home of the Bruins. Freshman year, I was disappointed to learn that the Ducks would not be in Boston, or even play them at all for that matter. “Next year,” I thought. The next year came around and I anxiously checked the schedule. No Ducks in Boston that year either, but the Bruins did play at the Honda Center for the Ducks’ home opener. After I had already left for Boston for the start of the school year.

The 2008-2009 season rolled around after a disappointingly long off-season, and finally I saw that the Ducks are scheduled to play in Boston on February 26th, 2009. I immediately contacted my friend and Emerson Lions teammate Sean, who has season tickets that he shares with the team. He already had the tickets reserved for me, and I can’t thank him enough. They’re great seats, too. Section 14 in the Loge level, right next to the zamboni door. Of course I decided to go with my girlfriend, Candice, who has become a Ducks fan herself.

February 26th finally came and I was a little kid on Christmas Eve. As soon as I held the tickets in my hands, my eyes lit up. Sitting in my 4:00-6:00 class before heading out to the game was torture. Every time I checked the clock, time had slowed down even more. My legs were shaking with anxiety. When class got out, I almost literally ran out of the building back to my apartment, pulled on my Ducks jersey and hat, and headed for the subway with Candice, also in Ducks hat and jersey.

Riding the subway to the Garden was a strange experience. There were plenty of Bruins-clad fans surrounding us. Any other day, I would be happy to see them, fellow hockey fans. But not when the Ducks are in town. I was all smiles as we walked into the arena and to our seats. I was all smiles throughout the game, regardless of the lopsided loss. I was all smiles on the way home. Not only was it hockey night, but I got to see the Ducks, and any time I get to see them is a good time. Sure there was a little heckling from Bruins fans, but they were good-natured about it. And I was happily surprised to see that there was a nice handful of Ducks supporters there too. It was great experiencing the camaraderie between fellow Ducks fans throughout the night, from shouts of “Go Ducks!” across the concourse to “Hey, next time, huh?” on the way out of the arena.

Did the game go as I had hoped? No. Did I get to be one of the extreme few to leap up as the away team scored a goal? No. But the Ducks were in town and did I have a hell of a fun night cheering them on? I wouldn’t miss it.