Wednesday, June 06, 2007
THE DUCKS WON THE CUP!
THE CUP'S GONE TO THE DUCK!
QUACK A CUP!!!
Whichever way one puts it,
this is a rather odd day
for the storied sport
that is ice hockey!
No - not that team of quacks
This one!
Whichever way one puts it,
this is a rather odd day
for the storied sport
that is ice hockey!
No - not that team of quacks
This one!
Party hardy now
Donald, Daffy, Darkwing,
Wild Wing - you who were elated when
your team defeated the Red Wings -
This victory is for the departed ducks as well;
Paul Kariya, Howard, Count Duckula
And those who stuck with the team
through thick and thin
through heartwrenching losses
and the most decisive and sweetest wins!
Still, having said... er... typed all that,
It is still the Ducks...
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
have won the Stanley Cup
(over those silly Senators!)
Surely it is another sign
of the end of the world.
Hence, rejoice, duckies
ugly ducklings
and other quacks of the world!
For the end might TRULY be near now...!
courtesy of Luminous Luciano!
Hmm...
Not sure they had DUCK BOATS ready for this?
In Anaheim... back then... did they?!?
Duck Boats are a BOSTON exclusive!
No?
Here then - let's ask THE DUCKS:
Disney blatantly infringing copyright, though,
on a DC character (above) that bore the name first
*decades* prior...
Such things enrage Count Duckula, among other quacks...
But that's another story
Ducks don't always get along -
needless to say, this was the first and the last
of the QUACKS' CUPS... er, cup!
Labels: DucksCup
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Here collected for posterity are a few articles about the ducky championship - both before and after the clincher, game 5...
Note the poise and overall professional demeanor of team captain Scott Niedermayer (in sharp contrast to his bullying and oft-suspended assistant, Chris Pronger) as even the great Knute Rockne is mentioned...
====================
Ducks Quack the Code on the Road, Look to Win Stanley Cup at Home
Jun 5, 7:35 PM (ET)
Email this Story
By IRA PODELL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Now that the Anaheim Ducks have that elusive road win, they are ready to do what they do best: close things out at home.
Twice the Ducks have reached the Stanley Cup finals and both times they were perfect on home ice and inept in enemy territory. That all changed in Canada's capital city on Monday and set up an NHL-style beach party.
Anaheim leads the Ottawa Senators 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and can capture the Stanley Cup for the first time Wednesday night. The Ducks are 5-0 in the finals at the place formerly known as the Pond and 7-0 there when they have a chance to finish off a series.
"We learned a lot of lessons the last two years," said captain Scott Niedermayer, a three-time Cup champion with New Jersey - including in 2003 over Anaheim. "All those past situations, we'll be able to go back and those will help."
Anaheim snapped a five-game road losing streak in the finals by beating the Senators 3-2, and did it without key defenseman Chris Pronger, who served a one-game suspension for elbowing Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in the head during the third period of Game 3.
The Norris Trophy finalist will be back in the lineup Wednesday in what surely will be a raucous arena ready to celebrate.
Both sides are well aware the Cup will be in the building.
"We can't change the way we want to play just because of the implications of the game," Pronger said. "We've got to come out and compete and make sure that this is our best game of the series and hope that's good enough.
"It is another game. You can't worry about everything and the distractions."
Even if the Ducks lose Wednesday, hockey history suggests they're still in good shape to capture the Cup. Only once in 28 chances has a team erased a 3-1 deficit in the finals and skated off with the coveted silver chalice.
The numbers were already working in their favor when they left Anaheim with a 2-0 lead. There is only one team out of 30 that won the first two games at home and blew the series.
Ottawa had plenty to think about Tuesday morning during the team's five-hour flight back to southern California.
"We were upbeat and we have nothing to lose now," Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson said. "We're going to go out there and try to bring it home to Ottawa again for Game 6. There's no question that we believe we can do that."
If they do, they will head home to the birthplace of Lord Stanley's Cup back in 1893. The Senators are 13-6 in the playoffs, winning each of their first three series in five games, while the Ducks are 9-2 at home.
Anaheim beat Minnesota and Vancouver in five, and took out Detroit in six - finishing each series in front of the home folks.
"We're in this together," top-line Senators forward Jason Spezza said. "We've gotten here together. We've gotten ourselves down 3-1 together, and we can get ourselves out of it. But it has to be together."
If Ottawa manages to win two straight, it would mark the Ducks' first losing streak of the playoffs and force a Game 7 on Monday, again in Anaheim. Edmonton, with Pronger leading the way, erased a 3-1 deficit last year against Carolina in the championship round, only to lose the deciding final game on the road.
He remembers what that was like, and Niedermayer - the only Ducks player to have won the Cup - also chipped in with tips on how to keep feelings in check.
"You have to guard against letting your emotions get to you, letting there be distractions," Pronger said. "Scotty has got some great advice for you: worry about the game and don't worry about anything else."
Niedermayer provided a good example of that by not going after Alfredsson when the Senators captain shot a puck at him from center ice just as the second period expired.
He told the Ducks to forget about it. The score was tied and there were more important issues to deal with than retaliation. Anaheim pulled out the victory on Dustin Penner's goal in the third.
"We're trying to keep our focus, whether it's an incident like that, or a penalty call, or we hit the post or they score," he said. "Whatever it is. You just have to treat it as any one of those things that are going to happen and not get off our game because of it."
Niedermayer admitted that the nerves and excitement still exist even when you have won several times. The thoughts creep into your mind in the hours before the game, which of course can disrupt the standard afternoon nap.
"It's still tough. It's still exciting. That's why we play," Niedermayer said. "I wouldn't say it gets easier; maybe a little bit. It's still a challenge and still obviously a lot of fun.
"You have to be ready, you have to play your best. That's really what we have to be prepared to do. It's nice that we've done it up to this point, but that doesn't really do us a lot of good (Wednesday) night."
At least now that they are back on the West Coast, the start time reverts to 5 p.m. PDT to accommodate TV viewers back East - however few might be watching.
Ottawa's home victory in Game 3 on Saturday night received a 1.1 national rating and a 2 share, NBC said Tuesday. The rating was down 31 percent from last year's Game 3 between Edmonton and Carolina.
===
Note the poise and overall professional demeanor of team captain Scott Niedermayer (in sharp contrast to his bullying and oft-suspended assistant, Chris Pronger) as even the great Knute Rockne is mentioned...
====================
Ducks Quack the Code on the Road, Look to Win Stanley Cup at Home
Jun 5, 7:35 PM (ET)
Email this Story
By IRA PODELL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Now that the Anaheim Ducks have that elusive road win, they are ready to do what they do best: close things out at home.
Twice the Ducks have reached the Stanley Cup finals and both times they were perfect on home ice and inept in enemy territory. That all changed in Canada's capital city on Monday and set up an NHL-style beach party.
Anaheim leads the Ottawa Senators 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and can capture the Stanley Cup for the first time Wednesday night. The Ducks are 5-0 in the finals at the place formerly known as the Pond and 7-0 there when they have a chance to finish off a series.
"We learned a lot of lessons the last two years," said captain Scott Niedermayer, a three-time Cup champion with New Jersey - including in 2003 over Anaheim. "All those past situations, we'll be able to go back and those will help."
Anaheim snapped a five-game road losing streak in the finals by beating the Senators 3-2, and did it without key defenseman Chris Pronger, who served a one-game suspension for elbowing Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in the head during the third period of Game 3.
The Norris Trophy finalist will be back in the lineup Wednesday in what surely will be a raucous arena ready to celebrate.
Both sides are well aware the Cup will be in the building.
"We can't change the way we want to play just because of the implications of the game," Pronger said. "We've got to come out and compete and make sure that this is our best game of the series and hope that's good enough.
"It is another game. You can't worry about everything and the distractions."
Even if the Ducks lose Wednesday, hockey history suggests they're still in good shape to capture the Cup. Only once in 28 chances has a team erased a 3-1 deficit in the finals and skated off with the coveted silver chalice.
The numbers were already working in their favor when they left Anaheim with a 2-0 lead. There is only one team out of 30 that won the first two games at home and blew the series.
Ottawa had plenty to think about Tuesday morning during the team's five-hour flight back to southern California.
"We were upbeat and we have nothing to lose now," Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson said. "We're going to go out there and try to bring it home to Ottawa again for Game 6. There's no question that we believe we can do that."
If they do, they will head home to the birthplace of Lord Stanley's Cup back in 1893. The Senators are 13-6 in the playoffs, winning each of their first three series in five games, while the Ducks are 9-2 at home.
Anaheim beat Minnesota and Vancouver in five, and took out Detroit in six - finishing each series in front of the home folks.
"We're in this together," top-line Senators forward Jason Spezza said. "We've gotten here together. We've gotten ourselves down 3-1 together, and we can get ourselves out of it. But it has to be together."
If Ottawa manages to win two straight, it would mark the Ducks' first losing streak of the playoffs and force a Game 7 on Monday, again in Anaheim. Edmonton, with Pronger leading the way, erased a 3-1 deficit last year against Carolina in the championship round, only to lose the deciding final game on the road.
He remembers what that was like, and Niedermayer - the only Ducks player to have won the Cup - also chipped in with tips on how to keep feelings in check.
"You have to guard against letting your emotions get to you, letting there be distractions," Pronger said. "Scotty has got some great advice for you: worry about the game and don't worry about anything else."
Niedermayer provided a good example of that by not going after Alfredsson when the Senators captain shot a puck at him from center ice just as the second period expired.
He told the Ducks to forget about it. The score was tied and there were more important issues to deal with than retaliation. Anaheim pulled out the victory on Dustin Penner's goal in the third.
"We're trying to keep our focus, whether it's an incident like that, or a penalty call, or we hit the post or they score," he said. "Whatever it is. You just have to treat it as any one of those things that are going to happen and not get off our game because of it."
Niedermayer admitted that the nerves and excitement still exist even when you have won several times. The thoughts creep into your mind in the hours before the game, which of course can disrupt the standard afternoon nap.
"It's still tough. It's still exciting. That's why we play," Niedermayer said. "I wouldn't say it gets easier; maybe a little bit. It's still a challenge and still obviously a lot of fun.
"You have to be ready, you have to play your best. That's really what we have to be prepared to do. It's nice that we've done it up to this point, but that doesn't really do us a lot of good (Wednesday) night."
At least now that they are back on the West Coast, the start time reverts to 5 p.m. PDT to accommodate TV viewers back East - however few might be watching.
Ottawa's home victory in Game 3 on Saturday night received a 1.1 national rating and a 2 share, NBC said Tuesday. The rating was down 31 percent from last year's Game 3 between Edmonton and Carolina.
===
Niedermayer Provides Calming Effect for Ducks
Jun 6, 3:58 AM (ET) Email this Story
By IRA PODELL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Scott Niedermayer chooses his words carefully and saves them for the most opportune times.
He's not flashy, not rugged - despite the full, bushy playoff beard that covers his face - and not one to stand up in front of his teammates to issue a Knute Rockne-type speech. But sometimes he has a message, and when it's time to deliver it, he expresses it in the same efficient manner in which he plays.
"He's been in Olympic gold medal games, he's been in world championships gold medal games, and major junior title games," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It's his whole demeanor that's a calming effect.
"It's not necessarily one thing or another. He's not a real vocal individual. What you see is what you get is what you get with Scotty. And I think he would rather not talk in most situations. He's the kind of guy that likes to be private, but he leads by example."
That latest moment came during the second intermission of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Anaheim Ducks were tied 2-2 with the Ottawa Senators and they were angry. Just as the middle period ended, Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson faked a shot from center ice, and then ripped a slap shot right at Niedermayer, his counterpart.
Niedermayer was mad, and a full scrum formed near the benches. A volatile situation was diffused, and the Norris Trophy finalist made certain of that in the Ducks dressing room during the break.
Anaheim held a 2-1 lead in the series and had a chance to take a commanding edge if they could just come out ahead in the third period. That was where Niedermayer wanted his team's focus to be, not in seeking retribution.
"I don't know him real well and I'm not going to judge him. I've done a few stupid things in my days," Niedermayer said.
Dustin Penner scored the only goal of the third period, and now the Ducks are a win away from their first Stanley Cup championship. They can secure it with a home win Wednesday night.
"I didn't really have a response to it," Niedermayer said of Alfredsson's act. "Just trying to keep our focus, whether it's an incident like that, or a penalty call, or hit the post or they score.
"Whatever it is. You just have to treat it as any one of those things that are going to happen and not get off our game because of it."
The Ducks are 5-0 in the finals at the place formerly known as the Pond and 7-0 there when they have a chance to finish off a series.
"We learned a lot of lessons the last two years," said Niedermayer, a three-time Cup champion with New Jersey - including in 2003 over Anaheim. "All those past situations, we'll be able to go back and those will help."
Anaheim snapped a five-game road losing streak in the finals by beating the Senators 3-2 in Game 4, and did it without key defenseman Chris Pronger, who served a one-game suspension for elbowing Dean McAmmond in the head during the third period of Game 3.
The Norris Trophy finalist will be back in the lineup Wednesday in what surely will be a raucous arena ready to celebrate.
"We can't change the way we want to play just because of the implications of the game," Pronger said. "We've got to come out and compete and make sure that this is our best game of the series and hope that's good enough.
"It is another game. You can't worry about everything and the distractions."
Even if the Ducks lose Wednesday, hockey history suggests they're still in good shape to capture the Cup. Only once in 28 chances has a team erased a 3-1 deficit in the finals and skated off with the coveted silver chalice.
The numbers were already working in their favor when they left Anaheim with a 2-0 lead. There is only one team out of 30 that won the first two games at home and blew the series.
"We were upbeat and we have nothing to lose now," Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson said after the team's five-hour flight to Southern California. "We're going to go out there and try to bring it home to Ottawa again for Game 6. There's no question that we believe we can do that."
If they do, they will head home to the birthplace of Lord Stanley's Cup back in 1893. The Senators are 13-6 in the playoffs, winning each of their first three series in five games, while the Ducks are 9-2 at home.
"We're in this together," top-line Senators forward Jason Spezza said. "We've gotten here together. We've gotten ourselves down 3-1 together, and we can get ourselves out of it. But it has to be together."
If Ottawa manages to win two straight, it would mark the Ducks' first losing streak of the playoffs and force a Game 7 on Monday, again in Anaheim. Edmonton, with Pronger leading the way, erased a 3-1 deficit last year against Carolina in the championship round, only to lose the deciding final game on the road.
"You have to guard against letting your emotions get to you, letting there be distractions," Pronger said. "Scotty has got some great advice for you: worry about the game and don't worry about anything else."
Niedermayer admitted that the nerves and excitement still exist even when you have won several times. The thoughts creep into your mind in the hours before the game, which of course can disrupt the standard afternoon nap.
"It's still tough. It's still exciting. That's why we play," said Niedermayer, the only Ducks player to win the Cup. "I wouldn't say it gets easier; maybe a little bit. It's still a challenge and still obviously a lot of fun.
"You have to be ready, you have to play your best. That's really what we have to be prepared to do. It's nice that we've done it up to this point, but that doesn't really do us a lot of good (Wednesday) night."
===
Jun 6, 3:58 AM (ET) Email this Story
By IRA PODELL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Scott Niedermayer chooses his words carefully and saves them for the most opportune times.
He's not flashy, not rugged - despite the full, bushy playoff beard that covers his face - and not one to stand up in front of his teammates to issue a Knute Rockne-type speech. But sometimes he has a message, and when it's time to deliver it, he expresses it in the same efficient manner in which he plays.
"He's been in Olympic gold medal games, he's been in world championships gold medal games, and major junior title games," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It's his whole demeanor that's a calming effect.
"It's not necessarily one thing or another. He's not a real vocal individual. What you see is what you get is what you get with Scotty. And I think he would rather not talk in most situations. He's the kind of guy that likes to be private, but he leads by example."
That latest moment came during the second intermission of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Anaheim Ducks were tied 2-2 with the Ottawa Senators and they were angry. Just as the middle period ended, Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson faked a shot from center ice, and then ripped a slap shot right at Niedermayer, his counterpart.
Niedermayer was mad, and a full scrum formed near the benches. A volatile situation was diffused, and the Norris Trophy finalist made certain of that in the Ducks dressing room during the break.
Anaheim held a 2-1 lead in the series and had a chance to take a commanding edge if they could just come out ahead in the third period. That was where Niedermayer wanted his team's focus to be, not in seeking retribution.
"I don't know him real well and I'm not going to judge him. I've done a few stupid things in my days," Niedermayer said.
Dustin Penner scored the only goal of the third period, and now the Ducks are a win away from their first Stanley Cup championship. They can secure it with a home win Wednesday night.
"I didn't really have a response to it," Niedermayer said of Alfredsson's act. "Just trying to keep our focus, whether it's an incident like that, or a penalty call, or hit the post or they score.
"Whatever it is. You just have to treat it as any one of those things that are going to happen and not get off our game because of it."
The Ducks are 5-0 in the finals at the place formerly known as the Pond and 7-0 there when they have a chance to finish off a series.
"We learned a lot of lessons the last two years," said Niedermayer, a three-time Cup champion with New Jersey - including in 2003 over Anaheim. "All those past situations, we'll be able to go back and those will help."
Anaheim snapped a five-game road losing streak in the finals by beating the Senators 3-2 in Game 4, and did it without key defenseman Chris Pronger, who served a one-game suspension for elbowing Dean McAmmond in the head during the third period of Game 3.
The Norris Trophy finalist will be back in the lineup Wednesday in what surely will be a raucous arena ready to celebrate.
"We can't change the way we want to play just because of the implications of the game," Pronger said. "We've got to come out and compete and make sure that this is our best game of the series and hope that's good enough.
"It is another game. You can't worry about everything and the distractions."
Even if the Ducks lose Wednesday, hockey history suggests they're still in good shape to capture the Cup. Only once in 28 chances has a team erased a 3-1 deficit in the finals and skated off with the coveted silver chalice.
The numbers were already working in their favor when they left Anaheim with a 2-0 lead. There is only one team out of 30 that won the first two games at home and blew the series.
"We were upbeat and we have nothing to lose now," Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson said after the team's five-hour flight to Southern California. "We're going to go out there and try to bring it home to Ottawa again for Game 6. There's no question that we believe we can do that."
If they do, they will head home to the birthplace of Lord Stanley's Cup back in 1893. The Senators are 13-6 in the playoffs, winning each of their first three series in five games, while the Ducks are 9-2 at home.
"We're in this together," top-line Senators forward Jason Spezza said. "We've gotten here together. We've gotten ourselves down 3-1 together, and we can get ourselves out of it. But it has to be together."
If Ottawa manages to win two straight, it would mark the Ducks' first losing streak of the playoffs and force a Game 7 on Monday, again in Anaheim. Edmonton, with Pronger leading the way, erased a 3-1 deficit last year against Carolina in the championship round, only to lose the deciding final game on the road.
"You have to guard against letting your emotions get to you, letting there be distractions," Pronger said. "Scotty has got some great advice for you: worry about the game and don't worry about anything else."
Niedermayer admitted that the nerves and excitement still exist even when you have won several times. The thoughts creep into your mind in the hours before the game, which of course can disrupt the standard afternoon nap.
"It's still tough. It's still exciting. That's why we play," said Niedermayer, the only Ducks player to win the Cup. "I wouldn't say it gets easier; maybe a little bit. It's still a challenge and still obviously a lot of fun.
"You have to be ready, you have to play your best. That's really what we have to be prepared to do. It's nice that we've done it up to this point, but that doesn't really do us a lot of good (Wednesday) night."
===
Cup Runneth Over With Tears for Selanne
Jun 7, 3:32 PM (ET)
Email this Story
By IRA PODELL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Teemu Selanne sat on the bench with tears in his eyes, remembering the days when the Anaheim Ducks were mighty in name only.
After 14 seasons and various stops around the Western Conference, the Finnish Flash and the rest of his Ducks teammates are first-time Stanley Cup champions. Well, all except Scott Niedermayer now a four-time winner of hockey's most cherished prize.
"It was heavier than I thought," Selanne said Wednesday night, referring to the 35-pound trophy.
He broke into the NHL with a bang by scoring a league rookie-record 76 goals with the former Winnipeg Jets. Selanne came to Anaheim for his first stint with the Ducks in February 1996 when the team was 3 years old and nowhere close to competing for the Stanley Cup.
Not even the Disney movie that gave the team its original name could think of something so far-fetched.
But when the Ducks were on their way to a 6-2 victory in Game 5, Selanne recalled the rough days when he thought this moment might never come.
Suddenly the horn sounded, fireworks exploded overhead and streamers and confetti fell from the rafters to signify Anaheim's win over the Ottawa Senators and mark the Stanley Cup's first deliverance to a California champion.
"Unbelievable," said Selanne, the 36-year-old forward, the oldest player in the series. "There were so many times that I wasn't sure if this was ever going to happen. It's been 15 years and over 1,000 games. That's why the last two or three minutes in the game, I was crying on the bench because I was so happy.
"I've been waiting for this for such a long time."
Now he knows how Canada feels. The nation north of the border considers itself the hockey home office, yet none of its teams have won the Cup since Montreal in 1993 - the same year the-then Mighty Ducks entered the league.
They missed the playoffs their first three seasons, totaling only 47 wins - one fewer than they won this season - before reaching the second round in 1997 with Selanne. After another season outside the playoffs, the Ducks exited in the first round in 1999.
It took until 2003 when Anaheim got within one win of the title to win another playoff series. The Ducks' championship hopes were squashed when they fell to Niedermayer and the New Jersey Devils.
Selanne toiled in San Jose back then, and would move on to Colorado before returning to the Ducks after the NHL lockout ended in 2005. He wouldn't say whether this would be the end of his career, but if it is he picked a great way to go out.
If only longtime teammate Paul Kariya, his friend and teammate in Anaheim and Colorado, could share this with him, then that could be truly perfect.
"The last two years has been the best time in my life," Selanne said. "We knew we were going to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, but still, you never know if it's going to happen because there's so many things you have to do well."
And that's where the Senators fell short. Despite having the NHL's most potent forward line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, they couldn't muster an attack against Anaheim's checkers and Norris Trophy finalists Niedermayer and Chris Pronger on defense.
Pronger was the missing piece after last year's Ducks lost in the semifinals to the Edmonton Oilers. Shortly after, Pronger demanded a trade from those Oilers and was sent to Anaheim. It worked out well for both sides, even though Pronger separated a shoulder in the first period of the finale and played through it.
Alfredsson can be absolved from some blame since he netted four goals - two in the last game - and an assist in the series. Heatley hit the 50-goal mark the past two seasons, but managed one in the finals. That came in Game 4 when Ottawa lost despite Pronger sitting out a suspension for an elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond that knocked the forward out of the series.
"They were just the better team," said Alfredsson, who topped Selanne when Sweden beat Finland for the gold medal in the 2006 Turin Olympics.
Ottawa won its first three playoff series in five games each, losing by one goal once in each matchup. The Senators dropped three more one-goal defeats to Anaheim in the finals before getting blown out in the clincher.
They could look back to 5-on-3 advantages in each of the first two games in Anaheim they failed to convert.
"It just seemed like it was meant for them to win it," forward Mike Fisher said. "They just got the breaks."
The Ducks tied the postseason mark they already shared by winning 12 one-goal playoff games. When the Senators got two goals in the second period from Alfredsson it looked as though Game 5 might also go down to the wire.
But when defenseman Chris Phillips put the puck in his own net off the skates of goalie Ray Emery, it did seem nothing would derail the Ducks. After all, they are 6-0 in finals games at home and 8-0 in clinching contests at the former Pond.
Travis Moen got credit for the goal that became the Cup clincher. He added another for good measure.
Emery had his worst game of the playoffs in allowing six goals on 18 shots. Ducks counterpart Jean-Sebastien Giguere didn't have to be perfect, like he nearly was in claiming the Conn Smythe Trophy back in 2003 when the Ducks fell just short.
He made 11 saves and passed on the MVP mantle to Niedermayer, who had as close to a perfect evening as possible. Niedermayer won his fourth ring, took home the Smythe Trophy, and got the chance to hand the Cup to brother and teammate Rob.
"I can't believe how fortunate that I've been just to poke my nose in the right door and end up in the spots I've been in to be able to do this," said Scott Niedermayer, who left New Jersey before last season to have a chance to play with his brother. "I remember what it was like when I won the first one and just how excited you are."
Anaheim is the first West Coast city to lay claim to the Stanley Cup since Victoria of the Western Canada Hockey League defeated Montreal in 1925. And the Ducks won the Cup by winning 16 times in 21 games, needing more than five only against Detroit in the Western Conference finals.
"I've been so close to winning an Olympic gold medal, and world championship gold medal, and it's never happened," Selanne said. "I'm so happy that I finally won something."
===
Jun 7, 3:32 PM (ET)
Email this Story
By IRA PODELL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Teemu Selanne sat on the bench with tears in his eyes, remembering the days when the Anaheim Ducks were mighty in name only.
After 14 seasons and various stops around the Western Conference, the Finnish Flash and the rest of his Ducks teammates are first-time Stanley Cup champions. Well, all except Scott Niedermayer now a four-time winner of hockey's most cherished prize.
"It was heavier than I thought," Selanne said Wednesday night, referring to the 35-pound trophy.
He broke into the NHL with a bang by scoring a league rookie-record 76 goals with the former Winnipeg Jets. Selanne came to Anaheim for his first stint with the Ducks in February 1996 when the team was 3 years old and nowhere close to competing for the Stanley Cup.
Not even the Disney movie that gave the team its original name could think of something so far-fetched.
But when the Ducks were on their way to a 6-2 victory in Game 5, Selanne recalled the rough days when he thought this moment might never come.
Suddenly the horn sounded, fireworks exploded overhead and streamers and confetti fell from the rafters to signify Anaheim's win over the Ottawa Senators and mark the Stanley Cup's first deliverance to a California champion.
"Unbelievable," said Selanne, the 36-year-old forward, the oldest player in the series. "There were so many times that I wasn't sure if this was ever going to happen. It's been 15 years and over 1,000 games. That's why the last two or three minutes in the game, I was crying on the bench because I was so happy.
"I've been waiting for this for such a long time."
Now he knows how Canada feels. The nation north of the border considers itself the hockey home office, yet none of its teams have won the Cup since Montreal in 1993 - the same year the-then Mighty Ducks entered the league.
They missed the playoffs their first three seasons, totaling only 47 wins - one fewer than they won this season - before reaching the second round in 1997 with Selanne. After another season outside the playoffs, the Ducks exited in the first round in 1999.
It took until 2003 when Anaheim got within one win of the title to win another playoff series. The Ducks' championship hopes were squashed when they fell to Niedermayer and the New Jersey Devils.
Selanne toiled in San Jose back then, and would move on to Colorado before returning to the Ducks after the NHL lockout ended in 2005. He wouldn't say whether this would be the end of his career, but if it is he picked a great way to go out.
If only longtime teammate Paul Kariya, his friend and teammate in Anaheim and Colorado, could share this with him, then that could be truly perfect.
"The last two years has been the best time in my life," Selanne said. "We knew we were going to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, but still, you never know if it's going to happen because there's so many things you have to do well."
And that's where the Senators fell short. Despite having the NHL's most potent forward line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, they couldn't muster an attack against Anaheim's checkers and Norris Trophy finalists Niedermayer and Chris Pronger on defense.
Pronger was the missing piece after last year's Ducks lost in the semifinals to the Edmonton Oilers. Shortly after, Pronger demanded a trade from those Oilers and was sent to Anaheim. It worked out well for both sides, even though Pronger separated a shoulder in the first period of the finale and played through it.
Alfredsson can be absolved from some blame since he netted four goals - two in the last game - and an assist in the series. Heatley hit the 50-goal mark the past two seasons, but managed one in the finals. That came in Game 4 when Ottawa lost despite Pronger sitting out a suspension for an elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond that knocked the forward out of the series.
"They were just the better team," said Alfredsson, who topped Selanne when Sweden beat Finland for the gold medal in the 2006 Turin Olympics.
Ottawa won its first three playoff series in five games each, losing by one goal once in each matchup. The Senators dropped three more one-goal defeats to Anaheim in the finals before getting blown out in the clincher.
They could look back to 5-on-3 advantages in each of the first two games in Anaheim they failed to convert.
"It just seemed like it was meant for them to win it," forward Mike Fisher said. "They just got the breaks."
The Ducks tied the postseason mark they already shared by winning 12 one-goal playoff games. When the Senators got two goals in the second period from Alfredsson it looked as though Game 5 might also go down to the wire.
But when defenseman Chris Phillips put the puck in his own net off the skates of goalie Ray Emery, it did seem nothing would derail the Ducks. After all, they are 6-0 in finals games at home and 8-0 in clinching contests at the former Pond.
Travis Moen got credit for the goal that became the Cup clincher. He added another for good measure.
Emery had his worst game of the playoffs in allowing six goals on 18 shots. Ducks counterpart Jean-Sebastien Giguere didn't have to be perfect, like he nearly was in claiming the Conn Smythe Trophy back in 2003 when the Ducks fell just short.
He made 11 saves and passed on the MVP mantle to Niedermayer, who had as close to a perfect evening as possible. Niedermayer won his fourth ring, took home the Smythe Trophy, and got the chance to hand the Cup to brother and teammate Rob.
"I can't believe how fortunate that I've been just to poke my nose in the right door and end up in the spots I've been in to be able to do this," said Scott Niedermayer, who left New Jersey before last season to have a chance to play with his brother. "I remember what it was like when I won the first one and just how excited you are."
Anaheim is the first West Coast city to lay claim to the Stanley Cup since Victoria of the Western Canada Hockey League defeated Montreal in 1925. And the Ducks won the Cup by winning 16 times in 21 games, needing more than five only against Detroit in the Western Conference finals.
"I've been so close to winning an Olympic gold medal, and world championship gold medal, and it's never happened," Selanne said. "I'm so happy that I finally won something."
===
Fame Is Fleeing for the Ducks
Jun 7, 6:02 PM (ET)
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By JOHN NADEL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -The Anaheim Ducks had their moment in the Southern California spotlight. Because of Paris Hilton, that's pretty much all it was - a moment.
Hilton's release from jail early Thursday subjugated the Ducks to afterthought status just hours after they reached the pinnacle of their sport - winning the Stanley Cup.
That's the curse of being a team struggling for an identity outside of its hard-core following, and in an area where celebrity rules.
Star goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere admitted he can go to dinner or hit the mall without much fanfare. Teammate Ryan Getzlaf said Canada is "a whole different world" when it comes to the popularity of his sport.
"I live right there and I didn't even know they were playing. That's sad," said Sherry Robertson, a 34-year-old housewife lined up for the $6 early-bird special at the All-Cloth Anaheim West Car Wash on Thursday. "Southern California and ice, they just don't mix, do they?"
Perhaps a bit more now after the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on Wednesday night to win the NHL best-of-seven championship series in five games and become the first California team to win the cherished Cup.
"I have a bunch of friends who never watch hockey, and now they're watching it, calling me after the game," Robert Isambert, a 20-year-old student from nearby San Clemente, said some three hours before Wednesday night's game as he scrambled to buy a ticket in the parking lot.
The Ducks sold out their final 22 regular-season home games and all 13 home playoff games.
Giguere tried to be diplomatic when asked about the difference between the people in Anaheim and Ottawa.
"It's not the same. Ottawa is such a small town," he said. "They have only one professional team. But hockey's well and alive in this part of the country."
Giguere paused when asked about fan recognition when he's out and about.
"A little bit," he replied. "It's getting more and more."
Getzlaf said much the same thing.
"It's gotten better throughout the year. The NHL's so big in Canada; I'm sure we would be recognized there," he said.
Athletes like the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero or the Dodgers' Derek Lowe, for example, would find it impossible to spend much time in public without being approached by numerous fans.
"Nobody in California cares about hockey," Brian Mylius, a construction worker from Buffalo, N.Y., said near Venice beach. "It's a great sport, but people don't get it. All they want to talk about is the Lakers and Kobe."
Sean O'Donnell, who played for the Los Angeles Kings before joining the Ducks, doesn't see it that way at all.
"Everyone talks about 'hockey market this,' and "hockey market that.' The energy around Orange County for this, and the Kings fans when the Kings were doing well, it's just a great hockey market," he said. "There's so many people here that you're not going to get the same energy you would in a small Canadian city, but it's a great hockey place and I'm so happy I've been able to play here for eight or nine years now with L.A. and the Ducks."
In downtown Los Angeles, attorney Mike Colmenarez said he believes Anaheim's championship will give hockey a boost locally.
"I haven't been to a hockey game in more than 20 years, but we'll probably go see a Ducks game now," said Colmenarez, a resident of Orange County. "Anaheim is a small market. That's why the Angels call themselves the Los Angeles Angels."
The Angels were known as the Anaheim Angels nearly five years ago when they won their first and only World Series championship before being honored with a parade from the hockey arena to the parking lot of Angels Stadium.
There won't be a parade for the Ducks - instead, a two-hour rally is planned Saturday night at the Honda Center.
Jan Matson said at the Anaheim car wash that her neighbors went wild with lawn signs and car decorations when the Angels made the playoffs two years ago.
Not so for the Ducks.
"In our neighborhood, the Angels are a much bigger deal," she said.
---
Associated Press writers Jacob Adelman, Gillian Flaccus and Daisy Nguyen and AP freelancer Joe Resnick contributed to this report.
===
Jun 7, 6:02 PM (ET)
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By JOHN NADEL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -The Anaheim Ducks had their moment in the Southern California spotlight. Because of Paris Hilton, that's pretty much all it was - a moment.
Hilton's release from jail early Thursday subjugated the Ducks to afterthought status just hours after they reached the pinnacle of their sport - winning the Stanley Cup.
That's the curse of being a team struggling for an identity outside of its hard-core following, and in an area where celebrity rules.
Star goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere admitted he can go to dinner or hit the mall without much fanfare. Teammate Ryan Getzlaf said Canada is "a whole different world" when it comes to the popularity of his sport.
"I live right there and I didn't even know they were playing. That's sad," said Sherry Robertson, a 34-year-old housewife lined up for the $6 early-bird special at the All-Cloth Anaheim West Car Wash on Thursday. "Southern California and ice, they just don't mix, do they?"
Perhaps a bit more now after the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on Wednesday night to win the NHL best-of-seven championship series in five games and become the first California team to win the cherished Cup.
"I have a bunch of friends who never watch hockey, and now they're watching it, calling me after the game," Robert Isambert, a 20-year-old student from nearby San Clemente, said some three hours before Wednesday night's game as he scrambled to buy a ticket in the parking lot.
The Ducks sold out their final 22 regular-season home games and all 13 home playoff games.
Giguere tried to be diplomatic when asked about the difference between the people in Anaheim and Ottawa.
"It's not the same. Ottawa is such a small town," he said. "They have only one professional team. But hockey's well and alive in this part of the country."
Giguere paused when asked about fan recognition when he's out and about.
"A little bit," he replied. "It's getting more and more."
Getzlaf said much the same thing.
"It's gotten better throughout the year. The NHL's so big in Canada; I'm sure we would be recognized there," he said.
Athletes like the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero or the Dodgers' Derek Lowe, for example, would find it impossible to spend much time in public without being approached by numerous fans.
"Nobody in California cares about hockey," Brian Mylius, a construction worker from Buffalo, N.Y., said near Venice beach. "It's a great sport, but people don't get it. All they want to talk about is the Lakers and Kobe."
Sean O'Donnell, who played for the Los Angeles Kings before joining the Ducks, doesn't see it that way at all.
"Everyone talks about 'hockey market this,' and "hockey market that.' The energy around Orange County for this, and the Kings fans when the Kings were doing well, it's just a great hockey market," he said. "There's so many people here that you're not going to get the same energy you would in a small Canadian city, but it's a great hockey place and I'm so happy I've been able to play here for eight or nine years now with L.A. and the Ducks."
In downtown Los Angeles, attorney Mike Colmenarez said he believes Anaheim's championship will give hockey a boost locally.
"I haven't been to a hockey game in more than 20 years, but we'll probably go see a Ducks game now," said Colmenarez, a resident of Orange County. "Anaheim is a small market. That's why the Angels call themselves the Los Angeles Angels."
The Angels were known as the Anaheim Angels nearly five years ago when they won their first and only World Series championship before being honored with a parade from the hockey arena to the parking lot of Angels Stadium.
There won't be a parade for the Ducks - instead, a two-hour rally is planned Saturday night at the Honda Center.
Jan Matson said at the Anaheim car wash that her neighbors went wild with lawn signs and car decorations when the Angels made the playoffs two years ago.
Not so for the Ducks.
"In our neighborhood, the Angels are a much bigger deal," she said.
---
Associated Press writers Jacob Adelman, Gillian Flaccus and Daisy Nguyen and AP freelancer Joe Resnick contributed to this report.
===
If the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings had played their cards right, they would have been the first California-based team to have won the Stanley Cup - not the Mighty Ducks in 2007!
During his years there, Gretzky (the so-called "Great One") didn't do squat for the Kings franchise (much like a Thornton did for Boston and San Jose - not to mention Davos in the Swiss League! And Gretzky himself wherever else he stopped by - St-Louis, NY Rangers... A team with "leaders" like these needs a whole line-up full of leaders and plumbers who do the dirty work, whether the "great one" who gets all the fame and hogs the spotlight all for himself DOES or really DOES NOT act as a motivator to the team...)
In 1993, even though the doors opened themselves for the Kings and allowed them to reach the Finals without having to meet there any one of the top three contenders from the East (in order: Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) the Kings still tripped all-over themselves and allowed the lowly Canadiens to steal from them crucial wins (in overtime) as they had stolen from everyone else throughout those 1993 playoffs...
And that was the only time Gretzky led the Kings onto the "promised land"...!
Never again would he lead ANYBODY into the Finals (and, as a coach, he is a dismal motivator - with the Phoenix Coyotes... No surprise there. Like Joe Thornton, he is only good at accumulating personal honors - and there are none to be accumulated on the coach's bench!)
The California Golden Seals sure as hell could not have been the first team from over there to win the cup either...
So, it befell Anaheim to do it!
The team that some had named, before its birth, the "Anaheim Aces" (because an ace trumps a king in poker! Lots of poking going on in hockey too, it's true...) was originally owned by a certain Michael Eisner of Walt Disney Company fame... M.E. was much like Gretzky and Joe T - as in, it was all about "M.E. - M.E. - M.E.!" and he had no respect for the tradition of ice hockey and the NHL heritage.
To see the team that he founded - originally named after a mediocre series of Disney films, the moronic Mighty Ducks coached by Emilio Estevez (still, a better coach than Gretzky, somehow...!) - win the highest honors now (albeit under new ownership and after having dropped the ridiculous monicker "Mighty" - they did keep their Disney mascot, Wild Wing, though!)
Well... It is all a bitter pill to swallow for traditionalists who'd prefer to see any one of the original six teams (BASED IN THE USA) win it all instead...
But it was written that, this year, a young turk... uh... a young duck named Getzlaf would get the last laugh indeed...!
Hmm... Where was that written again?
At least TWO PLACES indeed... ;)
In the Book of Fate, I guess - as well as in the Luminous Blog!
(Or any other blog part of the TLB PRIME NETWORK - boils down to the same darn thing, I tell you, infidel unbeliever! *lol*)
+++
During his years there, Gretzky (the so-called "Great One") didn't do squat for the Kings franchise (much like a Thornton did for Boston and San Jose - not to mention Davos in the Swiss League! And Gretzky himself wherever else he stopped by - St-Louis, NY Rangers... A team with "leaders" like these needs a whole line-up full of leaders and plumbers who do the dirty work, whether the "great one" who gets all the fame and hogs the spotlight all for himself DOES or really DOES NOT act as a motivator to the team...)
In 1993, even though the doors opened themselves for the Kings and allowed them to reach the Finals without having to meet there any one of the top three contenders from the East (in order: Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) the Kings still tripped all-over themselves and allowed the lowly Canadiens to steal from them crucial wins (in overtime) as they had stolen from everyone else throughout those 1993 playoffs...
And that was the only time Gretzky led the Kings onto the "promised land"...!
Never again would he lead ANYBODY into the Finals (and, as a coach, he is a dismal motivator - with the Phoenix Coyotes... No surprise there. Like Joe Thornton, he is only good at accumulating personal honors - and there are none to be accumulated on the coach's bench!)
The California Golden Seals sure as hell could not have been the first team from over there to win the cup either...
So, it befell Anaheim to do it!
The team that some had named, before its birth, the "Anaheim Aces" (because an ace trumps a king in poker! Lots of poking going on in hockey too, it's true...) was originally owned by a certain Michael Eisner of Walt Disney Company fame... M.E. was much like Gretzky and Joe T - as in, it was all about "M.E. - M.E. - M.E.!" and he had no respect for the tradition of ice hockey and the NHL heritage.
To see the team that he founded - originally named after a mediocre series of Disney films, the moronic Mighty Ducks coached by Emilio Estevez (still, a better coach than Gretzky, somehow...!) - win the highest honors now (albeit under new ownership and after having dropped the ridiculous monicker "Mighty" - they did keep their Disney mascot, Wild Wing, though!)
Well... It is all a bitter pill to swallow for traditionalists who'd prefer to see any one of the original six teams (BASED IN THE USA) win it all instead...
But it was written that, this year, a young turk... uh... a young duck named Getzlaf would get the last laugh indeed...!
Hmm... Where was that written again?
At least TWO PLACES indeed... ;)
In the Book of Fate, I guess - as well as in the Luminous Blog!
(Or any other blog part of the TLB PRIME NETWORK - boils down to the same darn thing, I tell you, infidel unbeliever! *lol*)
+++
Anaheim Ducks
Team Page
Statistics
Schedule
Roster
Transactions
Injuries
Roster (Click on headers to sort)
Num Name Pos Height Weight Birthdate Exp.
23 Francois Beauchemin Defense 6' 0" 214 06/04/80 5
47 Tim Brent Center 6' 0" 188 03/10/84 1
30 Ilya Bryzgalov Goaltender 6' 3" 208 06/22/80 6
29 Sebastien Caron Goaltender 6' 1" 170 06/25/80 5
52 Ryan Carter Center 6' 1" 205 08/03/83 1
50 Gerald Coleman Goaltender 6' 4" 205 04/03/85 2
33 Joe DiPenta Defense 6' 2" 205 02/25/79 5
15 Ryan Getzlaf Center 6' 3" 213 05/10/85 2
35 Jean-Sebastien Giguere Goaltender 6' 1" 200 05/16/77 11
13 Mark Hartigan Center 6' 0" 200 10/15/77 6
51 Mike Hoffman Right Wing 6' 4" 240 09/20/80 1
40 Kent Huskins Defense 6' 3" 215 05/04/79 1
5 Ric Jackman Defense 6' 2" 197 06/28/78 8
14 Chris Kunitz Left Wing 6' 0" 194 09/26/79 4
22 Todd Marchant Center 5' 10" 180 08/12/73 14
24 Brad May Left Wing 6' 1" 220 11/29/71 16
19 Andy McDonald Center 5' 11" 185 08/25/77 7
18 Drew Miller Left Wing 6' 2" 170 02/17/84 1
32 Travis Moen Left Wing 6' 2" 218 04/06/82 4
46 Joe Motzko Right Wing 6' 0" 196 03/14/80 4
27 Scott Niedermayer Defense 6' 1" 200 08/31/73 16
44 Rob Niedermayer Center 6' 2" 204 12/28/74 14
21 Sean O'Donnell Defense 6' 3" 228 10/31/71 13
26 Samuel Pahlsson Center 6' 0" 212 12/17/77 7
16 George Parros Right Wing 6' 5" 232 12/29/79 2
17 Dustin Penner Right Wing 6' 4" 245 09/28/82 2
10 Corey Perry Right Wing 6' 3" 202 05/16/85 2
25 Chris Pronger Defense 6' 6" 220 10/10/74 14
34 Aaron Rome Defense 6' 1" 230 09/27/83 1
54 Bobby Ryan Right Wing 6' 2" 213 03/17/87 1
55 Brian Salcido Defense 6' 2" 195 04/14/85 1
8 Teemu Selanne Right Wing 6' 0" 204 07/03/70 15
38 Ryan Shannon Right Wing 5' 9" 173 03/02/83 1
45 Shawn Thornton Left Wing 6' 1" 209 07/23/77 5
57 Clay Wilson Defense 6' 0" 195 04/05/83 1
56 Petteri Wirtanen Center 6' 1" 202 05/28/86 1
Team Page
Statistics
Schedule
Roster
Transactions
Injuries
Roster (Click on headers to sort)
Num Name Pos Height Weight Birthdate Exp.
23 Francois Beauchemin Defense 6' 0" 214 06/04/80 5
47 Tim Brent Center 6' 0" 188 03/10/84 1
30 Ilya Bryzgalov Goaltender 6' 3" 208 06/22/80 6
29 Sebastien Caron Goaltender 6' 1" 170 06/25/80 5
52 Ryan Carter Center 6' 1" 205 08/03/83 1
50 Gerald Coleman Goaltender 6' 4" 205 04/03/85 2
33 Joe DiPenta Defense 6' 2" 205 02/25/79 5
15 Ryan Getzlaf Center 6' 3" 213 05/10/85 2
35 Jean-Sebastien Giguere Goaltender 6' 1" 200 05/16/77 11
13 Mark Hartigan Center 6' 0" 200 10/15/77 6
51 Mike Hoffman Right Wing 6' 4" 240 09/20/80 1
40 Kent Huskins Defense 6' 3" 215 05/04/79 1
5 Ric Jackman Defense 6' 2" 197 06/28/78 8
14 Chris Kunitz Left Wing 6' 0" 194 09/26/79 4
22 Todd Marchant Center 5' 10" 180 08/12/73 14
24 Brad May Left Wing 6' 1" 220 11/29/71 16
19 Andy McDonald Center 5' 11" 185 08/25/77 7
18 Drew Miller Left Wing 6' 2" 170 02/17/84 1
32 Travis Moen Left Wing 6' 2" 218 04/06/82 4
46 Joe Motzko Right Wing 6' 0" 196 03/14/80 4
27 Scott Niedermayer Defense 6' 1" 200 08/31/73 16
44 Rob Niedermayer Center 6' 2" 204 12/28/74 14
21 Sean O'Donnell Defense 6' 3" 228 10/31/71 13
26 Samuel Pahlsson Center 6' 0" 212 12/17/77 7
16 George Parros Right Wing 6' 5" 232 12/29/79 2
17 Dustin Penner Right Wing 6' 4" 245 09/28/82 2
10 Corey Perry Right Wing 6' 3" 202 05/16/85 2
25 Chris Pronger Defense 6' 6" 220 10/10/74 14
34 Aaron Rome Defense 6' 1" 230 09/27/83 1
54 Bobby Ryan Right Wing 6' 2" 213 03/17/87 1
55 Brian Salcido Defense 6' 2" 195 04/14/85 1
8 Teemu Selanne Right Wing 6' 0" 204 07/03/70 15
38 Ryan Shannon Right Wing 5' 9" 173 03/02/83 1
45 Shawn Thornton Left Wing 6' 1" 209 07/23/77 5
57 Clay Wilson Defense 6' 0" 195 04/05/83 1
56 Petteri Wirtanen Center 6' 1" 202 05/28/86 1
I admit, it is nice to see two brothers win the cup together - the Niedermayer brothers finally did it.
The last brother tandem to do it had been the Sutter brothers (2 out of the lot of 5 or 6 of them...!) that were part of the NY Islanders dynasty...
The worthy brothers that were to be found on the Boston Bruins roster in recent years did not get to be so fortunate: the Crowder brothers, the Wesley brothers, the Sweeney... uh... triplets?
Well, maybe the Sigalet brothers will have better luck?
(Better luck than the Sedin twins -and Cam Neely- did in Vancouver...! But those are other stories...!)
Nice, also, to see players who had been hopeful of winning this thing for so many years - finally do it now; Teemu Selanne, Todd Marchant and Jean-Sébastien Giguère certainly - but not Brad May, hell no! May is reminiscent of a John Kordic clod - only lucky to be at the right place, at the right time... But I digress...
I am also glad, of course, to see two former Boston Bruins win this, side-by-side as they are on the roster: #'s 21 and 26, Sean O'Donnell and Samuel Pahlsson.
I would be remiss though if I did not mention with glee that the Thornton who proves to be superior and a champion is not Joe (and much less his San Jose cuz, Scott) but the Ducks' Shawn Thornton!
And San Jose coach (for not much longer at all) Ron Wilson will spend the summer thinking about the fact that his name is not (and never will be) inscribed upon the cup - while Clay Wilson's now is!
Priceless, really! ;)
+++
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The last brother tandem to do it had been the Sutter brothers (2 out of the lot of 5 or 6 of them...!) that were part of the NY Islanders dynasty...
The worthy brothers that were to be found on the Boston Bruins roster in recent years did not get to be so fortunate: the Crowder brothers, the Wesley brothers, the Sweeney... uh... triplets?
Well, maybe the Sigalet brothers will have better luck?
(Better luck than the Sedin twins -and Cam Neely- did in Vancouver...! But those are other stories...!)
Nice, also, to see players who had been hopeful of winning this thing for so many years - finally do it now; Teemu Selanne, Todd Marchant and Jean-Sébastien Giguère certainly - but not Brad May, hell no! May is reminiscent of a John Kordic clod - only lucky to be at the right place, at the right time... But I digress...
I am also glad, of course, to see two former Boston Bruins win this, side-by-side as they are on the roster: #'s 21 and 26, Sean O'Donnell and Samuel Pahlsson.
I would be remiss though if I did not mention with glee that the Thornton who proves to be superior and a champion is not Joe (and much less his San Jose cuz, Scott) but the Ducks' Shawn Thornton!
And San Jose coach (for not much longer at all) Ron Wilson will spend the summer thinking about the fact that his name is not (and never will be) inscribed upon the cup - while Clay Wilson's now is!
Priceless, really! ;)
+++
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