FIVE IS ALIVE
While they've offered up a couple of disappointing performances
during the latest segment of the LCS Hockey-NHL season -- notably a
virtual no-show at the Meadowlands and a sluggish 40 minutes on the
Island -- the Ducks seem well on the way to locking up the number
five seed in the West.
The 5-1 triumph over Dallas -- albeit against a banged-up Stars team
-- was a season benchmark for the Ducks, it being their first
victory in five tries against the soon-to-be repeat Presidents Cup
winners. Perhaps more notable than their victory over Dallas, who
was in the middle of a 3-3-2 "slump" at the time, was a spirited
later effort against Detroit.
Naturally, the Ducks lost, as they usually do against the Wings. But
in closing to the final 3-2 score from a 3- 0 hole, Anaheim showed
great determination against a team that had gone undefeated (6-0-0)
since acquiring a bevy of All-Star veterans at the trade deadline.
If that game, as well as the tilt against Dallas, showed Anaheim's
upside, the dark underbelly was clearly on display in New Jersey,
where Anaheim suffered its worst loss of the season both in terms
of goals allowed (7) and margin of defeat (6). Not what you want to
see as the playoffs draw near. On the other hand, the Devils are
the best team in the East (with apologies to Ottawa), and the team
rebounded well against the Rangers two nights later.
SELANNE SIZZLES
As the team pursued a lock on the fifth seed, Anaheim sniper Teemu
Selanne rocketed to the front of the pack seeking the first-ever
Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer.
At press time, Teemu held a two-goal lead (45) over Ottawa
superstar Alexei Yashin. With six games remaining, and former
contenders John Leclair and Eric Lindros both out with injuries,
the race to the Rocket now looks like a two-man affair. I'm going
to go out on a limb and say Selanne will not only win the award,
but end up as the league's only 50-goal scorer.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The league could not do
better than to have Teemu on the podium come awards night. The guy
is a vastly underutilized marketing tool for the game, a mistake
that might finally be rectified through the establishment of the
trophy honoring hockey's first 50-goal man. Why does the NHL tie
its marketing dreams to a reticent, ill-tempered thug like Eric
Lindros when they could hang their hat on an effervescent, skillful
player like Selanne? Geography may be the answer, what with Teemu
toiling in the Pacific time zone. But it's also a misguided belief
(held by fighting apologists, among others) that toughness sells
hockey better than skill.
Will they still be sticking to that position when Lindros eventually
becomes one of those "great" players never to win a Stanley Cup?
Probably.
ZEZEL FIZZLES
The Ducks attempted a savvy move at the deadline, picking up
dependable center Peter Zezel from the Canucks for unspecified
future considerations (which, if you follow the team, you know
wouldn't have been much). The deal was voided, however, when Zezel,
dealing with the tragic terminal illness of his niece, elected not
to report. Nothing against Anaheim, Zezel said, it's just that
real-life concerns were more important than hockey at this juncture
in his life.
Ducks officials, while disappointed not to have the veteran's
two-way skill for the playoff run, were understanding of Zezel's
decision.
STRETCH RUN
With St. Louis playing uneven hockey, Anaheim's playoff-position
destiny is pretty much in their own hands - - especially with St.
Louis coming to town for The Pond's final regular season game.
Anaheim also has a pair against playoff-bound San Jose, one against
the hapless Kings and a likely postseason preview against the hated
desert dogs of Phoenix. First up, however, is a chance to prove
that their recent victory over Dallas was more than just a
fortuitous off-night for the Stars.
BEAT NOTES
While the Ducks were on the road recently, The Pond was taken over
by the Frozen Four, US college hockey's championship tournament --
ultimately won by the Black Bears of Maine. After watching some of
the best young players in the country do their stuff, it's clear
that eliminating the red line would be the NHL's quickest ticket to
a more exciting game.
