New Head Duck

Lighting Storm

A Mighty Duck

Despite losing their first-round series to the
Predators, Perry an Co. will be back.

The 2010-11 season was a magical one for Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry and Wednesday came the icing on the cake. Perry was named this years recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy, an award handed out annually to the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

He becomes the first player in franchise history to have his named etched onto the trophy.

Perry outlasted Vancouver's Daniel Sedin, who was this years scoring champion with 104 points, to win the award. A year after his twin brother Henrik Sedin received the honor, Sedin was thought to be the favorite after he was the focal point of a team that won the Presidents' Trophy for the first time and represented the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Canadian native became only the second player from the Southern California area to win the award, falling in elite company with the "Great One". Wayne Gretzky is the only other player to capture the award while playing for a Southern California team after receiving the honor for his ninth and final time with the Los Angeles Kings in 1989.

San Jose's Joe Thornton is the only other player to bring home the award in state of California when he won in 2006.

This was not the only piece of hardware the twenty-six-year-old took home this season. Perry led the NHL is goals scored, reaching 50 for the first time in his young career, earning himself the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, an award presented to the league's highest goal-scorer.

Perry became the first Duck to lit the lamp 50 times in a single-season since fellow teammate Teemu Selanne did so 52 times during the 1997-98 season, when he finished third in the MVP voting.

Along with his 50 goals, Perry also dished out 48 assists during the year, just missing the century mark in points with 98. He was named to his first All-Star team, but none of this would have been possible without the help of his teammates and their dangerous front line.

Center Ryan Getzlaf and right wing Bobby Ryan fill an incredible first line in Anaheim, giving head coach Randy Carlyle one of the best in game. All twenty-six years of age or younger the three of them are some of hockey's most exciting young and dynamic players when skating the ice.

Despite the Ducks falling short in their first-round matchup against the Nashville Predators this postseason, the future looks bright in the Honda Center with these three youngsters looking to find the back of the net.

As for Perry with his unorthodox scoring technique, he is a player that wears his heart on his sleeve, but this time will hoist it to all those who are quacking.

Welcome Back To The City Of Champions Lord Stanley

Thomas, left and his Bruins earned this
championship after a high drama postseason.

As One drought ends another continues. The Boston Bruins ended their thirty-nine-year drought between Stanley Cup championships with their 4-0 Game 7 victory of the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks Wednesday night. It is the sixth Stanley Cup the Bruins have brought back to the city of Boston since they were established as a franchise in 1924.

    For the Bruins this is a bit of revenge after the way last years postseason ended. Boston had a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, but lost the next four becoming only the third team in NHL history to squander a 3-0 lead in a best of seven series.

    This year they were determined to finish the job.

    Of the four postseason series the Bruins had to play in route to a championship, they were forced into three decisive seventh games, becoming the first team in NHL history to win them all. The only series Boston was not faced with a seventh game was against none other than their second-round matchup with the Flyers. The Bruins took a 3-0 series lead yet again and were set to rewrite history.

    Boston outscored the Flyers 20-7 in the series sweeping the defending Eastern Conference champions out of the postseason.

     As for the Cup Finals the story like it has been much of the season for the Bruins was their goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas turned aside all 37 shots attempted on goal by the Canucks Wednesday, tossing his second shutout of the series and fourth of the postseason.

    He is only one of four goalies to record a shutout in a Game 7 of the Cup Final, but the first to do so on the road.

    Thomas becomes the oldest and second American in history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy after his magical season comes to a close. The thirty-seven-year-old goalie save percentage for the Cup Final was an astonishing .961 percent compared to his .938 in the regular season. However, that is nothing to snuff at as Thomas set a modern day record with his save percentage during the regular season breaking Dominik Hasek's mark of .937 set back in 1999 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

    This was Thomas's first Stanley Cup championship and he couldn't have done it without the help of his teammates. The four Bruin goals were scored by two players as center Patrice Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand each scored a pair of their own. 

    Bergeron got the scoring started at the 14:37 mark of the first period giving the Bruins a lead they would never surrender. After Marchand scored his goal in the second period, Bergeron would record his second, coming shorthanded. In the third, Marchand would score his second on an empty net putting the game and champagne on ice.

    Twenty-two-year veteran Mark Recchi hinted at retirement throughout the postseason and officially announced his departure from the game after winning his third Stanley Cup with his third different team. Recchi, now forty-three, played for seven different teams during his career and in the his final game delivered. The left wing contributed an assist on the second goal of the game while going out a champion.

    So much for Daniel Sedin's Game 7 guarantee.

    The Canucks offense really never showed up in the series thanks in large part to the great defense and goaltending of the Bruins. The Canucks outshot the Bruins 37 to 21 in their Game 7 loss, but were unable to solve Thomas's craft in net. Vancouver found the back of the net only eight times in the series putting a lot of pressure on goaltender Roberto Luongo.

It could be a long road back for
 the Canucks and their goaltender.

Luongo, who had been almost unbeatable at home this postseason allowed three goals in this one after only allowing two the first three homes games of the series. The season ends in disappointment for the Canucks after winning the President's Trophy during the regular season.

Vancouver won the first two games of the series, but would go onto lose the next four of five games along with the series. Boston became only the tenth team in NHL history to force a Game 7 after facing an 2-0 deficit to open the series and the fourth to win the Cup.

    Cars were lit on fire much like their goaltender this series in the streets of Vancouver following the loss as Canadians still await their first Stanley Cup since 1993.

    In one of the most heavily penalized postseason series' in the last twenty-five years there were only three in Game 7 with two of them coming late in the third period.

    Since 2001 the New England area has had a plethora of teams win championships, winning six times in the four major sports. The New England Patriots kicked off the decade with three Super Bowl rings in '01, '03, and '04. The Boston Red Sox ended their 86-year curse with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series and added another in 2007, that time at the expense of the Colorado Rockies. The most successful team in the history of Boston sports, the Boston Celtics captured their NBA record seventeenth championship in 2008.

    Now the B's can add a seventh and start the decade off the right way, finally joining the City of Champions.

Let's Play One More

Thomas, right has been virtually unbeatable
this postseason, but especially when wearing
his home uniform. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Stanley Cup Finals will engage in the two most exciting words in sports Wednesday night across the border, Game 7. The Boston Bruins continued their dominance of Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo at home with a 5-2 spanking of the Western Conference champions. While the score wasn't as lopsided as Boston's 8-1 victory over Vancouver in Game 3, it was over from the drop of the first puck.

    In a game the Bruins had to have to keep their championship aspirations alive, they came out firing on all cylinders scoring four times in the first period. Boston became the first team this postseason to accomplish that feat in the first 12 minutes of play and it couldn't have come at a better time.

    The Bruins scored their first four goals in a 4:14 stretch causing Luongo to be pulled for the second time in this series.

    It has been a tale of two series for the Canucks goalie as the Montreal native has been virtually unbeatable at home, but eaten alive in Beantown. In three home games the Canucks have played this series Luongo has only allowed 2 goals, both coming in one game. He has 95 saves in 97 attempts on his home ice compared to 51 saves on the road in 66 attempts.

    Vancouver has been outscored 17-3 on the road this series, while Boston has lit the lamp 15 times at Luongo's expense.

    In the other net Boston's Tim Thomas, who is arguably the best goaltender in the NHL and led the league in save percentage (.938) and goals against average (2.00), has been remarkable no matter the venue. Thomas has turned aside 168 of the 175 shots he has faced by this devastating Canucks offense, good enough for a .960 save percentage on hockey's biggest stage.

    Many believe that Thomas will be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, an award given to the Most Valuable Player of the series, no matter the Game 7 result. Boston is now 3-0 when facing elimination this postseason seeing Thomas play his best only allowing five goals in those three games. They will need to fin off elimination one last time if they want to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time since 1972.

    The Bruins will try and become the first team to win a Game 7 on the road since Sidney Crosby led his Penguins to a Stanley Cup champsionship back in 2009 when they had to go into the Octopus Tank and defeat the Detroit Red Wings, but history is not on their side.

The Sedin twins must play well for the
Canucks to capture their first Cup in
franchise history.

The home team has accumulated a 12-3 record in those decisive seventh games on their ice, but their is hope for Boston. With the consist play of their goaltender all year and the Canucks inability to closeout a series this postseason the Bruins might have a celebration in store.

   Vancouver is 3-5 in potential closeout games this postseason, but will host a Game 7 for the first time in their franchise's history maybe adding extra fuel to the fire.

    The first team to score in every game in this years Cup Finals has gone onto win the game with the home team yet to lose. Will that hold true Wednesday night in what is sure to be one of the most exciting and intense seventh games in NHL history? Let's wait and see.

A Luongo Time Coming

Luongo's .928 save percentage was third in
the NHL in '11.

It has been an eleven-year wait for the Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo to play in the Stanley Cup Finals and even longer for the franchise as they had to endure a seventeen-year absence from the NHL's biggest stage. The Canucks are in the Cup Finals for the first time in 1994 and now for who is considered by many the best goaltender in the NHL, gets his chance to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.

    Luongo was originally drafted in the first-round with the fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 1997 NHL Draft. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Luongo did not make his NHL debut until the '99-'00 appearing in 24 games for New York. Twenty of those games for the 6-foot-3 rookie were as a starter for the Islanders finishing with a 7-14 record and .904 save percentage, the lowest of his career.

    Following his rookie season he was traded to the Florida Panthers where played the next five seasons of his career. Upon his arrival to Florida he signed a four-year extension with the Panthers keeping him there through the '04-'05 season. It wouldn't be until this fourth year with the Panthers that he would be recognized for his outstanding goaltending. He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award that year despite posting another under .500 record at 25-33.

    However, his .931 save percentage that season was and still is a career-high and a Panthers franchise record. He would also set an NHL record for most saves (2,303) and shots faced (2,475) in a single-season.

    In his final season with Florida he would finally accumulate an above .500 record for first time in his then-six-year career. He set a franchise record with 35 wins breaking the previous mark set by John Vanbiesbrouck back in the '96-'97 season.

    The Panthers would never make the postseason in Luongo's five seasons with the team. Prior to the '06-'07 season he would be traded by the Florida to Vancouver in exchange for three other players. Luongo, much like did when he was traded from New York to Florida, promptly signed a four-year extension with the Canucks worth $27 million.

    In his first season with the Canucks, Luongo posted his first forty win season with career-high 47 wins compared to 22 losses. His 47 wins was one shy of the NHL record set by long-time New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur that same season with 48.

     During his five years in Vancouver, Luongo has complied 193 regular season wins and a .919 save percentage. In eleven-seasons in the NHL, Luongo has never posted a save percentage below 90 percent.

    Vancouver finished with a 54-19 record in the regular season and the number one overall season in NHL postseason after capturing the President's Trophy, an award given to the team with the NHL's best record. Now here they are.

Thomas is also vying for his first
Stanley Cup Trophy.

With The Canuck's 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday, Luongo became only the sixth goaltender in history to post a shutout in his Stanley Cup debut. This year's Cup Finals is a matchup between two of the best shot blockers in the game today as Boston's Tim Thomas is one of the best in the net leading the NHL in save percentage at .938 during the regular season.

Both teams hold the fifth and sixth longest droughts in NHL history without a championship. The Bruins have not won since 1972 while the Canucks have yet to win a Cup in their franchise's history and three attempts since they joined the NHL in 1970.

Vancouver will look to protect home ice once again in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals Friday night in Vancouver.

The Closing of a Story Book Career

Selanne always possessed the heart

of a champion.

The Anaheim Ducks are coming off a disappointing loss Friday night at home, dropping Game 5 of their first-round series to the Nashville Predators.

The Ducks find themselves on the brick of elimination, but longtime right wing and future Hall of Famer, Teemu Selanne seems timeless. Selanne is enjoying one of the greatest postseasons in his glorious career.

Now, at the age of 40, Selanne had one of his most productive seasons in the last five years of his career.

Selanne recorded 31 goals and 49 assists during the regular season, accumulating to 80 points for the Ducks. He helped lead the Ducks to the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 47-30.

Anaheim was able to win seven of their last 10 regular season games to land such good postseason position. With the Ducks facing a 3-2 series deficit, Selanne has done his best to keep Anaheim afloat.

Selanne has recorded a point in all five of the Ducks playoffs games this season and scored a goal in four of them.

In games one and two, Selanne scored a goal in each of them, as the Ducks spilt the first two games at home with the Predators. Then, in Game 3, Selanne scored two goals in a 30-second window in the second period of a 4-3 loss in Nashville.

In Game 4, Selanne would find the back of the net yet again, becoming only the third player in NHL postseason history to score five goals at age 40 or older in a single postseason. The last player to do so was Boston Bruin Mark Recchi, who did it in last year's postseason, lighting the lamp six times.

Even though Selanne did not score Saturday night in Anaheim, he did record a point via the assist. At the 14:16 mark of the third period, Selanne assisted teammate Jason Blake's second goal of the series, giving the Ducks a temporary 3-2 lead. The Ducks would go on to lose the game in overtime and find themselves in the predicament they are in now.

With Anaheim's season hanging in the balance, so does the fate of Selanne's career, who has hinted he may retire at season's end, no matter the result.

Selanne is a former first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets back in 1988 and experienced so many wonderful feats in what will be an eventual Hall of Fame career.

During his 1992-93 rookie season, Selanne set the NHL rookie record for goals and points scored in a single season with 76 goals and 132 total points. The 10-time All-Star was the first European to be named the NHL All-Star Game MVP after recording a hat trick in 1998.

Selanne would go on to lead the NHL in goals that season as he did two other times in his career. He became only the second Duck in franchise history to be named a finalist for the Hart Trophy in 1997-98, following the lead of teammate Paul Kariya, who was named a finalist the year before.

After being traded to the San Jose Sharks in March of 2001 and then playing a one season for the Colorado Avalanche, Selanne would return to Anaheim for the 2005-06 season in grand fashion.

In a 2006 game against the Avalanche, he would score the 500th goal of his career against his former team. In 2007, Selanne would spark a deep playoff run for Anaheim, bringing home their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after dismantling the Ottawa Senators in five games.

Most recently on March 21, 2011, Selanne became the 18th member in NHL history to join the 600 goal club by scoring, once again, in a game against Colorado.

Whether or not Sunday night in Nashville is the final game of a illustrious 20-year career, many have had the privilege to watch a hockey legend and a true Mighty Duck.