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THW's Ducks news for 09/08/2020

September 08, 2020

The latest Ducks stories from The Hockey Writers.

 

09/08/2020 edition:

By Joshua Polanski on Sep 08, 2020 07:55 am

On Aug. 9, 1988, the Edmonton Oilers made a trade that changed hockey by sending Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. It’s a trade that is largely regarded as a catalyst for the NHL’s expansion into non-traditional markets, especially in California. Within five years, the NHL added two more California teams – the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks. Those three California teams – the Kings, Ducks, and Sharks – naturally developed an intra-state rivalry.The Ducks celebrating after scoring a goal on San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov.As The Hockey Writers’ Josh Lewis put it, “Making a trade with your biggest rival is like sitting on a public toilet: it’s dirty, it’s gross and you avoid it whenever possible, but on rare occasions, it’s the best option available.”The Sharks, on occasion, have sat on that toilet.A Rivalry Birthed in 2008-09At the end of the 2006-07 season, the Ducks became the first of the three California teams to lift the Stanley Cup. A few seasons later, in the 2009 playoffs, the Sharks and the Ducks met in the postseason for the first time. The Sharks, having won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s winningest team in the regular season, were the clear favorites, but the Ducks upset them in six games and ended one of San Jose’s best shots at the Cup so far.Mikkel Boedker #89 of the San Jose Sharks skates away from Francois Beauchemin #23 of the Anaheim Ducks (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)In their next playoff meeting, in 2017-18, the Sharks swept their Southern California rivals in four games before losing to the incipient Vegas Golden Knights in the next round. But despite their painful histories, the teams have agreed upon three trades since entering the league. Swapping Animal Themed JerseysThe first trade between the two rivals occurred on March 5, 2001, when the Sharks received the future Hall of Fame forward Teemu Selanne for an experienced Jeff Friesen, a middling goaltender in Steve Shields, and a 2003 second-round pick. That pick became Vojtech Polak, who would play a total of three games in the NHL for the Dallas Stars. Related: Sharks WIth 100-Point SeasonsIt’s safe to say the Sharks were the victors of the trade. Shields played just 33 games for the Ducks before being traded to the Boston Bruins for a third-round pick. Friesen finished the 2000-01 season in Anaheim and played one additional season, where he saw a 20-point statistical drop from his final few years in San Jose. Selanne stayed in San Jose through the 2002-03 season and recorded two 50-plus point seasons, including a team-high 29 goals in 2001-02 and a 64-point campaign in his final campaign in teal. A few years later, he returned to the Ducks where he would eventually win a Cup.Teemu Selanne (BridgetDS/Flickr)In their next trade, at the 2005 Entry Draft, the Sharks got a 2005 sixth-round pick, which became Tony Lucia and a seventh-round pick in the 2006 Entry Draft, where they took John McCarthy. Lucia never made it higher than the AHL, but McCarthy bounced up and down between the Sharks and their AHL franchise his entire career until his retirement in 2019. Now he coaches for the San Jose Barracuda. They had to give up their 2005 fifth-round pick, which the Ducks used on Brian Salcido, a player who only played two games in the league.The most recent exchange took place at the trade deadline of the 2008-09 season, the year the Ducks upset the Sharks in the playoffs. Presumably trying to bolster their roster for a playoff run, the Sharks sent the Ducks a young Nick Bonino, a German goaltender in Timo Pielmeier, and a conditional fourth-round pick in exchange for Kent Huskins and Travis Moen. Huskins and Moen didn’t add much and the Sharks were still ousted in the first round by their trading partners. In losing Bonino, the Sharks got the short end of the stick in this exchange. He had never played a game in a San Jose uniform at the time of the trade and would go on to record 282 points in just under 700 games, a number he is still adding to. Playoff Drama: Sharks vs KingsWhat The Hockey Writers’ Cam Kerry called one of the most underrated rivalries in the NHL, the Sharks and the Kings kicked things into the next gear after meeting in the playoffs for the first time in 2011. The Sharks won the first meeting, but the Kings would go on to win the next two, in the 2013 and 2014 Playoffs. Anze Kopitar (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)The 2013-14 playoff series made history, with the Kings becoming just the fourth team in league history to successfully pull off a comeback when down three games to none in a playoff series. They went on to win the Stanley Cup. Their most recent playoff meeting was in 2015-16, the same season the Sharks made their first trip to the Cup Final.The Lone TradeAll of that to say there is definitely blood in the water between these two teams. So, it may not be surprising that the two teams have only made a single, forgettable trade in their histories. Related: Top 12 Fastest Skaters Ever in the NHLOn June 21, 2008, at that year’s draft, the Sharks acquired a 2008 fourth-round pick that became Samuel Groulx for a 2009 fourth-round pick (No. 117 – Edward Pasquale) and a 2010 fifth-round pick (No. 148 – Kevin Gravel). The Kings’ pick in the fifth-round, Gravel, was the only player involved to become a regular on an NHL roster. Future Possibilities?Just a few seasons ago, the Pacific Division made for a difficult road-trip for any NHL team, especially the California leg of the trip. The Kings’ core roster has two Cups, the Sharks a Cup Final appearance, and the Ducks were the division champs every year from 2012-13 to 2016-17. This season, though, the best of the three finished 27th in the league. All three missed the playoffs and consecutively finished in the final three spots in the Western Conference. Tomas Hertl of the San Jose Sharks (Photo by Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)With the three teams looking to improve things, it’s possible they could view each other as trade partners now more than ever, especially since they aren’t exactly competing for the top seed in the Pacific. But, as of now, there have been no serious rumors of the Sharks trading with either of their intra-state peers. The post Sharks’ Trade History with their California Rivals appeared first on The Hockey Writers.      

Today in Hockey History: Sept. 8By Greg Boysen on Sep 08, 2020 07:35 amOne of the legends of the National Hockey League announced his retirement on this date, but he wasn’t able to stay off the ice very long. This date also saw two Hockey Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies and a memorable postgame speech after a tough international loss.Mr. Hockey Retires….For the First TimeGordie Howe announced his retirement, on Sept. 8, 1971, after 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. At the time, he is the NHL’s all-time leader with 1,687 games played, 786 goals, 1,023 assists and 1,809 points. He helped lead the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups while he won the Hart (league MVP) and Art Ross Trophies (leading scorer) six times each. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its mandatory three-year waiting period and inducted Howe in 1972.Howe earned the name Mr. Hockey in Detroit. (THW Archives)Howe’s retirement was not permanent as he joined his sons, Mark and Marty, on the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1973. He played in all six seasons of the WHA’s brief history and scored 174 goals and 508 points in 419 games.When the WHA merged with NHL prior to the 1979-80 season, Howe was back in the league where he became a legend of the sport. He played in 80 games for the Hartford Whalers that season, at the age of 51, scoring 15 goals and 41 points. He retired for good following the Whalers first-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.Soviets Take Last Game in CanadaThe fourth game of the Summit Series was played, on Sept. 8, 1972, in Vancouver, BC and it was the final contest held in Canada. After each team earned and win and tie over the first three games, the Soviet Union won Game 4, 5-3, at the Pacific Coliseum.Team Canada, missing two of their top defensemen in Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard, got into early penalty trouble. Boris Mikhailov scored a pair of power-play goals to give the USSR a 2-0 lead before the game was even eight minutes old. Bill Goldsworthy, who was put into the lineup for his energy, was in the penalty box for both goals against.Gilbert Perreault got Canada on the board early in the second period, but Yuri Blinov scored on a 2-on-1 rush less than a minute later to restore the Soviet Union’s two-goal advantage. Vladimir Vikulov added another goal to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.It's the 40th Anniversary of Game 4 in the 1972 Summit Series. Remember? http://t.co/HwhHg1ca— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) September 8, 2012Goldsworthy redeemed himself with an early third-period goal, but the Soviets had another answer, this time it was Vladimir Shadrin who scored. Dennis Hull added a third Canadian goal in the final minute of play, but it was too little too late. Goaltender Vladislav Tretiak made 38 saves in the win, including 19 in the third period.As the team was skating off the ice, many of the near 16,000 in attendance showed their displeasure by booing them. This caused Boston Bruins star Phil Esposito to make an impassioned postgame speech. The series took a two-week break before it picked up again with four games in Moscow, Russia.Two Hall of Fame Classes InductedThe Hockey Hall of Fame held two induction ceremonies on this date, two years apart, where they enshrined a total of six players and two builders.On Sept. 8, 1980, a pair of goaltenders, Harry Lumley and Gump Worsley, headlined the Hall of Fame class. Lumley, a two-time All-Star, who played in 803 games, over 16 NHL seasons, for the Red Wings, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Bruins. He went 330-329-142 with a 2.74 goals-against average (GAA) and 71 shutouts. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1950.Worsley’s career spanned 21 seasons with 860 games played for the Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars. He posted a record of 333-348-149 with 2.87 GAA and 43 shutouts. He won the Calder Trophy for being voted as the best rookie of the 1952-53 season. He was a member of four Stanley Cup championship-winning teams in five seasons with the Canadiens.Worsley’s Hall of Fame career spanned over two decades. (THW Archives)Forward Lynn Patrick was the third player inducted in 1980. He scored 135 goals and 336 points in 455 games for the Rangers, where he won a Stanley Cup in 1940. Jack Butterfield, the longtime president of the American Hockey League (AHL), was the lone builder of the class.Two years later, on Sept. 8, 1982, Yvan Cournoyer, Rod Gilbert, Norm Ullman and Emile Francis were inducted into the Hall of Fame.Cournoyer scored 428 goals and 863 points, in 968 games, and won eight Stanley Cups with the Canadiens. Gilbert spent his entire 18-season career with the Rangers and is still the franchise’s all-time leader with 1,065 games played and 406 goals. Ullman scored 490 goals and 1,229 points in 1,410 games with the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. Francis was put in as a builder for his work as head coach and general manager of the Rangers.Odds & EndsThe Rangers signed Finnish hockey champion Mikko Leinonen on Sept. 8, 1981. He played a total of 162 NHL games over three seasons in New York and one with the Washington Capitals. He scored a total of 31 goals and 109 points. The highlight of his career came on April 4, 1982, when he picked up a record six assists in a 7-3 playoff victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Wayne Gretzky tied his record in 1987.On this day in 1981, the @NYRangers signed Finnish all-star Mikko Leinonen #Hockey365 pic.twitter.com/9W48aaKkWF— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) September 8, 2018On this same day, the Rangers sent goaltender Doug Soetaert to the Winnipeg Jets for a third-round pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Soetaert played in 130 games for the Jets over the next three seasons. He went 50-48-21 with a .869 save percentage (SV%) and 4.24 GAA to go along with a pair of shutouts. The Rangers eventually drafted defenseman Vesa Salo, who never played in the NHL.The St. Louis Blues announced that Roger Neilson had been added as an assistant coach on Sept. 9, 1995. This move came a couple of months after Neilson was fired by the Florida Panthers. He remained with the Blues for two seasons before being hired as the head coach of the Flyers in 1997.On Sept. 8, 2003, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim named Steve Rucchin as their team captain, who had been with the franchise since their first season. He was the fifth captain in franchise history after Troy Loney, Randy Ladouceur, Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.Steve Rucchin: The Middle Man  https://t.co/1vonJS4w2H #THW pic.twitter.com/dYeYmD9Dze— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) December 2, 2017Corey Stillman announced his retirement on Sept. 8, 2011. The left winger was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames with the sixth overall pick of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 1,025 games, over 16 seasons, with the Flames, Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators and Panthers. He scored 278 goals and 727 points. Stillman won two Stanley Cups during his career; in 2004 with the Lightning and 2006 with the Hurricanes.Happy Birthday to YouSept. 8 has been the birth date of 17 current and former NHL players over the years. The first player of this group to play in the league was Bud Maracle, who was born on Sept. 8, 1904. He played in 11 games for the Rangers in 1931, scoring one goal and four points. The most recent is Reid Boucher, who is 27 today. He spent the 2019-20 season with the Utica Comets in AHL and is currently playing in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).Goaltender Rogie Vachon is the lone Hockey Hall of Famer of this lot. Born on Sept. 8, 1945, Vachon won 353 over 16 seasons with the Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Red Wings and Bruins. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Montreal in 1968 and 1969.Today, Rogie Vachon received his @HockeyHallFame ring. ❤️ His induction ceremony will be this Monday in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/xP3Ma5Tm5F— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 12, 2016Marco Sturm, born on this date in 1978, had the most successful career among the skaters. He played in 938 games for six different teams, scoring 242 goals and 487 points.Other notable players born on this date include Jay McKee (43), Teddy Purcell (35), Michal Kempny (30), Nino Niederreiter (28) and the late Jack McIntyre.Sign up for our “Hockey History Newsletter” for more history in your inbox. The post Today in Hockey History: Sept. 8 appeared first on The Hockey Writers.      Continue Reading »Recent Articles:Ducks’ 2020-21 Fate Rides on Rickard Rakell’s ShouldersDucks Trading for 2nd Top-15 Draft Pick Could Speed Up RebuildToday in Hockey History: Sept. 1Today in Hockey History: Aug 31The Original Jets’ Last-Ever Regular Season Game 

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