Ducks sign Emery, Getzy's back.

Many of us remember chanting "EEEEEEMMMEEEEEEERRRRRYYYY" at the Stanley Cup finals in '07. After stellar performances to get his team in the final, the poor guy couldn't get out of his own way. In game 5, he actually scored a goal on himself, adding to the Ducks 6-2 win.

Ray Emery was just signed to a one year, two way contract for the Ducks organization this morning, with the intent of sending him down into the AHL to play in Syracuse.

Although he's been recently plagued with injuries, most recently undergoing a hip surgery, Emery has had some consistent good play. He currently has a SV% of .907 and has appeared in 163 games with a record of 87- 51-15.

If he can clear waivers by 9 p.m. tomorrow, Emery will become a part of the Duck's proud organization. There's some uncertainty with all of the goalie drama in New York after Nabokov refused to play for the Islanders, but because Emery is coming off an injury and the contract is for one year, there's very little fear that he'll get snatched up off waivers.

Hiller has lately been battling health issues. Thankfully, the backup Curtis McElhinney is proving himself useful in replacing Hiller when necessary.

In other news, Ryan Getzlaf is expected to return on Wednesday after more than four weeks off for a facial fracture. The Ducks have been doing pretty well without him, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to having him back.

Let's Go Ducks.

Black and Blue- St. Louis at Ducks

The hat trick that had eluded Bobby Ryan the last few games finally came together tonight against the St. Louis Blues, leading the Ducks to a 7-4 win at the Honda Center.

The game started out with a quick goal at 3:31 by Ryan on a powerplay after Blues player Philip McRae was called for tripping. It would be the first of three goals for Ryan and the first of many penalties of the night.

Jason Blake scored the second goal of the night just four minutes later, off a shot that was redirected off a Blues players' skate. It was an unusual goal, but it tallied for Blake's ninth goal of the season.

Ducks player Andreas Lilja earned a penalty for holding McRae down to the ice, but the Ducks quickly killed the penalty at 9:21 and then responded with Ryan's second goal of the night at 18:17. Ryan's redirect off a Corey Perry shot put him one goal away from a hat trick.


Jonas Hiller (the Shark Killer) held the Blues scoreless for the first period and for the beginning of the second, giving him a scoreless streak of 178:34 minutes. His past two games have been shut outs against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks. St. Louis broke the streak and got on the scoreboard at 3:44 of the second period, off a breakaway goal by David Backes. Barely three minutes later, Backes scored again, right past Hiller's stick side.

At the end of the second period, the game had a one-goal difference at 3-2, and each team had earned two penalties each on minor offenses. In the third stanza, all hell broke loose.

Just 0:30 seconds into the third period, Ryan found the back of the net for his third career hat trick and second of the season. Of the club's last four hat tricks, three have belonged to Ryan and one to Perry.

Perry scored the next goal at 6:17, catching Blues netminder Ty Conklin behind the net to retrieve the puck. Perry got ahold of the puck from Conklin, and swung it into the net, putting the game away for the Ducks with a score of 5-2.

Blues right winger, BJ Crombeen earned a penalty at 13:00, giving Lubomir Visnovski a chance to get in on the scoring action. Visnovski found the back of the net just 0:20 seconds into the powerplay.

While the Blues have typically been a very physical opponent for the Ducks, there hadn't been too many opportunities for either team to throw down. The sixth goal for the Ducks triggered a violent reaction from the Blues, as Barret Jackman tossed his gloves and petitioned George Parros and His Mustache to a brawl. Jackman got one hit in that drove Parros to the ice, but Parros popped back up to retaliate and made Jackman regret his decision to throw down.

Both earned a couple of penalty minutes for the show, but just as play resumed, Ducks player Maxim LaPierre and Crombeen add to the yardsale and threw down the gloves to fight. After the fight was broken up, LaPierre pointed to the scoreboard as he's led away to the sin bin, with a grin from ear to ear.

Rarely seen in the NHL is a team fight, but the 12,499 fans saw all ten men on the ice get into fisticuffs, earning a slew of penalties. Luca Sbisba and Joffery Lupul each earned penalties, and two Blues players, Eric Brewer and Brad Winchester were also escorted to the penalty box at 15:16.

With each penalty box packed to capacity and the announcer out of breath from reading the long list of penalties, Brandon McMillan added to the excitement by scoring a goal just one minute after the last fight, causing the goal foghorn to interrupt the list of penalties and a loud cheer to erupt from the stands. St. Louis retaliated with a goal by Ryan Reaves at 16:20, leaving the score at 7-3.

One last fight between Matt Beleskey and Blues player Vladimir Sobotka gave both teams penalties, but St. Louis earned a powerplay goal from it by Brad Boyes, settling the final score at 7-4.

The game left the boys black and blue, but energized. This is the third straight win for the Ducks, extending their home statistics to 16-7-1. The six game homestand they just completed had a 5-1-0 record.

Until the third period of tonight's game, the PK unit has stopped 18 consecutive powerplays over a seven game span. Against teams like San Jose, that proved to be critical in earning the Ducks the win.

It was a great game, and the Ducks are looking ahead to Phoenix on Saturday. Let's Go Ducks!

Ducks killed by Predators

The Ducks fell to the Nashville Predators tonight at the Honda Center, 4-1. A contested goal by Predator right winger Jerred Smithson in the first five minutes of the game gave them the momentum and a stellar performance by Predator netminder, Pekka Rinne kept them in front of the Ducks.

The first goal managed to slip under Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller at 5:10 in the first period. Smithson fired the puck at Hiller, who covered the puck. Intially ruled as no-goal, after a review by the referees, it was determined that the puck did cross the line, and a point was awarded to the Predators.

Another Nashville goal in the second period by Patric Hornqvist at 3:56 further dampened the spirit of the Ducks. It wasn't until the first and only Ducks goal just past the middle of the third stanza that the Ducks started showing signs of life. A pass from Dan Sexton to Saku Koivu in the slot finds the back of the net to put the Ducks on the scoreboard at 11:46.

A desperate Ducks coach Randy Carlyle pulled Hiller from the net in the last two minutes of the game, but the Ducks couldnt capitalize with the extra player. Nashville found the back of the empty net twice more before the buzzer could put the Ducks out of their misery.

Rinne had 40 saves to keep Nashville ahead of the struggling Ducks. Jonas Hiller saved 20 of the 22 shots Nashville took.

The Ducks next face Columbus at the Honda Center on Friday. Hopefully they come back with more energy to take down the Blue Jackets.

Let's go Ducks!

Ducks vs Phoenix (Preseason Game #1)

After a long, grueling summer of no hockey, its finally time for the Ducks to suit up against their Pacific Division rival, the Phoenix Coyotes, at the Honda Center.

Since it's a pre-season game, a lot of the veterans wont be seeing ice time tonight, but instead will get to face the fans at various stands around the stadium.

It was a long summer for Bobby Ryan, one of the veterans who will be playing tonight. Negotiations for the terms of his contract took up most of the summer, and was resolved shortly before training camp started. Ryan sought a shorter contract, while the Ducks management wanted a longer commitment, as other veterans' contracts were expiring soon. Thankfully for the Ducks, Ryan agreed to a 5 year contract, which was rumored to add up to over 25 million dollars.

Tonight's game will be the first time the Ducks will take the ice against another team, as they've been in training camp since Saturday. After several in-team scrimmages, the Ducks are eager to take on an old foe.

The Ducks will also be facing the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, at another home game. Hopefully the Ducks will be able to use this experience to solidify their lineups. Because of the shifts in team members over the summer, including the loss of Niedermeyer and the signing of Emerson Etem and Cam Fowler, coach Randy Carlyle is looking at a new strategy for the lineups. The Ducks have always favored having two scoring lines and one checking line and an energy line, but is now considering altering the lines to feature three scoring lines instead, due to the large number of high scorers on the roster. Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Dan Sexton and of course, Teemu Selanne are all expected to contribute lots of points to the team's effort.

It's the start of a new season. Forgetting the disappointing start to last season, and the heartbreaking ending that came too soon, the Ducks look forward to a successful (and long) season. It's been too long since fans have gotten to rock the orange and black, too long since we've seen Wildwing rappel down from the rafters of the Pond, too long since we've gotten to cheer the Flash, Getzy, Hiller, George Parros (and his Mustache), Bobby and all our favorite players. Finally, we get to quack with our Ducks. Finally it's hockey season.

Let's Go Ducks!

No More Niedermania

Scott Niedermayer, former defenseman for the Ducks, announced his retirement today. Niedermayer has been with the Ducks since 2005, and was the team captain and Conn Smythe winner when the Ducks won the cup in 2007.

Niedermayer is the only hockey player to ever have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship, a World Cup, a Memorial Cup and World Junior Title.

For the first 12 years of his career, Niedermayer played on the New Jersey Devils, where he won three Stanley Cups, in 1995, 2000 and 2003. His fourth came in 2007 with the Ducks.

But more importantly than his winning record, Niedermayer has been an integral part of the Duck family. We wish him the best, and to have a happy retirement.

USA-Canada: Game Log

Pregame: Commentators remarking on how young and inexperienced Team USA is compared to Canada. They said the same thing about the 1980 US Olympic Team vs the Soviet Union.

4:45pm- Puck drops and we begin.

1st Period

19:46- quick shot by Team USA but Canada goalie Martin Brodeur covers it.

19:19- A shot from the blue line by Brian Rafalski is accidentally redirected by Sidney Crosby and Team USA scores! 1-0 to the red white and blue.

18:17- Goalie interference call on Ryan Getzlaf gives Team USA a powerplay.

14:17- Canada kills it.

11:07- Eric Staal gets the puck on the blue line and fires it past Miller for Canada's first goal. Tied at 1-1.

10:45- Rafalski gets his second of the game to put USA back on top. 2-1 USA

13:53- penalty to Joe Pavelski on Team USA for hi-sticking.

12:34- couple shots but nothing's going in for Canada.

11:53- PK for Team USA

7:33- Shots coming from all over, but Team USA's defense staying strong. Miller's had more than a few sweet stops.

6:05- Majority of shots coming from blue line. Marleau takes a shot as he skates through the neutral zone that hits Team USA's goalie Ryan Miller in the chest.

4:32- Miller looking absolutely fantastic this period. Almost as good as Jonas Hiller. :)

3:34- USA's consistent at clearing the zone, but the puck is rarely being played past Canada's blue line. It's about time Team USA went on the offensive.

2:10- Shots favoring Canada at 17 to just 6 from Team USA.

0:0- End of first, and while Team USA is winning with 2 goals to Canada's 1, they're being outshot 18-6. Hopefully USA gains some control on the game and gets more shots off in the 2nd stanza.

2nd Period

20:00- Here we go in the 2nd, Team USA wins the face-off.

19:38- Team USA fires off a shot that's quickly acquired by Brodeur, but players stop for a friendly chit-chat in front of the goal. Zebras break up the scrum.

16:28- Canada's Jonathan Toews gets the puck in front of the crease and passes it in front of Miller to a waiting Dany Heatley who fires it in to tie the game. 2-2.

15:34- Chants of "Miller" fill the Hockey Place stadium.

14:17- Patrick Kane carries the puck through the neutral zone, weaving through Canada's defensemen and fires wide on Brodeur.

13:56- Fans are tossing a beach ball in the crowd that is coming dangerously close to the ice. Never seen that at a hockey game before...

11:09- Team USA still having trouble keeping the puck out of their zone. Bobby Ryan finally breaks through and passes it to Kane who puts a shot on Brodeur.

9:35- Puck stops after Marleau doesnt clear the crease fast enough, blocking Miller's ability to play. USA wins the face-off.

8:20- Hi-stick violation stops the play just as Canada clears their zone after USA gets a brief chance to get some shots on Brodeur.

7:59- USA wins the face-off in front of Canada's goal crease, and gets three quick shots on Brodeur. Close, but no cigar, with some fantastic goalkeeping by Brodeur.

3:58 Eric Staal and Corey Perry collide and Chris Pronger dog-piles on them as all three are looking for the puck. Play stops as all three struggle to clear their heads.

3:14 Brodeur is caught way out of position as he scrambles to cover the loose puck in front of the net. He moves too far out of the crease and Team USA's Chris Drury puts the puck in the net behind him. 3-2 for Team USA!

1:38- Three separate breakaways leave players and fans out of breath as USA gets a breakaway that leads to a Canada opportunity that is in turn denied and sent back for a USA breakaway that is finally covered.

0:53- A hit by Eric Staal earns him a penalty and Team USA is given a powerplay opportunity.

0:0- 39-19 shots favoring Canada still. Players shove each other after the buzzer. USA will have a man advantage at the start of the 3rd. USA's still winning 3-2.

3rd Period

20:00- 3rd period starts with a USA powerplay.

18:53- Canada kills the man advantage, but USA keeps firing away at the goal.

18:16 Sidney Crosby swings his stick at a USA player's head and USA goes on another powerplay!

16:16- Canada kills yet another powerplay.

13:55- Delayed penalty to Canada gives Team USA their third powerplay in just 7 minutes. Corey Perry earned the slashing call.

12:51- HAT TRICK TO RAFALSKI! Team USA goes ahead by 2 as Brian Rafalski shoots a one-timer from the blue line to earn a powerplay goal and his third for tonight. 4-2 to Team USA.

10:00- Canada gears up for a rush as we're halfway done with the last period, score of 4-2 to Team USA.

9:11- Powerplay goes to Canada as Patrick Kane gets his stick stuck between the legs of a Canada player. Team USA hoping to hold them off. This could be the play of the game, if Canada gets some momentum back. Lot of pressure resting on Miller right now.

8:16- Puck is tossed out of play as Team USA struggles to clear it.

8:06- I was expecting a good game but this has gotten really intense. Totally sitting on the edge of my seat right now.

7:10- Powerplay is killed! Crosby dives for an open puck in front of the goal, but Miller covers it. Play stops as Miller and Crosby untangle themselves from one another in front of the goal.

5:12- Offsides call brings the puck back to Team USA's zone, and seconds after the face-off, a tripping call on Erik Johnson gives Canada a powerplay opportunity. Good luck, Miller.

4:08- Careful passing by Canada finally opens up a shot opportunity but Miller jumps on it.

4:04- Puck cleared.

3:47- Three rapid shots has Miller sprawled in front of the net as he struggles to block rebound after rebound. Although he looks like he's standing on his head at one point, he's successful at stopping the puck. Just incredible.

3:09- Rick Nash redirects a pass directly to Sidney Crosby who's camped out in front of the goal. He shoves the puck in for a powerplay goal to put themselves within one goal of Team USA.

2:34- Timeout. I can't sit still.

1:30- Shot after shot after shot on Miller and he's blocked them all.

1:10- Puck is cleared and Canada regains control as Brodeur heads to the bench for an extra attacker for Canada.

0:44- Ryan Kesler dives for the puck with one hand on his stick and sends the puck into the empy net! 5-3 for Team USA!

0:16- Dogpile in front of the net and sticks are just jabbing at the puck. Marleau and Jack Johnson shove each other but no one throws down.

0:0- Team USA wins. :)

USA vs Canada

In the greatest match-up day for Olympic hockey, Team USA faces Canada for bragging rights and a shot for gold.

While it is not a medal round, the loser of this game will likely have to play an extra game to move into the final rounds. But this game is so much more than just seeding. In a rivalry that spawned when there were only 6 teams in the NHL, 4 of them being US teams, and has amplified with the Suter-Gretzky rivalry and various competitions with mixed results, this may be the most important game either one of these teams play in this Olympics.

Every expert agrees that this game will be close, most predicting that the end score will be within two goals of each other. But the winner of the game is still contested.

USA must win this game in regulation if they hope to get the bye. While both teams have won both games they've played, Canada is a point behind from the shootout win they had against Switzerland. If Team USA wins the game in regulation, they'll earn the bye that puts them in the final seed. If it goes into a shootout, Canada will tie the points and win the bye because they've scored more goals in their last two games.

This game is just one of three iconic match-ups. Russia has already defeated the Czech Republic in a physical game, with an end score of 4-2. Later tonight, rivals Sweden and Finland will face off for bragging rights. But first, the game that matters.... USA and Canada.

I'll do my best to present the game this live blog, but I hope you have the opportunity to watch this game live, as it promises to be incredible.

Lets go...
USA! USA! USA!