Ducks begin building
By DAN WOOD
ANAHEIM (Orange County Register) -- As they embark on the 10th training camp in franchise history, the Mighty Ducks no longer qualify as an NHL expansion team. They are not starting from scratch but rather starting over after three consecutive seasons out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
An active offseason resulted in a new general manager, a new coach and the acquisition of three front-line players brought in to juice up the NHL's second-worst offense. With former coach Bryan Murray now serving as general manager, the Ducks have added to what had been a bare-bones scouting department, upgraded their computer and video technology and remodeled the locker-room amenities at their Disney Ice practice facility.
Led by former Buffalo Sabres president Doug Moss, the newly hired senior vice president of business operations, the Ducks are also seeking visibility through newspaper, TV and billboard advertisements, bidding to win back some of the thousands of disenchanted former fans.
"The commitment off the ice has been huge," said Murray, who coached the Ducks to a 29-42-8-3, 13th-place finish in the Western Conference last season before Walt Disney Co. executive Paul Pressler tabbed him to succeed fired general manager Pierre Gauthier.
"The players walk in and see all this change, and that's all part of it. Players know when there is a good direction when the company and ownership are involved."
Most of the players who will be at today's first training-camp session already have seen what's new at Disney Ice. Already the renewed sense of enthusiasm is apparent.
"It's really an exciting time right now, with all the changes that have been made over the summer," Ducks center Matt Cullen said. "Just to have that much more depth up front is so much more exciting."
Murray drastically altered the look of the Ducks the first week of July, signing veteran playmaking center Adam Oates to a free-agent contract and landing offensively gifted right wing Petr Sykora as the centerpiece in a seven-player trade with the New Jersey Devils. Along with captain Paul Kariya, Oates and Sykora give Coach Mike Babcock a potentially lethal top line, or the makings of two solid scoring units.
Steve Rucchin, returning after two injury-wracked seasons, figures to center the second line, perhaps with 20-goal scorer Mike Leclerc on one wing and touted rookie Stanislav Chistov on the other. Cullen and Andy McDonald, who might shift to a wing, figure to vie for third-line duty.
"We've gone from being in a position of not having any centers to having too many centers," Kariya said. "Someone is going to have to play on the wing. I think we have two really good lines that can produce and depth throughout our team."
On defense, former Duck Fredrik Olausson re-signed as a free agent after helping the Detroit Red Wings capture the Stanley Cup championship last season. With Kariya and Sykora figuring to be the snipers, it will be up to Olausson and Oates to provide the veteran savvy to spark a power play that was the league's worst last season.
"Our power play has to be deadly," Babcock said.
Babcock, whose only professional hockey coaching experience came the past two seasons with the Ducks' American League affiliate in Cincinnati, enters training camp with a clear objective. Babcock is intent on having the team competitive no later than the Oct.10 regular-season opener at St. Louis.
"Being ready to play Oct.10 means probably three things," Babcock said. "It means establishing a program, so everyone is on the same page. It means evaluating our personnel and having them fit into their roles. The third thing, I guess, is overcoming ourselves. What I mean by that is through training camp to earn some confidence."
Perhaps the most daunting reality for the Ducks is the quality and depth of the Western Conference. Ten teams scored 90 or more points last season. Eight made the playoffs. Failure to play well from the outset would almost certainly short-circuit not only playoff hopes but also the positive karma generated this summer.
"Any year, it's important to come out of the gate with a good start, but certainly, with all the additions, you want to keep the good feelings and good atmosphere going," Kariya said. "Walking around Orange County, people are excited. People come up to me all the time saying that. In order to keep that going, we have to get off to a good start."
By DAN WOOD
ANAHEIM (Orange County Register) -- As they embark on the 10th training camp in franchise history, the Mighty Ducks no longer qualify as an NHL expansion team. They are not starting from scratch but rather starting over after three consecutive seasons out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
An active offseason resulted in a new general manager, a new coach and the acquisition of three front-line players brought in to juice up the NHL's second-worst offense. With former coach Bryan Murray now serving as general manager, the Ducks have added to what had been a bare-bones scouting department, upgraded their computer and video technology and remodeled the locker-room amenities at their Disney Ice practice facility.
Led by former Buffalo Sabres president Doug Moss, the newly hired senior vice president of business operations, the Ducks are also seeking visibility through newspaper, TV and billboard advertisements, bidding to win back some of the thousands of disenchanted former fans.
"The commitment off the ice has been huge," said Murray, who coached the Ducks to a 29-42-8-3, 13th-place finish in the Western Conference last season before Walt Disney Co. executive Paul Pressler tabbed him to succeed fired general manager Pierre Gauthier.
"The players walk in and see all this change, and that's all part of it. Players know when there is a good direction when the company and ownership are involved."
Most of the players who will be at today's first training-camp session already have seen what's new at Disney Ice. Already the renewed sense of enthusiasm is apparent.
"It's really an exciting time right now, with all the changes that have been made over the summer," Ducks center Matt Cullen said. "Just to have that much more depth up front is so much more exciting."
Murray drastically altered the look of the Ducks the first week of July, signing veteran playmaking center Adam Oates to a free-agent contract and landing offensively gifted right wing Petr Sykora as the centerpiece in a seven-player trade with the New Jersey Devils. Along with captain Paul Kariya, Oates and Sykora give Coach Mike Babcock a potentially lethal top line, or the makings of two solid scoring units.
Steve Rucchin, returning after two injury-wracked seasons, figures to center the second line, perhaps with 20-goal scorer Mike Leclerc on one wing and touted rookie Stanislav Chistov on the other. Cullen and Andy McDonald, who might shift to a wing, figure to vie for third-line duty.
"We've gone from being in a position of not having any centers to having too many centers," Kariya said. "Someone is going to have to play on the wing. I think we have two really good lines that can produce and depth throughout our team."
On defense, former Duck Fredrik Olausson re-signed as a free agent after helping the Detroit Red Wings capture the Stanley Cup championship last season. With Kariya and Sykora figuring to be the snipers, it will be up to Olausson and Oates to provide the veteran savvy to spark a power play that was the league's worst last season.
"Our power play has to be deadly," Babcock said.
Babcock, whose only professional hockey coaching experience came the past two seasons with the Ducks' American League affiliate in Cincinnati, enters training camp with a clear objective. Babcock is intent on having the team competitive no later than the Oct.10 regular-season opener at St. Louis.
"Being ready to play Oct.10 means probably three things," Babcock said. "It means establishing a program, so everyone is on the same page. It means evaluating our personnel and having them fit into their roles. The third thing, I guess, is overcoming ourselves. What I mean by that is through training camp to earn some confidence."
Perhaps the most daunting reality for the Ducks is the quality and depth of the Western Conference. Ten teams scored 90 or more points last season. Eight made the playoffs. Failure to play well from the outset would almost certainly short-circuit not only playoff hopes but also the positive karma generated this summer.
"Any year, it's important to come out of the gate with a good start, but certainly, with all the additions, you want to keep the good feelings and good atmosphere going," Kariya said. "Walking around Orange County, people are excited. People come up to me all the time saying that. In order to keep that going, we have to get off to a good start."
