WITH THE CHECKING LINE DID YOU KNOW... The History of the Helmet 2008 PLAYER RINK TOUR RECAP PLUS... Portland Pirates Update Ducks in the Community Season Ticket Deposits Available Now
Samuel Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer form the Ducks longest-tenured forward line In the past two seasons, the Ducks have made occasional changes to their forward lines, trying to come up with the best combinations of players. But the checking line of center Samuel Pahlsson and wingers Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer has stayed pretty much intact since they were first put together. We clicked right away and we ve been together ever since, Moen says. The role of the players on the checking line (also known as the shutdown line ) is mainly to stop the opposing team s top scorers. They re also expected to chip in goals from time to time. Pahlsson, Moen and Niedermayer performed both of those roles outstandingly during the Ducks run to the Stanley Cup title last season. In 21 playoff games, their line scored 15 goals (seven by Moen, five by Niedermayer and three by Pahlsson), including five game-winners. Meanwhile, all three worked together to help hold the top forwards from Minnesota, Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa in check. Pahlsson, Moen and Niedermayer recently spoke to Beyond the Boards about their roles on the checking line. BTB: What do you think makes your line so successful? Samuel Pahlsson: We work hard all the time together, so we know what our job is. Travis Moen: I think all three of us are focused on playing great defense. I think [Coach Randy Carlyle] trusts us defensively and that s why he has stuck with us. Rob Niedermayer: The fact we have been together for so long, we kind of know what each other is going to do on the ice.
BTB: What was it like to have Ryan Carter f ill in for Samuel Pahlsson while he was out for two months with an injury? TM: I don t think there was a difficult part. Carter is a great player. He is fast, has great hands and he played well for us. He is a great young player. There were no downfalls with him on our line. RN: I just think sometimes you play with one guy for so long you get use to how he plays and that was the case with Sammy. With a new guy you have to get used to him. But it was not too bad, Carter is a fast and smart player. He was fun to play with. BTB: Out of the three of you, who wears the pants on the line? SP: It s got to be me! (laughing) TM: I say me, definitely me. RN: I do, no question about it. BTB: How do you guys communicate on the ice? SP: Usually it is a short yell. TM: It is a combo of short yelling and signals. RN: A little of yelling and signals. Depends maybe if the guy is not getting the signals you start to yell a bit, but usually we know where we have to be. BTB: Does each one of you have a different role on the line? SP: All three of us focus on defense. We all work together to cycle the puck and try to create scoring opportunities for one another. TM: No it is pretty much even. Sammy is a center man so he is down low a little more. He is a little bit better defenseman than Rob and I are, but no one really has a role. BTB: Last season, your line had game-winning goals in Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. How did it feel to contribute like that on the biggest stage in hockey? SP: It was great. I think everyone would want to do that. It was fun, but it was not our first job. Everyone needs to help to create the game-winners. TM: It is pretty cool to score game-winning goals in the Stanley Cup Final. It was pretty special. RN: It definitely felt good to contribute that way.
March marks the beginning of the stretch run for the Portland Pirates in their quest to get back into the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in two seasons. Ranked third out of seven teams in the Atlantic Division, the Pirates are currently in position to be one of the four teams from the division to gain entrance into the playoffs. In order for that to hold true, the team will have to translate the success they ve had all season to the final 20 games of the season, of which 15 will come during the month of March. #29 Bobby Ryan The Pirates have played their best hockey when scoring early in games. The team possesses ses a 20-6-0-2 record when scoring the first goal and an even more stellar 16-1-1-1 mark when leading after two periods of play. If they can continue those trends during the month, they should be in good shape for the playoffs. Pirates Andrew Ebbett, Geoff Platt and Bobby Ryan continue to reel in the points for the team. While Ebbett (58 points) and Platt (49) each rank in the top 12 in the AHL in points, Ryan (39) ranks in the top five among rookies in the category. Each will be integral cogs in the team s charge toward the playoffs. For all things Pirates, including their push toward the playoffs during March, visit portlandpirates.com. #18 Andrew Ebbett
Not until the 1979-80 season was it mandatory for NHL players to wear a helmet. The league adopted a rule stating all new players joining the league after that point had to wear one. Today the NHL rule book states that All players of both teams shall wear a helmet of design, material and construction approved by the League at all times while participating in a game, either on the playing surface or the players or penalty benches. A player may continue to participate in the play if his helmet is knocked off. However, if he goes to his bench to be substituted for, he may not return to the ice during play without a helmet. Should he do so, the play shall be stopped once his team has gained possession of the puck. Even before the NHL made the helmet mandatory, it was not uncommon for players to wear one before that. Greg Owen of the Boston Bruins was the first NHL player to wear a helmet during a game in 1929. Owen wore his old leather football helmet he played with in college. After witnessing their teammate Eddie Shore body check Ace Bailey, and end his career with a head injury, the Boston Bruins were the first NHL team to completely outfit their team in helmets on January 4, 1934. Even though the hit was devastating to Bailey, he knew it was a freak accident. On February 14,1934, before an All-Star benefit game, Ace publicly shook the hand of Shore at center ice. Even with Ace s head injury costing him his career, the majority of the NHL players still did not wear helmets. That all changed in 1968, when Minnesota North Star center Bill Masterson struck his head on the ice during a game against the Oakland Seals. Masterson died 48 hours later. This tragedy led to many players to begin wearing helmets. It became mandatory for all junior and college hockey players to wear helmets by the 1970s. After the NHL enforced a rule for all new NHL players to wear helmets during the 1979-80 season, it was not until the 1996-97 season that the last NHL player ever played an entire game without a helmet. That was Craig MacTavish of the St. Louis Blues (now the coach of the Edmonton Oilers), who was already in the NHL before the 1979-80 season, so it was not mandatory for him to wear a helmet.
Ducks Visit Southland Rinks ks As part of the Future Ducks Rink Program, the Ducks visited isited several rinks in the Southern California area in February.. At each site, Ducks players interacted with a youth team by visiting a locker room or actually lacing up their skates during a team s practice. Each rink visit ended with an autograph ph session for the general public. The Ducks headed to four different rinks on Feb. 16. Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne spent time at the Ducks newest rink, Anaheim Hockey Club of Corona. a. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Doug Weight spent time at 949 Roller Hockey Center in Irvine, while Sean O Donnell and George Parros teamed up at Planet Hockey in West Covina. Chris Kunitz, Joe DiPenta and nd Jonas Hiller gave a locker room talk and dropped the puck before a game at KHS Ice Arena in Anaheim. The following weekend, Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin appeared at Coast 2 Coast Roller Hockey Club in Huntington Beach. Veteran player Rob Niedermayer visited EastWest Ice Palace in Artesia. Riverside Ice Town got a visit from two of the younger Ducks, as Ryan Getzlaf and Brian Sutherby stopped by. Two of the Ducks on the checking line (see other story), Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson visited Ontario Ice Skating Center. Good friends Todd Bertuzzi and Brad May dropped in at Yorba Linda Ice Palace.
Ducks in the Community Hormel Chili Food Drive The Anaheim Ducks and Hormel Chili will be hosting its annual Food Drive at four home games this season to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, the local affiliate of America s Second Harvest, the nation s largest hunger relief organization. The two remaining dates for food collection at Ducks home games will be on March 9th and 15th and will be located in the Fun Zone. At each game, each person to donate five non-perishable food items to the Hormel Chili Food Drive will be entered to win an Anaheim Ducks autographed jersey. Please join the Ducks and Hormel Chili in helping to feed the local community. Surprise Puck Sale To help raise funds to support Ducks Care, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, Anaheim Ducks players wives and significant others will be selling Surprise Pucks at the Sunday, March 30th home game against Dallas. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase a Surprise Puck for $40. Fans will pick an individually wrapped puck at random and receive either a Ducks player autographed black puck or- for 24 lucky fans- the Surprise Ducks player autographed orange puck. The fans that choose the orange pucks will win the opportunity to attend a 2008-09 Ducks training camp practice where they will meet the player who autographed their winning orange puck, as well as two Terrace Level tickets to a preseason game next season. 2008 Anaheim Ducks Grant Cycle Attention all nonprofit organizations! Ducks Care, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, will be accepting grant applications for its annual grant cycle. Grant applications are available on the Anaheim Ducks website under Ducks Care in the Community section and are due on March 31st. Ducks Care is dedicated to supporting organizations that facilitate positive change in our community by focusing on the education, health and wellbeing, and recreation of children and families throughout Southern California, principally Orange County, with a particular emphasis on programs aimed at atrisk and disadvantaged populations. Since 1997 Ducks Care has granted more than $6.1 million and over 171 grants to 81 nonprofit organizations throughout Southern California. For more information on how to apply for a Ducks Care grant please contact the Anaheim Ducks Community Relations department at 1-877-WILDWING.