Sports News and Trade Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

Recchi and Selanne are set to retire after next season

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July 4

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Mark Recchi and Teemu Selanne, NHL stars for two decades, indicated Friday that the coming season probably would be their last. Selanne, a 10-time All-Star, celebrated his 39th birthday Friday. He told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper in Finland that a man his age doesn't belong in the NHL. Selanne recently contemplated retirement but decided to play for one more season. Recchi, 41, signed a one-year deal to return to the Boston Bruins on Thursday, and in a conference call Friday he left small doubt that he too intends to call it quits. "I'm going to be honest with you. This will probably be it," the 20-year veteran said. "I want to go out and finish it off right by winning another ..."

Scott Niedermayer re-signs with Ducks

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July 2

Orange County Register

"While fans and media members alike might have become at least a bit antsy when he remained an unrestricted free agent for some three hours Wednesday, Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said there was never any thought of going anywhere else. And shortly after noon, official word came that Niedermayer had signed a one-year contract worth $6 million, plus potential bonuses based on team performance. "I think that was just more sort of the process," Niedermayer said, explaining the time frame of the deal in a conference call from his off-season home in British Columbia. "Sort of an agreement had been there for a while. There was never any real consideration about having today come. I wasn't ..."

Niedermayer Stays In Anaheim With One-Year Contract

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July 1

TSN.ca

"Defenceman Scott Niedermayer is staying in Anaheim with a one-year, $6 million contract. Heading into the offseason it was reported that the four-time Stanley Cup Champion, who already owns a Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy, was undecided on whether to continue playing next season. Niedermayer told GM Bob Murray last Friday at the draft that he would return to the NHL next season. The 35-year old had 14 goals and 59 points this season for the Ducks, while making $6.75 million in the final year of his four-year $27 million deal."

Here are the NHL's top 10 free agents

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June 30

Orange County Register

"The combination of economic uncertainty and a largely non-descript pool of available players figures to make for an intriguing case study when the NHL's annual free-agent market opens Wednesday. Historically, teams have spent lavishly and many times unwisely on July 1 and ensuing days, often with little to show for their investments. Despite an array of caution flags this year, at least some of the league's 30 clubs remain likely to throw around big bucks. The Ducks are not in that group. While the NHL's salary cap next season will rise $100,000 to $56.8 million per team, expectations are that financial realities and anticipated decreases in league-wide revenue could result in a ..."

Ducks plan patience with free agent market

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June 30

Orange County Register

"The combination of economic uncertainty and a largely non-descript pool of available players figures to make for an intriguing case study when the NHL's annual free-agent market opens Wednesday. Historically, teams have spent lavishly and many times unwisely on July 1 and ensuing days, often with little to show for their investments. Despite an array of caution flags this year, at least some of the league's 30 clubs remain likely to throw around big bucks. The Ducks are not in that group. While the NHL's salary cap next season will rise $100,000 to $56.8 million per team, expectations are that financial realities and anticipated decreases in league-wide revenue could result in a ..."

NHL salary cap traps teams in free agency market

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June 30

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Over the last three summers, the salary cap in the NHL has jumped $17.7 million. The individual increases from year to year were $5 million, $6.3 million and $6.4 million. Teams looking to add help through free agency had a little extra allowance, and many clubs bettered themselves over cash-strapped franchises by spending that allowance. In 2007, Daniel Briere signed an eight-year, $52 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks inked Brian Campbell to an eight-year, $56.8 million deal. But with the NHL's announcement last week that the salary cap in 2009-10 will increase only $100,000, to $56.8 million, some upper-echelon clubs are expecting a ..."

Teemu Selanne will play for Ducks next season

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June 28

Los Angeles Times

"While teams stockpiled prospects in the last six rounds of the NHL entry draft, the Kings traded former first-round pick Brian Boyle and the Ducks got a boost when winger Teemu Selanne told them he will fulfill the final season of his contract. Selanne, who will turn 39 next week, had hesitated to commit until he saw whether General Manager Bob Murray would gut the team or go for another Stanley Cup. The return of defenseman Scott Niedermayer "made my decision easier," Selanne said by phone from his home in Helsinki, Finland. Murray's acquisition of winger Joffrey Lupul in the Chris Pronger trade Friday made it easier still. "It's clear that we want to win this year and not five years ..."

Ducks' Selanne will play next season

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June 28

L.A. Daily News

"If he ever retires from professional hockey, Teemu Selanne already has made an excellent case to join the Ducks' marketing staff. He waited until the last minute of Bob Murray's deadline Friday - then a little longer, into Saturday morning - to inform the Ducks general manager he will return to Anaheim for the last year of his contract in 2009-10. His reason? "The message from (Murray) was clear: We want to win right now," Selanne said. "I'm very happy with that, and obviously Scotty (Niedermayer) returning is a big thing. ... The problem we had last year in the playoffs was not having enough second-line scoring. Now we have more depth there and that gives us a much better chance." It ..."

Flyers trade for Pronger

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June 27

Camden Courier-Post

"The Flyers gave up a lot on Friday night on the first evening of the NHL Draft, but they expect a lot in return with the acquisition of Chris Pronger, one of the league's top defensemen. In order to get the 34-year-old veteran from the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers gave up forward Joffrey Lupul and young defenseman Luca Sbisa. They also parted with two first-round draft picks, including the first-round pick they were to make on Friday night, and a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011. ``Chris Pronger, in my opinion, still is one of the top defensive players in the league,'' said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. ``He makes everyone around him better on defense. He's a winner. He's ..."

Flyers get Pronger for Lupul, Sbisa

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June 27

Philadelphia Inquirer

"The Flyers tonight acquired Chris Pronger, a veteran Anaheim defenseman they hope will be the missing piece to their 35-year Stanley Cup quest. Pronger, 34, gives the Flyers a much-needed physical presence in front of the net. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren called the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Pronger "a guy who makes life miserable for the other team." The Flyers sent right winger Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, tonight's No. 1 draft pick (21st overall) and next year's No. 1 selection to the Ducks for Pronger and AHL forward Ryan Dingle. The Ducks also received a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011. It was a steep price for a player who has just one year remaining on his ..."

Ducks, Kings do the right things on draft day

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June 27

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helene Elliott

"This was the definition of unqualified draft-day success for the local puck purveyors. Moments after defenseman Scott Niedermayer told the Ducks he will rejoin them next season, General Manager Bob Murray stole the show by trading Chris Pronger to Philadelphia for a much-needed secondary scorer in right wing Joffrey Lupul, youth on defense in 2008 Flyers first-round pick Luca Sbisa, first-round picks this year and next and a third-round pick in 2010 or 2011. The Kings, wisely refusing to overpay in a trade for pouty Ottawa winger Dany Heatley, added to their considerable assets by choosing Brayden Schenn, a gritty and skillful center from the Canadian prairies. And as a bonus, the Kings' ..."

Scott Niedermayer tells Ducks he will be back

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June 27

Los Angeles Times

"Scott Niedermayer has told the Ducks that he intends to play again next season, a move that immediately spurred General Manager Bob Murray to trade Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers to clear salary cap space for Niedermayer. NHL sources said a "big" deal involving Pronger was in the works as the NHL draft began. In return for Pronger, the Ducks will get Joffrey Lupul -- who began his career with the Ducks -- two first-round draft picks, a prospect and another conditional pick. Niedermayer must still agree to a new contract, and if he hasn't come to terms with the Ducks by July 1 he could test the free-agent market. However, it's likely he will remain in Anaheim because he said he ..."

With Ducks getting Niedermayer, Lupul back in, Pronger is shipped out to Philadelphia

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June 27

L.A. Daily News

"Chris Pronger is gone, Scott Niedermayer and Joffrey Lupul are back, and the Ducks' two first-round selections in the NHL draft were but a minor footnote Friday for the busiest team in the league. In the hours before the draft began, Niedermayer told general manger Bob Murray that he'd rather return for his 18 th NHL season than retire. Pronger and minor-league forward Ryan Dingle were then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, two first-round draft picks and a conditional third-rounder. "It was in the works well before Scott told me," Murray said of the trade. "I took a huge sigh when Scott said he was going to play but I was going to do it regardless. I made ..."

Flyers trade for Pronger

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June 27

Philadelphia Daily News

"The Flyers acquired defenseman Chris Pronger tonight from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and two first-round draft choices. Pronger, 34, is 6-6, 221-pounder who has been in the NHL since 1993, when he was the second overall pick of the draft by the Hartford Whalers. Pronger was the league MVP in the 1999-2000 season with the St. Louis Blues. In 2007, he won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks."

Ducks expect answers from Niedermayer, Selanne before draft

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June 26

Orange County Register

"Still with no word from veterans Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne regarding their plans for next season, Ducks general manager Bob Murray went about his business Thursday preparing for the NHL entry draft at the Bell Center in Montreal. The Ducks own the 15th selection in Friday's first round and four picks Saturday, when festivities conclude with the final six rounds. In the wake of the club's seven-game loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Murray requested answers from Niedermayer and Selanne "before the draft." Technically, that means by 4 p.m. (PDT) . "I'll know when I get to the draft," Murray said. "If I don't, I'm going to be upset. I'll ..."

Kings could be big dealers on NHL draft day; Ducks in holding pattern

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June 26

L.A. Daily News

"In Montreal, a town of hockey royalty, nobody is being feted more this week than Dean Lombardi. Fellow NHL general managers look at Lombardi and salivate, knowing that the Kings GM has the salary-cap room needed to be a trade partner, plus the desire to make a deal if the correct one comes along. That makes the Kings the center of attention at the NHL Draft, which kicks off today in Montreal with the first round. Lombardi holds the No. 5 pick - the Ducks sit at No. 15 - but will the Kings draft or trade? "I can predict that we will be tempted to make a deal," Lombardi said this week. Most likely, the Kings will keep the pick andBrayden Schenn, a 17-year-old center who totaled 32 goals and ..."

GM denies Pronger trade

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June 12

The Globe and Mail

"There is some compelling logic behind the possible move – of the Anaheim Ducks' Chris Pronger moving to the Los Angeles Kings for Jack Johnson plus a No. 1 draft choice, speculation that was making the rounds Friday prior to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final. After all, the Ducks may ultimately need to trade Pronger to get to the $46-million (U.S.) budget that they'll operate with next year. If they can coax Scott Niedermayer back to play again and can't trade J.S. Giguere's contract, it may be an option they have to look at. But for now, the official word from Ducks' GM Bob Murray, in a short but pointed e-mail note, is that it did not happen. In fact, Murray texted back a NO ..."

Goaltending coach Allaire leaves Ducks

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June 11

Orange County Register

"The Ducks lost an important part of their coaching staff Wednesday when goaltending consultant Francois Allaire joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. Allaire wanted to be closer to his home in Montreal. His year-to-year contract with the Ducks was expiring this month, and the club had given him permission to speak with Toronto, a team official said. Allaire will re-unite with Brian Burke, who stepped down as Ducks general manager early last season to take the same position with Toronto. "We consider Francois to be one of the best in the world at his craft," Burke said in a release. "He brings a tremendous amount of experience and I know that he will make an immediate impact with our goalies. I ..."

Leafs lure goaltending guru from Anaheim

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June 11

Toronto Star

"The Maple Leafs, undercut by substandard goaltending most of last season, have hired highly regarded goaltending consultant Francois Allaire to help fix the problem. While it is still unclear who Allaire will be helping – the Leafs are pursuing Swedish prospect Jonas Gustavsson to become Vesa Toskala's backup – it is something of a coup to land the Montrealer. The 53-year-old spent the past 13 seasons as the goaltending consultant in Anaheim and is credited with helping Jonas Hillier emerge as a promising NHL netminder. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who won the 2003 Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup in 2007, also frequently spoke glowingly of Allaire's mentoring."

Penguins can learn a lot from Ducks

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June 9

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helene Elliott

"The last coach to win a playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings takes pride in that distinction, and he should. With Detroit poised to win its second straight Stanley Cup championship tonight with a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena, Randy Carlyle might hold on to that honor for a while. Carlyle's Ducks defeated the Red Wings in the 2007 Western Conference finals before defeating Ottawa to win the Cup. The Ducks didn't face Detroit in the 2008 playoffs but caused anxiety in Hockeytown during the second round this spring. After avoiding elimination at home in Game 6, the Ducks pulled even early in the third period of Game 7 at Detroit but fell short when Daniel ..."

Giguere has no intention of leaving

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May 17

Orange County Register

"While most of the Ducks enter the offseason with at least some sense of satisfaction after the club's impressive run that ended in Game 7 of a second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere is in a different state. As players went through season-end meetings with Coach Randy Carlyle and General Manager Bob Murray on Saturday, Giguere discussed his uncertain future after having been unseated as the team's starter in early March by Jonas Hiller, who went on to star in the playoffs. "Right now, I just kind of want to step away and go as far as possible from the game of hockey, just think about something else," ..."

Ducks set to play waiting game on veterans again

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May 17

L.A. Daily News

"Let the Scott Niedermayer/Teemu Selanne retirement watch begin. The offseason guessing game of will-they-or-won't-they is the sequel to the Ducks' latest playoff run, which ended with a climactic Game 7 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. General manager Bob Murray wants both players back even though Niedermayer, who becomes a free agent July1, would need to be re-signed. Neither the 35-year-old Niedermayer nor the 38-year-old Selanne would tip his hand Saturday, when the team held exit meetings and cleaned out lockers, saying only that Anaheim is the one place they would want to play. But if there is a clue coming from Niedermayer, it's that he feels "180 degrees" different from ..."

Bob Murray involved in press box incident

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May 16

Los Angeles Times

"Ducks General Manager Bob Murray was interviewed by Detroit police Thursday night but was not charged after a woman working as a TV stage manager at Joe Louis Arena said he hit her in the left chest, arm and shoulder with a chair after the Ducks' 4-3 loss to the Red Wings in Game 7 of the teams' second-round playoff series, according to an Internet report Friday. The website, MyFoxDetroit.com, which is affiliated with Detroit TV station WJBK, said Rachel Paris, 55, was hit by the bar stool-like seat thrown by "an upset and angry Murray" in the press box. The cramped facility is shared by writers, broadcasters and TV crews. Those who work there use elevated seats to reach the elevated work ..."

Scott Niedermayer key to Ducks' future

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May 16

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helene Elliott

"Ducks General Manager Bob Murray probably cost himself some negotiating leverage and big bucks Friday when he called Scott Niedermayer "irreplaceable" and all but begged the smooth-skating defenseman to sign for another season. It might be worth the elevated price. With Niedermayer, the Ducks can retain a strong corps of veterans while easing younger legs into the lineup, a process Murray began with late-season trades that transformed them from a bottom-feeder to a playoff upstart that dismissed the top-seeded Sharks in the first round and took the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings to seven gritty games. If Niedermayer retires, right wing Teemu Selanne could follow, despite having a ..."

'Grinding goal' dashes the Ducks' Stanley Cup hopes

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May 15

Detroit News

columnist Mark Whicker

"Of course the goal was disputed. For 14 days, everything was. Head shots that became match penalties. Head shots that didn't. Pucks that hid from the officials and became disallowed, overtime-denying goals. A puck that got past Jonas Hiller because Dan Cleary's stick forced it, and some of Hiller, into the net. That one happened with 3:00 left in a tied Game 7, yet another game in which the Ducks were presented with indisputable evidence that Detroit was the superior team and coldly rejected it. But it gave the Red Wings a 4-3 victory, a 4-3 series victory and a trip to the Western Conference finals. One suspects Detroit's eight remaining victories to a repeat Stanley Cup will be far less ..."

Close call tough to take, but Ducks proud of playoff run

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May 15

Detroit Free Press

"The Anaheim Ducks took the momentum away from the Red Wings and controlled play in the final period Thursday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. That made giving up the winning goal with 3 minutes left for a 4-3 loss to Detroit tough to take. "I think it was the game we expected," said Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer. "Maybe not the outcome, but I knew it was going to be a tough game. "When you're that close, when you're tied with a few minutes left, it's a tough way to lose. There's no easy way to lose, but the way we battled back with some time left, got our game going as the game went on. It's pretty disappointing." Corey Perry scored a power-play goal at 17:12 of ..."

Cleary's goal propels Wings to Game 7 victory

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May 15

Detroit Free Press

"Dan Cleary's tiebreaking goal with 3 minutes left lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night and sent the defending Stanley Cup champions to the Western Conference finals for the third straight year. Anaheim's Jonas Hiller made 36 saves, and Chris Osgood stopped 24 shots for the defending champions, who couldn't protect an early two-goal lead. Jiri Hudler, Darren Helm and Mikael Samuelsson scored for the Red Wings, who will next face the Chicago Blackhawks in a matchup of Original Six teams. Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry cut into deficits and Bobby Ryan made it 3-all at 7:37 of the third. The previous two Cup champions met in the playoffs for the ..."

Red Wings survive tough physical battle to advance

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May 15

Detroit Free Press

"The octopi landed like omens in front of the Ducks: one, two, three, four. One for Detroit's victory in Game 1, one for Game 4, one for Game 5, and optimistically, one for Game 7. The Wings took the hint, shutting down Anaheim's mighty power play early and lighting up Jonas Hiller steadily to deliver a 4-3 victory Thursday at Joe Louis Arena and a trip to the Western Conference finals opposite Chicago. "It was a hard series, probably one of the toughest that we've played in a long time," Chris Osgood said. "It was physical, every foot was fought for. It was fitting that it ended like that." Dan Cleary provided the game-winner with 3 minutes remaining in regulation, stuffing Henrik ..."

Cleary's dream realized

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May 15

Los Angeles Times

"So it wasn't exactly the way Dan Cleary envisioned it as a kid on skates, dreaming big dreams, picturing scoring the winning goal in a pivotal Game 7. In overtime. Well, he was three minutes ahead of the dream scenario. Cleary, though, he wasn't about to quibble with a premature ending in the second round of the playoffs. His series-clinching goal with three minutes left in regulation gave the Red Wings a 4-3 victory against the Ducks on Thursday night in front of an intense, noisy crowd at Joe Louis Arena in Game 7. He had been talking about how he had never played in a Game 7 and wondered what it was going to be like under the microscope. His first one, clearly, was one to remember. Even ..."

Ducks come up a little bit short

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May 15

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helene Elliott

"One goal short. That will prey on the Ducks' minds, that they had come back from oblivion in March and rallied twice against Detroit on Thursday but fell one goal short of advancing to the Western Conference finals. The Red Wings' pervasive grit, maybe more than their dazzling skill, was the difference in a 4-3 victory that decided a riveting seven-game series between the last two Stanley Cup champions. The Ducks' resilience, though admirable, could not compensate for that. Detroit will move on to face the Chicago Blackhawks because Dan Cleary, finishing a play that developed after the Ducks didn't get the puck in deep at the other end, batted a pass from Henrik Zetterberg out of mid-air ..."

Dead Ducks! Red Wings deliver knockout blow

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May 15

Detroit News

"Nobody really expected this series to be easy, and it most certainly wasn't. But after a gut-wrenching, bone-jarring seven games, the Red Wings finally eliminated the Anaheim Ducks. The Wings advanced to the Western Conference finals thanks to a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Dan Cleary scored with three minutes left in the third period, breaking a 3-3 tie. Henrik Zetterberg centered a pass to Cleary battling in front of the net. Cleary, at the edge of the crease, put the puck past Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller. The defending Stanley Cup champion Wings advance to the Western Conference finals, where they'll meet the Chicago Blackhawks. That series starts Sunday on NBC. The Wings were 4-2-0 ..."

Wings' Draper to be game-time decision

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May 14

Detroit News

"Red Wings center Kris Draper is a game-time decision for Thursday night's Game 7 against Anaheim. Draper has missed the entire series because of an "upper-body injury." "I've said my piece to the doctors," said Draper, who has taken part in the pre-game skates and practices during the series. "It's out of my hands. Hopefully I get the nod and am able to (play). "I've been trying to get in for a long time now. This is something I want to be part of and I've stated that. We'll see. I'll probably find out when I get to the rink or just before warm-ups. "My preparation is that I'm going to play, but I don't get the last say. That's the unfortunate thing." Coach Mike Babcock understands why ..."

James Wisniewski-Sammy Pahlsson deal a win-win for Blackhawks, Ducks

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May 14

Chicago Sun-Times

"If the Blackhawks face the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference finals, it'll be at least in part because of a deal the clubs made at the trade deadline. The Hawks gave up popular defenseman James Wisniewski and acquired Sammy Pahlsson, a gritty, veteran center. ''A perfect fit for both teams,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said after his team went through an off-ice workout Wednesday at the United Center. ''Both guys were exactly what the other team was looking for. We needed a centerman and got a real competitive guy with experience. We're very happy with him, and Wis has done very well for them and has gotten a great opportunity to play more.'' Wisniewski caught a puck in the chest ..."

Will tonight be greatest moment in Ducks history?

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May 14

Detroit Free Press

columnist Mark Whicker

"It starts when they shut off the lights, and Ulysses Wolf walks to the middle of the ice, without slipping. Wolf is a sharply-dressed, imposing fellow with a voice from Armageddon. As the scoreboard shows Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk, Steve Yzerman and other Red Wings past, Wolf grabs the microphone and booms: "Eighteen regular season championships. Eleven Stanley Cup championships. … WELCOME to the Stanley Cup playoffs." With that, Wolf thrusts out both arms - tah-dah - and flames burst from the top of the scoreboard. After the sound and light, we see Karen Newman, a throwback to when big blondes were Big Blondes and darn proud of it. Dressed for the stage, Newman walks to the area of the ..."

Datsyuk needs to get points, not penalty minutes

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May 14

Detroit Free Press

"Pavel Datsyuk flashed one of his little mischievous smiles and did the math out loud: He's got 101 points; good, he said. Only, of course, Datsyuk knows that subtracting the 97 he piled up so steadily during the regular season leaves him with four points in 10 playoff games, two of them against the Ducks, whom the Wings must beat tonight at Joe Louis Arena or else lose their shot at repeating as Stanley Cup champions. The Wings are so deep up front that a natural-born goal scorer like Ville Leino has been on the sidelines. Datsyuk is the Wings' natural-born superstar, and while his lack of production was easily hidden against Columbus in Round 1, it's an open sore now in Round 2. Instead ..."

Ducks embrace do-or-die challenge

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May 14

Detroit Free Press

"After staving off elimination in Game 6 on Tuesday, the Ducks said Wednesday they will have to play their best game of the series to beat the Red Wings tonight in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. "All or nothing," said Ducks forward Sammy Pahlsson, who already has a game-winning goal in the series. "You played nine preseason games, 82 regular-season games, you've played 12 playoff games and your season rides on one 60-minute game. It could be one play, it could be one power play, one penalty kill, one save, one lucky bounce." There can't be any room for doubt, either. "You can't go into a game saying to yourself 'I hope I don't make a mistake,' " Pahlsson said. "Because chances ..."

Wings' Marian Hossa wants to turn it around in Game 7

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May 14

Detroit Free Press

"Marian Hossa signed a one-year deal with Detroit because he thought this team gave him the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. Now he and the Wings face elimination in the Western Conference semifinals against the Anaheim Ducks. Hossa is 0-for-3 in his NHL career playing in Game 7 (all three with Ottawa) and said he was "looking forward to turning it around" and advancing this time. He has no goals and two assists in previous seventh games. "Other games you have a chance, but this -- the series is tied and one game you go home or you go further," Hossa said shortly after the team landed at Metro Airport on Wednesday afternoon. "It's a huge game. We have to get prepared. You cannot get it ..."

Little to dislike about Hiller

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May 14

Detroit Free Press

"You should, by any reasonable standard, consider him the devil. OK, that's a bit harsh. That's way harsh. That is ... ah, fine, totally outlandish. But what Jonas Hiller is doing to the Red Wings is harsh and outlandish, too. Hiller, the Anaheim Ducks' goalie, has already pushed the Wings to the brink of ruin. "Hiller's been outstanding in this series," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "He's had to be, because territorially, we've carried play a ton." That was a pretty blunt way for Babcock to say he thinks the Wings have been a much better team in this series. It is hard to argue the point. The Wings have outshot Anaheim, 254-166, in this series. They have fired at least 10 more shots on ..."

Game 7: Homer needs to phone home

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May 14

Detroit Free Press

"When it comes to one funny bounce - and it has. When it comes to one weird deflection - and it has. When it comes to one ricochet, one shove, one screen, one stray skate blade, one well-positioned stick, one churning body, one annoying pest in front of the net - and it has. When it comes to all of this - and with Game 7, it surely has - I'd look to Tomas Holmstrom. If I could find him. The problem is, Detroit's most dependable distraction is suddenly nowhere to be found. How do you misplace a guy like that? It would be like forgetting Dennis The Menace. Like ignoring poison ivy. These are the games when Holmstrom usually shines: late-round, tight playoff games, where one goal is ..."

Ducks at Red Wings -- Game 7

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May 14

Detroit News

"The last time the previous two NHL champions met in a playoff series that reached a seventh game was in 1991 when the 1990 champion Edmonton Oilers defeated the 1989 champion Calgary Flames in a 5-4 overtime thriller. Until this season, and this series between the Red Wings (2008 Stanley Cup winners) and Ducks (2007). It'll all come down to one game, with the winner advancing to play Chicago in the Western Conference finals. The Wings need to play with more desperation than they did in Game 6. Primarily in the first half of the game, the Wings were letting the Ducks dictate the tempo and style of the game. "Desperation, it doesn't have to be huge, just a little bit more," coach Mike ..."

Wings and Ducks ready for one last rumble

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May 14

Detroit News

"What more can you ask for? A little nastiness to end Game 6, now Game 7 to decide which team keeps its Stanley Cup dreams alive and which one's season ends abruptly. For all their playoff experience, the Red Wings are entering territory tonight where they haven't been since 2002 when they routed goalie Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche, 7-0, in Game 7 of the Western Conference final at Joe Louis Arena en route to winning the Cup. That, in fact, is the Wings' only seventh-game appearance during this four-Cups-in-11-seasons stretch which began in 1997. "It's going to be my first Game 7," Wings forward Dan Cleary said of tonight's showdown against the Anaheim Ducks. Kirk Maltby, a ..."

Wings irked by fighting Ducks

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May 14

Detroit News

"The skirmishes that punctuated the end of Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks were not unlike other games in the series. And the Wings said Wednesday upon landing they weren't thrilled with that finish following their 2-1 loss Tuesday night, which forced a deciding Game 7 tonight at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings' Marian Hossa, Brian Rafalski and Pavel Datsyuk were involved in fights with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Scott Niedermayer, respectively. "We're not happy with the way it ended," Kirk Maltby said. "It seems like a lot of our games with these guys are ending in skirmishes, but it's the way it's been. For us, the best way to answer ..."

Scott Niedermayer sends no messages

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May 14

Detroit News

"Scott Niedermayer can't remember the last time he'd thrown punches in a hockey game. "I don't think I've fought since I've been in Anaheim," said Niedermayer, who signed with the Ducks in 2005. Niedermayer got into an unlikely tussle with another unlikely fighter, Pavel Datsyuk, at the end of Game 6. It was just one of several minor scuffles on the ice. But if anyone thinks any messages were being sent by other team, they would wrong. "I've never sent a message in 17 years (in the league)," Niedermayer said. "It's more emotion. Just one thing led to another. I can't remember the last time I had a major for fighting. It's been a while." Niedermayer was surprised as anyone it was Datsyuk ..."

Ducks find focus, beat Red Wings with season on the line

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May 14

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helene Roberts

"While Ryan Getzlaf battled flu symptoms and needed IV treatment last week, the Ducks slipped onto the playoff critical list. Rested and reinvigorated, Getzlaf restored his team to good health Tuesday at the Honda Center. Their franchise center and captain of the not-too-distant future prolonged their season by engineering both goals in a 2-1 victory that set up a seventh game Thursday in Detroit to determine who will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals. "It's going to be awesome. It's exciting. This is what we play for," said Getzlaf, who scored the Ducks' first goal, during a power play, and took the shot that was redirected by Corey Perry past Chris Osgood for ..."

Ducks will need to repeat effort from Game 6

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May 14

Los Angeles Times

columnist Helene Elliot

"When you're this tired, when you ache from blocking shots or bumping opponents off the puck or whaling away at each other, as happened after the Ducks pushed their second-round playoff series against Detroit to a Game 7 tonight at Joe Louis Arena, your mind can grasp only one concept. Don't let this end. Not today. Not yet. The Ducks, mired in 12th in the West before a flurry of trades replenished the scrappiness and speed they'd lost through age and attrition, played the late-charging Red Wings on Tuesday as if they weren't ready for their season to be over. "I don't think you ever really are," Scott Niedermayer said. Especially if it had ended on the same note as their ugly losses in ..."

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