June 6, 2007

And Your Dreams Come True, California Dreamin', Hot Fun in the Summertime, Good Vibrations : Anaheim Ducks, Stanley Cup Champions. First West Coast team to win Stanley in 82 years.

read story | posted by tommytrump to Hockey at 10:05 PM CDT (27 comments total)

Congrats to the Ducks. I was pulling for the Sens, but they ran into a freakin' juggernaut in this year's finals.
I'm especially happy for Teemu Selanne. Hyvää Suomi!

posted by NoMich at 10:10 PM CDT on June 6

Ducks win, which means season 3 of Doctor Who starts on CBC on Monday.

posted by Drood at 11:30 PM CDT on June 6

Congratulations to the once mighty Ducks.
I'm waiting to see which Southern California paper or weblog does the "What Kobe and the Lakers can learn from Anaheim" story.
If sportsbusinessjournal.com is correct the Ducks may soon have new Western Conference competition in the form of a Las Vegas based team.

posted by Newbie Walker at 12:18 AM CDT on June 7

I don't know what the Lakers could learn from the Ducks...Kobe's elbowed a couple of guys in the head this year, and that hasn't seemed to help the team win.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 5:12 AM CDT on June 7

The Stanley Cup in SoCal! Ya gotta love hockey!

posted by dyams at 7:24 AM CDT on June 7

It was really cool watching the neidermyer brothers hand the cup off to each other. That must have been awesome.

Why did the ducks replace Emilio Estavez as their coach??

posted by Debo270 at 7:24 AM CDT on June 7

Interesting that Neidermyer got the Conn Smythe. I wonder if Pronger would have if he wasn't a habitual elbower. When he played, I thought he was tne strongest player on the ice, though Neidermyer stepper up his play accordingly with him out of the lineup.
It was also weird to see N raise the cup in a ducks Jersey.

posted by jmd82 at 8:35 AM CDT on June 7

Question: Why does the NHL continue to trot out Bettman for the presentation ceremonies? If there is a more awkward production in sports, I don’t know what it is. He is hated by players, booed by the fans and to top it off, he’s one awkward creature. Gary doesn’t look or sound comfortable, so what the heck is he doing out there? Why not let the past champion hand off the cup or have Phil Pritchard do the honors. Someone please help.

posted by 86 at 10:05 AM CDT on June 7

I'm with you 86. Now buy me something nice.

The first thing the guy says is "Well, looks like hockey is doing pretty good in Southern California." He takes a thinly-veiled (and completely false) shot at his detractors before he even mentions Lord Stanley. What a fucking Maroon.

No one likes you, Gary. Please go away.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:28 AM CDT on June 7

The Stanley Cup in SoCal! Ya gotta love hockey!

The saddest part is that Southern California probably doesn't even deserve it -- certainly not as much as better hockey cities. This morning, Angelinos are waking up with their newspapers saying "Oh, hey the Ducks won the.... Aw, man, the Dodgers and the Angels lost yesterday? Jeez! Hmm, I wonder if Kobe's made an ass of himself yet today...."

posted by cybermac at 11:29 AM CDT on June 7

The saddest part is that Southern California probably doesn't even deserve it

I wonder what constitutes a "better hockey city"? Does it have to be covered in ice and snow for six months out of the year? Do the fans have to be a pasty white instead of tan? Hate to break this to you pal, but over half the population of socal are transplants from the midwest, northeast, and far northern states who brought their love of hockey with them.

posted by irunfromclones at 11:52 AM CDT on June 7

Well, I don't claim to be an expert, but hockey doesn't seem to generate much excitement around the area (I lived in SoCal for 20 years, up until December). Don't get me wrong, I know a couple of loyal Ducks fans, and I'm sure they're just beside themselves. But on the whole, not so much. Even in '03, during the Ducks last run, it wasn't exactly plastered all over town (Perhaps this year was different). My point is that SoCal doesn't have a great history of supporting their hockey teams through the bad & the good. And even if it's true that half of the population is from the areas you suggest, don't many of them already have their loyalties to teams other than the Kings & Ducks?

posted by cybermac at 12:12 PM CDT on June 7

Niedermeyer had to wrench the cup out of the Count's bony fingers, as if the little weasel had any right to touch it. Little shit. He wanted a smiley face picture with Niedermeyer?! The "southern california doing well" comment was definitely out of line, but typical of the defensive little shit. Obviously the players fucking hate him, two years after the lockout. Also, his "first time the cup comes to the west coast" was just insultingly ignorant of the game. Hello my hometown Victoria Cougars, 1924-25 champions?

And now the Count is musing about it might be ok to have a team back in Winnipeg. Good idea, except they lost their team thanks to his sunbelt strategy. If he had one iota of pride in his flaccid body he would resign for the good of the game.

posted by rumple at 12:19 PM CDT on June 7

don't many of them already have their loyalties to teams other than the Kings & Ducks?

I just can't get over the fact southern Cal has two NHL teams. I miss the days when teams were mainly from the colder vicinities and Canada. Phoenix, L.A., Anaheim, Tampa, Dallas? It's all too much.

posted by dyams at 12:56 PM CDT on June 7

As I said before, I wanted the Sens to win, but I'd laugh if the Ducks won. The above posts are hilarious. I could do without all the spittle, but I suppose it just comes with the territory of these rants.

posted by NoMich at 1:17 PM CDT on June 7

Ah, cities don't win Cups - teams do. The Ducks completely deserved to win, and whether or not anyone will notice/care outside that dressing room and the hardcores is a completely separate issue. I blame the NHL head office - for being smelly.

I don't care who wins it (well, I do - but only because it's not the Leafs.... Every. Time.), when I see the look on the players' faces when they get that beautiful thing, I could care less what it says on their jerseys. The Cup is bigger than players, teams or even the damn league.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 1:24 PM CDT on June 7

Yeah, I'm still getting a little verklempt when I think about Teemu finally lifting the Cup. And his on-ice interview afterwards was great.

posted by NoMich at 1:41 PM CDT on June 7

Ah, cities don't win Cups - teams do. The Ducks completely deserved to win, and whether or not anyone will notice/care outside that dressing room and the hardcores is a completely separate issue.

My sentiments exactly. The Ducks earned that cup and those that love hockey in southern California deserve to see their team skate the cup. It was an excellent season for the Ducks from start to finish.
Our socal teams may not have the support that they should, but it's growing and this cup victory is a good thing. Youth hockey in southern California has already exploded over the last few years, producing some very successful teams. This means a ton to us in socal, even if most of us don't know it yet.
Way to go Ducks!!!

posted by captaincavegirl at 2:06 PM CDT on June 7

Now that the Stanley Cup belongs to DisneyLand, I suppose the NHL really is a 'Mickey Mouse' organization.

posted by baldpuck at 2:09 PM CDT on June 7

I really don't understand how the NHL's expansion southward and westward is so horrible. If they weren't in places like Carolina, Anaheim, Atlanta, and some of the other, newer, warmer markets, NHL fans would be bitching about the league not expanding the brand. Yes, Bettman's a dick, and fairly worthless as Commissioner, but what do NHL fans want? Do you want to go back to just having four or six teams? Do you want it to be an All-Canada league? No franchises allowed south of Buffalo? What, exactly, would make you happy?

Now that the Stanley Cup belongs to DisneyLand, I suppose the NHL really is a 'Mickey Mouse' organization.

Maybe you missed it in the article, or the above comments, or maybe you just didn't actually read any of that. Disney doesn't own the team anymore. Haven't for a couple of years now, in fact.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 4:56 AM CDT on June 8

Do you want it to be an All-Canada league? No franchises allowed south of Buffalo?

If that's an option, Yes.

posted by dyams at 6:58 AM CDT on June 8

but what do NHL fans want? Do you want to go back to just having four or six teams? Do you want it to be an All-Canada league? No franchises allowed south of Buffalo? What, exactly, would make you happy?

What all fans want - their favorite sport to be respected. I'm not really affected because I live in the middle of hockeyland, but for others I'm sure the constant shitting on hockey gets old.

Stop running the league like a joke.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 9:10 AM CDT on June 8

I am perfectly fine with a team in Anaheim. I wish they weren't called the Ducks, and that they were called Los Angeles Whatevers, but it's a huge city with a lot of good fans. I am much more wary of the Nashville, Florida, Phoenix, TB, Atlanta, Carolina group. Some of those seem to have been given teams at least partly because of a relative lack of competition by other pro sports - some guru crunched the numbers and came up with those as big "underserved" markets. But small markets in passionate cities are now viable with the salary cap. I'd be surprised if Seattle, Winnipeg, Quebec, Hamilton, Milwaukee, couldn't support teams, and I suspect that Boston and Toronto could support another. In fact, I'd bet Vancouver could support two teams. Maybe Montreal and Detroit too. Put an arena in a wheatfield halfway between Regina and Saskatoon, and they will come. Oh yes. But the NHL financial model derives a lot from ticket sales, and relatively little from TV. These days, TV is highly fragmented anyway. If each team can support a 45 million dollar payroll with essentially no TV contract then put the teams where the hardcore fans are, and let the rest of the fans watch them on cable.

However, I bet the league would still prefer to move teams to places like San Antonio or Oklahoma. Nothing against those places but I think the league must, as noted above, respect the game, and respect the fans.

posted by rumple at 2:04 PM CDT on June 8

What does a southern city have to do to be worthy of hockey, rumple? I take issue with you including Tampa Bay. They have won a Stanley Cup. They have great attendance. The team ownership supports hockey generally (even brokering a deal with a local television station and agreeing to buy all the advertisement in order to get the Stanley Cup shown locally). What else?

posted by bperk at 3:21 PM CDT on June 8

(even brokering a deal with a local television station and agreeing to buy all the advertisement in order to get the Stanley Cup shown locally).

To clarify, the local NBC affiliate had an annual Children's Hospital Telethon scheduled for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, so that game was shown on a different local channel. The rest of the games were shown normally.

posted by bperk at 3:29 PM CDT on June 8

I am much more wary of the Nashville, Florida, Phoenix, TB, Atlanta, Carolina group.

Of these teams you've listed, two have won the Stanley Cup, another has made an appearance, and two more are among the up and coming teams in the NHL. Some of these teams have been a great deal more successful of late than their northern counterparts. In addition, Tampa Bay ranked third in the league in attendance. Furthermore, with the exception of Washington, five of the bottom six in attendance are what one could call "northern" teams (Blues, Blackhawks, Islanders, Devils, and Bruins).

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 4:24 PM CDT on June 8

Whether they have won a cup or not is irrelevant - you could take away Toronto's or Chicago's teams on the same principle. It isn't about whether the teams are any good or not - though when they cycle to being lousy teams (as all will) it will be very interesting to see their attendance.. It's my (awkward) assessment of whether those teams are going to become part of the sports fabric of their region, or will be more or less a sideshow. But then, I am used to hockey being the number one sport, it's an effort to think of it not being more or less a way of life. If I could rephrase my comment, it would be, in the current and evolving structure of the game and, especially, the fragmented media, the attempts to make hockey a pan-continental sport by expanding to the south are no longer necessary, and the game might be better served by having more teams in its core fan base, though YYM's figures give food for thought there as well. I am happy for the hard core hockey fans down there though, getting to see some good teams.

posted by rumple at 8:12 PM CDT on June 8

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