I’m depressed. I haven’t visited the Ducks’ Web site in at least a week, I can barely bring myself to tweet or facebook about the guys, and an intense hatred for empty seats at Honda Center consumes me from the blanketed lair I’ve constructed on my couch on game days. I’m not just depressed, I’m miserable.
Usually, I have an opinion about how the club is doing: what the guys are pulling off vs. what they need to work on, what Carlyle should be saying in between periods, what lines need to be changed up. But honestly, I got nothin’. We’re 6-10-3! Jeezus. We’re playing worse than the Kings (13-7-2) and we’re even looking up at the Coyotes (11-9-0) … I can’t believe I just had to type that.
The only thing I
can think is that it was a mistake to let Francois Allaire go. Have ya noticed our goalie problems? (The fact that I had to type
that is painful, too.) Neither Hiller nor Giguere is performing like the goalies that they are, and I can’t help but imagine that if Allaire were here, things would be different. He was their mentor, the dude who taught them how to play butterfly style, and now he’s with Toronto. Side note: Checked out their standings lately? They suck, too. Perhaps Allaire’s miserable up there and needs to come back to his part-time dose of vitamin D. Anyway, he’s also the one who stood by J.S. through the Giguere family’s personal hardships. I’m not saying our new goaltending consultant, Pete Peeters, isn’t a quality coach, but he hasn’t been with the team through 13 seasons, five playoff runs, and 1 Stanley Cup win.
The Ducks are proving over and over that they’re not the same club as last year. We see glimpses of greatness from those we know to be future Hall-of-Famers (Niedermayer, Selanne, Getzlaf, Ryan, Corey), but they’re too few and too far between, as our records show. Nothing seems to be sticking and that’s frightening. We’re at the point where we can’t say things like, “it’s just the beginning of the season, we’ll find our way.” As much as I hate to consider the possibility, perhaps this team, this year, isn’t destined to enjoy top rankings. On the other hand, they are my club and just because they’re in a slump doesn’t mean I’m going to stop cheering them on. I’ll continue to go to games, watch them on TV, and proudly jet around town with my worn but loved Ducks license plate frame still proclaiming my allegiance.
—Rose
P.S. I have to say it: How wonderful is it that Bobby Ryan stayed on his skates rather than sliding down the ice on his belly this past Monday in Pittsburgh? I’m chalking that up to a win.