Polemic Hockey

The Ducks don't care. As far as I can count, there are only two players on the team that play regularly that don't have a Cup to their name: Todd Bertuzzi and Brian Sutherby. I guess there's also Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bobby Ryan.

It all started with the quasi-retirement of Scott Niedermayer. The team waited with baited breath for his return, and they played better after he came back, but he hasn't been the same. It makes you wonder if he was guilted into returning and his heart isn't in it. I'm not sure I buy that, because a few un-Scottyish gaffes aside, he has been one of the best players for the Ducks.

It's the rest of them that don't seem to care.

But not caring after a winning a Cup and going through the short off-season (twice) is one thing. It's close to impossible to repeat now, with the salary cap that makes no concessions for home grown players, or, better yet, retaining whatever players you currently have. The Ducks won the Cup. Asking them to repeat is greedy.

It's not as bad a showing as the Sharks have put in.

Last year, the Sharks and Ducks appeared headed for a Western Conference Finals apocalyptic clash. The Ducks were running through Roberto Luongo's Canucks, and the Sharks seemed to have the Red Wings under control. But then the Sharks blew it. They exposed the Red Wings enough to show how to beat them, but they couldn't get it done.

Add this to the list of previous underachieving Sharks teams. Last year, it seemed worth it to spend the picks to get some players. This year, it seemed to work magic. But it's clear that Brian Campbell isn't the player they needed. They need a Claude Lemieux-type. Guess what? It looks like they need . . . Owen Nolan. Ouch.