Talking Ducks

If it's tough for me to come down from the Olympics high, what about the athletes? They don't have to just yet and neither do you. If you're going to the game against Colorado Wednesday, be sure to get there early. All the Ducks who played in the winter games will be honored at a pre-face-off ceremony as well as with pre-taped interviews throughout the game. And you'll get a chance to see their medals. Ducks earned all three colors and they are really beautiful, with a wavy shape and First Nations (Canadian Northwest Coast Indian) designs. Ducks fans are lucky. Tourists and Vancouverites stood in line for hours to see those medals. All you'll have to do is stroll over to the display case outside section 212.

It's hard to believe that it's all over, and even crazier that although some of our guys have proven they are among the best ice hockey players in the world, they have to get right back to work to grind out a playoff spot in the Western Conference of the NHL. Wow! Someone reminded Niedermayer of that and he just laughed it off. Other players confessed that the work they would have to do in Anaheim was always at the back of their minds. All said they couldn't wait to get back and play together again.

My list of their unforgettable accomplishments during the games:

Bobby Ryan: Came home with a silver medal for playing on Team USA, chipping two teeth in the game against Norway! He played with speed and energy every game. And he become somewhat of a media darling with his down-to-earth Jersey charm. It was great reading his fun and funny quotes in the international press.

Ryan Whitney: Getting picked to play on Team USA and winning a silver medal -- all of a sudden he's a brand name. He's not a flashy guy, just someone who always does his best and gets the job done. Fans will remember him now.

Luca Sbisa (Ducks prospect): Played for team Switzerland and although he didn't medal he got some great experience and showed incredible gutsiness playing with a fractured finger that split open during the game against the US. He wouldn't have it any other way. "I don't want to be when I'm older sitting in my chair thinking I should have played that game," he told the media.

Teemu Selanne: His Finnish teammates wanted him to win a gold since it was his last year in the Olympics, but Selanne seemed happy to play at all, wearing that goofy chin guard the whole time and looking skinny as Jesus out there -- he hasn't fully recovered from the fractured jaw injury. He didn't have as much ice time as some of the other guys, but he stepped up whenever he was out there, making plays and getting shots on goal, he holds the Olympic record for goal scoring. His bronze medal is a great finish to his Olympic career.

Saku Koivu: Captain for Finland; it's a tribute to him that his guys came out playing as a team from the very first game. Some countries never meshed or melded into a team. Koivu led by example as always, making tons of assists and setups then stepping back and letting other players have the spotlight. Oh, and he went home with a bronze medal and the knowledge that he put a giant smile on the face of his best buddy Teemu at the end of the tournament.

Scott Niedermayer: Canada's Captain, fulfilling the role like a true British Columbia native -- strong and solid as a Douglas fir. Also just as impenetrable when you're on another team trying to break into the zone. His already groaning trophy case gets one more knick-knack.

Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry: The twins were instrumental in Team Canada's success, giving it the old one-two with Getzlaf feeding Perry, who always went hard to the net and found those tricky "garbage goals." These two were consistently producing when other superstar players were skating around with nothing to show for it. Getzy showed his typical make-things-happen flair, scoring two minutes into the Russia/Canada game to set the tone for a big win. They were a huge factor in Canada's gold medal run.

Jonas Hiller: No medal for our favorite goalie, but he has risen to international stardom. Everyone knew it was Hiller who kept Switzerland in the game throughout the finals and almost took them to the bronze round. Many eyes will be on him in the next few years because it's clear he hasn't even peaked yet. This Olympics will always be known as the year three phenomenal goalies simply melted down: Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist, Miikka Kipprusoff. In contrast, Jonas Hiller always kept his cool. Bravura tactics were the demise of some of these other goalies but Hiller's style of playing was precise, careful, selfless, and as consistent as a Swiss watch. It feels so good to have him in net for Anaheim.—Anne Valdespino

Had friends over to watch the game and was all set to cheer for Team Canada. After all it had the most Ducks of any team, 3. (Did anyone else notice that the teams with the most Ducks won the medals? Canada (3 players, gold medal) U.S.A. (2 players, silver medal) Finland (2 players, bronze) Switzerland (1, technically speaking since Sbisa was sent back to the minors, and no medal but they came really close.)

By 11:30 Sunday the drinks were mixed, the scones were made, and my Canadian in-laws called continually as if it were Christmas day. The atmosphere at my house started out super jolly. But as I watched the game, things began to change. All those superstars on Team Canada were sitting back on their lead. What the heck? And the Americans were working harder and harder.

In the end it was overtime. And overtime doesn't necessarily mean the best team wins, it's just the team that scores first. So there I was being a Crosby hater when he scored. The guy, who from where I'm sitting, underperformed the whole way, pulled it out in the end. We read sooo much about him in the media he had worn out his welcome the day he stepped off the plane in Vancouver. But, OK. He is enormously talented and we can't hold that against him or we'd be just like the dads who jeered him when he was in the peewee leagues  just for making their kids look so bad. Crosby got to be the hero, fine. But I was so wishing it could have been someone who had put in a ton of effort and had star turns the whole way, like Jarome Iginla or Getzy/Perry. Or maybe someone who had made a tremendous difference behind the scenes, like Scotty Niedermayer, who according to Getzy, gave calming and inspiring St. Crispin's Day style talks to the guys in the locker room.

But the poor Americanos. It was over in a heartbeat and there was Ryan Miller looking like he was going to cry and giving an interview anyway. The saddest pic of all was Getzy (Canada) hugging Ducks teammate Bobby Ryan (U.S.A.) in the handshake line. Aw! And the Americans standing there looking as if they had been humiliated, like the silver medal was a turd hanging around their necks. Oh boy. 

As much as I love the guys on Team Canada the end result will always haunt me. Not only did the U.S. almost win, Canada nearly lost! Expect to read reams  about Canada second-guessing itself. And maybe too about the genius of American GM Brian Burke, who sure knows how to pick winners before they are overhyped, overpaid, diva-ish and whiney. Yeah, Brodeur, I'm talkin' about vous!—Anne Valdespino