Justin Pogge 32 stops

The Anaheim Ducks named No 3 goalie had 32 stops in a win for the San Antonio Rampage. The Rampage were on the road and made the trip to Toronto; playing the Marlies. On this particular location, Pogge felt at home as the Marlies were his former team. Pogge was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Leafs owned his rights, until Brian Burke traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for a draft pick.

The Rampage won in a 4-3 shootout victory, Justin Pogge stopped all four shooters from the Marlies.


Justin Pogge is still a potential NHL goaltender despite his struggling in Toronto. He struggled at the Ducks training camp, but like all the other goalies including Hiller and Giguere played to his heart's desire. The most thing that matters is the heart of a player. Take Dan Sexton and Matt Beleskey for instance; the two have not only displayed their skill on NHL ice but have also played their tails off and put tons of heart into their play. As I've said before Heart and determination are going to get a player a lot further than just skills alone. This displayed in just about every prospect at training camp and it refers to Beleskey and Sexton during the Ducks games. These two are in their first NHL season. Beleskey played two games last season but was potentially sent back down for conditioning. He is more NHL ready than he was when he first broke into the NHL last season. Sexton is undrafted and played for Bowling Green the Ducks took grabs of him and most people hadn't even heard of this kid. Now he's surged through fans and media's veins. Sexton was also told throughout his life; he'd never make it into the NHL due to his small stature. He is listed at 5'10 but that height is a compliment to him.

And in the aspect of heart; Pogge was no different as he tried his best but just couldn't quite get a steady grip. Pogge was also an emergency call up  as back up to Hiller to replace an injured Giguere earlier in the season. Pogge did not get playing time; he was merely there in case either Hiller was pulled or if he got injured. Which Hiller had neither of those (thank God for Hiller has been injury free so far: knock on wood)

THN has  recapped the the game here

The Pielmeier: He's a thriving prospect

You can't just deny someone standing there and smiling. And when I attended Anaheim Ducks Training Camp, as with other people, I waited for players come out to get items signed by them. The first day I went a trickle of players came out to sign including: Todd Marchant, Evgeny Artyukhin, Corey Perry, Ryan Carter, Steve Eminger, and J.S. Giguere The second day, like more than half the team came including all of the players listed, only Perry had a coach honking at him telling him to move out of the way, so he only got 2-3 fans before he took off. There were also a lot of prospects, who didn't go to the Double Tree Inn bus, instead they hitched rides from the veteran players.


Timo Pielmeier had come out with Jonas Hiller. It was the day before the first pre-season game against the rival San Jose Sharks. A fan had asked Giguere, who was out before Hiller and signing for fans.  If he was goig to start he said: "No. Pielmeier is starting" Giguere also said his name a couple times, not exactly sure how to pronounce it.  A few players came and went signing for fans including Teemu Selanne flashing around his usual Teemu smile. A smile that radiates through everyone he comes across. He's just that type of person who would brighten anyways day even if he wasn't a professional athlete. A lot of the players were fairly happy and had smiles on their faces except for may a couple of rookies, who didn't receive the news they wanted. Some players were dead quite among their fans while signing but for the most part, they had a smile on their face such as Brett Festerling. When Joffrey Lupul came out I said to him "Welcome back to the Ducks" and he said with a big smile on his face "Thank You" and signed what I gave him.

Being back on track with Hiller and Pielmeier who both had walked to Hiller's Blue Toyota Prius. He had parked right next to the fence and fans surrounded him wanting his signature. Pielmeier stood behind him waiting for him patiently but I'll always remember Pielmeier with a huge smile on his face and he had a brand new Toronto Blue Jays hat on. I had asked Hiller about his mask, when was supposed to come out, and if he were excited for it. At that time he said:

"I'm not sure but it's probably not going to be before the end of the pre-season" and he also said "Yeah, I'm excited for it."

Hiller also nearly ran over Pielmeier, as the passenger side was way too close to the fence for Pielemeier to even open the door two inches. So Pielmeier waited for him to back out his car, he stood by the side basically out of the way. Still a huge smile lay across his face. Hiller backed up at an angle and Pielmeier had to move so he wouldn't get hit.

Ryan Carter signed for me twice, the second day I had bought in a foam helmet and he said: "Now that's a helmet" and I shyly replied "It took me forever to find it" Which it didn't because it was in the team store. {Sorry Carts I lied there)

But not only did Hiller have a whole thing with his car. Bobby Ryan had come out and was leaving, but Ryan Whitney had parked his car across near the fence and Bobby had troubles getting out. Bobby had a blue Chevy SUV and Whintey's car was an Cadillac Escalate. After fans had helped Bobby navigate his way out he stopped and signed for all the fans that wanted his autograph. Whitney also ran into something, which Sheldon Brookbank took care of as Whitney was still in Anaheim Ice doing an interview.

A police cruiser had sat from about a 200-300 ft distance, people looked back and gave odd looks to the vehicle asking why there was a cop there. The officer then pulled up as some fans had cleared away and the fans had moved to the side to let the officer through. Brookbank had stepped up to the cruiser and asked her:

"What's up?"
"Is that your car?"
"No, but whats the problem?"
"Someone complained  that there's a car parked along a red curb"
"It's Ryan Whitney's. He's inside doing an interview right now.

Even a fan got into convincing her that Whitney didn't deserve a ticket. To remind you, Whitney probably didn't realize the curb was red as the gate was open and blocking the curb.

The officer eventually left without giving anyone a ticket and fans speculated saying "It was probably a Kings fan who called"  and other teams were thrown in the mix among the clamor such as a Sharks fan or a Stars fan. But the Kings fan stood the strongest in speculation.

As Brookbank had finished signing for fans a few fans still stuck around waiting for Whitey in which somewhere along the lines while waiting referred the Escalate "We go green" 


Definitely great personal experience among the players including the "Rink Tours" speeches.

Alright, this has gone a little off topic from Pielmeier: It all started with a smile too.

Pielmeier has definitely been one to impress, he has taken over the reigns as a starter with the Bakersfield Condors; which also helped send Justin Pogge to the San Antonio Rampage. Pielmeier has gotten a considerable amount of minutes with Bakersfield, where he is as happy as can be. He has helped lift and keep his team at the head of the division, he had been named goalie of the month,and he is currently one of the highest ranked goaltenders in the ECHL. Pielmeier had smooth transitions, lateral movement, and he was quick and quirky in training camp. He had gotten th chance to switch up with  Hiller against his former NHL team the San Jose Sharks playing on NHL ice.

He also nearly by complete accident hit Giguere in the face with his stick but Giguere avoided a what would be painful collision with a 20 year old kid not paying attention to his surroundings and had a huge smile on his face as his colored jerseys were doing laps and a couple other exercises. Giguere and Pielmeier had been skating going back to their starting positions with the rest of their teammates; Pielmeier had his stick against his chest and sticking out. He was not really paying attention to anything or anyone around him . Giguere whipped away his head and said with a chuckle "Whoa!"

Pielmeier is tied in ECHL victories (18) with a 2.80 GAA. Timo came from the San Jose Sharks with Nick Bonino in exchange for Kent Huskins and Travis Moen at the tradeline. The Ducks seeminly have two excellent prospects from that trade; look for Bonino to be defending the blue line in a Ducks sweater sooner than later.

The OC Register's Curtis Zupke provided an excellent link from the  NHL.com prospect futre site discussing Pielmeier's career and the four goalie coaches he went through trying to find a style of goaltending that was right for him.

Pielmeier is an upbeat persons, loves life and hockey. He was born in a country where hockey is  smaller than it is in California. Pielmeier is definitely premiere.

Hiller's dreams fulfilled

The Orange County Register will have a series for the Ducks Olympians, getting to know the player better, who is headed to the Olympics. Ducks have eight players attending the Olympics to represent their country with the heaviest representation for Team Canada, the second is a tie with both Team Finland and Team Switzerland, with Team USA coming in third for the amount of Ducks players representing their country:

Team Canada:Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Niedermayer, Corey Perry
Team Finland: Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne
Team Switzerland: Jonas Hiller, Luca Sbisa
Team USA: Bobby Ryan


Jonas Hiller has seen a dream unfold in front of him. He's going to be able to set his foot on the World's Biggest Stage in Athletics: The Olympics.

He's representing a country that is more looking in than being in hockey wise. As his country is not considered a "Big 7". Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden, Russia, and the USA.

In Canada and the United States where the biggest dream for a male hockey player is to make the NHL; the other five countries, their biggest dream is playing in the Olympics to represent their country.While they don't defer playing in the NHL the Olympics is just the biggest accomplishment [not that it isn't for the US/Canada]  This time around; Hiller is no different.  He was named to represent Switzerland and he looks to be the go to goalie for the Swiss.Martin Gerber also born in Switzerland is a former Duck and will help Hiller in the crease.

Hiller, as many international players who's family and friends aren't able to see them play very much he will give his family and friends a big opportunity to play in the Olympics possibly even live in Van2010. Hiller's dream has unfolded as Switzerland will come in more as an underdog than a top runner. He will most likely be able to help his country go far and possibly even take a medal in the Olympics. Being in the Olympics will also unite Hiller with old teammates he played with at home which would give him a huge golden opportunity to catch up with his friends he left behind in Switzerland.Hiller will also be playing with fellow countryman Luca Sbisa; who the Ducks acquired in the Chris Pronger trade during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Hiller will be facing his teammates in the Olympics as he will be facing Bobby Ryan with his first game in the Olympics. This is assuming he will be starting for the Swiss as the first game pulls nearer and nearer.

And now, not only has Hiller made the NHL with much thanks to Sharks then Bruins center man Joe Thornton who was one player who really helped Hiller be pushed into the system after the second NHL lockout. Former Ducks goaltending coach now the goalie coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs Francois Allaire is a huge reason why Hiller slipped the Ducks jersey over his head. J.S. Giguere was immediately supportive over Hiller telling him that if he needed any help don't hesitate to ask him. Hiller's biggest dream has now been fulfilled he is an NHLer and he is an Olympian. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics is his first ever Olympics and this has completed his dream.

If you realize while watching the video and in general that Hiller always pronounces his "W"s with "V" just completely represents his Swiss-German accent. In German the W is pronounced with the V sound: 

J.S. Giguere stays positive

Love him or hate him. Dispute him or not. Protect him or don't but whatever you do; J.S. Giguere himself is staying positive.

The Ducks have gone with Jonas Hiller more games than Giguere and Hiller has such a strong momentum and he's playing well it makes sense to go with him because you don't mess with a goalies rhythm, only Carlyle did that in the beginning of the season with the "You win. You're in" mantra which he is now going against; in his comments he makes it seem as if it's a dumb idea. It took him awhile to figure that out.

Giguere is hopeful he'll be staying in Anaheim, he became property of the Ducks in 2001 from the Calgary Flames, and has been with the Ducks ever since. He wants to play more games,  as he has only  played five since December 11, 2009 in those five games, he's started only three of those games, the other two he's replaced a fatigued Hiller.

Here are quotes from Eric Stephan of the Orange County Register 
Quotes from Boys in the Crease:

“You’re mentally pushing yourself, trying to stay with it and trying to stay positive,”  Giguere said. “The day to day grind of it is exhausting. But you know, it’s the situation. I believe I can grow from it and I can be a better player from this kind of situation.”

and Giguere on the time he's getting or not; as it known by everyone, Giguere made some comments in the beginning of the season, which made him look bad here's more quotes from him about playing more as a back up that a starter a more positive view:

“It’s really difficult to stay sharp,” Giguere said. ”It’s all about practicing and trying to get the most you can out of it. That’s the situation I’m in right now. I’ve got to make the best of it. Try to make as many saves as I can in practice.
Try to be as upbeat as I can be.
“Some days are super difficult to be. But you know, it’s life.”

“You’ve got to be a team guy and you’ve got to accept your role and this is the role I’ve been given right now,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean that I’m going to accept it in a way. I’m going to push for more. I’m going to strive for more. I’m not going to give up on wanting to be a No. 1 goalie. This is why I play this game. It’s to play. So I’m not going to give up on that.
“I’m not going to expect it to be given to me. You have to work and you’ve got to earn it. That’s what my intentions are. Is it going to work? Is it going to happen? I don’t know. But I’m going to work on a day-to-day basis to get back to that.”

Giguere has said nothing negative against Southern California, he has said he has his wife, Kristin, like it here in Orange County. In the past games, Giguere has been supportive over his teammate congratulating him after wins or just generally being involved with him of bouncing off advice with Hiller.  Giguere wants to stay in Orange County but if he doesn't get the No 1 role he will most likely go to a different team. Of course, one and if not the biggest thing that is being disputed is his massive contract next season, if he does stay he will be paid $7 million; it is unclear if he has recently been asked to waive his NTC as of late; Giguere just says "Go ask GM Bob Murray about it" That being said, the decision so far seems not to be so clear cut behind closed doors. On the front lines it does seem clear cut with Hiller being the No1 as the management has gone more with him than they have with Jiggy. Jiggy is and always will be a very well known and face of Anaheim's goaltending franchise. He's accomplished and set a boat load of records in his career here in Anaheim.

This  so far, is still a wait and see game. As many fans want the Ducks to buy out his contract (much like with Todd Bertuzzi contract though Giguere has a better playing rep than Bertuzzi had with the Ducks) As posted above, Giguere is positive and is more accepting his role, then he is going against it.He believes he will still remain in Anaheim at the trade deadline and he hopes, in practice to get more playing time. Carlyle has stated, if Hiller gets tired or isn't sharp then he is more than happy to go with Jiggy

The Pielmeier: Timo Pielmeier shines in All-Star game.

This picture is quite funny and sexy..He no longer plays for the team that is on his jersey

He was the property of a rival not only is it a sport rivalry(includes the MLB, , MLS (Major League Soccer), NBA and the NFL) but there's this whole contention between the two areas; Northern California and Southern California, long since competitors economic wise,  and particularly just in a general competition wise. Northern California has conspiracy theories against Southern California, from So Cal stealing its water (which would also account for electricity since that is how in part, electricity is run), to the fact that SoCal infected NorCal with the H1N1 (Swine Flu).The two places are different cultures, literally.

He pulled on that rival's jersey at the draft in 2007. A hording Shark swimming and aggressively biting a hockey stick on his chest. Goaltender Timo Pielmeier was acquired  by the Anaheim Ducks last season in exchange for Kent Huskins and Travis Moen. Huskins went over to San Jose still with an impeding, stubborn injury where he did not play the remainder of the season. Moen played with the Sharks for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.Huskins has since signed a one year contract with the Sharks and Moen signed with the Montreal Canadiens.

Timo was one of the few Ducks prospects to be invited to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) All-Star game. Shawn Weller and Eric Regan were also the other Ducks prospects invited to play in the ECHL All-Star Game; all three are part of the Ducks' ECHL Affiliate the Bakersfield Condors. Sasha Pokulok  of the Condors was also invited, he was second in the hardest shot competition, only one other player was in the triple digits A.J. Thelen topped him at 101.9 mph.   Pokulok's shots were 101.5 and 101.2. There has yet to be a player to beat out Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins' shot the towering 6'9 255lb defense man clocked the hardest shot in the 2009 NHL All-Star game at 105.4mph. The Western Conference would fall to the Eastern Conference in a shootout with the final score adhering to 9-10. Timo Pielmeier turned away 12 of 14 shots in the third period, two of those in an impressive fashion. Timo  was born in Dreggendorf, Germany and he is a highly regarded goalie in the Ducks organization, he was one in the Sharks organization as well. Pielmeier was one of the goaltenders invited to camp and attached to Jonas Hiller quickly, who fluently speaks the same home language as [Timo] the difference is small as Hiller speaks Swiss German and Timo speaks the original language. (Although, there are different dialects of German and accents, such as between Munich and Berlin)

Pielmeier is 10th in the ECHL with a 2.89 goals against average (GAA) and he is third with 16 victories. Pielmeier is smooth and quick in his transitions, he is athletic, confident and focused in just about every game he plays. Go Timo Go! He is pushing for the No 3 goalie which Justin Pogge, who came from the Toronto Maple Leafs virtually for free (just in exchange for a draft pick) Pogge is currently considered the Ducks' No 3 goaltender.

Hiller Contract

 CONGRATULATIONS TO TROY BODIE FOR HIS FIRST 2 NHL GOALS!

Contracts; the piece of paper which, in sports, keeps players signed to a certain team. This applies for every single professional sport. Including minor leagues to their respective teams.

Bobby Ryan is on of the few players, who must be signed without fail as far as been made public: Bobby's contract talks have stopped just early this season; fans are hoping both the Ducks and him are able to come to some sort of agreement, as Bobby seems to really like the Ducks and was practically raised in Southern California, he also played his non-professional hockey career with the Los Angeles Junior Kings.

With players such as Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer contemplating retirement, if they do this would bring a wide amount of cap space. Of course, no one wants them to retire.There is also the likes of Saku Koivu returning
  Hiller's price is likely to rise; as known Hiller has not signed an extension which will prompt him to stay with the Ducks, who  he was signed by as undrafted  free agent in 2007.


J.S.  Giguere's lengthy and expensive contract may pay a role; neither goalie wants to be sitting on the bench, and Hiller said he doesn't want to just sign he wants to be sure he'll be the No 1 goaltender, and it could from a point be seeing despite the fact that Hiller has had more consistent minutes than Giguere, he is not 100% comfortable with the fact that he will be a No 1 goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks; his performance regulates as a higher pay, double, if not triple what he is being paid now. 1.3 million is his current contract. Since he has not signed an extension, he is an unrestricted free agent. Teams are watching him, a goaltender at his status and performance for since he had stepped in for Giguere and then taken his No 1 spot will not go unnoticed. Hiller stated he, if he doesn't know by the end of the season, or more likely during the season; he will sign with a different team who would give him the starting role on their team.

As of now, it sounds like Hiller is the No 1 goaltender and that Giguere will be asking to waive his NTC, this is very possible, but there's also the possibility of Hiller being gone next season wearing a different sweater. Hiller has been hot, he has only lost one game in his last few starts, and he has been impressive where he has bailed the team out more than once. The team in front of him as also been playing better than they did in the first half of the season. Hiller has been happier with his consistent playing time, as he has stated it is a good sign. Now, the goalie situation needs to be known as a for sure thing.

Giguere has been the face of the franchise goalie wise, and if he does go, it'd be a very sad day considering his tenure and accomplishments in a Ducks sweater.

They didn't have it.

J.S. Giguere replaced the tired Jonas Hiller after Hiller allowed 3 goals, coach Randy Carlyle decided to put in Giguere. Hiller was playing exhausted, as he had played 5 games in 8 days, including the win over the Bruins the night before. The entire team was tired and it showed. The Ducks couldn't convert on anything, let a lone a 3 on 5 man advantage. The hot handed goalie was playing pretty well and a  goal scored against him, was just a lucky bounce. On the Scott Parse goal which came from the point, deflected off of Sheldon Brookbank's leg and went through Hiller five-hole. For some reason, Hiller had lifted his leg at the last second allowing the puck to squeak though his pads. Hiller left after Alexander Frolov  spun around Scott Niedermayer and beautifully passed it to Dustin Brown scored on a wide open net which also resulted in poor play by Ryan Whitney in front of Hiller. As Hiller was leaving, the Staples Center tauntingly and rudely played the song "na na na hey hey hey good bye" Which in reality I don't think that affected Hiller as much as it seems to be affecting Ducks fans. It's something he'd make a comment about [among teammates] but he'd potentially shrug it off and be more unhappy in himself than the commotion with the Kings arena, and the staff etc.

Giguere robbed Dustin Brown on the rush, as Niedermayer's stick broke Brown had a chance to get away from the traffic of play and shoot it in on Giguere who had a very composed and great save on him.

The Ducks didn't exactly have things going their way, but the play from the team overall was poor. Here's a thing that is being disputed the most is Wayne Simmonds goal. The goal will be near the end of the video. If you watch, the referee waves off the goal and he can be heard saying, no goal. Then, the linesman comes skating over to the Ducks' net stating it was indeed a goal for Simmonds. The video then goes to Toronto to rule in was officially a goal. The goal is officially ruled, giving the Kings a 4-0 lead. Giguere had lost sight of the puck, in fact both teams didn't know where it was if you see, Giguere covered it up with his leg and the goal was called due to the mere fact that his foot went over the red line. Now, as the video isn't conclusive watch the puck. It slides under Giguere's leg near the upper part of it, where it is lodged underneath his pad. The puck did not cross the line watch closely. Track the puck on the overhead view. Watch Giguere's leg, the puck remained in the blue paint. Giguere threw back his leg  and the puck was pulled forwards. Now watch Steve Eminger's  stick. He pulls the puck from the paint and look at the positioning of Giguere's head. He looks behind him then looks down at the puck after lifting his leg. You can also vaguely see the puck still in the crease, the black spot. As with Eminger he does pull the puck from the crease just after the ref waves it a no goal. Eminger does put his stick slightly over the red line which his stick is not on the ice, until he pulls it over the line taking the puck OUT of the crease NOT the goal. Even if Giguere did pull the puck over the line which he did not. The goal should of not been called because the puck after the play is wavered down, was not over the line. You can keep going back to the goal watch the whole interaction between the Ducks. Especially Giguere's head and Eminger's stick. Also, if you look into the net, it is not over the line. Its still sitting in the paint. (I'm not sure if the explanation was confusing or not tried the best I could, to dispute this goal) It also comes down to the mere fact a linesman that was about ten feet away ruled this a goal.


 
The hit on Oscar Moller by Bobby Ryan gave Bobby a five minute major and a game misconduct for charging, the penalty came in the waning seconds of the game. Bobby delivered a nice, clean, and aggressive hit against Moller. The referee assigned Bobby with a five minute major and a game misconduct. Definitely over the top. The call was unfair and farther going against the Ducks to add insult to injury in the poor play of the team as a whole.


And lets put salt on the wound forward Saku Koivu on the big second line with Bobby Ryan and Dan Sexton had disappeared in the second, where he would not return for the remainder of the game, he was reported having left the game with a lower body injury.


There were also some good and long fights, including Ryan Carter, Ryan Getzlaf, Sheldon Brookbank and Kings' Wayne Simmonds  . Corey Perry also took a game misconduct after a slashing call. The list for penalties is quite a long one for both teams, mainly the Ducks, who were getting called on nearly every detail, where the Kings would get little calls against.