By Richard Gonzalez

The Anaheim Ducks season is a few weeks away and fans are eager to watch the Ducks play. Last season, was a bit of a nightmare for fans as the Ducks were terrible and seemed to just go through the motions of a game. Here are things I would like to see the Ducks do differently for next season.

Shoot the damn puck:

“Usually the team that scores the most points wins the game,” Football sportscaster John Madden said. It is kind of a corky quote but take out the “usually” part and add goals for the word “points” and it makes sense from a hockey standpoint. The Ducks and their measly 196 goals scored last season ranked them dead last in the NHL. The Ducks only managed to score 2.4 goals per game, being tied with the Los Angeles Kings as having the worst in the league.

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The Ducks definitely missed 100 percent of the shots they did not take. They only managed to shoot 2,271 times on net this season. Less than every other team. At this point, all those people at Honda Center or in front of their televisions screaming, “Shoot” are validated with their infamous response. Being last in all three mentioned categories means just “shoot the damn puck.” Do not wait for a lane or the goalie to move around, just fire that puck away and create opportunities.

Support your goalie:

The numbers do not do justify when talking about the lack of defensive support for the goaltender, John Gibson. Gibson has been solidified as an elite goalie despite the Ducks terrible season. The Ducks allowed 2,725 shots on Gibson, second-most in the Western Conference, but only allowed 2.85 goals-against average. Which is not that good of a number but with the lack of scoring and the number of shots being faced, that is pretty good. The Ducks, not forgetting their offensive responsibility, need to play a better defensive game, make smart plays to clear, win battles and force the opposing team to give up the puck in the Ducks zone. All those ingredients help “support your goalie.”

Take advantage of the man advantage:

The Ducks scored 36 power-play goals and were only 17 percent on their power play. They did not generate enough scoring opportunities when given the most opportunities. The Ducks played around with the puck far too long before the opposing team stepped in to steal and clear the puck.

The Ducks were so bad, teams did not seem to mind taking penalties against the Ducks. Their power play was not the worst in the NHL numbers-wise, but it was probably the least worried among teams. This is one of the few times where you are allowed and encouraged to “take advantage of the man advantage.”

Dirty Ducks

The nickname the Ducks had before was the Dirty Ducks because of their rough, physical and hard-nosed play. Winning battles along the boards, punishing opposing in front of the net or hitting an opposing player who had the puck with a solid hockey check. This was one of the major things lacking last season with the Ducks. Okay, the Ducks were not in the bottom of this category as they had 23.2 hits per game but can any of you really recall a notable hit? The only one that comes to mind was Max Comtois and that was early on in the season.

Note, I am not saying to go and hurt anyone intentionally or to add to their 736 total penalty minutes (9th in the NHL) but to finish a check and not abruptly change directions when the opposing player dishes away from the puck. One of the most crucial aspects of the game of hockey is time and space. Take any of those away and it drives players crazy. If an opposing team knows a team does not shy away from playing physical then they are inclined to make a pre-mature play; thus, leads to a possible bad pass or turn over. Ducks players skated full speed toward an opposing player only to pump the breaks. Other teams caught on quick and held the puck a second longer than normal. Anaheim needs to force team’s to fear playing the Ducks and to cough up the puck by playing to the nickname, “Dirty Ducks.”

Just to finish off this last portion’s topic, I would like to see the Ducks drop the gloves a little more this season. I know the new NHL is slowly shying away from fighting but it is part of the integrity of the game and has a lot more meaning than two guys just punching each other. It is a form of the players being the police on the ice and a way to energize the crowd. To set a certain tempo to the game. Ducks’ players only fought 11 times last season. A significant drop from the 30 fights (2017-18) and 46 (2016-17) seasons. I would like to see the Ducks, when appropriate, increase to at least 17 this upcoming season.

Until the fat lady sings:

The old colloquialism, “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings” is a saying meaning it is not over until it is over. So, do not stop playing the game until the final whistle. The Ducks have had a problem playing a full 60 minute game of hockey. I have said this countless times on the DucksNPucks podcast but this is the most important thing in hockey. Seldom did the Ducks actually come to a game and play the full game. They had flashes of talent and greatness but was clouded with just going through the motions. This upcoming season, I want the Ducks to play until the skinny, medium-sized or the old proverb, “the fat lady sings.”

Scream like the team had a three-goal comeback:

Honda Center is not known for being overly loud. That is not a reflection of the lack of passion but [we] fans are not that loud compared to other rinks. The energy of home town fans can energize our players. I am guilty of this too, so I am not just throwing the blame card out. This upcoming season, I want to hear a little more passion and loudness from the fans. Even if it is one game. Just cheer and “scream like the team had a three-goal comeback.”

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Final thoughts:

I am just like all fans and excited to have hockey back. This season will be so unpredictable. We are not sure what to expect. I am one for the few fans who like the fact the Ducks held a closed training camp. Things are changing in Anaheim and after last season, that is not a bad thing. I do not know what is going to happen this upcoming season but I hope the Ducks will make the above changes and go from there. I feel each one of the categories I discussed will help the Ducks be a better team. They might not be the best or win the Cup but will improve from last season and that is what all of us should want.

Do you agree or disagree? Do you have any other suggestions? Please let me know in the comments and let’s talk Ducks hockey.

Note: Stats from Fox Sports West

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September 21st, 2019