KEEP YOUR CHANGE & I'LL KEEP MY GUNS: June 2007

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Chicago Nascar #4 Its Mark

1 RobFrom: Chicago 22 wins in the last 90 days 169 since joining MEETin.org
2 RickFrom: Chicago 20 wins in the last 90 days237 since joining MEETin.org
3 SpencerFrom: Chicago 20 wins in the last 90 days45 since joining MEETin.org
4 Mark From: Chicago 19 wins in the last 90 days63 since joining MEETin.org
5BeccaFrom: Chicago 18 wins in the last 90 days249 since joining MEETin.org
6DavidFrom: Chicago 18 wins in the last 90 days24 since joining MEETin.org
7MarkFrom: Chicago 16 wins in the last 90 days457 since joining MEETin.org
8PallaviFrom: Chicago 16 wins in the last 90 days300 since joining MEETin.org
9IrvFrom: Chicago 16 wins in the last 90 days154 since joining MEETin.org
10CarlFrom: Chicago 15 wins in the last 90 days276 since joining MEETin.org

Friday, June 22, 2007

Quack Attack is Back Jack

Giguere re-signs with Ducks June 22, 2007(CP) Jean-Sebastien Giguere figured last winter that his days with the Anaheim Ducks might be numbered. ‘‘I wondered if I’d be back,’’ he said of the angst of playing through the last year of his contract with unrestricted free agency in the offing. ‘‘But I decided I wasn’t going to worry about it. ‘‘By the time the trading deadline came, I was playing most of the games and I felt pretty comfortable that I was going to be here for the rest of the season.’’ The star 30-year-old goaltender from Montreal will be around a lot longer than that after agreeing to a US$24-million, four-year contract Thursday. Giguere will be pulling down $5.5 million in each of the first two years, $6 million in the third year and $7 million in the fourth year. He might have got a bit more somewhere else but he loves life in southern California too much to part company with a team he just helped win the Stanley Cup. ‘‘It’s a great organization and a great team, a team that is going to be good for the next four or five years at least, and that’s worth money right there,’’ he said. ‘‘In life you want to try to have fun. ‘‘Every player in this league would want to play on this team. You’d be crazy to want to leave.’’ GM Brian Burke made re-signing Giguere his top priority after the playoff run, and during the team’s rally three days after winning the Stanley Cup, fans started a chant directed at Burke to re-sign Giguere. ‘‘He’s an important part of our hockey team, not just the way he’s played in the regular season but in the way he’s excelled in the playoffs,’’ said Burke. ‘‘His work ethic is the best I’ve ever had at his position. He’s a vital part of our ability to compete and repeat.’’ Burke lauded Giguere for not testing the open market. ‘‘This is a player who, had he gone to July 1, could have obtained a greater deal,’’ Burke said from Columbus, Ohio, where he and his staff were preparing for the first round of the entry draft Friday night. ‘‘When a player makes that commitment, which is so rare in professional sport, it should never go unnoted. ‘‘GMs should say ‘thank you’ when a player does that. It is rare in this landscape, this modern era of pro sport.’’ Burke knew he’d have to make an offer that would average out to $6 million a season. ‘‘Burkie knew where the numbers should have been at,’’ Giguere said from his California home. ‘‘They didn’t make any fuss about it. ‘‘They wanted to keep me and I think they knew what they’d have to spend to do that. I wanted to stay here and I knew what I’d be satisfied with. It was very easy to get the deal done. There was a willingness on both sides to get the deal done. Everybody came out of it happy with what we got.’’ Giguere was consistently good during the playoffs. His 1.97 goals-against average and .922 save percentage were improvements on his regular-season GAA of 2.26 and .918 save percentage. It was his sixth season with Anaheim. The six-foot-one butterfly specialist and his wife, Kristen, welcomed a son, Maxime, into the world in April. He has a vision problem that has required the attention of medical specialists and Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli made it clear they’d do anything to help. ‘‘The Samuelis stepped up on this,’’ said Burke. It was another reason Giguere wanted to stay. ‘‘They do everything first class,’’ he said of the owners. ‘‘They treat every single player as if he was their son. ‘‘They would have lent me their plane to see any doctor in the world.’’ Said Burke: ‘‘We want to be known as a player-friendly organization 21 1-2 hours a day. The other 2 1-2 hours they work and sweat.’’ In praising Giguere, Burke offered an anecdote from the first round of this year’s playoffs, when backup Ilya Bryzgalov started the opening games against Calgary while Giguere had newborn Maxime on his mind. A lunch was laid out for the players at a practice rink one day. The price tag would have exceeded $500. ‘‘Giguere bought lunch and he wasn’t even playing,’’ said Burke. ‘‘He’s that kind of guy. ‘‘He’s a leader on our team. I admire him. His work ethic, his character, he’s a wonderful young man.’’ The re-signing of Giguere likely means Bryzgalov will be dealt to make room for a less expensive backup. Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the 2003 playoffs after Anaheim lost to New Jersey in a championship series that went the limit. It is hard to believe the Ducks got him from the Flames in 2000 for only a second-round entry draft pick that year. Burke has been his boss for two seasons now. ‘‘I knew he was a good goaltender, a money goaltender from watching him in the playofffs, but I didn’t know what a fine person he is,’’ said Burke. Meanwhile, Burke awaits word from captain Scott Niedermayer, who revealed earlier this week he’s contemplating retirement. One might deduce that Burke would like something definitive by July 1 so he could quickly seek a free-agent replacement in case Niedermayer quits. But Burke said he is not thinking that way. ‘‘There’s no one out there who can fill Scotty’s skates,’’ he said. So, Burke said, July 1 is an insignificant date regarding Niedermayer. ‘‘We’re going to give him as much time as he wants. He deserves that.’’ Added Giguere: ‘‘We’re sure hoping a little bit of rest will change his mind and make him want to stay.’’ Same for Teemu Selanne. ‘‘We sure hope that both of them will be with us next season,’’ said Giguere. But he won’t phone the players to personally urge them to return. ‘‘They know we want them back. At this point, it’s more of a family matter, and I’ll respect that all the way.’’

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Its the Liberal Media Good Guys In Red

The following 144 journalists made campaign contributions from 2004 through the first quarter of 2007, according to Federal Election Commission records studied by MSNBC.com.
Key:
(D) contributed to Democrats or liberal causes.
(R) to Republicans and conservative causes.
Click on "details" next to each name to see the amounts and what the journalists have to say.
Click for related content
Read the story: Journalists dole out cash to politicians (quietly)Live Vote: Should journalists give?Compare the policies of news organizations Message board: Weigh in on journalists and politics
Television:
(D) ABC News, Mary Fulginiti, "Primetime" correspondent. Click for details.
(D) ABC affiliate in Boston, WCVB, Sangita Chandra, producer. Click for details.
(D) ABC affiliate in Wichita, KAKE, Susan Peters, anchor. Click for details.
(D) CBS News, Serena Altschul, correspondent for "CBS Sunday Morning." Click for details.
(D) CBS News, Edward H. Forgotson Jr., producer, "CBS Sunday Morning." Click for details.
(D) CBS affiliate in Boston, WBZ, Liz Walker, newsmagazine host. Click for details.
(D) CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, KCBS, Claudia Bill, news writer. Click for details.
(D) CBS affiliate in Memphis, WREG, Markova Reed, anchors the morning and noon news. Click for details.
(D) CNN, Guy Raz, Jerusalem correspondent, now defense correspondent for National Public Radio. Click for details.
(R) CW affiliate in Chicago, WGN, Jay Congdon, news producer. Click for details.
(R) CW affiliate in Los Angeles, KTLA, Diana Chi, news writer. Click for details.
(R) Fox News Channel, Ann Stewart Banker, producer for Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor." Click for details.
(D) Fox News Channel, Codie Brooks, researcher for Brit Hume's "Special Report." Click for details.
(D) Fox affiliate in Omaha, KPTM, Calvert Collins, reporter. Click for details.
(D) Fox affiliate in Minneapolis, KMSP, Alix Kendall, morning anchor. Click for details.
(D) Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C., WTTG, Laura Evans, anchor. Click for details.
(R) MSNBC, Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe" and "Scarborough Country." Click for details.
(D) MTV News, Gideon Yago, "Choose or Lose" presidential correspondent. Click for details.
(D) NBC News, Victoria Corderi, "Dateline" correspondent. Click for details.
(R) PBS affiliate in New York, Thirteen/WNET, Rafael Roman, host, "New York Voices." Click for details.
(D) Independent station KTVK, Phoenix, Steve Bodinet, reporter. Click for details.
-----
Online:
(D) MSNBC.com, Rachel Schwanewede, senior editor, TodayShow.com. Click for details.
(D) MSNBC.com, Joel Widzer, travel columnist. Click for details.
(D) Salon.com, Gary Kamiya, writer at large and former executive editor. Click for details.
(D) Salon.com, Katharine Mieszkowski, reporter. Click for details.
-----
Magazines:
(D) The Atlantic Monthly, Martha Spaulding, assistant managing editor. Click for details.
(D) Business Week, Prudence Crowther, chief copy editor. Click for details.
(D) The Economist, Andreas Kluth, technology correspondent. Click for details.
(D) The Economist, Joanne Ramos, financial writer. Click for details.
(R) Forbes, Jean A. Briggs, assistant managing editor. Click for details.
(R) Forbes, Robert Lenzner, national editor. Click for details.
(D) Forbes, Tatiana Serafin, senior reporter. Click for details.
(D) Inc., Jane Berentson, editor. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, David Denby, film critic. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Henry Finder, editorial director and books editor. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Tad Friend, Hollywood reporter. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Ann Goldstein, head of copy department. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, John Lahr, theater critic. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Janet Malcolm, writer. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, George Packer, war correspondent. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Mark Singer, profile writer. Click for details.
(D) The New Yorker, Judith Thurman, writer. Click for details.
(D) Newsweek, Temma Ehrenfeld, associate editor. Click for details.
(D & R) Newsweek, Jane Bryant Quinn, personal finance columnist. Click for details.
(D) Newsweek, Anne Underwood, correspondent on health and medical stories. Click for details.
(D) Rolling Stone, Jason Fine, deputy managing editor. Click for details.
(D) Rolling Stone, David Swanson, assistant editor. Click for details.
(D) Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, editor and publisher. Click for details.
(D) Time, Jim Frederick, senior editor. Click for details.
(D) U.S. News & World Report, Michael Freeman, researcher. Click for details.
(D) U.S. News & World Report, Amanda Spake, senior writer. Click for details.
(D) Vanity Fair, Elise O'Shaughnessy, contributing editor. Click for details.
(D) Vanity Fair, Michael Shnayerson, contributing editor. Click for details.

Chicago Nascar 2007

1 RobFrom: Chicago
21 Wins in the last 90 days 163 since joining MEETin.org 03/13/2005

2 Rick From: Chicago
21 Wins in the last 90 days 234 since joining MEETin.org 05/21/2005

3 PallaviFrom: Chicago
19 Wins in the last 90 days 291 since joining MEETin.org 10/31/2005

4BeccaFrom: Chicago
18 Wins in the last 90 days 244 since joining MEETin.org 02/17/2006

5 Mark From: Chicago
17 Wins in the last 90 days 56 since joining MEETin.org 3/16/2007

6 SpencerFrom: Chicago
17 Wins in the last 90 days 40 since joining MEETin.org 04/10/2007

7 CarlFrom: Chicago
16 Wins in the last 90 days 273 since joining MEETin.org 02/15/2005

8MarkFrom: Chicago
16 Wins in the last 90 days 456 since joining MEETin.org 04/14/2004

9LuzFrom: Chicago
16 Wins in the last 90 days 103 since joining MEETin.org
02/03/2006

10 IrvFrom: Chicago
15 Wins in the last 90 days 154 since joining MEETin.org 08/27/2004

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Come on Mr President Lower the Nations Flags to Half Staff

S.C. Warehouse Fire Kills 9 Firefighters

Jun 19 01:33 PM US/EasternBy BRUCE SMITHAssociated Press Writer

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Fire swept through a furniture warehouse, collapsing its roof and killing nine firefighters inside—the nation's deadliest single disaster for firefighters since the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
"Nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston have perished fighting fire in a most courageous and fearless manner, carrying out their duties," Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley said at a morning news conference. "To all of their loved ones, our heart goes out to them."
Two employees in the building were rescued from the blaze, which broke out at about 7 p.m. Monday in the Sofa Super Store and warehouse, Riley said. One was rescued quickly, and firefighters punched a hole through a wall of the warehouse to reach the other, he said.
Firefighters, police officers and other rescue workers saluted as the firefighters' bodies were carried from the warehouse during the night.
"To lose nine is just a tragedy of immense proportions," Riley said. "To lose nine is just unbelievable."
The department has 237 firefighters in 19 companies located throughout the city of about 106,000.
The cause of the fire was under investigation but Riley said arson was not suspected. He said the blaze apparently started in a storage area. He was unsure whether there were sprinklers in the building.
The county coroner scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. EDT to release the names of the dead.
The fire was the worst single incident to claim firefighters' lives since the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed 340 firefighters, two paramedics and a chaplain, according to the National Fire Protection Association. It was the deadliest fire in South Carolina since a 1979 blaze killed 11 people in the Lancaster County jail.
Witnesses said the collapse of the roof threw debris over about two- dozen rescue workers. Onlookers were hit with flying ash.
"It was like a 30-foot tornado of flames," said Mark Hilton, who was struck in his eye.
Eric Glover told CNN that he and a number of other firefighters were at a golf tournament to benefit the family of a firefighter who had recently died when they heard the call come over their department radios. By the time he arrived, he said, the roof had already collapsed.
"It all happened pretty fast. They didn't really have a chance," Glover said.
"You're always close to the guys because you spend a third of your life with these guys. Every third day you spend 24 hours there, so you get real close," he said.
Firefighters went to a nearby car dealership asking for towels and quickly got additional help, said salesman Daniel Shahid.
"The next thing you know, we were carrying hoses, directing traffic, everybody from the dealership," he said.
Shahid said he saw firefighters rescue four people from the building.
"They were struggling. They were covered in black soot. They looked scared out of their minds," Shahid said.
He later told CNN the roof collapsed too quickly for anyone to escape.
"It came from nowhere," he said. "It was a standing structure and five seconds later it was on the ground."
Riley called the firefighters heroes.
"This is a profession that we must never take for granted," the mayor said. "There's a fire raging and they go toward it."
Gov. Mark Sanford ordered state flags lowered to half staff. "These are truly some of South Carolina's bravest, who in this case made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty," he said.
Store owner Herb Goldstein said in a statement there were no words to express his sorrow.
"All of us at Sofa Super Store are devastated and heartbroken by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the heroic firefighters who lost their lives," he said.
He had owned the store for about 15 years, said his son, Jeff Goldstein.
In a small plaza next to the city's main fire house, notes and flowers were left at the base of a monument to firefighters Tuesday.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you and your families. We are deeply saddened and want you all to know that we value your bravery and thank you for putting your lives on the line to keep us all safe. God bless you all," read one note.
The buildings are located on what residents here refer to as the "auto mile," a commercial strip of car dealers, body shops and stereo installers.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Monday, June 18, 2007

God Bless us all and my God Contintue to Bless America

Exclusive: Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to U.S., Europe
June 18, 2007 4:45 PM
Brian Ross Reports:
Large teams of newly trained suicide bombers are being sent to the United States and Europe, according to evidence contained on a new videotape obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
Teams assigned to carry out attacks in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany were introduced at an al Qaeda/Taliban training camp graduation ceremony held June 9.
A Pakistani journalist was invited to attend and take pictures as some 300 recruits, including boys as young as 12, were supposedly sent off on their suicide missions.
Photos: Inside an al Qaeda/Taliban 'Graduation'
The tape shows Taliban military commander Mansoor Dadullah, whose brother was killed by the U.S. last month, introducing and congratulating each team as they stood.
"These Americans, Canadians, British and Germans come here to Afghanistan from faraway places," Dadullah says on the tape. "Why shouldn't we go after them?"
The leader of the team assigned to attack Great Britain spoke in English.
"So let me say something about why we are going, along with my team, for a suicide attack in Britain," he said. "Whether my colleagues, companions and Muslim brothers die today or tonight, every drop of our blood will invigorate the Muslim (unintelligible)."
Video: Watch the Taliban's 'Graduation' Ceremony
U.S. intelligence officials described the event as another example of "an aggressive and sophisticated propaganda campaign."
Others take it very seriously.
"It doesn't take too many who are willing to actually do it and be able to slip through the net and get into the United States or England and cause a lot of damage," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism official.
Watch Brian Ross' full report on "World News With Charles Gibson."

Monday, June 11, 2007

Pics of Ducks Winning the Cup

Honda center after the party

The Team and the Governator

The Team and the Cup

The Honda Center

Our Captain and the Governator

The Twins and our Governator

The Team on the Bus

Pronger with the Cup

Our Captin and the Cup

The Team and the Cup

Our Team

The Team and the Cup

The Cup The Team and The Governator

The Cup on Ice

Team pic

1 to go

Ducks Win Ducks Win

2 to go

Ducks arrive for Game 5

Friday, June 8, 2007

Got to love this

Republican Punches Democrat in Alabama Senate Chamber
Friday, June 08, 2007
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AP

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Session-long tensions in the Alabama Senate boiled over Thursday as Republican Sen. Charles Bishop of Jasper punched Democratic Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe in the head before the two were pulled apart.
The 69-year-old Bishop said he punched Barron, 65, in the head after the senator called him a "son of a bitch."
"I responded to his comment with my right hand," Bishop said.
• Photo Essay: Click here to see the punch in action.
• Video: Watch the fight here.
Barron denied saying that to Bishop. He said the Jasper senator used an expletive to him and he was trying to get away when he was hit by Bishop on the side of the head near an ear.
The Senate later considered censuring Bishop and expelling him from the chamber for the remainder of the day, but Bishop said that wasn't necessary and walked out of the Statehouse, saying he was going home to Walker County.

"I love every one of you. Most of all I love this chamber. I'm going home and you all have a good day," Bishop said in an emotional speech before his departure.
Bishop, a coal mining executive from Walker County who once challenged another senator to a fistfight, said he regretted the incident because "that's not the way grown men solve their problems," but he said he would not immediately apologize to Barron.
Bishop said he responded to Barron's comment in the way he learned as a child in Moro Bottom, Ark.
"I was raised in the woods of Arkansas and people don't say that about your mom," Bishop said.
Barron gave a different version of what led to the incident. He said Bishop approached while he was sitting in his chair in the Senate chamber.
"He said 'you better watch your back,"' and used a foul expression, Barron said. "I said I don't give a damn what you do."
Barron said he then started to get up and Bishop hit him. Barron said he has not decided if he will file charges against Bishop.
"I would like to finish today in a productive manner. I will evaluate the situation tomorrow on what I may do," Barron said.
Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, and Sen. Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville, both said they were near the two senators and did not hear Barron call Bishop a name.
The fight came on the final day of the 2007 regular session of the Legislature as Republican senators were using delaying tactics to force Democratic leadership to bring up an election reform bill to ban PAC to PAC transfers. Barron is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which sets the chamber's work agenda, and Republicans were angry that he had not put the election reform bill in a position to come up for debate.
The Senate had just recessed Thursday afternoon when Bishop approached the chair where Barron was sitting. Moments later security officers rushed to separate the two senators.
Alabama Public Television tapes showed Bishop taking a swing at Barron.
When the Senate came back into session, Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, moved that Bishop be barred from the Senate chamber and the 7th floor of the Statehouse for the remainder of the day. Action on that motion was delayed after Bishop walked out of the Senate.
Several Democratic senators urged senators to take disciplinary action against Bishop.
"I've been down here 23 years. There have been many heated moments. I don't know of another moment where a senator has hit another senator upside the head," Sen. Hank Sanders. D-Selma, said.
But some Republicans said the whole Senate is to blame because of the tensions brewing all session and asked that Bishop not be punished severely.
"There has been back stabbing, abusive language on both sides. I think if we are going to use Senator Bishop as an example, we need to say what changes we are each going to make in our personal behavior," said Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo.
Barron did not appear to be injured, but Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, was seen shortly after the fight going into a meeting with Barron carrying first aid supplies.
"It's indicative of how much tension is in the Senate right now," said Sen. Larry Dixon, R-Montgomery.
Members of the Alabama House said the incident makes the entire Legislature look bad.
"It's certainly a black eye on the Legislature and the Senate in particular," said Rep. Jay Love, R-Montgomery.

Ducks are champs

OTTAWA SENATORS vs. ANAHEIM DUCKS
Ducks win series 4-1 - 2006-07 Stanley Cup champs
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Blood, sweat, tears all worth it for Selanne
Game 5 Notes Inside The Numbers: Game 5 S. Niedermayer: Playoff MVP
VIDEO: Post game celebration GM 5 post game: 56K 300K

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Boggity Boggity Boggity

Niedermayer provides calming effect for Ducks
8:00 PM EDT
TV Information
Local start: 5:00 PM
National TV:RDS,CBC (HD),NBC (HD)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Scott Niedermayer chooses his words carefully and saves them for the most opportune times.
He's not flashy, not rugged - despite the full, bushy playoff beard that covers his face - and not one to stand up in front of his teammates to issue a Knute Rockne-type speech. But sometimes he has a message, and when it's time to deliver it, he expresses it in the same efficient manner in which he plays.
"He's been in Olympic gold medal games, he's been in world championships gold medal games, and major junior title games," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It's his whole demeanor that's a calming effect.
"It's not necessarily one thing or another. He's not a real vocal individual. What you see is what you get is what you get with Scotty. And I think he would rather not talk in most situations. He's the kind of guy that likes to be private, but he leads by example."
That latest moment came during the second intermission of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Anaheim Ducks were tied 2-2 with the Ottawa Senators and they were angry. Just as the middle period ended, Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson faked a shot from center ice, and then ripped a slap shot right at Niedermayer, his counterpart.
Niedermayer was mad, and a full scrum formed near the benches. A volatile situation was diffused, and the Norris Trophy finalist made certain of that in the Ducks dressing room during the break.
Anaheim held a 2-1 lead in the series and had a chance to take a commanding edge if they could just come out ahead in the third period. That was where Niedermayer wanted his team's focus to be, not in seeking retribution.
"I don't know him real well and I'm not going to judge him. I've done a few stupid things in my days," Niedermayer said.
Dustin Penner scored the only goal of the third period, and now the Ducks are a win away from their first Stanley Cup championship. They can secure it with a home win Wednesday night.
"I didn't really have a response to it," Niedermayer said of Alfredsson's act. "Just trying to keep our focus, whether it's an incident like that, or a penalty call, or hit the post or they score.
"Whatever it is. You just have to treat it as any one of those things that are going to happen and not get off our game because of it."
The Ducks are 5-0 in the finals at the place formerly known as the Pond and 7-0 there when they have a chance to finish off a series.
"We learned a lot of lessons the last two years," said Niedermayer, a three-time Cup champion with New Jersey - including in 2003 over Anaheim. "All those past situations, we'll be able to go back and those will help."
Anaheim snapped a five-game road losing streak in the finals by beating the Senators 3-2 in Game 4, and did it without key defenseman Chris Pronger, who served a one-game suspension for elbowing Dean McAmmond in the head during the third period of Game 3.
The Norris Trophy finalist will be back in the lineup Wednesday in what surely will be a raucous arena ready to celebrate.
"We can't change the way we want to play just because of the implications of the game," Pronger said. "We've got to come out and compete and make sure that this is our best game of the series and hope that's good enough.
"It is another game. You can't worry about everything and the distractions."
Even if the Ducks lose Wednesday, hockey history suggests they're still in good shape to capture the Cup. Only once in 28 chances has a team erased a 3-1 deficit in the finals and skated off with the coveted silver chalice.
The numbers were already working in their favor when they left Anaheim with a 2-0 lead. There is only one team out of 30 that won the first two games at home and blew the series.
"We were upbeat and we have nothing to lose now," Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson said after the team's five-hour flight to Southern California. "We're going to go out there and try to bring it home to Ottawa again for Game 6. There's no question that we believe we can do that."
If they do, they will head home to the birthplace of Lord Stanley's Cup back in 1893. The Senators are 13-6 in the playoffs, winning each of their first three series in five games, while the Ducks are 9-2 at home.
"We're in this together," top-line Senators forward Jason Spezza said. "We've gotten here together. We've gotten ourselves down 3-1 together, and we can get ourselves out of it. But it has to be together."
If Ottawa manages to win two straight, it would mark the Ducks' first losing streak of the playoffs and force a Game 7 on Monday, again in Anaheim. Edmonton, with Pronger leading the way, erased a 3-1 deficit last year against Carolina in the championship round, only to lose the deciding final game on the road.
"You have to guard against letting your emotions get to you, letting there be distractions," Pronger said. "Scotty has got some great advice for you: worry about the game and don't worry about anything else."
Niedermayer admitted that the nerves and excitement still exist even when you have won several times. The thoughts creep into your mind in the hours before the game, which of course can disrupt the standard afternoon nap.
"It's still tough. It's still exciting. That's why we play," said Niedermayer, the only Ducks player to win the Cup. "I wouldn't say it gets easier; maybe a little bit. It's still a challenge and still obviously a lot of fun.
"You have to be ready, you have to play your best. That's really what we have to be prepared to do. It's nice that we've done it up to this point, but that doesn't really do us a lot of good (Wednesday) night."Associated Press

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Ducks close to within a game of stanley

Ducks close to within a game of Stanley

TOI - ANA OTT
Dustin Penner's goal at 4:07 of the third period gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final.Phil Coffey NHL.com Editorial Director
KANATA, Ont. -- There will be a special guest in the house come Wednesday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Thanks to Monday's night's 3-2 win by the Ducks, the Stanley Cup will be ready for a potential unveiling Wednesday. Anaheim holds a commanding 3-1 series lead now with Monday's victory at Scotiabank Place.
The Ducks overcame the suspension to defenseman Chris Pronger, a bad first period in which they were out-shot 13-2, and a decidedly hostile environment at Scotiabank Place to grab a very clutch win.
"It's not a surprise because we've done this previously in the earlier series against Detroit," Carlyle said of winning minus Pronger. "We were able to do it and the difference was it was at home. So, we had an opportunity to match up differently. But again, it just proves the point that our players have found a way to reach back and give more when it's been asked of them."
Andy McDonald scored two second-period goals and J.S. Giguere was strong in net for the Ducks, but it was big Dustin Penner scoring the winning goal at 4:07 of the third period, capitalizing on a nice pass from Teemu Selanne off a 2-on-1 break for the goal that salted the game away.
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Penner and Selanne played give-and-go with the puck, leaving defenseman Anton Volchenkov unable to disrupt Selanne's pass across to Penner and his ensuing shot into the net.
"Teemu kind of fed me coming off the bench when I was in the middle of the ice," Penner said. "I gave it back to him, then just drove the net and he put it right on my tape and I had an open net to put it in."
It was a goal that effectively stuck a dagger in the Senators' heart.
"They did some good things," Senators coach Bryan Murray said of Anaheim's defensive efforts in the third period. "All they had to do at that point was flip the puck out of problems. I think when you get a lead late in the game, you can make the other team look fairly inept at times.
"We had a couple of plays down low. Couple times to take to the net, but got taken off the puck. But the Penner goal was obviously a bad goal on our part."
The victory was Anaheim's 12th one-goal win of these playoffs, tying a League record. The Ducks received great efforts from Niedermayer, who played 29 minutes and 53 seconds, Francois Beauchemin (31:40) and Sean O'Donnell (23:54). At least one of those always seemed to be on the ice.
"Tonight, I actually felt pretty good," Niedermayer said. "I felt (assistant coach) Dave Farrish, who changes the defensemen, was rotating us out there at different times. We had different partners a lot during the game. I never felt I was getting caught out there too tired."
Ottawa got goals from Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley, a development that would have meant victory in past series, but not against the Ducks, who shook off a shaky first period to take command of the game and, now, the series.
Unable to gain more than one first-period goal, despite their domination, proved costly to the Senators.
"We played well. We didn't get rewarded until the last second of the first," Murray said. "We had certainly enough shooting chances and opportunity to jump on them.
Andy McDonald had two goals and an assist in the Ducks' 3-2 win.
"(But) you don't take advantage of it. They made a little adjustment in the second, and we started forcing the play.Other than that, there was no reason to play the way we did in the second period. I thought we played a little harder in the third. But we started breaking down. They got two-on-one chances. They did things … guys that don't normally make the plays, they tried to make tonight got caught and it burned us."
The Senators will now invoke the name of the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the only team in NHL history to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the Final, as they head to California hoping to prolong the series.
"If we play like we did for two periods tonight, it's not very good," Murray said of his team's chances. "If we play like we did in the first period and go in there and play with, play position a little better and don't give up the type (of goal) like Andy McDonald's goal, walking in, walking around our D, two-on-one goal. Those are not very good goals to give up at playoff time."
As strong as Ottawa was in the first period, dominating in shots, 13-2, and leading 1-0, the Ducks were the superior team in the second, but were only able to come out of the period with a 2-2 tie.
Anaheim's 13-4 lead in shots in the second was clearly earned and two goals by McDonald a minute apart put the Ducks into the lead.
With Chris Phillips off for hooking at 8:02, the Ducks finally got on the scoreboard with McDonald scoring on the power play.
Taking a pass from Todd Marchant from behind the net, McDonald took his time with the shot, essentially out-waiting Ottawa goalie Ray Emery, and lifting the puck into the net to make it a 1-1 tie.
Just a minute later, McDonald struck again, taking a great saucer pass from Rob Niedermayer and breaking into the Ottawa end, where he deked Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov into oblivion and then slipped a backhanded shot under his left pad.
"You need to score goals to win a hockey game," Scott Niedermayer said of McDonald's two-goal contribution. "And what you need is from different lines at different times. That line was the difference in the game for us."
With the tables seemingly turned, the Senators struggled to regain their composure, and Emery played a big role with 3:47 remaining in the period when Beauchemin took a pass on a 2-on-1 and had lots of open net, only to see Emery stick out his glove and make a terrific, game-saving stop.
The Senators drew even at the 18:00 mark when Dany Heatley, coming into the game with one goal in nine games and now playing on a line with Jason Spezza and Patrick Eaves, scored his seventh goal of the playoffs.
Eaves, in the lineup because Dean McAmmond wasn't able to go after absorbing the elbow from Pronger in Game 3 that resulted in the defenseman's suspension, keyed the goal, making a slick pass from behind the Anaheim net to Heatley in front for the tying goal.
Bryan Murray and the Senators have a lot to think about before Wednesday's Game 5.Things turned ugly at the end of the second period when Daniel Alfredsson ripped a slap shot at Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer that infuriated the Ducks and resulted in Anaheim's Sammy Pahlsson and Ottawa's Mike Fisher being called for roughing at the 20:00 mark.
The Senators dominated the first period, out-shooting Anaheim by a 13-2 count, but seemed destined for a scoreless tie until Alfredsson scored a power-play goal with three-tenths of a second remaining in the opening 20 minutes.
Coincidental minors to Anaheim's Corey Perry and Ottawa's Eaves at 17:11 seemed inconsequential enough until Ryan Getzlaf was whistled for goaltender interference, colliding with Emery at 18:16, setting up a 4-on-3 power play for the Senators.
The Sens didn't seem destined to generate anything with the man advantage, the power play looking downright inept until Mike Fisher, who was the best player on the ice in the period, created a turnover in the right corner and got the puck to Peter Schaefer behind the Anaheim net, who in turn spotted Alfredsson open in front. The Sens' captain fired immediately and slipped the puck under the arm of Giguere with just a fraction of a second remaining on the clock.
"I think we were doing the same things we did in Game 3 in the first period, taking penalties, not making good decisions with the puck," Scott Niedermayer said. "After that, we felt a bit lucky, managed to regroup; played a lot better in the next two periods. We knew we had to. There was no option at that point. We had to come out and be a lot better."
Carlyle agreed.
"I thought that we really got carried away early in the hockey game with some of the emotions," Carlyle said. "I think we were actually trying too hard. It was one of those situations where it was possibly an over-preparation on the focus and the mental aspect of it that we wanted to do so well that it was counterproductive for us."
Like the three earlier games in the series, there was no shortage of hits in the period, but the action seemed all the more intense in Game 4.
The Ducks found themselves in the penalty box just 58 seconds into the game when Beauchemin was called for slashing Chris Neil. The Senators weren't able to generate on the power play.
Energized by the tremendous fan support, the Senators did have the edge in play throughout, forcing the Ducks into the role of counter-puncher. Giguere was busy in the Anaheim net, but wasn't severely tested until Perry was called for cross checking Chris Phillips in the Ottawa end at 3:54 and the Senators put some good pressure on Giguere, including a pair of stops on Antoine Vermette.NHL.com

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McDonald a man on a mission in Game 4 win
Shawn P. Roarke NHL.com Senior Writer
Jun 5, 2007, 1:05 AM EDT
Ducks center Andy McDonald (L) celebrates the first of his two second period goals in Anaheim's 3-2 Game 4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. KANATA, Ont. -- The Anaheim Ducks didn't need suspended defenseman Chris Pronger in Monday's Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Top-line center Andy McDonald -- playing with normal running mate Teemu Selanne on one side and a revolving cast of wingers on the other -- proved to be enough for Anaheim to tame a rambunctious Ottawa side playing before a rabid crowd at Scotiabank Place.
McDonald figured in all three goals, scoring two on back-to-back shots in the second period, as the Ducks clawed their way to a gritty 3-2 victory that gives Anaheim a three-games-to-one stranglehold to carry with it on the long, cross-continent plane ride back to California for Wednesday's Game 5.
Only one team in the history of the Stanley Cup Final has fought back from a three-games-to-one deficit.
The win also marked the second time in three weeks that Anaheim has won a crucial game without its best defenseman, and arguably best player, in street clothes because of supplemental discipline. Sunday, Chris Pronger was banned after delivering an elbow to the head of Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in the third period of Game 3. In the last round, Pronger was banished for Game 4 against Detroit after hitting Tomas Holmstrom with another head shot.
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More NHL.com features Monday, McDonald made sure Pronger would not further regret his latest indiscretion.
"(McDonald was) huge," said Scott Niedermayer, the Anaheim captain. "I mean, obviously, you know, you need to score goals to win a hockey game. What you need is different lines at different times. We've had that up to this point. Obviously, that line for us tonight was the difference."
After Ottawa scored a heart-breaking goal with three-tenths of a second remaining in the first period to take a 1-0, McDonald took over the show.
Midway through the second he tied the game by willing a puck past Ray Emery after taking a sweet centering pass from Todd Marchant, who saw considerable first-line time because of the injury to Chris Kunitz. McDonald's shot, as he skated across the slot, appeared to tick off Emery's paddle and find it's way into the net.
As workmanlike as the first goal was, McDonald's second proved to be a work of art. Rob Niedermayer threaded a perfect cross-ice pass to McDonald, who gained the blue line before turning defenseman Anton Volchenkov inside-out with an unbelievable deke. With Volchenkow sprawling to the ice after biting on the deke, McDonald had the time and space to beat Emery with a well-placed backhand.
Both goals featured the puck patience and on-ice vision that have made him the perfect fit for Selanne, who had 48 regular-season goals this season.
"That's not an easy play to be as patient as he was in both those situations," said coach Randy Carlyle. "Those are big-league plays. That's a hockey player stepping up, playing desperate and executing at a very high level for his teammates.
"There was nobody happier than any one of our players on the bench when he did that – on both occasions."
The center, who missed the 2003 Stanley Cup Final run by Anaheim because of a concussion, finished a night to remember in the fifth minute of the third period when he jump-started the play that led to the winning goal.
After figuring in on all three Ducks' goals in Game 4, McDonald now has 12 points in this postseason.The Ducks were eager to change when McDonald got the puck in his own end. Taking his time, he found Selanne cutting across the middle and hit him with a two-line pass.
"(Defenseman) Ric Jackman made a nice play in our zone," said McDonald, who now has 12 points in this postseason run. "They were forechecking pretty hard and he made a nice, soft pass to me. I just kind of waited as they had two guys come in. I just chipped it out. Actually, I was going to the bench and I looked back and I saw Dustin put the puck in the net."
Here's what McDonald missed on his skate to the bench for the line change.
His pass ticked off Selanne's stick and into the skates of Dustin Penner, who had just replaced Brad May. Penner gained control of the puck and, after a near-collision with Selanne, fed the puck back to the Finnish winger. Selanne drove wide and took both Volchenkov and Ray Emery with him, which left Penner with a yawning net when the give-and-go play was completed by Selanne.
When it was all over, McDonald sat stoically at the podium for the post-game press conference. There was no hint of a smile, no emotion at all visible, in fact. For McDonald, things are far from done.
The Ducks are happily ready to welcome Pronger back into their fold for Wednesday's Game 5. Now, they have three games left to earn one all-important, franchise-defining win. That is all that concerns McDonald, he says.
"We're going to enjoy it here probably for the next couple of minutes," said McDonald. "But the game is over and we have to get ready for the next game. I think the key will be the first period for us. (Tonight) we came out and we didn't have a strong first period.
"Hopefully, we can use our fans in our building to be a little bit extra motivated for that next game. So, I'll just enjoy it here for the next 10 minutes and then I will start preparing for the next one." --