Ducks' Scott Niedermayer to announce retirement

Scott Niedermayer, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and most valuable player in the Ducks' 2007 title run, will announce his retirement Tuesday at a news conference called by the team.

Niedermayer, captain of Canada's gold-medal-winning Olympic team at the Vancouver Games, had been leaning toward retirement and informed club officials of his decision this week to allow them time to plan for next season. He retired briefly after the Ducks' title run but came back during the 2007-08 season. However, this retirement is expected to stick.

One of the most graceful skaters ever to play in the NHL, Niedermayer ends his 19-season career with 1,263 games played, 172 goals, 568 assists and 740 points. He also won the Norris trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2004. In the playoffs, he had 25 goals and 98 points in 202 games. The Ducks struggled this season after trading Chris Pronger, and Niedermayer struggled too, finishing with 10 goals and 48 points and a -9 plus/minus rating.

Niedermayer, who will be 37 in August, played five seasons with the Ducks and is the club's leader among defensemen with 60 goals, 204 assists and 264 points.

More later at www.latimes.com/sports .

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Scott Niedermayer in 2009. Credit: Andrew Gombert / EPA.

Scott Niedermayer: Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the Stanley Cup

Four-time Stanley Cup winner Scott Niedermayer of the Ducks shares his unique perspective and thoughts with The Times' readers during the Stanley Cup finals. Here he reviews Chicago's Cup-clinching victory.

I’d like to thank the L.A. Times for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on a great Stanley Cup Final. I hope you enjoyed it!

Game 6 certainly didn’t disappoint…to win the Stanley Cup in overtime is a feeling unlike any other. When a goal is a scored in overtime, all of a sudden, your season is over. You’ve won the Stanley Cup. In overtime, your focus is still on hockey and what your job is. But when that goal goes in, it’s a pretty special moment. It reminded me a lot of when Jason Arnott scored in OT in Dallas, 10 years ago today (6/10/00, NJ’s Cup-clinching Game 6) on a nice pass from Patrick Elias. You just erupt. Everybody’s over at the bench and the party is on!

I think I saw (Patrick) Kane’s goal like everyone else. You saw that it went in and you said, ‘yeah, it went in, but where is it? What happened?’ A lot of people weren’t reacting the way you’d expect after a goal like that. I think everyone was second guessing themselves a little bit. It was interesting, but it was good to have a nice hard-fought game. Philly tying the game up late made it very entertaining to watch.
Going into that overtime, it seemed that Philly had the momentum. They scored the late goal to tie it up which is always a huge lift for any team. They could have won that game…and in Game 7, I’m sure they would have taken their chances with a best-of-one in Chicago. It’s tough – the amount of effort that they put in is equal to what Chicago did – every practice, every road trip, every hotel room, but they came away short. It’s a pretty empty feeling when you’re standing there, watching the other team lift the Cup. I’ve experienced that once as well – losing in the Stanley Cup Final in a Game 7 (to Colorado in 2001). It’s a pretty disappointing feeling for the next few weeks. But I think Philly can use these emotions as extra motivation next year to try and get back there.

On the other side, Chicago has some great times ahead. The amount of effort, energy, commitment, sacrifice…all that it takes to win the Stanley Cup, and then to actually realize that is amazing. You don’t have a lot of energy after you win, but it doesn’t really matter. You go out, celebrate and have a blast. You’ve been with your teammates for a long time competing together. A lot of these guys have been together for years. To reach a goal like that is a pretty special bond between everyone. They’re going to have a great time together, a lot of great memories from the playoffs and from these next few weeks.

I thought Jonathan Toews had a great playoffs overall and was deserving of the Conn Smythe. There’s probably some talk in this series that he maybe didn’t play quite as well, but that’s the way it goes for any player throughout the playoffs. You need other guys to step up and contribute and Chicago had other guys do it in this round for sure. He had a great playoffs through the whole two months. He’s a great player…he’s a hard working guy, he knows what it takes, he plays for the team and does all the right things.

Congratulations to both teams on great seasons. Chicago deserved the Stanley Cup, they have a great hockey club and they earned it over the last few months for sure.

-- Scott Niedermayer

Photos: The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate winning the Stanley Cup. Credit: All Bello, Getty Images.

Scott Niedermayer: One win from the Stanley Cup is a feeling unlike any other

Four-time Stanley Cup winner Scott Niedermayer of the Ducks shares his unique perspective and thoughts with The Times' readers during the Stanley Cup finals. Here he reviews Chicago's Game 5 victory over Philadelphia.

One win away from the Stanley Cup, but now comes the biggest challenge for Chicago. I’ve been lucky  enough to be in their position a few times, one win from a championship.  It’s a feeling unlike any other. You’re tremendously excited, and it’s very hard to control your emotions. I don’t think I’ve ever slept being in that position – I usually have a nap before every game, and I don’t think I’ve managed even two minutes of sleep before a game when you know you can clinch a Stanley Cup. They’re in an exciting position and it’s pretty important that they do their best to focus on what they did last game where they probably played their best game of the series.

I’m sure the leaders in the Chicago locker room will  just tell the team to "keep doing what we’ve been doing, focus on what we’ve been trying to do throughout the whole playoffs." I don’t know how much those words really get through, though, because it’s really exciting to be a hockey player and be that close to winning the Stanley Cup. You do your best though … of course you’re going to have your nerves and a bit of excitement before the game starts. But if you settle down quickly, you’re going to have your best chance of winning the Stanley Cup that night.

Another high-scoring game on Sunday. The game, the way it’s played now, it’s very unpredictable. Momentum changes numerous times each period. It’s tough to defend. The defenders aren’t allowed to do a lot of things to slow things down anymore. The offensive guys can control the puck in the offensive zone and they’ve all seem to be doing that.

Dustin Byfuglien really came alive last night. He’s performed so well for Chicago at different times during the playoffs. Then he’s had times where he’s been quiet. So, for him to step up in a big game like this and have the type of game he did was probably a big reason why the Hawks won. He seemed to be playing with a lot more intensity and with a big guy like that, he’s hard to stop.

Chris Pronger didn’t have his best game, but I’m sure he’ll be able to rebound. He’s played many big games and even a great player like him has had some bad ones. He knows how to regroup and refocus … he’s very good at it. I’m pretty confident he’s going to play a strong game on Wednesday.

Michael Leighton had a tough night too, but I think he can regain his confidence. It’s not going to be easy though. Chicago is going to want to finish it off in Philly. On the other hand, Philly has had success back at their rink, so they’ll get back in there and feel good about what they can do, as individuals and as a team. Hopefully they can, I’d like to see a Game 7!

--Scott Niedermayer

Photo: Chicago's Dustin Byfuglien and Philadelphia's Chris Pronger battle for position during the second period in Game 5 on Sunday. Jeff Haynes / Reuters

Scott Niedermayer: More aggressive play led to Philadelphia's win in Game 3 of Stanley Cup finals

Four-time Stanley Cup winner Scott Niedermayer of the Ducks shares his unique perspective and thoughts with The Times' readers during the Stanley Cup finals. Here he reviews the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3.

Another close, competitive, hard-fought game. This has been a great series to watch with all the games going down to the last minute. It seemed to me that Philadelphia was more aggressive. They finished more checks, they had an extra jump in their step, they were moving the puck better, they were putting the puck on net and had guys crashing the net more than Chicago did. I think they got rewarded for doing all of those things.

Getting that tying goal 20 seconds after falling behind was a huge thing for Philly. They seemed to carry the momentum after that. They had most of the opportunities after that and then getting the win in overtime. So, to be able to answer a goal like that very quickly was a huge help for them.

For Philly to get two power-play goals and to hold Chicago to none, that’s a huge advantage. Chicago is going to need a power-play goal here at some point to win the series and get their power play going. It seemed to me that Chicago’s power play last night was very much around the outside. They weren’t trying to direct the puck to the net or get people in the middle of the ice as much as they need to. So maybe that’s something they can try to do a better job at.

In the third, I think Philly just had that extra jump in their step. They seemed to be the team that was instigating a lot of things. They were the aggressive team trying to get the puck to the net. When you do that, you’re going to get shots and opportunities. It’s a big reason why they won the game.

Ducks sign Sheldon Brookbank to contract extension

The Anaheim Ducks, who are waiting to hear whether Scott Niedermayer will be returning or retiring, signed defenseman Sheldon Brookbank to a two-year contract extension for $1.5 million.

Brookbank, 29, was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in February 2009 for David McIntyre. He played in 66 games this season, collecting nine assists and finishing with a plus-10 rating and 59 blocked shots -- all career highs.

“Sheldon Brookbank is a true professional and character player who brings toughness to our team,” Ducks General Manager Bob Murray said. “He earned this extension and we look forward to him taking the next step in his NHL career.”

-- Debbie Goffa

Jim Fox/Dave Taylor charity golf tournament set; U.S., Canada lose at World Championships

While wondering if Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi still thinks it was such a great idea to trade Michael Cammalleri, now a playoff catalyst for the surprising Montreal Canadiens, we came across some newsworthy hockey-related items….

Kings TV analyst Jim Fox and former King Dave Taylor are busy organizing the Dave Taylor/Jim Fox 22nd Annual Cystic Fibrosis Golf Classic, to be held June 14 at Moorpark Country Club in Moorpark.

 The event will include a dinner that will be emceed by Bob Miller. Radio broadcaster Nick Nickson and alumni Gary Edwards, Glen Murray, Brad Norton, Luc Robitaille and Ian Turnbull have said they will attend, in addition to Fox and Taylor. More alums are expected to attend the festivities.

Fox is hoping for donations of cash or items that can be auctioned to raise money for cystic fibrosis patient care and research. Information on registration and donations is available at losangeles.cff.org/davegolfclassic

The U.S. men’s team lost to Finland, 3-2, at the World Championships in Cologne, Germany, falling to 0-2-1 and dropping into the relegation round. Team USA’s captain is Kings defenseman Jack Johnson.

Canada lost its captain, Kings winger Ryan Smyth, after he fractured his ankle a few days ago. Canada lost to Switzerland, 4-1, on Wednesday.

Its leading scorer is Ducks winger Corey Perry, who has a goal and four points in three games. Perry is trying to join Ducks teammate Scott Niedermayer as the only players in hockey history to have won five major titles: Perry has already won the Stanley Cup (2007), the Memorial Cup (2005, for supremacy in junior hockey), an Olympic gold medal (at Vancouver in February) and the world junior title (2005). Niedermayer also has won a sixth title, having won the World Cup. Unless that’s revived soon, Niedermayer’s six-pack of titles could be untouched.

The NHL Network will air the Memorial Cup starting Friday through May 23. The tournament, which features the top four teams in junior hockey, will provide a peek at some of the kids who will be walking to the podium at the NHL draft June 25-26 at Staples Center.

 It’s also a great chance to look at kids who have already been drafted, such as Kings prospects Brayden Schenn of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen, as well as Ducks prospect Nicolas Deschamps of the Moncton Wildcats.

The broadcasts will start Friday with a preview show and play will begin on Saturday.
 
-- Helene Elliott

Ducks are done and the Kings have some work to do

A few leftover thoughts from the Kings’ 5-4 shootout victory over the Ducks Tuesday at the Honda Center:

The Ducks had been officially eliminated from playoff contention a few minutes before their game ended in Anaheim, when Colorado beat Vancouver in a shootout.

Colorado’s victory also eliminated Calgary: the Avalanche and Flames can finish tied in points but Calgary can’t equal Colorado’s 43 wins and wins is the first tiebreaker. So the West entrants are set though the placements aren’t.

The Ducks’ poor start this season and their 0-4-1 slump after the Olympic break did them in and ended a streak of four consecutive playoff appearances that included a Stanley Cup championship in 2007. They went through a lot of changes this season and took a huge step back on defense — yet they were only two points out entering the Olympic hiatus.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Coach Randy Carlyle said. “We’ll analyze the season in segments. I can tell you right now that the first two segments of the first 20 games is really what you look back on and a huge part of the reason we’re in the position we’re in.

“Coming out of the Olympic break we didn’t give ourselves a chance. Those are things that come back and stick in your mind. We’ll deal with it and move forward.”

They’ll have a lot to deal with, including whether free agents Teemu Selanne, 39, and Scott Niedermayer, 36, will return next season. Selanne has seemed only to get stronger as the season progressed: He has five goals in his last four games and by scoring twice Tuesday recorded his 13th season of 25 of more goals. His 26 goals in 53 games projects to a 40-goal pace over 82 games, a mark he won’t reach because of a freaky assortment of injuries he suffered this season.

Those injuries don’t compare with the hurt the Ducks are feeling now.

“We missed the playoffs. It’s not good and not fun,” winger Corey Perry said. “You play this game to win championships and this year we don’t get to be a part of that process.”

Niedermayer said Tuesday’s game “was very similar to many that we played this year. It was disappointing to let it get away. It’s been a tough year. We’re disappointed that we’re in this situation. We’re not happy at all.”

The Kings will get to participate in the postseason tournament but their chances of getting anywhere seem smaller with each goal that gets past Jonathan Quick.

On Tuesday he struck out on his sixth try at his 40th win. Since his last win, against Colorado on March 22, he has lost three games in regulation, one in a shootout and has been yanked twice, getting no decision on those occasions.

In those six games he has given up 17 goals on 128 shots, a .867 save percentage.

Gulp.

It figures. The Kings had finally seemed to have solved their age-old goal-tending problem but it reared its ugly head again. Quick got them this far and Coach Terry Murray indicated he will go back to Quick for the Kings’ next game, against Phoenix on Thursday at Staples Center, but do you feel confident starting him in the first playoff game?

And do you really feel confident with Randy Jones’ matador defense? Not that the Kings’ immediate alternatives are much better. Davis Drewiske hasn’t been the same since his shoulder injury and Peter Harrold is too small to play the “heavy” game that Murray likes.

The Kings have three more chances to get their goal-tending and overall game in order. They can still finish fourth, if they win all of their games and the Coyotes lose all three of theirs.

One more Ducks note: Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky sustained an apparently significant hand injury late in the game and will undergo tests to determine the extent of the damage.

-- Helene Elliott
 

Going through the notebook ...

I couldn't fit my entire conversation with Ducks General Manager Bob Murray into my weekly NHL column, so here are a few tidbits that didn't get into print but are worth sharing:

-- He will not trade defenseman Scott Niedermayer, even if the Ducks drop out of playoff contention.

"That’s another one that seems to circulate," Murray said when asked about the rumors that crop up frequently and send Niedermayer to Vancouver, New Jersey and all points in between. "No. Scotty and I have been talking and he’s going to retire an Anaheim Duck. And that’s the way it’s going to be unless he tells me different. I have an agreement with Scotty and it’s my word.

"We’ve talked about this. I see him staying here. Who knows, he might play next year."

-- He did not consider firing Coach Randy Carlyle even when the Ducks fell a season-worst 12 points out of the last playoff spot.

"Never. I don’t know how many times I have to say that. The geniuses in Toronto keep coming up with stuff," he said, referring to the concentration of hockey media in that city. "They have nothing better to do,  so they go around picking guys. It’s not fair. It’s not fair to the coaches. It’s not fair to anybody. Whatever. It's talk radio and they’ve got to fill the air with something. It has never entered my mind."

-- The Western Conference is better than the East.

"No disrespect for the East, but our conference is very competitive. And it's very, very tough to pass teams," he said. "I think good teams are going to miss in the West. At one point a few weeks ago, .500 was making the playoffs in the East, for God’s sake. That’s not even close in our conference. We do all the travel and they have trouble being .500."

For the rest of his comments about the Ducks having played their way back into the playoff chase, check back at www.latimes.com/sports.

-- Helene Elliott 

Ducks' Scott Niedermayer talks about the fight over his hockey stick

It is a wonderful fan-friendly gesture in the NHL. The "three stars" of the game are announced to the crowd and those stars often skate over and hand their hockey sticks over the glass to lucky fans.

That is what the Ducks' Scott Niedermayer did after Thursday night's overtime win. He started to hand it to the a little girl and a nearby fan grabbed it -- or tried to. Watch the video of the fight that resulted.

At practice today, Niedermayer talked about what happened.

Niedermayer's own reaction?

"I'm sure it was the same as anybody’s. I was surprised. I couldn’t really tell exactly how it all happened. I put the stick over. Obviously it’s on video and everybody is getting their look at it all day long. These things happen. ... Maybe not over a stick, but there’s disagreements in the stands. This isn’t the first one.

"I saw a little girl there. I went over and wanted to give it to her. The glass is pretty high so I was trying to get it over. It’s not the easiest thing to do. ... I probably could’ve done a better job with that."

Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for more coverage on the stick incident.

-- Mark Medina

Scott Niedermayer named Ducks captain

Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer has been named the team captain for the fourth time and second consecutive season, the Ducks announced today.

First-line center Ryan Getzlaf and second-line center Saku Koivu were named alternate captains.

Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for more later.

-- Mark Medina

Photo: Ducks' Scott Niedermayer looks up ice as he controls the puck against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 15, 2008. Photo credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times.

Starters & scratches for Kings-Ducks exhibition game

Here are the starting lineups for the Kings and Ducks.

Kings starters

Goalie: Erik Ersberg

Defense: Jack Johnson-Rob Scuderi

Forwards: Ryan Smyth-Anze Kopitar-Trevor Lewis

Kings scratches

Jonathan Quick, Sean O'Donnell, Drew Doughty, Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll, Kevin Westgarth, Rich Clune

Ducks starters

Goalie:Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Defense:Ryan Whitney-James Wisniewski

Forwards:Teemu Selanne-Saku Koivu-Joffrey Lupul

Ducks scratches

Nick Boynton, Petteri Nokelainen, Sheldon Brookbank, Logan MacMillan, Andrew Ebbett, Troy Bodie

-- Mark Medina