Ducks: A team that knuckles down

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So I’m covering my first Ducks game Wednesday night, a meaningless exhibition no less, and four fights break out in the first 15 minutes, each featuring a different combination of brawlers.

Another big difference between the Ducks and Kings, I thought.

After fight No. 5 broke out early in the second period and Ducks defenseman Kent Huskins proceeded to bloody the face of San Jose left winger Ryane Clowe, I called a buddy of mine, a longtime season ticket-holder, and asked if this type of pugilism was par for the course at Honda Center.

Just when the San Jose Sharks are in town, he said.

After the game, I ran that claim by Ducks goalkeeper Jean-Sebastien Giguere. He didn’t single out the Sharks, saying the scrappiness was more the result of young players trying to prove they belong in the NHL, and the Ducks reputation as a hard-hitting team.

‘We’re a team that prides itself on finishing our checks and playing rough out there,’ Giguere said. ‘Teams know that so they’re going to come here and they’re going to expect us to do that and they were ready for it.’

Round 2 is scheduled for Friday in San Jose.

-- Dan Arritt