Ducks 2009-2010 Season Opener In The Books: I'm Glad That's Over With

Last night the Anaheim Ducks opened up the 2009-2010 season to a crowd of jeers and boos! Yes, Southern California fans were in attendance, as the sound of booing and "shoot the puck" filled the arena once again. The game itself was not stellar. The Ducks came out and were just plain flat as a pancake. The Sharks came back with their long memory still intact from last season's first round playoffs, and played the way they should have in that seven game series.

It's the same story every year with San Jose; strong regular season, forgettable post season. The Ducks, on the other hand seemed to have all eyes on them, and it showed. With the release of Pronger, and Beauchemin in the off season, the media was waiting to pick apart the defense, and so did San Jose. It was obvious from what I could see, that the "new" faces were nervous and still trying to figure out what their roles are.

Ryan Whitney stood out like a sore thumb as he got burned not once, but I believe three times. It seemed like every time a goal was scored against us, he was somewhere near it chasing after the goal scorer! When you think about it, he's filling some big shoes in Francis Beauchemin and is teaming with hall of famer Scott Niedermeyer.

So is it time to worry? Are you kidding me? It's only the first game!! That didn't stop the annoying fans from yelling at the players, as if it were any easier for the slobs in their seats to play in an NHL game! The one thing I can say is that the Ducks look like the same team I love dearly. They still aren't afraid to throw down the equipment and scrap, they still rack up the penalty minutes, and they still play physical hockey. That being said, the Ducks will still have a great season and go deep, fans just forget that it never looks pretty getting there. So with game one in the books and all the pressure fron the media off them for now, the Ducks can regroup and come out strong like they're capable of doing. After all, Detroit is 0-2 so far this season, but I don't think you hear Red Wing fans jumping off a cliff now, do you?

Things to improve on: Power Play, and (dare I say) staying out of the box

Forgettable players: Ryan Whitney

Memorable Players: Naby (He's was on)

Nicest thing I can say about the opponent: They moved their feet all night long

Nicest thing I can say about the Ducks: They can win when they want to.