Anaheim Ducks Player Grades: Ben Lovejoy
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
This season was a big one for the Anaheim Ducks and for defenseman Ben Lovejoy.
He was added to the Ducks’ roster in the 2012-13 season and most of the fans in Anaheim were unaware of Lovejoy’s skills. While the transaction that brought him to the Ducks was not glorified, we had no idea what he would bring to the team.
In his own words he often mentions in interview how his previous team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, did not give him a large amount of ice time to prove himself. Bob Murray, GM for the Ducks, must have seen something in this defenseman to want to get him here.
This season he played the most games, scored the most goals and had one of the highest numbers of assists in his career.
Let’s delve into his stats for the year.
Regular Season
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
This season, Ben Lovejoy had the most on ice time, he’s ever had with an average time on ice of 19:24.
Lovejoy’s best game was against the Edmonton Oilers where he scored 2 goals and had the game-winning goal.
The start of his season was a bit rocky, when he had 4 minus points in just the first 20 games. He quickly bounced back as he worked with line mate Cam Fowler.
This video shows Lovejoy’s rocky start.
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Playoffs
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
During this playoffs this season, he played nearly every game and had a high average time on ice with 19:38.
He also was able to have 1 game winning goal against rivals and Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings.
Lovejoy has a strong playoff effort and does his best, but unfortunately it was not enough for the Ducks to move on to the Western Conference Finals.
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Future
Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
The Ducks are in talks to make a lot of critical trades, this off season. Both Bruce Boudreau and Bob Murray show confidence in Lovejoy and this is why we believe he’ll stay on the team.
Ben is a critical piece of the puzzle that will lead the Ducks to another championship year.
As long as his effort continues, he will have a place on the Ducks’ roster for years to come.
If for some reason he retires, he will have have a future as a commentator as he has a unique skill of executing a very professional and coherent interview.
Top Highlight
One of the best stick saves ever on an open net: