Op-Ed: Time for the Ducks to Drop the Hammer
By Ed Stein
The Final Playoff Spots in the Western Conference are still up for grabs and the Ducks are in the middle of it. Anaheim must drop the hammer on their opponents the rest of the way.
Winning: How is as Important as Doing
Looking ahead at the Ducks schedule for the rest of the season, there’s a mixed bag. They play some good teams, some teams fighting for a playoff spot the same way they are, and some bad teams. To be frank, it doesn’t matter. They have to beat who is ever in front of them, no matter what the opposition’s record.
There is more to the story than just win. 14 of the final 17 games are against conference opponents. With the exception of Vancouver (2x), Arizona, and probably Edmonton, the rest are against teams they are contending with. The playoff race is so close, that every point earned is at a premium. Not only do the Ducks need to win those games, they must do so in regulation. While an overtime or shootout win against teams like Dallas and/or LA is still good, the Ducks can’t afford to let those opponents pick up that extra point. Giving away that bonus point here or there could seal Anaheim’s fate at the end of 82 games.
No Time for Breaks
Another issue making the rounds is Anaheim’s tendency to play down to their opponents. I get it, the team has been fighting tooth and nail since December to make the playoffs. They see a weaker team in front of them and think that they might get just a little intensity break. That can’t happen. Therefore, the Canucks have to be taken as seriously as the Kings from here on out.
I’ve never been a proponent that a professional athlete or team can “flip a switch” and suddenly be something they haven’t been all along. I believe it takes something special for an athlete to be 100% focused, 100% of the time. I also know that every light bulb flickers a little. The Ducks need to manage their “flickering” better and come as close to that 100% mark as humanly possible.
That means keeping the intensity up every game for the entire 60 minutes of that game. It isn’t easy at all. Try to do as a fan. For one game, you must be 100% focused on the action in front of you without ever being distracted from your mission, no phone calls, bio breaks, or snacks. As long as there are players on the ice, you are 100% into it. You’ll find it’s the reason why there are only so many professional athletes or even brain surgeons, for that matter.
The Hammer
It’s time for the Ducks players to find that something extra which separates them as professional athletes from the general public. A good analogy would be that they don’t need to “hit the ignition,” they need to step on the accelerator (drop the hammer) on all their opponents here on out. The Ducks have to do that for another 17 games, over five weeks, before repeating the process in the playoffs.