Quacked

(PHOTO: Paul Bersebach/KRT Photos)

It’s no shock for Ducks fans to hear about their team’s subpar goaltending this season — subpar play all around, really. Happily, things have been looking up of late. The team is on a roll and maligned goaltender Jonas Hiller has finally begun to play like the all-star he used to be. Has it been enough to wash away the early season disappointment? You be the judge:

Click to enlarge.

As the owner of a blog dedicated primarily to one particular topic (i.e. Anaheim Ducks hockey), it is incumbent upon me not to editorialize on too many issues beyond the purview of our normal coverage. One reason for that is to avoid diluting our product and see it reduced to just another unfocused site in a sea of billions. The other, more important reason is to avoid alienating readers who may not share those opinions. On matters of professional sport, spirited debate is expected and even welcomed. On issues of politics, however, it can be a real minefield, and sites like ours are wise to leave its navigation to the experts.

Today, I am here to tell you the debate surrounding internet freedom is one issue about which I will not be silent.

Two bills are currently making their way through various levels of the United States government, each with the purported aim of thwarting internet “piracy” (I use quotes because it’s actually copyright infringement — might as well call a spade a spade). SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA, or the PROTECT IP (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property) Act, both promise to protect the work of American rightsholders from the threat of foreign thievery. Far be it from me to question the true motivation behind the bills or the $94 million the entertainment industry paid to have them drafted, but suffice it to say that the ambiguity in the language within them is enough to not only stifle innovation in the technology sector — one of the few growth industries in a still-reeling American economy — but also leave innumerable innocent bystanders upended in its wake. Ironically, they will ultimately fail at the very tasks they have set out to accomplish.

Indeed, it would be a slippery slope if the entertainment industry had the ability to bend the letter and spirit of the law to their liking. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA, as it’s commonly referred to), although itself not a good piece of legislation and still frequently abused by the industry, still contains an invaluable safe-harbor provision that protects sites from liability if its users are engaging in infringing activity, so long as they comply with takedown requests. SOPA, on the other hand, makes no pretensions of allowing for due process and could theoretically allow a plaintiff to effectively remove a defendant’s entire web site from the internet before the latter has a change to even examine the charges that have been levied.

Reddit sysadmin Jason Harvey has posted a technical analysis on the bills and why their provisions are both insufficient and too broad in scope.

SOPA and PROTECT IP contain no provisions to actually remove copyrighted content, but rather focus on the censorship of links to entire domains.

If the Attorney General served reddit with an order to remove links to a domain, we would be required to scrub every post and comment on the site containing the domain and censor the links out, even if the specific link contained no infringing content. We would also need to implement a system to automatically censor the domain from any future posts or comments. This places a measurable burden upon the site’s technical infrastructure. It also damages one of the most important tenets of reddit, and the internet as a whole – free and open discussion about whatever the fuck you want.

Numerous websites across the internet — notably Wikipedia and reddit — have gone dark today in protest. The terrifying reality is that if a bill like SOPA gets passed into law, its ambiguous language could allow malevolent parties to abuse its powers and ultimately force such pages offline and their owners out of business.

I am not an American. I do not profess to be on the frontline should this bill pass and start wreaking havoc as it appears destined to do. It would be naive, however, to suggest that as a Canadian the ripple effect would not reach my country very quickly. Many major players on the web are vulnerable to this legislation. Sites that rely on user-generated content are especially at-risk: Twitter and Facebook come to mind, and both have been very public in their opposition to SOPA, specifically. Google, as a link aggregator, could be held liable if an offending link appears in its search results. What does Lamar Smith (SOPA is his brainchild) propose to do in such a scenario? Take Google offline? Even if it were able to successfully delist offending links immediately, the whack-a-mole principle is always in play on the internet: take one site down and ten more will spring forth to replace it forthwith. An unintended, although not as hotly discussed, consequence could be that these American companies (all of which serve a global market) take their business to another country with less tyrannical laws regarding online content. Such moves could irreparably damage the American economy and send the country back on a downward spiral toward a full-blown recession. Admittedly that’s a little bit of a leap in logic, but if your company was forced to decide between bankrupting itself to abide by the law (or shutting down its business entirely if its model can’t be “fixed”) and moving, the ones with enough money will choose the second option.

Moreover, Quacked is a site that, while based on almost entirely original content, also employs limited, editorial use of copyrighted materials (the pictures you see atop every article). Granted that’s always been right on the line of fair use, but to-date I have not received a single takedown request or cease-and-desist order. SOPA or PROTECT IP would both grant an accuser (e.g. Getty Images) privilege to file a complaint with our web host, who would then be bound to remove our site because it’s easier and quicker than trying to work out the differences if there is a threat of litigation hanging over the situation. One complaint over a single image on this blog could bring the entire domain offline before I would get my day in court, not that it would likely arrive because we do not have a team of lawyers to fight such battles.

Mind you, all of this is being wrapped in the American flag and being presented as a measure of security against “foreigners” who seek only to profit off the hard work of upstanding American citizens — or at least the ones who make enough money to influence federal policy. To say nothing of the fact that the U.S. government is funding the development of tools to help the residents in other countries living under “repressive regimes” circumvent such measures, passing these bills into law would rank among the highest of hypocrisy offenses and obviate any discussion of the United States occupying any sort of moral high ground. After all, why worry about censorship in other countries when your primary focus is on stopping the scourge of copyright infringement through the same types of tactics in your own backyard?

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. This fight, while important, will not be the last. It is imperative that we do not take what we have for granted; if we do, we risk losing the last bastion of truly free speech. Our rights and freedoms will take a back seat to the interests of corporations that have not been able to develop a cogent business model necessary to survive in the digital age.

That simply cannot be allowed to happen.

When a player scores 50 goals and becomes the NHL MVP, you tend to forget there was a time when he was, in fact, pretty green (and purple — check out those threads!).

It was a scant six or so years back that Corey Perry, wearing a decidedly more conspicuous number 61, made his auspicious debut on an NHL scoresheet, potting a goal for the then-Mighty Ducks against the Edmonton Oilers. Demonstrating a nose for the net that has stood him in good stead with the team and its fans ever since, Perry pounced on a loose puck in the Oilers’ crease to tally his first marker.

As Perry breaks down the play, the words from the original broadcast seem to echo like a prescient refrain:

As goaltenders around this league are going to discover soon, if you gotta give it to somebody on the doorstep, you might not want to give it to Corey Perry.

Perry’s is just one in a series of videos on NHL.com that features players describing their first NHL goal. Also featured are Brad Richards, Logan Couture and Shane Doan.

No suitably evil photo of Gary Bettman was available. (PHOTO: Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Holy hangover, Batman! We’re back after ringing in the new year, even if our favorite Orange County team appears to still be feeling the effects of the late-night champagne celebrations.

Right on schedule, 2012′s first big NHL headline is commensurate in both controversy and surprise: the NHLPA has effectively vetoed the NHL’s proposed — and Board of Governors-approved  — plan to institute sweeping changes to the alignment of its teams.

There are several potential reasons why new NHLPA head Donald Fehr chose to mark his as-yet-brief tenure so boldly, but it appears the major sticking point was the NHL’s unilateral development of the restructuring. Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy has a few theories about why the NHLPA felt the chasm in opinion was simply too big to bridge.

The unbalanced conference format, with two divisions of eight teams and two divisions of seven teams. Combined with the return to a four-team “divisional” playoff format, the players felt there was an unfair advantage to teams in the smaller conferences.

For its part, the league feels that the players’ association is overstepping its bounds and in doing so has brought ruin to its carefully crafted scheme. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly weighs in:

“It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a Plan that an overwhelming majority of our Clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and other members of the hockey community, including Players[...]”

“We believe the Union acted unreasonably in violation of the League’s rights.  We intend to evaluate all of our available legal options and to pursue adequate remedies, as appropriate.”

As this story develops, we will no doubt hear from all sides involved, including the teams who stood to benefit from a revised travel schedule.

What this means for the future of divisional alignment in the NHL or the looming labor negotiations between the league and players’ association is unclear, but the sense of foreboding is strong.

Good thing we pushed that feature on realignment out the door before 2011 concluded, isn’t it?

(PHOTO: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

When the puck drops tonight between the Ducks and Colorado Avalanche, it will mark a very special homecoming for one of the Avs’ players: former Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

For the first time since being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs almost two years ago, Giguere will be stepping on the ice at the Honda Center in a visiting team’s uniform. Having spent the better part of nine years with the organization, he left behind a legacy as a hard worker, great teammate and friendly face in the community.

Eric Stephens of the O.C. Register has put together a nice feature in anticipation of tonight’s game. In it, Giguere talks about his return to form after off-season sports hernia surgery, his role as a mentor and his expectations for the video tribute the team has prepared.

Corey Perry remembers the moment when he and Getzlaf were the first to mob a joyous Giguere when the Ducks captured the Cup with a 6-2 Game 5 victory over Ottawa. Perry said Giguere has a permanent place in franchise lore that should be noted.

“You look at what kind of person he is,” Perry said. “He’s a guy that everybody loved in this organization. All the fans love him.”

Meanwhile, NHL.com has interviews with both Teemu Selanne and Giguere, and it seems that the importance of the occasion is not lost on either of them. Selanne, himself a Ducks legend, speaks with reverence about Giguere’s accomplishments during the latter’s time in Anaheim — a fitting tribute to perhaps the only other player who occupies the same stratosphere in the team’s history.

This story was originally published in the December 23 issue of Devil’s Advocate.

Doomsday is upon us all. Or maybe not. It depends on who you ask. For the first time in almost two decades, the NHL is restructuring its teams in an effort to placate the masses (which in this case means the networks, the players, the owners, the fans and just about anybody else who invests time or money in the sport).

It’s a little axiomatic to say any decision that aims to please everybody ends up pleasing nobody, but it rings especially true when it comes to a hot topic like scheduling in professional sports leagues. Invariably, some teams, comfortable in their current situation, will be resistant to the idea of change, while others will welcome it with open arms.

(PHOTO: Harry How/Getty Images)

Direct from the latest issue of Devil’s Advocate, our latest (albeit very brief) discussion of issues surrounding the Ducks: the new coach, the new Finn and the new year.

Devil’s Advocate Web Issue 02

Devil’s Advocate Web Issue Index

Devil’s Advocate Magazine Hub

The second issue of Devil’s Advocate is here! This holiday edition is packed (packed!) with awesome stories, pictures and news from across the Anaheim Ducks universe.

Among the highlights:

• Team report cards: We look back on the first half of the season and rank the Ducks players for their performances.
• Shake up: How NHL realignment impacts on its teams — most importantly, the Ducks.
• Towels are invading: The story of a Ducks fan who brings orange to world-famous landmarks.
• Hiller’s got another new mask: Three-page spread complete with gorgeous, full-bleed photos of Jonas Hiller’s new cage, courtesy Airxess.
• Holidays are here: Santa’s naughty list, Ducks secret Santa and more!

Click the link above to unwrap the gift you’ve all been waiting for, or check out the Hub here.

(PHOTO: Harry How/Getty Images)

A scapegoat is a wonderful thing to have. Portraying yourself as somebody else’s scapegoat is even better. In that regard, the Ducks want to have their cake and eat it too.

There’s a certain romanticism to playing the victim. It avoids the unpleasant reality of owning the ultimate responsibility for your actions and their consequences.

That romantic notion, as it were, has become part of the fabric of the culture that surrounds the team. The current iteration of the Anaheim Ducks (i.e. post-lockout) has built its reputation on toughness — or hooliganism, if you ask the rest of the league. The consequence of rough and tumble hockey is an increased risk for penalties and suspensions, something to which the Ducks are no strangers.

How lucky we all are — especially Jonas Hiller — to have Lubomir Visnovsky back in the lineup. It appears his return is paying immediate dividends, as evidenced in the highlight below: