(PHOTO: Rose Palmisano/Orange County Register/MCT)
You will be forgiven if this post escapes your notice, dear reader, because by all appearances, it appears as though Quacked has escaped mine for approximately three months. You should not, however, draw the false conclusion that this post is tantamount to a closing notice for the site. Far from it. Although the summer in its careless way has allowed Quacked to remain stagnant (although our twitter feed has remained relatively active), I have steeled myself to compose this perfunctory update, along with additional, decidedly less perfunctory updates in the near future. Moreover, I promise never to use to qualifying adjective “brief” in the future, no matter how well-intentioned.
The crux of the issue concerning the lack of updates is twofold: first, my personal circumstances since May have been significantly different — but happily, better — than I had previously anticipated. This has resulted in less time to devote to the blog and reduced internet connectivity (insofar as it concerns usage-based billing and limited connection speed, although that’s a diatribe for both a different day and blog).
The second, more pertinent reason is the almost complete lack of activity by Ducks’ general manager Bob Murray since his team’s season ended in April. Whether through apathy or — more likely — financial handcuffs, Murray has done little to make the sort of waves I thought he might.
That’s not to say Andrew Cogliano is not a noteworthy acquisition, although you would be forgiven if you lost sight of him in the conga line of ex-Oilers sashaying through Honda Center. In true Groundhog Day fashion, however, the question near the forefront of Ducks fans’ minds is not new acquisitions, but whether or not (again) Teemu Selanne will decide to retire.
Distressingly, a more foreboding situation supersedes Orange County’s version of the Brett Favre circus: uncertainty looms in Anaheim’s crease as the team collectively holds its breath to see when, or even if, Jonas Hiller is able to make a triumphant return from his vertigo diagnosis. Aside from relegating the all-star to wobbly bookend status on the bench, it left Anaheim’s net in the equally unstable footing of Ray Emery. While the latter performed admirably, it is difficult not to wistfully ponder Anaheim’s fate had Hiller been healthy.
So what exactly have we missed since the last update in April? Not much. Canada got an old a new team, Vancouver lost Boston won the Stanley Cup and Corey Perry took home some of his own hardware.
Without promising the next update in “brief” order, I can assure you it will be here soon, just as sure as there’s hair on Ryan Getzlaf’s head.
Wait, what’s that you said?
