No one will confuse the 2021-22 version of the Ducks with the Big Bad Ducks of yesteryear, when opponents dared not run afoul of heavyweight enforcers such as George Parros, Chris Pronger and Brad May, and when the slightest transgression could result in a serious beatdown.
The current Ducks are better known for their skating, passing, shooting and scoring, surprising pundits by rising to second place in the Pacific Division with a 21-16-7 record going into Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It doesn’t mean they won’t accept a challenge.
The Ducks’ fiery side was on display during a 5-3 victory Monday in Boston.
Bruins left wing Nick Foligno, a longtime Ducks agitator while with the Columbus Blue Jackets, went looking for a fight in the second period at Boston’s TD Garden. He got more than he bargained for after he skated in front of the Ducks’ bench, according to assistant coach Geoff Ward.
“Nick basically came down and said he’d basically fight anyone on the bench,” Ward said. “He came over and sort of challenged the bench a little bit. That happens in games. Emotions are high. Guys are playing for keeps. ‘Gibby’ happened to be skating by at the time and just gave him a little cuff.”
In fact, Ducks goaltender John Gibson knocked Foligno’s helmet off with a couple of sharp jabs from his blocker, igniting a minor fracas during a TV timeout. Moments later, Ducks center Sam Carrick accepted Foligno’s challenge and tagged him with a right hand to the chin that settled matters.
Foligno served his five-minute fighting major and then headed directly to the Bruins’ locker room for treatment. He didn’t return to the game and, according to reports Tuesday from Boston, didn’t practice and won’t join the Bruins for an upcoming trip because of an upper-body injury.
Ward praised Gibson and Carrick for standing up for their teammates.
“It lets you know he’s in it,” Ward said of Gibson. “He’s prepared to go to war for his team. When you’ve got a guy in the crease battling hard like that, he drags the rest of us into the fight, and (Monday) certainly was the case. I thought Sammy Carrick did a great job in responding to the challenge.”
COACHING CAROUSEL
Ward served as the Ducks’ coach for Monday’s game, returning to the bench from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and replacing assistant coach Mike Stothers, who had replaced coach Dallas Eakins, who entered the protocol Friday. Stothers will coach the Ducks again Wednesday.
Why not Ward?
Canadian border officials won’t allow anyone to cross into the country until 10 days after a positive test, which means Ward can’t coach the Ducks for their games Wednesday against the Maple Leafs and Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, and he can’t join the team until Friday in Ottawa.
Ward said he planned to remain in Boston, where he has an offseason home.
Eakins can’t cross the border on this trip, period, so he can’t return to the team until it lands in Detroit after Saturday’s matinee against the Ottawa Senators. Eakins has been in contact with Ward and Stothers during his absence, and the results have been good, with the Ducks winning twice without him.
Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm praised the enthusiasm and the communication skills Ward, Stothers and Newell Brown have brought to the team since they were hired by former general manager Bob Murray last summer to replace Mark Morrison and Marty Wilford in a coaching shakeup.
“The coaching staff works well together,” Lindholm said. “The assistant coaches came in with a new burst of energy for us. It’s made for big changes in the way we play. Whoever is back there, they’ve put in a system we’re comfortable with playing. Whoever is behind the bench helps us win hockey games.”
MCTAVISH SELECTED
As expected, Ducks prospect Mason McTavish was named to the Canadian Olympic team, which begins play Feb.10 in Beijing. McTavish, the third overall pick in the NHL draft last summer, joins a team made up of former NHL players, collegiate standouts and junior-level players.
McTavish, who turns 19 on Sunday, played nine games with the Ducks this season, three with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, two with Canada in the World Junior Championships, five with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and two with the Hamilton Bulldogs after a trade from Peterborough.
