Ducks’ Exhibition Bill Missing One Star : Hockey: Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux says recent back surgery will keep him out of Anaheim game.

The Mighty Ducks’ exhibition schedule has been advertised as a series of visits by some of the NHL’s biggest stars.

But anyone who bought a ticket to the Sept. 18 game against Pittsburgh hoping to see Mario Lemiuex play in Anaheim Arena will probably be disappointed.

The Penguins’ star said Friday his most recent back surgery will keep him out of the exhibition season, but he hopes to be ready for the regular-season opener on Oct. 5.

“I’ve got some ads to change,” Team President Tony Tavares said when he heard the news.

The Ducks, knowing that with no stars of their own they’ll need to promote the other team’s, placed ads for exhibitions reading “Ducks Season Opens ‘Early’! . . . ‘Be there when the Mighty Ducks meet Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and more . . . “

Lemieux, who missed nearly two months last season while being treated for Hodgkin’s disease, had back surgery July 28. He told the Associated Press that his rehabilitation will keep him out of the Penguins’ nine exhibition games.

“I’m not going to push it this time,” he said. “I think we’re going to take our time.”

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The announcers for broadcasts of Ducks games haven’t been named, but the team is close to securing ESPN’s Bill Clement as the color commentator for its TV broadcasts on KCAL-Channel 9 and Prime Ticket.

Tavares said the contract is “almost done” and Clement said he is enthusiastic about finalizing a deal with the expansion team.

“Unless there’s a very unexpected fly in the ointment, I’m very optimistic,” he said.

Clement, who played 11 years in the NHL and has worked on the broadcasts of the past eight Stanley Cup finals, said the problem wasn’t money, but scheduling. He is under contract to ESPN and will work about 28 regular-season hockey broadcasts and the playoffs--which shouldn’t pose any conflict at all with an expansion team.

“That’s the beauty of the situation,” Clement said. “I’ll be through with the Ducks by April 15th--unless they surprise everybody.”

Tavares said the TV play-by-play job has been offered to Chris Madsen, a Chicago-area broadcaster who is regarded as an up-and-coming announcer but is relatively inexperienced. The Ducks tried to hire former Kings announcer Jiggs McDonald but were unable to finalize a deal with him because McDonald could not get out of the remaining two years of his contract with the New York Islanders.

In addition, Lisa Seltzer, who has been producing and directing Chicago Blackhawk games for SportsChannel Chicago, confirmed she has been hired to produce Ducks’ television broadcasts.

Tavares also said he has completed a broadcast deal with a radio station, though he declined to name the station other than to say it is not KMPC or XTRA.

Charlie Simmer, who played on the Kings’ famed Triple Crown line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor, will be the color commentator on radio broadcasts. Simmer, who probably also will do community relations work for the team, appeared as an analyst on Prime Ticket during the Kings’ run to the Stanley Cup finals this year.