McInnis Is Delighted to Be Here

Marty McInnis, the newest Duck, believed something was up in Calgary. He had been moved off the power play this season, making way for the Flames to play some of their younger players.

McInnis, 28, also knew his $1.1-million salary this season wasn’t going to keep him in Calgary, where the Flames have been looking to cut their $20-million payroll, for much longer.

So, he wasn’t surprised when he was called off the ice Tuesday just as practice was about to start. He was first traded to Chicago, then to the Ducks.

“This worked out great,” McInnis said upon joining the Ducks for their morning workout Wednesday at the Arrowhead Pond. “I thought something was going to happen. I was hoping something could happen. There were just rumors and stuff, but my role had changed over the summer and I just had a feeling.”

Landing in Anaheim and playing with former New York Islander teammate Travis Green also was a pleasant surprise.

“I started my pro career with Travis,” said McInnis, an Islander from 1991-92 until he was traded to the Flames in 1997. “It’s always nice to see a familiar face in the locker room. It makes the transition so much easier.”

McInnis started his Duck career Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the same line as Green and Tomas Sandstrom.

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Wednesday was the Ducks’ first game this season under the NHL’s experiment with two referees. Lance Roberts and Don Van Massenhoven were assigned to the Duck-Lightning game.

Coach Craig Hartsburg didn’t expect much of a difference with two referees, and early on he was right.

“When we had two refs in exhibition games, we didn’t notice a difference,” Hartsburg said. “The players know there’s an extra set of eyes on them, and they know they’ll get caught if they do something away from the play.”