Tverdovsky’s Return Adds to Excitement

Parking spaces surrounding the Mighty Ducks’ practice facility in Anaheim were difficult to come by Sunday morning.

An overflow crowd of more than 750 fans did not come to jeer defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, but to welcome him and the rest of the Ducks back to the ice.

Tverdovsky, once among the most hated opponents in Anaheim, was merely one of the guys as the Ducks began their seventh training camp with a spirited workout.

If the cheering fans and the broad smile on his face were any indication, memories of Tverdovsky’s ill-advised 1997 comments about hating the Ducks were buried for good Sunday.

It’s the future that has Tverdovsky, his teammates, Duck officials and the fans excited.

“It all turned out good in the end, right?” Tverdovsky said with a smile when asked about the June trade that brought him back to Anaheim from the Phoenix Coyotes.

“I didn’t think I would be playing here again so soon.”

The Ducks sent Tverdovsky, Chad Kilger and a draft pick to Winnipeg to acquire all-star right wing Teemu Selanne in February 1996. They got Tverdovsky back for a song--journeyman center Travis Green and a first-round pick.

“It took me a few seconds to realize what happened,” Tverdovsky said. “I was in Moscow and it was about 4 a.m. when my agent called me to tell me about the trade.

“I was actually very happy about it.”

Tverdovsky never wanted to leave in the first place. He seemed bitter about the 1996 trade, angry that former Coach Ron Wilson didn’t give him enough of a chance to prove his value to the club.

However, Tverdovsky clearly is not the same player he was then. He is only 23, but has played in the NHL for five seasons. He appears far more mature, stronger and smarter on the ice than when the Ducks drafted him and thrust him into the lineup in 1994-95.

Tverdovsky’s three-plus seasons away from Anaheim (Winnipeg relocated to Phoenix before the 1996-97 season) were not as happy as they could have been. There were reports that he did not get along with several veteran players.

But Tverdovsky was not about to make the same mistake twice. Instead of lashing out at the Coyotes, he took a more diplomatic stance.

“We had our problems there, but nothing really serious,” he said. “This is a fresh start for me.”

Tverdovsky’s excitement Sunday was matched by his new teammates and Pierre Gauthier, team president and general manager.

“It was nice to see Oleg out there,” said captain Paul Kariya, a fellow rookie in 1994-95. “He adds a tremendous amount of skill.”

That was something sadly lacking from the Duck defense last season. To be sure, Fredrik Olausson directed the power-play unit to an NHL-best 22% success rate and he finished fourth in scoring among defensemen with 56 points.

But too often the defensive corps’ inability to adequately move the puck down the ice resulted in a sluggish offense. Gauthier reacquired Tverdovsky during the off-season to remedy that situation.

“I really believe teams that win have at least one guy who plays a quarterbacking style,” Gauthier said. “We have Freddie, but I didn’t see that we had that in a guy coming up [in the organization].”

Gauthier figures Green and a first-round pick were a fair price to pay for Tverdovsky.

“I never thought I’d trade a first-round pick,” Gauthier said. “But when he’s only 23 and a known product like Oleg. . . . I told our scouts [Sunday], ‘Well, there’s your first-round pick, and he’s already on the ice.’ ”

Don’t expect Tverdovsky to race from one end of the rink to the other, scoring or setting up spectacular goals at will. The Ducks merely expect steady, skilled play from him.

“His last year wasn’t as flamboyant offensively, but it was a lot better overall,” Gauthier said of Tverdovsky’s final season in Phoenix, when he scored seven goals and 25 points.

Tverdovsky agreed that he’s not the same player he was in his first stint with the Ducks. He believes he has improved his overall game.

“I’ve learned a lot, especially about defense,” he said. “I think I’ve improved a lot in that area, and I want to keep improving.”