Ducks Soar on Newcomers’ Wings

Mighty Duck left wing Dan Bylsma was hit, but managed to slide on his knee and slip the puck to Jim Cummins in front of the net.

Cummins hacked once, twice, three times, finally stuffing the puck under Minnesota Wild goalie Jamie McLennan and scoring a blue-collar goal for a team that lacked workingman grit last season.

Bylsma and Cummins were the players who lifted the Ducks out of the doldrums in their home opener Friday night.

Not Paul Kariya.

Not Teemu Selanne.

Cummins’ goal broke a scoreless tie three minutes into the second period, paving the way for a 3-1 Duck victory.

A year ago, the Ducks talked big during training camp. Everyone from General Manager Pierre Gauthier to Coach Craig Hartsburg to the players talked about wanting to “take the next step” after reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1998-99.

Instead, the Ducks backpedaled, finishing ninth, and missed the playoffs.

This year, they kept quiet.

“There was less talk,” Selanne said. “Everyone knows what we have to do.

“I think everyone is more confident this year. It starts at home. We want to be a really good home team this season. This is our barn and that’s it.”

The Ducks were inconsistent at home and on the road last season. They finished with 83 points, the same as the previous season. But other teams in the Western Conference had improved to the point where 83 points weren’t enough to reach the playoffs.

Gauthier didn’t stand pat. He brought in six new players, among them free-agent center German Titov, who signed a three-year, $4.5-million contract.

But it was Bylsma, a former King, and Cummins who shook the cobwebs loose Friday. Both were free-agent signings and both came at the right price for an organization that squeezes the engravings off every penny.

Cummins signed for $500,000, Bylsma for $400,000. They were worth every dollar in the second period.

The expansion Wild outshot the Ducks, 16-9, in the first period.

Bylsma, a penalty-killing specialist, and Cummins, a tough guy who can skate, picked the Ducks up early in the second. Their grind-it-out goal could be looked at as the byproduct of a deeper talent pool.

“It’s too early, but I think everyone here knows we have a good team,” defenseman Jason Marshall said. “This is the best talent I’ve seen here.”

Which brings expectations.

At a recent public luncheon, Gauthier was asked whether the Ducks had to make the playoffs after the numerous moves he made during the off-season. He told the group that it was a “typical media question.” He then proceeded to give a typical general manager’s reply, which was to dodge the question.

“It’s always an exciting time before the first game,” defenseman Ruslan Salei said. “We believe we’ll be better. Our expectations are high. You have to progress, whether you’re talking about an individual or a team.

“You have to raise the bar each year. You don’t want to remain in the same place.”

Not if you want to draw fans.

The Ducks did not play before a full house Friday. With 16,520 in the Arrowhead Pond, they were 654 short of a sellout, the first time in their eight-season history they did not sell out the home opener.

Duck fans have become less devoted the last two seasons. The team sold out 90 of 93 games between 1993 and 1996. But there were only eight sellouts last season and nine in 1998-99.

Whether the novelty has worn off or fans have grown weary of public relations gaffes--most notably the firing of Coach Ron Wilson after reaching the playoffs in 1996-97 and a contract squabble with Kariya the next season--the team needs success on the ice to put fans in the seats.