Warming Up to Ducks

Jeff Friesen actually cracked a smile the other day. He also marveled at the skill and determination of his new teammates. And he used their nicknames as if he had been playing with them for several seasons instead of several weeks.

Slowly, but certainly, the shock of his March 5 trade from the playoff-contending San Jose Sharks to the last-place Mighty Ducks is fading for Friesen.

The stone-faced young man who showed up in Anaheim a day after the trade hasn’t been around much in the final days of the 2000-01 season. He has been replaced by a personable guy who has turned out to be every bit as chatty as the gregarious fellow who went north in the blockbuster deal that angered and mystified fans of both teams.

Friesen, 24, made it clear on his first day as a Duck that he had no desire to be Teemu Selanne. After all, there is only one “Finnish Flash.” Friesen simply hoped Duck fans wouldn’t boo him off the Arrowhead Pond ice.

Never happened.

Friesen assisted on a pair of Paul Kariya goals in the Ducks’ 4-2 victory March 7 against the Montreal Canadiens, giving the fans at least two reasons to cheer the left winger in his first game in Anaheim. A look of relief, rather than exultation, was clearly written on Friesen’s face when he faced reporters after that game.

This week he would say, “It’s all been weird. I’m trying to adjust. You’ve got to feel your way around. You want to try to help the team win.”

Winning has indeed helped ease Friesen’s transition. Going into the penultimate game of the season tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes at the Pond, the Ducks are a respectable 6-4-3 since the trade. A 1-1 tie Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche moved Anaheim past the expansion Minnesota Wild and out of last place in the Western Conference standings.

Playing well also hasn’t hurt Friesen, who has two goals and 11 points in 13 games as a Duck. He had 12 goals and 36 points in 64 games for the Sharks.

Most of all, Friesen has learned playing for his new team hasn’t been as bad as he thought it might be. Indeed, he now knows his future with the Ducks could be every bit as bright as it promised to be in San Jose.

“I was there when San Jose was in the basement; this isn’t close to that,” said Friesen, who was the Sharks’ first-round draft pick in 1994 and had been through last-place finishes in 1995-96 and 1996-97. “This team is 100% better than San Jose was when it was in the basement. We’re closer to turning the corner.”

As he was in San Jose, Friesen will be a key to the Ducks’ turnaround.

Pierre Gauthier, Duck president and general manager, had seen enough of the “Paul and Teemu Show” to know Kariya and Selanne alone weren’t capable of taking the franchise were it needed to go. Gauthier also realized paying $18 million of his roughly $40 million payroll to two players on a roster of 23 wasn’t financially sound.

Plus, there was the unavoidable fact that Selanne’s production was slipping in recent seasons. Selanne’s goals dropped from 52 to 47 to 33 to 31 (so far in 2000-01) in the last four seasons.

A deal had been rumored for more than a year when Gauthier finally pulled the trigger March 5, sending Selanne to the Sharks for Friesen, goalie Steve Shields and a conditional draft pick. Other teams had offered only prospects and draft picks. Gauthier leaped at the chance to get a power forward like Friesen while adding depth in goal with Shields.

Selanne, 30, had known for months that he could be dealt at any time. Friesen had no clue he would be traded, however.

“I think he was shocked,” San Jose Coach Darryl Sutter said. “It’s part of the game. Experience teaches you that you have to move on. Everybody here hopes ‘Freeze’ lights it up--just not against us.”

Like Selanne, who has maintained his friendship with Kariya, Friesen has kept in touch with several former teammates, including forward Marco Sturm and defenseman Mike Rathje.

“I’ve been talking to him,” said Sturm, a frequent linemate. “He was down. It’s a new team, a new city for him. I think he’s starting to like it right now.”

Added Rathje: “The first trade is probably the hardest when you’ve been in an organization for so long. It makes it tough, especially for a guy who was one of the key guys on the team.”

As it turns out, the Sharks missed Friesen as much as he missed them.

“Every day you go to the rink and keep wondering where he is,” Rathje said. “It’s different to see him in another jersey. It’s kind of funny. . . . He was a vocal guy and, all of a sudden, he disappeared, and it’s been kind of different.”

When the Ducks faced the Sharks for the first time since the trade on March 29 in San Jose, the cord was cut for both sides for good.

Shark fans cheered Friesen’s return. Arena workers shook his hand as he walked to and from the ice before the game and during intermissions. The Sharks’ mascot posed for a picture with him moments before the opening faceoff.

But Selanne received thunderous ovations after his three-goal game led San Jose to a 7-4 victory over the Ducks. Friesen’s assist on one of Kariya’s three power-play goals was merely a footnote by game’s end.

“It was weird going back to San Jose,” Friesen said. “I wish I could do it all over again. I kind of let myself get too involved emotionally. It was tough.”

It’s in the past, however.

Friesen said he’s determined to look forward from now on, focusing on tonight’s game against Phoenix and Sunday’s rematch with the Sharks at the Pond. Next, he’ll be off to join Team Canada for the World Championships this month in Germany. When that’s over, Friesen hopes to spend some of the summer working out the kinks on his shot.

“I’ve got to work hard this summer and get my game back to where it should be,” said Friesen, who had a career-best 31 goals in 1997-98. “I’ve got the strength. I’ve just got to maintain it. I want to work on my skills now. . . . I can get back to scoring 30 to 40 goals a year. I can’t explain what’s happened this season. I’ve missed nine or 10 breakaways. I missed two against Edmonton. I missed a penalty shot. The list goes on and on.”

So far, the Ducks have no complaints about Friesen’s play. They like his speed and determination. They knew they were getting a better all-around player than Selanne and can’t wait to see Friesen in training camp next season.

“He’s brought just what he was expected to bring,” Coach Guy Charron said. “I think he’s come to grips with the trade, but I’m sure it goes through his mind that Sunday is the end of the season for him. I think it’s still somewhat of a shock for him.

“He probably didn’t know what to expect, but he got a warm welcome from everyone and it’s kind of relaxed the atmosphere around here. I’ve spoken to him some and he wants to settle here and become a part of the Mighty Ducks’ family.

“Obviously, when he comes here next season [for training camp], he’ll feel more comfortable about everything.”