Ducks Play It Close to Vest, and Rest

The Mighty Ducks took Saturday off and will resume practice today. Depending on how the Eastern Conference finals play out, the Stanley Cup finals may not begin for seven to 10 days.

Not to be slow to get the hype started, a television reporter dimly asked center Adam Oates after Friday’s game which team the Ducks preferred to play ... New Jersey or Ottawa?

The Ducks, of course, stayed as far away from bulletin board material as team captain Paul Kariya stayed from the Clarence Campbell Cup -- given to the Western Conference champion -- after beating Minnesota.

There are things you don’t do: touch the conference championship cup before winning the Stanley Cup, and give your opponent something to feed on.

So Oates sidestepped the question, as neatly as he avoids defensemen on the ice, by using an Aretha Franklin refrain.

“I think both teams are real good and we have a lot of respect for them both,” Oates said. “We will have some days to prepare for them. I think we match up well and we’re going to get some rest. We obviously have some tough practices ahead of us. We have a lot of respect for their teams. They’re obviously playing great hockey to be in the position they are and we’ll deal with them when we can.”

Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, sitting next to Oates, said: “Same thing for me.”

New Jersey leads Ottawa, 3-1, and could wrap up the series Monday night. If that were the case, the Stanley Cup probably would egin Saturday in New Jersey. If the Eastern Conference finals extend beyond five games, the Cup finals probably will begin May 27.

Duck Coach Mike Babcock was fine either way. The time off, he said, won’t be a problem.

“Our plan will be to get prepared,” Babcock said. “We will work our guys and get healthy. Maybe we won’t be as good in the first seven minutes [of Game 1] as we could be. The bottom line is we know how to play, we have to stay sharp.”

The Ducks went eight days between games after sweeping the Detroit Red Wings in the first round.

“We found a way to win Game 1 against Dallas,” center Steve Rucchin said.

In five overtimes.

The Ducks also had three days off before playing Minnesota in the conference finals and won Game 1 of that series ... in two overtimes.

“I think we have done a pretty good job before every series,” Duck winger Mike Leclerc said. “We had time, but the coaching staff has kept practices intense.”

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Dry Spells

The Mighty Ducks earned a spot in the Stanley Cup finals when they defeated the Minnesota Wild, 2-1, Friday night. The Ducks are in the finals for the first time in their 10-season history. A look at the franchises that have gone the most seasons without winning the Stanley Cup:

*--* Team Year Seasons Chicago 1961 42 Toronto 1967 36 Boston 1972 31 Philadelphia 1975 28 N.Y. Islanders 1983 20 Calgary 1989 14 Edmonton 1990 13 Pittsburgh 1992 11 Montreal 1993 10

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*--* Franchises that have never won a Stanley Cup: Team Entered League Kings 1967 St. Louis 1967 Buffalo 1970 Vancouver 1970 Washington 1974 Carolina/Hartford 1979 Phoenix/Winnipeg 1979 San Jose 1991 Ottawa 1992 Tampa Bay 1992 Mighty Ducks 1993 Florida 1993 Nashville 1998 Atlanta 1999 Columbus 2000 Minnesota 2000

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-- Roy Jurgens

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Eyes Still on the Prize

Mighty Ducks Adam Oates and Steve Thomas are among the three oldest active NHL players who haven’t been on a Stanley Cup championship team:

*--* Player Birthdate Age Current Team Career Games* Adam Oates August 27, 1962 40 Ducks 1,227 James Patrick June 14, 1963 39 Buffalo 1,225 Steve Thomas July 15, 1963 39 Ducks 1,191 Dave Andreychuk Sept. 29, 1963 39 Tampa Bay 1,515 Phil Housley March 9, 1964 39 Toronto 1,495

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* Regular season