LIKE FIRE AND ICE

These are words that once would have been uttered in hushed tones, after carefully checking to see that the coast was clear. Or admitted before a self-help group, where sympathetic ears could feel the pain.

I am a Mighty Duck.

This season’s Duck marketing pitch could have been translated another way during many past woeful seasons: I am a doormat, pity me.

The words are the same. The image has changed.

A surprising appearance in the playoffs and astunning run to the Stanley Cup finals, where they came within one victory of the title, have left the Ducks in uncharted waters.

Even the departure of team captain Paul Kariya this summer proved to be no more than an exchange of superstars rather than a continuation of the annual front-office gaffe -- see the Tony Tavares and Pierre Gauthier eras for examples. In came free agents Sergei Fedorov and Vaclav Prospal, bringing great expectations with them.

So say it loud ...

” ... Yeah, I am a Mighty Duck,” defenseman Keith Carney said, smirking.

What the Ducks, who open the season Wednesday at Dallas, want to avoid is looking back at the end of the season and having to say: I am a Carolina Hurricane. The Hurricanes made a similar whirlwind trek through the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, before losing in the finals. They followed that up by finishing last in the Eastern Conference, a first-to-worst tumble that left them in the fluke bin.

“To tell you the truth, we haven’t even thought about that,” said center Steve Rucchin, who has replaced Kariya as team captain. “There is too much character in this locker room to let anything like that happen. We’re not cocky or arrogant, but we’re confident in each other. We know what is ahead of us.”

Of course, instead of going to Carolina in their minds, the Ducks can think about what happened across the 57 Freeway, where the Angels followed their World Series championship with a free fall.

Last season, the Ducks were repeatedly asked whether the Angels had inspired them. The answer was yes. A year later, the Ducks will try not to be lemmings and follow the Angels off that cliff.

“It’s not about one year,” Coach Mike Babcock said. “The test of a player, coach or organization is the test of time.

“We made drastic changes. I have talked with [Carolina Coach] Paul Maurice a lot. I have talked with [Angel Manager] Mike Scioscia. That doesn’t make you any smarter, you’re just trying to gather information.”

Others gathering information see the Ducks battling Dallas for the Pacific Division title instead of wallowing with the likes of Nashville and Columbus. Those lofty expectations from outsiders are new for the Ducks, who will be scrutinized as never before, whether it is Fedorov’s presence or goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s contract.

“I think every player on this team can keep those things in perspective,” Rucchin said. “We have people who can handle that.”

This is still the team that lost to New Jersey in seven games in the Stanley Cup finals. Yet, in some ways it is better.

Giguere is now considered among the NHL’s best, with a new four-year, $20-million contract befitting that status. Rucchin and Carney emerged as top NHL players, the blue-collar variety, although Carney will miss at least the first three weeks because of a broken foot. Petr Sykora, Sandis Ozolinsh, Rob Niedermayer and Co. extend the core of talent, replacing the “cast members” who passed for depth on previous Duck teams.

Only 10 players remain from the 2001-02 team picture, when Bryan Murray took over as general manager.

“It’s been amazing, the turnaround,” Carney said. “I’m happy to be a part of an organization that makes the effort to be better and win.”

Fedorov and Prospal were marquee free agents to whom the Ducks made a beeline this summer. That put Murray in a rare category.

General managers trying to put together a championship team go get those types of players. General managers who merely want to tread water complain about the contracts those types of players get.

Season-ticket sales are up about 2,000, according to the Ducks. A marketing campaign, overt instead of stealthy, is in place. The Western Conference championship banner will be raised at the home opener Sunday. Things have never looked better for the Ducks.

They even have a guy in charge of worrying.

“If you think there is carry-over, there is not,” Babcock said. “You have to reestablish and re-earn. What is so important for us is to make sure we understand there are only eight [playoff] spots and there are a lot of real good teams. You can’t make the playoffs in the first 20 games, but you can sure bury yourself.”

Stay tuned for the daily, “This is the most important game of the season” sound bites, a mantra that served the Ducks well last season. More important, though, is the presence of players such as Fedorov and Prospal.

Fedorov parlayed his 13 seasons in Detroit into three Stanley Cup championships and a bag full of individual awards. He brought his act to Anaheim this season for the challenge -- and a five-year, $40-million contract. It seems money well-spent after Kariya said, “I’m not a Mighty Duck” and signed with Colorado, joining former Duck teammate Teemu Selanne.

Prospal, who had a breakthrough season helping Tampa Bay to the Southeast Division championship, came with a five-year, $16.5-million tag and a hunger for the puck.

Niedermayer and Ozolinsh, part of in-season trades that propelled the Ducks into the playoffs, are with the team from Day 1. Stanislav Chistov and Alexei Smirnov are a year older and, the Ducks hope, better. Samuel Pahlsson and Jason Krog return as vital role players.

“This reminds me of the Detroit Red Wings after the 1992-93 season,” said Fedorov, who bolted from the Red Wings and is now the centerpiece in the “I am a Mighty Duck” campaign.

“In 1993-94, I had my best season. We had a lot of guys on the team and everybody was pretty equal. We worked very hard. That’s what I see in this team.”

The Red Wings won the Central Division title in 1993-94, the jumping-off point for three Stanley Cups.

“Detroit and New Jersey have hung around 10 years at the top and they have won three Cups [each],” Babcock said. “You have to hang around 10 times to get three? We hung around one time and didn’t get anything.”

Except the right to say I am a Mighty Duck -- without hearing the snickering.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

MIGHTY DUCK FACTS

* 2002-03 record: 40-27-9-6, 95 points, second in Pacific Division.

* The coach: Mike Babcock, second season.

* Who’s gone: Paul Kariya, Adam Oates, Steve Thomas, Fredrik Olausson, Marc Chouinard, Kevin Sawyer, Patric Kjellberg.

* Who’s new: Sergei Fedorov, Vaclav Prospal, Todd Simpson, Garrett Burnett.

* Projected lines: Niedermayer-Fedorov-Krog; Prospal-Rucchin-Sykora; Chistov-Pahlsson-Lupul; Johnson-Holmqvist-Smirnov/Burnett.

* Projected defense pairings: Ozolinsh, Sauer; Salei, Havelid; Simpson, Vishnevski/Ward.

* Projected goalie rotation: Giguere probably will play 60 to 65 games this season, with Martin Gerber picking up the rest.

* Keys to the season: The Ducks seem to have all the pieces to be an elite team, but how those fit will determine whether they jump into that rarefied air. Giguere, hefty new contract in his pocket, must continue to play as he has the last two seasons and avoid the big-contract decline that affects some players. Losing Carney, their top defenseman, to a broken foot for three to four weeks was a tough blow.

* Outlook: The Ducks figure to become a much better team as the season progresses, when Carney and Leclerc and Bylsma return from injuries. The Pacific Division title is not out of the question.

* Tickets: (877) 945-3946.