Ducks have answered the call

The halfway point of the season was approaching and the Ducks had won only 10 games.

Goaltender Jonas Hiller wasn’t tracking the puck. Winger Bobby Ryan couldn’t find the net with a GPS. The slightest adversity sent everyone into a panic. Firing coach Randy Carlyle and replacing him with Bruce Boudreau hadn’t made a difference.

General Manager Bob Murray, responding to interview requests from two reporters, said he was prepared to trade anyone except esteemed veterans Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne, who have no-trade clauses. Murray wasn’t looking to rebuild, just retool. “We’re going to get ready for next year,” he said.

That was on Jan. 4, a few hours before the Ducks lost to San Jose. They haven’t lost in regulation time since.

They’ve won eight games and lost once in overtime, outscoring opponents 36-16 during their surge. After falling 20 points out of eighth in the West before the games of Jan. 6, they’re within 11 points and have games in hand on most teams they trail.

“Well, they’re definitely playing better. They’re playing a better team game,” Murray said Monday. “They look like they’re having some fun, which is nice to see. Good for them. It’s got to be a lot more fun down in that dressing room.”

More fun for the general manager too.

“You believe there’s a decent team there. I never said there’s a Stanley Cup team there, but you felt there was a decent team,” he said. “Nice to think that you weren’t totally crazy.”

Despite the turnaround, Murray hasn’t changed his strategy leading up to the Feb. 27 trading deadline.

First, he repeated he won’t trade Selanne. “If you could somehow make that very strong maybe that would help,” he said.

And he’s still contemplating whether trading one of his core players for another core player makes sense, a decision that will be dictated by those players’ performances. He made a significant move in signing hard-hitting defenseman Francois Beauchemin to a three-year, $10.5-million extension last week, because Beauchemin, who could have been an unrestricted free agent July 1, would have brought considerable return at the deadline.

“Those guys that deliver, they’re going to be rewarded,” Murray said. “And he wants to stay here. He’s a lot like Teemu and Saku. They left some money on the table to stay and try to win here.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the biggest deficit a team has overcome to make the playoffs under the current postseason format is 12 points, accomplished by the New York Islanders in 1993-94. It’s unlikely the Ducks will continue at this pace and get into a playoff position, but Murray said he’s content to wait before making a move.

“Like I said then, the guys are going to show me who wants to stay here and who doesn’t,” he said. “I’ll keep watching. There’s no time frame on anything. It’s a long time between now and the deadline. We’ll see where this goes.

“We’re not the only ones in this position, as you can tell. There’s a whole load of teams that I’m sure don’t quite know what they’re going to do at the deadline. It’s tight. And we’re just scratching the edge of getting back into that tight group. We’re still not into that tight group.”

Tim Thomas votes with his feet

Goaltender Tim Thomas, chosen the most valuable player in the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup championship run last season, caused a firestorm Monday by choosing not to accompany his teammates to a White House ceremony hosted by President Obama.

In a statement he released, Thomas said he exercised his right “as a Free Citizen” to skip the visit because the federal government “has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People . . . This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.”

Thomas, a native of Flint, Mich., said his decision “was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.”

General Manager Peter Chiarelli said he won’t fine Thomas for missing a team event. “We’re like a family. We have our issues,” Chiarelli told the Boston Globe.

This could become a divisive issue for the Bruins. Hockey is the most team-oriented of sports and Thomas’ absence overshadowed his teammates’ accomplishment and their enjoyment of a momentous occasion. He might be grateful for his mask and protective gear for the next little while.

Alexander the Suspended

Almost unnoticed in the Thomas furor, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan suspended Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin three games for an illegal hit on Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek on Sunday.

Ovechkin launched himself into the air and delivered a shoulder to Michalek’s head, a dangerous play. Michalek wasn’t hurt or the ban would have been longer. Ovechkin, who has been suspended twice and fined twice before, will forfeit $154,677.75 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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