IRVINE, Calif. – Fast-paced. Up-tempo. Hardworking.
These were the buzz words on the first days of Anaheim Ducks training camp, as the club entered the Joel Quenneville era. That meant nonstop skating, quick execution and plenty of cardio for both players and coaches alike.
“Joel’s borderline out of breath out there,” Troy Terry said, “because he’s just constant energy, pushing the pace of the practice. I think the pace has been really high. We haven’t really been standing around out there at all. It’s just been go, go, go.”
A hallmark of Quenneville’s run to the second-most all-time coaching wins in league history and three Stanley Cups has been shorter but intense practices. The first couple days of training camp went on the long side to break guys into the new systems, but new Duck Chris Kreider called Thursday’s opener a “culture-setting practice.”
“This is how we want to practice. This is the way we’re going to approach every single day,” Kreider said. “I don’t think there was a wasted second out there. Everything was done with the purpose.”
That purpose is forging a new identity for this Anaheim club. Whether it’s acquiring Kreider or hiring Quenneville, it’s all done in service to the goal of turning the corner with this Ducks team and snapping a franchise-long seven-year playoff drought.
That process started with quick-hit drills and skating, skating, skating.
“We want to be the hardest-working team in the league,” Quenneville said. “It’s easy to say that, so that’s an everyday thing to prove that that’s what we’re at. So you’ve got to bring it every day, and leave it out there. That’s how we’re gonna get better, pushing one another and expecting everybody to do the same.”
“Personally, I haven’t barked at anybody in a long time, and I could feel my head feeling like I was barking too long,” Quenneville said. “When I first stepped on the ice, I went, ‘Oh, gee, I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to stand up right. So, that first lap, I went around there, I was borderline. I would have gotten cut. And then after that, I think it was a lot better.”
The difference in the tenor and attitude of the locker room was palpable. Terry, now the longest-tenured Duck following the trade of John Gibson to Detroit, has been through a handful of regime changes and focus shifts in Anaheim, but he described the summer of change as “a new day, a new path” for the franchise.
“Just the energy in the room,” Terry said. “The word that I know management and Joel has mentioned a lot is just the belief. I think the overall belief just in our room and our confidence. It’s a game of confidence, and I think it feels high. The energy’s high. We all know it’s time to really start making that push as an organization. It’s an exciting time.”
It’s a recognizable shift even for Kreider, who like Gibson had only known one home organization in his career until this summer’s trade from the New York Rangers.
“There’s an unbelievable energy around this place,” Kreider said, “and people are really excited, really optimistic and just excited to come into work.”
“It’s about getting better every single day. And everyone right now is going through their first day training camp thinking they have a great chance to win a Stanley Cup, right? It’s a long, long road ahead. Everyone’s optimistic, everyone’s excited. Gotta work, every single day.”
The talk of a Stanley Cup may be a bit away for a team trying to simply get back to the playoffs, but having the postseason be a realistic goal is a change in itself. The fact that playoffs are even a tangible possibility shows progress for the franchise.
“Saying it in the past, it’s felt sort of like, ‘oh, well, you know, hopefully, myself included, like some guys can take steps,’” Terry said. “(This year) it’s less guessing hopefully that it all kind of comes together. It’s a team that I think knows what it’s capable of now, and we’ve added some veteran experience and some big time hockey players. So, it’s an exciting time. It feels different.”
Radko Gudas said that he is 100% and “ready to roll” after rehabbing a knee injury over the summer. The Ducks captain said the injury was not as bad as originally thought, so opted to forgo surgery, rehab the knee and just make sure everything was stable. “It was just one of the small things that happens throughout the season that ten of those things happen throughout the season, you know?” Gudas said.
Chris Kreider confirmed that he underwent hand injury over the summer to take care of a lingering issue from last season. Kreider said he is also 100% and good to go.
Mason McTavish remained unsigned on Friday, as Sportsnet’s Eliotte Friedman reported the Ducks and McTavish’s representatives are “significantly apart” on what each sees as a long-term deal and long-term money. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that McTavish’s side is looking at a seven or eight year deal at $7-8 million per season, and the Ducks offered a five-year deal around $5.5 million.
Gudas on McTavish: “He was here until a couple days ago. We all know and understand what situation he is in. Obviously, we would love to have him here. He’s a huge part of this group. We all love him as a guy. We understand what role he’s in. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to get the deal done, but we’re all counting on him. We just can’t wait to get him around here and get him up to speed, and he’s very important for us. We’re all hoping this is going to get resolved as soon as possible.”
Terry on McTavish: “Knowing the kind of just competitor that Mason is, I know it’s hard for him not being here, and hopefully it gets resolved soon and he can be here because I know he wants to be here. And just on the human side, I know that it’s a business and both sides need to do what’s best… It’s a process. Both sides have to do what’s best for themselves and you hope it’s easy, and sometimes it takes a little longer and that’s just kind of part of it. Mason was here. It’s not like we haven’t been skating with him and I know he’s had a great summer. He looks great. He seems like he’s in a good place, just mentally too. So yeah, it’s just one of those things and we’re ready for it, whatever the time is.”