(Anaheim Ducks Head Coach Randy Carlyle, left, with Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray, right, shortly after Murray rehired Carlyle in June 2016. Photo courtesy of Sam Gangwer/SCNG.)
The ugly Murray/Carlyle mess continued Tuesday, as the Anaheim Ducks reached 12 consecutive games without a victory. The latest embarrassment came in Detroit, where the dreaded rival Red Wings won, 3-1, in front of 19,515 fans at Little Caesars Arena.
When the Ducks take the ice in Minnesota to play the Wild on Thu., Jan. 17, that will mark exactly one month since Anaheim won its last game, Dec. 17. Nice going, Head Coach Randy Carlyle, and Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob “Mediocre” Murray. You two destroyed this once-great franchise. Take a bow.
Tuesday’s loss looked very similar to the others. For the fourth straight game, the Ducks scored first, and for the third straight, they even held a lead in the third period. However, once again, they blew the lead, and the opponent blew Anaheim right out the door. The Ducks might be the best 40-minute team in the NHL, but they have certainly proved to be among the worst at 60-minute hockey. And, let’s not even mention what 65 minutes looks like.
But, seriously, how many straight games will the Ducks choke in the third period? I am almost as curious about that streak as I am about how long the winless streak will last.
The Ducks entered Detroit with a new face in its lineup, Devin Shore, whom Anaheim took from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Iron Man Andrew Cogliano. Let us discuss that trade.
Before this season started, I wrote in Rabbi Rabbs’ 2018-19 NHL Predictions: “The sooner the young guns can replace the Getzlafs, Perrys, Keslers, Andrew Coglianos, and Jakob Silfverbergs, the sooner the Ducks will win their next Stanley Cup.” So, I am not opposed to trading away Cogs. I have said that Anaheim needs to rebuild. Had the Ducks traded for a high draft pick, such a move would have indicated Anaheim threw in the towel on this season. At least Shore can help Anaheim try to turn around its disappointing season. Let us be honest, Cogs’ stats were terrible this season. He only scored three goals and only added eight assists in 46 games.
However, the trade showed terrible timing. As I reported in my prior article, Ducks Blow Another Lead, Winless Streak Reaches 11, Sunday in Winnipeg, Cogliano scored the go-ahead, and what should have been the winning, goal. He had scored points in three straight games. CaliSports News even quoted Cogs after that game. Turns out that go-ahead goal served as the final goal Cogliano will ever score for Anaheim, and he would not continue on the Ducks’ road trip that he discussed after Sunday’s game. Sad.
I shall miss Cogs. He was our Iron Man. He played in every game since coming to Anaheim except two due to that stupid suspension NHL Head of the Department of Player Safety George Parros assessed to him. Parros took away Iron Man’s quest to break the consecutive games record set by Doug Jarvis.
Cogs also tied Paul Kariya‘s record for most short-handed goals in an Anaheim uniform. Just as Parros ended Cogliano’s chance to break Jarvis’ record, Murray ripped out Cogs’ chance to surpass Kariya. And so we say goodbye to Cogliano, and remember him with this shorthanded goal:
(Footage courtesy of NHL. Music courtesy of The Pretenders.)
The Ducks failed to utilize Cogliano properly. He was clearly the fastest player on the team throughout the entire era of the 3-on-3 overtime silliness, but Anaheim never used him in that open-ice extravaganza. Ridiculous. The Ducks stink at 3-on-3, so let us keep Cogs on the bench. Great idea. Both Carlyle and former Head Coach Bruce Boudreau are guilty of that stupidity. It is one crime to leave your fastest guy on the bench when your team wins 3-on-3s without him, but it is insanity to keep him on that bench while the rest of the team continually sucks on the ice.
That serves as yet another reason to fire Carlyle. But Mediocre Murray refuses to take that action as per the GM’s post-game statement Sunday night shared in my prior article. The hypocrisy of Mediocre’s statement is that Murray stated that he is looking for a player to step up. Well, Cogs stepped up, and scored points in Anaheim’s prior last three games, which is a heck of a lot more than some of the Ducks’ do-nothing schlubs had done. Cogliano stepped up to give Anaheim the go-ahead goal Sunday night, but he is the one Murray trades.
What a horrible message to send to the rest of the team. Murray’s statement reeks of “step up, and we will trade you, too”. That is so counter-productive. It kills team morale. There seems no reason to step up when doing so forces a player to pick up their family and leave Southern California. Durr!
The Ducks’ owners need to kick Murray to the curb. This is my final warning to the team’s owners. Next time, I fully plan to demand they sell the team to someone that will fire Murray and Carlyle. Stay tuned !! #FireMurray
Tuesday, the Ducks fell to 0-8-4 in their last 12 games, and down to .500 on the season, 19-19-9 for 47 points after 47 games. Do not even ask where they sit in the standings. Trust me, we do not want to know. I will give a hint. By losing to Detroit, Anaheim officially fell behind the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers. Embarrassing. Hey hey, ho ho, Murray and Carlyle have got to go! Or better yet:
FI-RE MUR-RAY !! *clap clap* *clap clap clap*
Rickard Rakell scored the Ducks’ lone goal Tuesday in the second period. Anthony Mantha, Gustav Nyquist, and Darren Helm picked up the goals for the Red Wings.
During the contest, each of Cogliano’s former line mates Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg suffered injuries, left the game, and never returned. Yep. Anaheim started the final period without Cogs, Silf, and Kesler. Weird. But, according to Hampus Lindholm, the Ducks cannot blame their losses on injuries.
“When you’re on a 12-game losing streak, I don’t think that is the reason,” Lindholm said after the game. “We have to figure out what we can do to get back on the right side here.”
I can figure it out for Hampus. The Ducks need to hire a new GM who will bring in a new head coach. Hopefully, that happens before the team plays Thursday. Until then, Let’s Go Ducks !! #FireMurray
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