It's happening again...

[RC informs the troops that their up & coming season will probably be crummy. Photo by me]

Good news, everyone! Not only is this my first post on OotP for the new season, those lovely cats over at BoC will also be posting this on their site! A highly questionable decision, of course!

The sun sets at a earlier time, all the brats go back to school, the leaves start to change color and the weather starts to get a chill (unless you're in Southern California where it appears to get hotter and hotter with no end in sight), and yes, all the NHL/AHL players return from their fancy summer homes in which they flock to during the offseason save for the ones who play in an "international" tournament fabricated by the NHL to sell ugly ass jerseys. 

It's time to prepare for the NHL regular season.

All 30 teams have begun their training camps, this past weekend, the Anaheim Ducks began theirs. I was able to attend a couple of practices, and let me tell you, the air in the room was definitely different this time around. Things have changed a lot since we've last seen the group of players who disappointed so many of it's fans when they were dispatched in 7 games by the Nashville Predators - an all too familiar let down which is now a regular thing. So with that, GMBM decided to fire then head coach Bruce Boudreau in place of running back to his ol' ex-lover, Randy Fucking Carlyle. My description of how things felt at Anaheim Ice can be best described in one word: uncertainty. 

Long gone are players such as Freddie Andersen, David Perron, Chris Stewart, and Jamie McGinn. New faces such as Antoine Vermette, Jonathan Bernier, Mason Raymond, and future hockey Hall of Famer/NHL superstar Jared Boll will be wearing an Anaheim jersey. Hence, the uncertain feeling. Nevertheless, I took it upon myself to jot down some notes of the things that really stood out to me during the practices that I attended as we get ready for the first game of the pre-season, which will be tonight against the Yotes. I'm sure these notes will be rather informative:

Ducks training camp crap

(Groups 1&2)

• The donuts from The Donut Man are tasty! So is my coffee from Ink + Bean!
• Time to start: D-zone breakout drill (RCs head still looks like the bottom of a decomposing eggplant)
• RC loves to yell
• Dannis - no shot at making the team
• We gonna trade Fowler or what??
• This years ever so motivating motto: "'Good enough is the death of greatness'"... No, I'm not joking.
• Group 1 w/ Fowler, Stoner, Julis, PTOs(who won't be here come start of the season), Montour
• Mayray/Vermette: some of the new dudes
• Dump n Chase. That's new, right?
• Jared Boll: our lord and savior
• World Cup of Ugly Ass Jerseys players not here
• Cogs and Boll on the same line for past couple of practices - welcome to the 4th line, Corgs! But let's be honest, it's RC so it will be the 1st line.
• Carlyle is all about the D, and nothing else but the D
• Man, I could use a nap right about now
• Bernier has some of the weakest calves that I've ever seen. Wear pants, dude.
• Skating in circles for 15 mins = hard nips cause it's cold
• It's over. I need beer.

Go Ducks!

SEASON PREDICTION: ugh.