The Bitter (unofficial) End

Well,
It's here.
The day no Duck fan ever thought would come.

The past four seasons, Anaheim has made (and found general success in) the NHL playoffs. I won't say this year it won't happen, because it is not a guarantee.

Statistically,
they have a shot. A shot in the dark. But the target is still in range.

Realistically,
If they couldn't beat Columbus, they will not beat a good number of the teams out there that we have yet to face.

So therefore all hope is gone. It's over. To all the naysayers and believers out there, get used to it. This isn't our year. Not even close. No chance. The best thing we can hope for now is that Anaheim and Philadelphia will lose a majority of their remaining games so that we can draft high. In all honesty that's all the rest of this season is good for (that and Teemu's 600th).

This isn't the end of the world, this isn't the beggining of a long period of mediocrity (similar to the pre 09-10 L.A. Kings). No, Anaheim has a good squad and a good core. Things just went wrong this season (I'll have a seperate blog detailing them). There are problems that will need to be addressed in the offseason, players that will not return, etc. The team that you see today will look vastly different come Game 1 10-11 season (again another blog I will write). But they will bounce back, whatever changes are made, the Ducks will bounce back. We will not see a repeat of this mediocre season.

You can expect fewer fans will be filling the seats next season, and that is a very good reason why the 2010-2011 team will fight every game. To make up for this season, and to bring back fans.

I myself wanted to come on and write the hockey equivalent of an Emo boy's poetry about the effects of tonight's game. I wanted to write about every macabre, morose, aggravating truth about this season in this post. But...
There is no sense in it.
In the minutes that have passed since I started writing, I have accepted the failures and misfortunes of this season, and have began the process of thinking what the Ducks must do looking forward to rebound from this terrible showing.

Now we must watch what unfolds the remaining 16 games of the 2009-2010 season.
1.) Will the Ducks pull the biggest comeback in NHL regular season history?
2.) What spots will Anaheim recieve in the draft?
3.) Will Teemu Selanne reach 600+ goals?

That is all that would really keep us watching at this point.

Even though it is a bit premature, I would like to thank all the Ducks fans for following and sticking by the Ducks through this rough season, and that I sincerely hope you will be there for the next one.