At Least the Ducks Break Even on the Ice

The Mighty Ducks answered some questions Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks, but raised at least one new one during a 4-4 tie before an announced crowd of 14,100 at the Arrowhead Pond.

Teemu Selanne zoomed around the ice at what appeared to be top speed after missing Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks because of a nagging thigh strain.

Paul Kariya, who battled a sore groin last week, also seemed sound and picked up two assists for his team-leading 31st and 32nd points.

So, there were no concerns on the medical front.

But the paltry crowd, the second smallest in franchise history, troubled Duck President/General Manager Pierre Gauthier. It’s a noteworthy sign of vulnerability for the six-year-old franchise.

Gauthier had just returned from the NHL Board of Governors meeting in Phoenix, where escalating payrolls and declining revenues were major topics of conversation.

“It’s insane,” he said. “We’re paying players too much for our revenues. We have franchises in trouble.”

Then Gauthier dropped this bombshell:

“This team is losing money, a whole lot of money. If this franchise is losing money, you can imagine what’s happening around the league.”

That’s a startling statement considering the Ducks were believed to still be a franchise with a license to print money.

Thanks to the lucrative sale of the team’s merchandise and a payroll that ranked near the bottom of the NHL, the Ducks turned healthy profits in each of their first four NHL seasons.

The Ducks even made money during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, when most other teams took a bath.

But Gauthier said the Ducks were around the break-even point last season after finishing 26-43-13 and missing the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Ducks’ $30-million payroll this season, the highest in franchise history, and an average attendance of 15,664 at the 17,174-seat Pond haven’t helped the bottom line this season.

“It doesn’t add up anymore,” Gauthier said of skyrocketing payrolls around the league. “It’s in our hands to stop it. We don’t have to pay so much money to the older players who are free agents because, in general, we’re not getting the return.”

Gauthier certainly got his money’s worth out of the likes of Johan Davidsson, Marty McInnis and Steve Rucchin against Vancouver.

None of the three was acquired through free agency, and they can be considered bargains this season, earning $775,000, $1.1 million and $2.45 million, respectively.

Davidsson--a rookie, who had his first two-goal game in the NHL--McInnis and Rucchin scored goals for the Ducks on Wednesday.

Davidsson scored the game’s first goal on a one-hopper that Vancouver goaltender Garth Snow misplayed at 18:20 of the first period.

Rucchin gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal only 57 seconds into the second period. He also preserved the tie by stopping Brad May’s point-blank shot with goalie Guy Hebert out of position in the final, frantic moments of overtime.

The Ducks played it fast and loose defensively, letting the Canucks cut the first of three second-period, two-goal leads in half.

The Ducks finally lost their lead, when they gave up Canuck defenseman Bret Hedican’s short-handed goal that tied the score, 4-4, midway through the third period.

Markus Naslund, Bill Muckalt and Harry York also scored for the Canucks, who trailed by scores of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 in second period.

Naslund started the Canucks’ comeback with a goal at the 3:24 mark of the second period that cut the deficit to 2-1.

Davidsson gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead at 7:41, converting on a long rebound from the left faceoff circle.

Muckalt then scored for Vancouver at 8:05.

McInnis increased the Duck lead to 4-2 at 12:20, whistling a quick shot from the slot past Snow. Vancouver Coach Mike Keenan had seen enough by then, and replaced Snow with Corey Hirsch.

York, acquired on waivers Tuesday from the Pittsburgh Penguins, rallied Vancouver with a goal with 1:10 left in the eventful period.