The Anaheim Ducks are Like Two and a Half Men

We've all seen Two and a Half Men. We all saw how funny Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones are on this show. The many girls, the hilarious jokes, and the fabulous CBS show that has been skyrocketing through the years.

On hockey, the Anaheim Ducks have been a stellar team throughout the first part of the 2010-11 season. They have gone to the top of the Pacific Division and were winning games big. Jonas Hiller has been outstanding in net, Bobby Ryan continues to be Bobby Ryan, and the team was clicking together fully.




Now both sides of these issues have certainly been going downtown. CBS has cancelled Two and a Half Men for the rest of the season because Charlie Sheen had attacked the show's creator Chuck Laurie over a couple number of issues including this drinking problems.

For the Anaheim Ducks, they have not played dominantly, losing five in a row and slipping out of the playoff picture. Jonas Hiller has been out indefinitely due to dizziness and a possible cause of vertigo, which could potentially end his career. General manager Bob Murray has already hit the panic button, trading for players that seemed to be of no value to them but of more value to other teams.

Sometimes, I just don't get why two big names in both TV (Two and a Half Men), sports (Anaheim Ducks), and entertainment (both of them) seem to be slipping away. Charlie Sheen does have some problems with women, drugs, and the p word I never like to use. But he's great on TV and he was getting paid 2 million an episode. Now that the show is cancelled for the rest of the season, I guess Charlie's going to have to go back and reflect on his image (or not.)

The Anaheim Ducks still have hope but they have been like Two and a Half Men for quite some time, creating controversy in goal and not getting the goal production that they were wishing to get. Does Randy Carlyle spark something into this net? I don't believe he hasn't and I don't believe he ever will. I would've like to see Doug Murray fired, but unfortunately that's not going to happen after he got signed to a four-year extension. What kind of organization has this become?

Here's the thing: If Charlie Sheen doesn't come back to Two and a Half Men, the show is officially over. For the Ducks, if Jonas Hiller doesn't come back this season, it's all over this year. If he doesn't come back at all during his career, the Ducks will be out of the playoffs for about five years. That's sad on both parts. A great actor and a great team, just seeming to fall apart. When will the positive signs go up? They possibly could take a while, but right now, I'd say we're looking at trouble down the road. My guess is that it's not going to be pretty.

James Neal Will Help an Ailing Pittsburgh Team

You sometimes wonder about the Pittsburgh Penguins now that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out. Where does this team go and when does it suddenly start to get on a roll?

Well, at least one of those questions were answered yesterday as the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward James Neal and Matt Niskanen from the Dallas Starts in exchange for Alex Goligoski.

This move puts more depth on the forward lines and allows for better puck movement and offensive production for a team that has had trouble scoring on the net, especially after being drubbed 1-0 by the Washington Capitals.

Ultimately, Dallas hurt themselves in this deal and the Penguins ultimately won out. You get two prime players especially James Neal who has proven he can skate well, provide offense, and put pucks in the net. This is exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins were looking for.

So do the Penguins make a run off of this? Or could this be a downfall that ultimately haunts him? I doubt it'll haunt them, as James Neal will provide what the Penguins need and be able to get them into the playoffs with ease. With Crosby comes back, that'll just make the team better.

But now we wonder what other moves will be made in the Atlantic Division that might worry the Penguins. With the suddenly-hot Devils and the always-impressive Flyers, they'll try to make it not so easy for the Penguins to compete.

For now, however, look for the Penguins to finally get some offense going after having sluggish performances. With James Neal and Matt Niskanen finally coming to that team, anything is possible in the ever-tight Atlantic Division.

Do the recent NHL fights send a message?

What do we look for when we go see a hockey game? The scoring? The goaltending? The coaches making the play calls? While that all may be the truth, nothing is more pleasing to us fans and bloggers than to see some good ol' action on the ice. That action is fighting!

Unfortunately, what can you say about the recent brawls and fights that have popped up all across the league, mainly on the East Coast? The Penguins and Islanders brawled twice; once in Pittsburgh and once on Long Island. The Canadiens and Bruins brawled up in Boston that left 6 Bruins in the penalty box.

What is up with all the fights? What's going on around the league? What is the reaction?

Well, let me give you a little something I heard out of Penguins president and former superstar Mario Lemieux.

"Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn't hockey. It was a travesty," Lemieux said. "It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that."

Yes, Mario. That indeed was a travesty. Not only that but suspensions no doubt have come down hard. Islanders forward Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin got four games as well as the entire organization getting a $100,000 fine. Justice?

It's one of the many things happening around the league, not just with the Islanders. Perhaps teams are tired of seeing good teams trying to deke it out and the only way they can do that is to turn it into a brawl fight. Maybe it's the fact that their is some revenge over injured teammates, such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin being out.

The Canadiens-Bruins game was not as much as interesting story, as the Penguins-Islanders games were. Although one thing I do have to say about that Bruins game is how can you fit six players in a small box like that? The NHL was ridiculous there, and maybe they're ridiculous with the Penguins-Islanders games.

The Islanders are the worst team in the NHL right now and because of that, they're having very little luck controlling players, who, I believe, are getting ripped by other teams. Hey, Long Island, you're not the only bad team out there. Edmonton's with you. But unfortunately, the Islanders' struggles became the source of a major travesty, as Mario Lemieux put it.

So what do we see up ahead? Will there be justice for the long run? Let's hope, because NHL discipliner Colin Campbell has got a lot of luggage to carry. So these fights might send a message to the entire NHL. There are consequences when stuff happens like what happened in the three games. There's no doubt that this kind of stuff will happen again. M

Maybe it will be up to the players to control what they're doing on the ice and not releasing it by acting aggressively and causing a lot of punching and pulling. Anyhow, the NHL might learn a thing or two because it is certainly has a lot of matters to settle.

Going Up Right Now for the Sharks

If you can find a team right now who is looking hot, who do you turn to? Is it the Detroit Red Wings? The Washington Capitals? The Pittsburgh Penguins?

No, it's the team that has played an up-and-down season so far. The San Jose Sharks.

Their record since January 15 is 7-0-1, probably one of the best marks in the NHL right now. If not, the best mark. Coming off a 2-0 victory in Boston can certainly feel rewarding to this team.

It's going up right now, but will it be enough to keep them at the top? Well, we shall see. Antti Niemi, Joe Pavelski, and Patrick Marleau seem to be playing well right now but let's see what happens on the continuing circuit of their road trip.

The next couple of games are at Washington, at Columbus, at New Jersey, at Florida, and at Nashville. They have a chance to win at least three of those games. They can beat Washington, but I'm not really sure they can after the Caps whitewashed the Pens 3-0 on Sunday. Columbus has beaten them before and could possible beat them again. New Jersey might be a challenge; they haven't won in Prudential Center yet. Florida is a definite win. I'm not so sure about Nashville, but I'm guessing they will win.

So they have a chance to win at least three. And winning three might be enough to help them get to the top of the division and knock off Dallas from the top spot. But the road is tough, and sometimes this team might slip a few games and fall back again.

The road to the playoffs is now for the Sharks. If they want to get in, they'll need to control their destiny and stay on top of their game. If not, then this team is a potential pretender and we might see this team surprisingly miss the playoffs.