TED SOBEL SPORTS AUDIO VAULT: Your Inside Access to TOUCHING GREATNESS

The Anaheim Ducks were just eliminated by the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup playoffs but their season isn’t over as far as awards are concerned. After scoring a league high and personal best 50 goals this season, right winger Corey Perry has been an extremely important cog in his team’s success helping Anaheim move from 11th to 4th in the Western Conference. He has officially been named as one of 3 finalists for the NHL’s MVP award-the Hart Trophy along with Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin and Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay. If Perry wins it (to be announced June 22 in Las Vegas), he would join Wayne Gretzky as the only players from So-Cal teams to ever be named a league MVP so it could be some very elite company ahead of him?

Corey was kind enough to call me this afternoon to chat about his hopeful award along with breaking down the NHL playoff semifinals and I even asked him if he’ll be watching the Royal Wedding at 3am (pacific time) tomorrow morning?

And always remember that even though the hockey season is over for our locals (Ducks and Kings), it’s never over on this audio blog-as you’ll never know when I’ll pop up with a hockey interview to share with all you Puck-heads out there? Here’s Corey…

Corey Perry with Ted Sobel:

After being told twice in three days by a federal judge that its 45-day lockout was illegal, the NFL has assured teams and players they could resume some of their normal day-to-day football operations beginning tomorrow (Friday). And that includes voluntary workouts at team facilities, meetings with coaches and going over playbooks. And what are VERY normal operations this time of year is the draft which takes place in just a few hours from now in New York where maybe commissioner Roger Goodell should lockout the fans who will no doubt boo him when introduced (at least).

I also thought how this would be the perfect time to chat with an old friend who I first met at Fairfax High School in L.A. many moons ago. Ron Marmalefsky and I have shared several interests throughout the years…but none more than football which he writes several reports on annually so this is his day to shine. You are constantly drilled with names like Kyper and McShay, et al but Marmalefsky’s knowledge of college and pros can easily be compared to thier’s and my level of respect fo him makes it simply time to share it with you all. I hope you like the following banter where we talk about how the NFL labor issues and all that’s surrounding it will affect team’s decision-making during this draft and we cover several players and teams with opinions galore…

Ron Marmalefsky with Ted Sobel:

An elimination game 6 in any playoff series is always great to be a part of and this one was no different as San Jose blew 3 one goal leads before finally winning in overtime 4-3 over the disappointed Kings. L.A. should’ve enjoyed a late 5 minute major penalty to Sharks forward Jamie McGinn, but as it’s plagued them all season long their power play came up empty and then San Jose said thank you very much when Joe Thornton swept in a rebound past goalie Jonathan Quick which quickly ended the season for the Kings just 2:22 into OT.

Once it again it shows how meaningless momentum can be in this game, as the Kings got their rabid sellout crowd going nuts when they tied the game at 3-3 just 18 seconds into the 3rd period on a beautiful follow up shot by Ryan Smythe on the doorstep. But once again the Sharks regained the lead 8 minutes later on an unassisted goal by Danny Heatley. The Kings actually scored a 2nd power play goal on the night when Trevor Lewis blasted one in from the right circle at 11:39 and then came that late 5 minute PP opportunity for the Kings which they only mustered up 4 shots and maybe one good scoring chance which never lit the lamp.

So the Sharks skated off with a first round Stanley Cup series win and afterwards I caught up with their hero and winning captain for his elated comments…

San Jose captain Joe Thornton with Ted Sobel:

Of course it was a very disappointed Kings locker room but they tried to hold their collective heads up high after a valiant effort as decided underdogs in this series and I first went to goalie Jonathan Quick who you could hardly fault for this loss…

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with Ted Sobel:

The rest of the L.A. skaters were in similar moods and the following sums up their night, series and season from their captain and great young defensive duo…

Kings captain Dustin Brown with Ted Sobel:

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty with Ted Sobel:

Kings defenseman Jack Johnson with Ted Sobel:

And then I got to say my goodbyes for the season to Kings Hall of Fame TV broadcaster Bob Miller and his longtime partner Jim Fox and they both gave me their takes on this season and what to look forward to for next season…

Kings TV play by play man Bob Miller with Ted Sobel:

Kings TV color analyst Jim Fox with Ted Sobel:

So the hockey season has hit a brick wall on consecutive nights in So-Cal with the Ducks being eliminated on Sunday night in Nashville followed by the demise of the Kings tonight. Both clubs have plenty of positives to build on but don’t tell them that today as they start making tee times instead of packing their equipment bags for a 2nd round playoff series that never will be. So I guess it’s time to root for the Sharks as the final California team standing on skates but after hearing those horrid ‘Beat L.A.’ chants the past few weeks, that’s not an easy task either!

And this is how late I was at Staples Center to watch them convert the ice for the final time into a basketball floor for the Lakers big game 5 vs. New Orleans on Tuesday night-maybe I’ll see you there?…

As coach Vince Lombardi so memorably once yelled out from the sidelines “What the hell’s going on out there”?…first it was “The Choke on Chick Hearn Court” (aka the F-up on Figueroa) by the hockey Kings against the rejuvenated Sharks and just a few nights later the Ducks give up 2—I said 2, 3rd period leads and lost in overtime on journeyman (and ironically ex-King) Jerred Smithson’s rare game-winning goal falling 4-3 to Nashville at Honda Center. And that after the Ducks’ Saku Koivu couldn’t win a faceoff eventually leading to Preds captain Shea Weber’s tying goal with just 36 seconds left in the 3rd period. It’s unquestionably the biggest win in Predators franchise history and as heartbreaking a loss for the Ducks in several years as they now trail this opening round Stanley Cup playoff series 3 games to 2. Jason Blake (another ex-King) scored his first 2 goals of the postseason in this one but nothing can compare to Bobby Ryan’s phenominal unassisted goal at 0:40 seconds into the 3rd period for a brief 2-1 Anaheim lead. Ryan (who’s fresh off his 2 game suspension vacation) could’ve won an audition for Dancing with the Stars with all the moves he put on to skate through and around defenseman David Legwand (who’s still looking for his dropped stick and jockstrap) and then somehow get that puck past Pred’s goalie Pekka Rinne. Just look at my picture to the right where Bobby is skating back to the bench while looking up at the video scoreboard admiring his own replay-and I can’t blame him as we’ll all be seeing that one time and time again for eternity!

But despite the major disappointment Ryan was his usual personable and classy self after the game and even had fun with me when I talked about his dancing on skates leading into his highlight reel goal…

Bobby Ryan with Ted Sobel:

40 year old Teemu Selanne who assisted on Blake’s 2nd goal looked almost stunned when he talked to us after the game and you have to now wonder was this Selanne’s last game ever in front of the home fans (or as you could say, the finnished flash?)…

Teemu Selanne with Ted Sobel:

Anaheim goalie Ray Emery stood on his proverbial head in the first 2 periods to keep his Ducks afloat in this one but then couldn’t keep the puck out of his net in crunch time (certainly not all his fault either)…and he was a standup guy when I approached him in front of his locker…

Ray Emery with Ted Sobel:

For the 2nd time this week I had to deal with a highly dejected locker room…and fortunately as I was posting these interviews for your listening pleasure back up in the press box I finally ran into a smiling person in the building. And he’s longtime friend and the Predators play by play voice since their inception (and former Kings colorman) Pete Weber (no relation to Captain Weber as far as I know?) who was on his way out and kind enough to give us a few minutes on what was one of his most memorable games to call. And you won’t find many who can put his thoughts into such entertaining sentences as Pete…

Pete Weber with Ted Sobel:

So it’s on to Nashville for Sunday’s game 6 in a do or be dead Ducks situation while the shocked Anaheim fans are getting down on their goalie pads praying for a game 7 in Anaheim next week. And it’s almost hard to believe that just a few days ago there was great hope around here that both the Ducks and Kings might advance into the 2nd round? But tonight we could be less than 48 hours away from each So-Cal team being eliminated as we might be stuck with watching Versus (wherever you can find it?) for our hockey pleasures during the next several weeks…as it’s looking like ‘the Puck Stops Here’ for good this season~ 😦