Tradegy Among Anaheim Duck Fans...

From Yahoo! Sports: LOS ANGELES - The Anaheim Ducks cut ties with Dustin Penner on Thursday when the team opted not to match a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers for the 24-year-old left winger.

The Ducks will receive picks in the first, second and third rounds of the 2008 draft from Edmonton as compensation.

Penner, who was a restricted free agent, will get a huge raise from the Oilers, earning $4.25 million in each of the next five seasons. He made the NHL minimum of $450,000 last season, when he scored 29 goals for the Stanley Cup champion Ducks.

Anaheim had a week to match Edmonton's offer and waited until Thursday's deadline had passed before announcing it was letting Penner go.

"We don't believe these salaries make sense," Anaheim general manager Brian Burke said on a conference call. "If I believe these salaries don't make sense and I match then I'm just as dumb as the team that extended the offer."

Burke was incensed by the terms and amount of last week's offer, and at the time he had especially harsh words for Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, saying, "Edmonton has offered a mostly inflated salary for a player, and I think it's an act of desperation for a general manager who is fighting to keep his job."

Burke made it clear that his hard feelings didn't extend to Penner. "Dustin is a good kid and a good person and he played well for us," he said.

The Ducks don't have much room under the salary cap. They are around $5 million below the $50.3 million maximum for next season, although a team is allowed to be over the salary cap by 10 percent until Oct. 1.

Anaheim is still waiting on defenseman Scott Niedermayer and winger Teemu Selanne to decide whether they will retire or play next season. Burke said nothing has changed with their status.

Besides his 29 goals, Penner had 16 assists in his first full NHL season. He had three goals and five assists in 21 postseason games.

Good luck to you Dustin - & thank you for your part in the 2007 Stanley Cup Championship.

UPDATE - You have to read this Rags to Riches story sent to me by Ken

Updates...

I haven’t had a moment to write about anything going on with me lately so here’s an up to the minute live action type update! Enjoy & please do the same for me if you haven’t in a while…

I just had popcorn for lunch.

I’m wearing open-toed shoes, at work! I’m such a rebel!

My A’s are playing a bit of inter league in Houston & they’re tied @ 3 in the top of the 5th. I love that I get to listen to it since I can’t watch it right now. Plus I get fantastic lil tidbits like that Johnny Gomes from Petaluma had a pretty good outing in Florida today. He had a hit, a run & an RBI – Woo-hoo for the local kid! Ooh! A’s just went up 4-3 & the park is quite quiet in Texas! So cool! Also, Chad Gaudin is pitching for the A’s & his parents are at the game. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing for the A’s cause that tends to jinx them & he’s now got the bases loaded with only 1 out. Yep, gave up a hit, 1 scored. We’re tied 4 & they’ve pulled him for Jay Marshall. Bummer.

I'm seriously still giddy every time I think about my Ducks winning the Stanley Cup. I don't know how long it will be till I believe it. I get like that when I think about my adorable lil car too. I think I love it too much sometimes.

Okay, now to the big news:

I’m moving. Again.

Barf.

But there is a silver lining… I found a great new house that is literally IN my current backyard. We’re going to take the fence down & have the easiest move in the history of the world! I’m thinking I’ll just put a keg in the new house & have a “Help Us Move” party where guests have to take a box or piece of furniture to the new place to fill your cup! (If you wanna come help it’ll prolly start the evening of the 9th of July & continue every evening til we’re done!)

The new house is gorgeous & huge, as was my old house, but the new one has some fantastic upgrades & a bit better use of all the space. It has all Italian tiles for the floors throughout the downstairs & there’s a huge pantry & sliding glass door. My master bath is bigger, brighter & doesn’t have a frickin’ carpeted floor. Whoever thought that carpeting a bathroom floor was a good idea has obviously never showered. Oh & my closet is bigger than some bedrooms & even has a window inside it!

The part I’m most excited about is that the yard is cute & that I’ll be gaining a formal dining room. I’ve never really had one before so I don’t even have a dining room table! (If anyone has a table & at least 6 chairs I’m totally interested in taking it off your hands!) The best part of all this is that it’s a longer-term lease so I’ll finally be a bit settled for a while. I can’t wait!!!

That’s probably enough for now… Your turn!

Still Relishing...

Thanks to Anaheim Duck Fan

DUCKS WIN THE CUP!!!! So very happy!

LET'S GO DUCKS!!!

I'm too excited to even type that my Ducks are in what could possibly be their final game tonight. I'm so proud & happy & dying to gloat! Say it with me now "Let's Go Ducks!"