[Ed. Note: Throughout the All-Star Break, the Anaheim Calling team will be giving their mid-season reports. First up was our intrepid Crunch reporter Alex and her analysis of our Ducklings. Next, the man I'm pretty sure was sober when he wrote this - Daniel.]

I like introductions, probably because I teach public speaking, so you'll have to forgive me for not beginning in earnest, as they say. The All Star Break is a good time for quiet reflection on everything that has happened, and for me to write things that will make people wonder if the world will really end in 2012.

First Half Most Valuable Player: Bob Murray, General Manager.

I don't know who's jaw just dropped, but I heard it and it made me laugh.

Ok, so Murray technically isn't a player. However, There are really only two choices for MVP anyway: Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry. Selanne because you know, he's Selanne, and Perry is the only one of the Big 3 who has managed to turn in consistent efforts. Therefore, I felt I had to think outside the box. Let me clear something up, this doesn't mean I don't think Murray should keep his job. He should definitely be fired. I've said for a long time that if Murray didn't want to get Carlyle the players Carlyle wanted/needed, then he needed to get rid of Carlyle. Well, things got bad...really bad, and he finally got rid of Carlyle. Hiring Boudreau gave the fanbase something to care about again, and that's pretty invaluable.

Speculation was rampant. People wanted to know how the team would change, if Bobby Ryab would improve, if there would be personnel changes to fit Boudreau's need. It gave the fans a reason to talk about their Ducks moving forward rather than how badly they wanted the season to end. I still don't have a lot of confidence in the man as a GM. But, if we are talking about the person who made the largest impact on the team in the first half, it was Murray.

First Half Least Valuable Player: Jason Blake, Left Wing

Apparently, the Ducks want to convince the fan base that Jason Blake is actually a leprechaun. Ducks lose him after starting the season 4-1, and forgot how to play hockey. Blake comes back and the Ducks rattle off wins like an auctioneer calling bids. I'm not a subscriber to the theory that we are a better team with Blake in the lineup. Personally, I can't wait to see Devante Smth-Pelly in his spot on the third line after we trade him. However, it's hard to have less of an impact than not playing. If the Ducks were seriously affected by him not being in the lineup, then clearly he was the least valuable player as he was no help at all. Moreover, everyone not named Perry, Selanne or Francois Beauchemin can probably fit into this category, so I don't really see the point in going after them. Blake didn't play so he was the least valuable. It's nothing personal.

Bold Prediction for the Second Half:

I have two because I am a dirty, dirty cheater. First, Corey Perry is going to put the fear of god into goalies everywhere and join Pavel Bure and Alex Ovechkin as the only back-to-back winners of the Richard Trophy. Second, I twisted Alex's words in her post, and believed that she was predicting a trade of Kyle Palmieri. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Palmieri is the type of asset that should be sold high, IF he is going to be sold. Maybe, he can be packaged in a deal for that top defenseman we covet. It's not as crazy as it sounds, which is saying something because it sounds pretty crazy. Still, I can't shake the feeling that Murray will finally make a trade that will surprise everyone, because I'm beginning to think he secretly reads the blog and fancies my opinion. Palmieri is the type of player who gets moved in those situations.

Well that was fun-ish. As expected, the second-ever All-Star Player Fantasy Draft quickly degraded into an exercise of team loyalty and hating on rivals as Daniel Alfreddson selected every Senator (and practically every Swede) in the pool while Zdeno Chara picked every Bruin and adamantly refused to select any Canuck. He did select the only Canadien on the board, though.

As the lead indicates, Logan Couture was selected as this year's Mr. Irrelevant, while our beloved Corey Perry was selected before every forward except Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, and Marian Hossa. He ended up on Team Chara with Joffrey Lupul. There's also something truly delicious about a Shark getting picked last while a Duck (err Mighty Duck as Chara would call him) was picked so high in the draft. And lest there be any smack about how we have more All-Stars than you, the Kings, Sharks, and Ducks all ended up with one All-Star each. Though the bastard Red Wings did end up with two (stupid Jimmy Howard).

As for our reader contest, commenter Red8ball won with 14 total points, correctly picking Eric Karlsson as the first pick, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, and Tim Thomas as the first players in their positions, and Shark Logan Couture as Mr. Irrelevant. In case you somehow missed it, a Shark was picked last.

Join me after the jump for some general draft musings and observations.

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For the second year, the NHL will do their best to drum up interest in All-Star Weekend by once again holding a fantasy draft to determine the teams for the All-Star Game. This year's captains, Daniel Alfredsson of the hometown Ottawa Senators and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, will proceed through 19 rounds of picks to fill out their rosters. They will be advised by assistant captains Henrik Lundqvist (Team Alfreddson) and Joffrey Lupul (Team Chara). [Ed. Note: I am officially referring to Chara/Lupul as "Team Chalupa"]

After a coin toss determines who gets first pick, the teams will alternate in their picks until each team ends up with three goaltenders, six defensemen, and 12 forwards. Similar to last year, all goaltenders must be selected by the end of round 10 and all defensemen must be selected by the end of round 15. Whichever lucky player is drafted last (it would be hilarious if Phil Kessel repeated) will have a $10,000 donation to the hockey program of his choice made on his behalf by the league.

So sit back and enjoy the awkwardness. Hockey players, by definition, do not exhibit gobs of personality, and last year's draft was an exercise in tooth-pulling when it came to generating interesting statements or moments. The absence of Alex Ovechkin probably won't help either, as it's unlikely anyone else will be brazen enough to openly mock the last pick.

And good luck to those of you who entered the Skills Showdown contest. We'll announce the winner once the final picks have been made. The winner will need to email anaheimcalling@gmail.com with their address in order to receive their tickets.

[Ed. Note: Throughout the All-Star Break, the Anaheim Calling team will be giving their mid-season reports. First up is our intrepid Crunch reporter Alex and her analysis of our Ducklings.]

First Half Most Valuable Player: Iiro Tarkki, goaltender

I picked Tarkki because he seems to be the player we can't win without. Guys like Kyle Palmieri and Patrick Maroon have certainly been instrumental in the Crunch's success, but we've had wins without them on the team. Tarkki, however, is the one player I'd choose every time to go into battle with. Tarkki has a 9-12 record, with 2 shootout losses. His wins are the most on the team. Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers has 6 wins and Marco Cousineau (who has not been here as long, obviously) has 3.

First Half Least Valuable Player: Bryan Rodney

In the interest of disclosure, I will admit up front that I have issues with offensive defensemen. Most of them drive me insane. I realize their potential for making a team great. I realize their selection for quarterbacking a power play. In theory, I can see why it's wonderful to have one on your team.

Bryan Rodney is not wonderful. He's killing his own team.

Just in the last game, I can give three examples of what I'm saying: Rodney was on the ice for the two shorthanded goals scored against the Crunch, and was also on the ice for an even-strength goal. He was on his knees an hour behind the play for one of the goals, was out of position for another, and was right in front of Tarkki for the final goal. When Rodney's out there, he exhibits all the qualities of a bad offensive defenseman: the chances he takes very rarely result in goals - in 34 games, he's scored 4 goals - while the mistakes he makes almost always results in the other team scoring. Watching him play is one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had.

Bold prediction for the second half: Due to a trade to get a needed player for the Ducks, Kyle Palmieri will end up for the rest of the year with Anaheim, leaving breakout player Peter Holland to take over in points and scoring for the Crunch. Fairly invisible action-wise for the first half of the year, Holland has been quietly building up his totals. He's currently third on the team in points (31), behind only Palmieri (33) and Maroon (45). He has improved every month spent with the team, totaling 5 points in October, 7 in November, and 13 in December. He's currently at 6 for January, with two games left to play. I predict he'll go hog wild in the second half of the year, eclipsing both Maroon and the called up Palmieri!

All good things must come to an end, and I can't say that I'm mad about this one. Sure, it's a bummer to stop the five game win streak, but honestly, the streak snapping couldn't come at a better time. The Ducks officially begin their All-Star break on their flight back to So Cal. While many may think this loss will sit in the back of the players' minds until they take the ice again, I think a little differently.

As I said in the open, the guys are going home (with the exception of Corey Perry) to recharge their batteries. They don't have a reason to sit and stew over this loss because they played really hard pretty much the entire game. Of the goal that was given up, it was a fluke. Wrong place, wrong time, and an unfortunate deflection for Cam Fowler that Jonas Hiller was helpless to stop. Plus, Dallas' Kari Lehtonen played out of his mind, once again, saving everything the Ducks threw at him. (Note to self, in prior to next game versus Stars, give Lehtonen and Loui Eriksson a "Forget Me Now".)

You can't win 'em all, but the Ducks just might have to if they want to make a run at the playoffs when they get back to work.

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There is no doubt about it - the Ducks have caught fire. And like all things Anaheim this season, it couldn't come at worse time. Following tonight's game, the Ducks will begin their nearly week long break while Corey Perry and others gather in Ottawa for the 59th All-Star Game. If the Ducks have any hope of making a run at the playoffs, they must quickly regain their winning form as soon as the puck drops a week from now in Phoenix.

Let's see how the Ducks have fared post-All Star/Olympic break in the past two seasons:

Well, while that's not exactly encouraging. Although, the one interesting thing is that the 2009-10 season saw the Ducks ahead in points and they didn't make the playoffs. Granted they had played a compact schedule due to the Olympic break, but the key is momentum. Either the Ducks pick up where they left off or they spiral downward.

One thing that is new to the Ducks is this thing called "rest". Since taking over, Coach Bruce Boudreau has insisted on the guys taking their time away from the ice to refresh their bodies and minds. Heck, he even surprised them with a bowling trip yesterday instead of practice. (Fun! He wants fun!) In the past 10 games, we've seen the fruits of that change in behaviors. They are a re-energized team that plays nearly a completely game almost every night. Look, it's going to take a Herculean-effort to get the Ducks into the playoffs, so maybe the rest will continue to do some good. They're going to need all the help they can get.

At Night! Tonight! What?

• Two Stars-Ducks previews. [ESPN] [OC Register]
  
• With Sidney Crosby out with post-concussion symptoms (and the currently-suspended Alex Ovechkin underperforming wildly), does the NHL lack real superstars? [Sports Illustrated]
• You've read Jen's recap of the Ducks' Casino Night. Now read the OC Register's account of the event (apparently, the Ducks raised over $100,000). [OC Register]
• A writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks that the Penguins could somehow acquire (one or some combination of) Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Niklas Hagman, George Parros, and Jason Blake before the February 27 trade deadline. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
• Ryan Getzlaf memorabilia FTW. [Plaschke, Thy Sweater Is Argyle]
• A look at the Ducks' hot streak. [Anaheim Ducks]
• How important has Jonas Hiller's performance been to the Ducks' success? Answer: Very. [Fox Sports West] [OC Register]
• The Tampa Bay Lightning have better attendance than you'd think. [Raw Charge]
• A review of First Arena in Elmira, NY. Also known as the home of our ECHL affiliate Elmira Jackals. [Stadium Journey]
• The current Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins visited the White House yesterday, but goalie and Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas declined the invitation. He later posted an explanation on Facebook for the snub, in which he argued that he was dissatisfied with the growing size of the 'Federal government.' I once considered myself a fan of his, but this was a selfish move. Yesterday should have been about the Bruins, and not used as a moment for political grandstanding. [TSN] [Backhand Shelf]
• Battle of California's humorous take on the Thomas situation. [Battle of California]

Over my tenure as a Ducks fan, I've been to five Casino Nights (1998, 1999, 2000, 2010 and 2012). The event has gone from a small event held on the 300 level of The Pond, to a slightly larger event at a hotel, to the carpet covered ice of the Honda Center. Of all of the Casino Nights I've been to, this year was - by far - the most fun.

With the exception of my first three Casino Nights, the event revolves a theme. In 2010 it was disco, in 2011 it was western, and this year it was white. (I'll be honest, up until the event, I was referring to it as the "Klan Rally".) The players are (un)willing participants being dressed up to fit the theme which usually involves some ridiculous costume. This year the players were allowed to wear whatever they wanted as long as it fit with the theme (only exception were white Vans that will be signed and auctioned off later). This freedom of uniform, I think, made the players more comfortable, which lead them to spend more time hanging out with the fans.

My highlights of the night were worth every dollar of the $100 ticket (bonus - it counts as a tax deduction).

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