ARTHUR:
If you missed Ducks/Wings Game 7, you missed a good one. I'd recount my memories of it, but there isn't enough scotch in the world to make typing that out bearable. What is bearable (for me, at least) is The Handshake Line.

Anaheim Calling is as much about why Daniel and I are different as it is about us both being Ducks fans. One key difference going into The Handshake Line is this: Daniel freely admits that his self-worth is tied up in the Ducks' winning and losing. Mine will never be. Perhaps that makes me a bad fan, not as fully invested as the rest of the Ducks' fan base. I just can't bring myself to think of hockey as the Ducks taking the ice to validate me as an individual.

My view of The Handshake Line is that it represents two sides accepting the outcome of the game. The most important disagreement is happening on the ice. The name-calling, gloating, etc. are exterior to that, and exterior to the game of hockey as a whole. You shake to acknowledge each other's efforts. And I would like to do that here.

So, Daniel, what, beyond "Good Luck," are the things you'd like to say to the players and personnel of the Red Wings franchise, as well as their fans?

DANIEL:
As Arthur has attested to, I had a lot of reservations about writing this edition of The Handshake Line. Not just because I hate the Red Wings, but because I've had to listen to 7 games of commentary that have generally been disrespectful towards my team. As a sports fan from the West Coast, I'm used to being forgotten about, but this series has pretty much been an exercise in how the Red Wings "can't do anything wrong," and the Ducks "can't do anything right." I'm not saying the Red Wings didn't beat us. You make your own breaks, and the Wings worked for that goal. They deserve to go on. I'm just saying I'd like it if people would remember that Anaheim battled, and they deserve the respect of people who appreciate good hockey. I didn't write that to be a bitter hockey fan, rather I did it to admit my own character flaws and admit that, at times, even I take the game too personally, or as Arthur put it, I almost became Chris Chelios and that is unacceptable for anyone who is a hockey fan. If you don't get that reference, then you should research Chelios' handshake habits. Having said all that, I now start my handshake list:

[To Babcock]
As anyone who pays attention to any sport can tell you, talent is not enough. You stayed one step ahead, and mixed your lines so effectively that there was almost no keeping up. It wasn't just Anaheim mistakes, it was your ability to switch up lines and have those guys mesh well enough to force those turnovers. You have a mastery of your team and you know how to use your talent. Bowman might have some competition for his ring count.

[To Darren Helm]
Props to a kid who has more career playoff games than regular season games. You scored a big goal in a big game 7, and you're a testament to your organization's ability to produce a never ending stream of quality talent.

[To Nicklas Lidstrom]
Is there a better guy in the league at holding the blue line than you? I don't think you make a lot of amazing plays, and that is what makes you so amazing. You have this way of being exactly where you need to be. Personally, I think you are the hockey equivalent of Nightcrawler. There's really nothing else to say about a guy, who does nothing but make sure his team has an opportunity to win. You are the closest thing in the NHL to a security blanket.

[To Pavel Datsyuk]
In my humble opinion, the Hart trophy is all yours. For Ovechkin or Malkin to be effective, they have to score. You, on the other hand, supply enough pressure and play enough great defense that it doesn't matter if you score because the rest of the team follows your lead. Despite the fact that we kept you off the score sheet, you still wore down the defense and your play led to opportunities for your teammates. That's what a Hart winner does.

[To Johan Franzen]
You really do look like a mule, but hockey players aren't supposed to be pretty. More importantly, I'm pretty sure you have more career playoff goals than regular season goals. All you do is charge fearlessly to the net and make sure the puck goes in. That's old school hockey. I think you are just like Chris Pronger, the only people who like you are your teammates and your fans, because everyone else in the league hates playing you.

[To Marian Hossa]
Way to keep pressing on. The Detroit media was ready to skewer you after the Ducks went up 2-1 and all you did was have a monster Game 4 that gave your team enough momentum to put itself in a position to keep winning. If you don't break out in Game 4, your team might not be going to the Western Conference Finals.

[To Chris Osgood]
Everyone said you were the Achilles Heel, but you came up with some big saves. Maybe you weren't spectacular, but you did enough to win, and at this time of year, the only thing that counts is winning. You stood tall when your team needed you the most, and as you've shown before, you are more than capable of backstopping this team to another Cup.

[To the fans]
Good luck.

ARTHUR:
[To IAmJoe]
It was good working with you. Good luck blogging the next round. I hope you get your own blog up and running soon. You post good stuff.

[To Chris Chelios]
Anyone seen Chris Chelios?

[To Mike Babcock]
I never doubted you after the Edmonoton series three years ago. I couldn't doubt you now. You acquiesced, and made one change after the opening shift of Game 4. Good call.

[To Johan Franzen and Dan Cleary]
I was never afraid of Hossa or Datsyuk, not for a second. I was always afraid of the two of you. You proved me right.

[To Nicklas Lidstrom]
I remember being sad to hear rumors that you were talking about retiring in 1999, snubbed yet again for the Norris Trophy. Way to spend a decade making us all regret overlooking you. You set the tone in this series, and that's really all a captain needs to do with a good team.

[To Niklas Kronwall]
Good luck and good hits. Oh, and try to stay on your skates in the next series. Those guys are fast. You might come out on the wrong end of one of th ose Randy Savage Flying Elbows.

[To Jonathan Ericsson]
Even the best of the best have to fight for a roster spot on the Red Wings. So, I hope you know how much of a compliment it is when I tell you that you're the future of this team's defensive corps.

[To Darren Helm]
You were barely old enough to drink the champagne out of the Cup (in the U S) when you lifted it, but I can tell you have the requisite heart to savor this success. Don't lose that, and don't let anyone take it from you.

[To Kris Draper]
A decade removed from The Grind Line, and it's still headline news that you're sidelined in a series. That's gotta warm a 37 year-old man's heart.

[To Chris Osgood]
Consistency is a young man's game. It's all about timing. Keep proving that.

ARTHUR:
The history books will tell you that Canada's English settlers instituted hockey's traditional handshake line, hoping to imbue the rough and tumble game with an air of sportsmanship. However, I prefer to believe, as I do about fighting, that the practice has its roots in the Iroquois lacrosse tradition. Tribes would settle their disagreements on the field in ferocious competition, but the field is where the disagreement stayed. You battled as hard as you could, but you accepted the final score, if not out of respect for your opponent, then out of respect for the game.

We respect the handshake line here at Anaheim Calling, and would like to start a handshake tradition of our own. So, Daniel, walking through the line of Sharks fans, Sharks players and the Sharks coaching staff, what are the positives beyond 'good game' that you would like to express?

DANIEL:
I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the Sharks, but maybe it's the hate that makes me like them so much. I don't know what I'd do without the Sharks. My dislike of them makes my love of hockey that much stronger. I didn't get to attend any games, but from what I watched on TV, props to San Jose fans for sticking it out. They never gave up. Too often, fans know the series is over and will resign themselves to waiting for the end to come. I'm always impressed by San Jose fans' undying loyalty to their squad despite the recent failings. I once dated a Sharks fan; she was crazy. But, she did take me to a playoff game after we broke up, which was very classy, especially since I broke her heart. The important thing to remember is that you still have the most talented corps in the league; your day will come. I just hope it's never at our expense.

[To Dan Boyle]
You tried as much as any D-man can to strap this team to your back. You had so many bounces go against you, and you had to battle what might be the best cycling line in the NHL, night in and night out, and you made them earn every inch of ice. Your performance in Game 3 pulled your team back from the abyss and made this a series. You showed incredible poise and work ethic. You put a mark on this team, and showed a leadership that will last this team well into next year and possibly/hopefully long after.

[To Rob Blake]
What do you say to the best hip checker in the league except don't go. One of the most memorable defensive plays I've ever seen belongs to you. I remember neither the team nor the game, but you were, as you usually were and rightfully so, wearing a Kings sweater and you reached around a forward protecting the puck with his body, got all puck and then finished by taking him to the ice. In this series, you showed again why you will be in the Hall of Fame, battling and still unleashing that bomb from the point. I haven't seen anything that says you're done, and if Chelios can still go, you've for sure still got it in you.

[To Joe Thornton]
I think you finally get it. The Joe Thornton that showed up to the last 3 games of this series is the Joe Thornton that all of Hockey has been waiting to see in the playoffs. I'm excited and worried. If the Sharks are smart, they'll keep you and Marleau and put you on a line with Cheechoo, again. One day you'll put your hands on the Cup and it'll be sweet.

[To Patrick Marleau]
You're a lifer; don't go anywhere! Just as I need to hate the Sharks, I need to hate you. You were a captain this series, a real one, the one that the Sharks always knew they had. You belong in a Sharks sweater, and when you finally hoist your cup for San Jose you'll be what Arthur and I always wanted Paul Kariya to be, the franchise player who won the Cup where he was supposed to win the Cup. You are synonymous with San Jose Hockey and that's how it should be.

[To Jonathan Cheechoo]
You are a sniper, and you are gritty. You are not a third line winger, and perhaps the abundance of talent in San Jose has been bad for you. I don't know. What I do know is that you can still win another Richard, and you showed in this series how you did it. You didn't find the back of the net as much, but I still remember why you were so deadly, and you will be again.

[To Todd McLellan]
Your system is great; you just ran into a great goalkeeper. You transformed a team coming off a sour playoff performance and got them to focus on the task at hand. You'll be around for a long time. And I hope that you and Carlyle can match wits for years to come.

ARTHUR:
[To All Sharks Fans]
I was able to shake a few hands and say, "good series" when the San Jose fans in my section made their way out. That sentiment goes for all Sharks fans. You made the Tank raucous and inhospitable, you brought an impressive contingent into the Ponda Center and you never stopped cheering a squad that wasn't always rewarded for its play. A team could not ask for more from its followers.

As to the personal fights or NorCal vs. SoCal trash talk, I'm afraid I'm handicapped in that debate. You see, I'm from the Bay Area-- born San Francisco General, raised ten blocks from Candlestick in the 80s, die hard Niners fan, die hard Giants fan. I moved away the year after the Sharks were formed, and by the time I came back to attend Berkeley, I was parading my Kariya jersey through HP Pavillion. If there's some kind of regional war, I'm afraid I'll have to opt out.

[To Patrick Marleau]
You went out there with a bum wheel (or some other lower body car part), and you produced to the tune of 2 GWG. The "C" is the heaviest patch on the jersey and you carried it well, presumably on one leg.

[To Joe Thornton]
I knew I was looking at a different Joe when I saw you jawing at Getzlaf during the opening faceoff of the 2nd period in Game 5. Then you backed it up to open Game 6. That's the playoff Joe we've been looking for. I hope to see him next year, though I hope we don't play him next year. Oh, and secure your fight strap next time you go toe-to-toe, will ya?

[To Devin Setoguchi]
They say you can't teach size, and you can't coach poise. You came out swinging in Game 1. And far more impressive than your 65-point sophomore campaign was the goal you scored in Game 5. You knew you were facing a hot goaltender, but you took what you knew from scouting him, you gave yourself space and you were patient with the puck. You're a playoff performer, and you will be for years to come.

[To Jonathan Cheechoo]
You ran the spectrum in Game 2: the Verbeek-ian grit that draws penalties and the Bossy-an hands that force a team to pick its mistakes out of the back of the net. You're a duck killer. We were lucky to get away.

[To Todd McLellan]
After they shut you down in the neutral zone, you made all the right moves. You might've breezed through this series if the goalie had been more cooperative.