{"id":6493,"date":"2026-05-15T11:37:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:37:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:37:40","slug":"alexander-an-unhappy-ending-for-ducks-but-is-it-also-a-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493","title":{"rendered":"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

ANAHEIM \u2014 As a disappointed crowd of Ducks fans gave their heroes one last salute before they left the ice Thursday night, Honda Center public address announcer Phil Hulett put it all into perspective.<\/p>\n

Read more Ducks\u2019 season ends with Game 6 loss to Golden Knights<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt only gets better from here,\u201d he told them.<\/p>\n

Maybe the Ducks should use that as their advertising slogan this summer. (Or maybe that\u2019s already the plan, and the PA guy was giving all of us a preview.)<\/p>\n

Yes, Ducks players and coaches had a longer playoff run in mind, rather than the one that ended with a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their best-of-seven second-round series. The elimination game was on a rink where the Ducks previously were 7-0 all-time in Game 6 opportunities, and not making it 8-0 stung.<\/p>\n

The evening started badly enough with Vegas\u2019 Mitch Marner scoring 1:02 into the game and the Knights taking a 3-0 lead in the first period, and got worse for the home side when Pavel Dorofeyev added his eighth and ninth goals of the playoffs in the third period.<\/p>\n

But there most definitely is hope in Orange County, anticipation for a future led by young stars like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke.<\/p>\n

The franchise\u2019s first playoff experience since 2018 reminded Ducks fans why this sport at its best can be so intoxicating. And the template over which Coach Joel Quenneville presided with the Chicago Blackhawks \u2013 which ultimately resulted in three Stanley Cup titles for that franchise \u2013 seems firmly in place in Orange County.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you learn (as a group) that every game as a team, everybody pulls together in the playoffs,\u201d Quenneville said. \u201cIt gets exponentially higher and more important, and (you) welcome that challenge of being a part of a group that knows that chips are on the line, and we\u2019ve got to step forward and compete for one another and for the team and the fans and the organization.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve had a lot of character pieces here, and that\u2019s where the growth starts. But this was an experience where you can say this should help us moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winning a series for the franchise\u2019s first playoff victory in nine seasons, in the six-game triumph over Edmonton, was a good start. It showed the youngsters what was possible. The experience of a grueling second-round series against Vegas will help, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven some of the games we lost, we played really well in them,\u201d right wing Troy Terry said, while acknowledging that Game 6 certainly wasn\u2019t one of them. But, he added, \u201cI think we earned the right to be in a Game 6 and try and force a Game 7. I know everyone was excited for it. And yeah, just it\u2019s a little hard to take right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more University and business leaders weigh a college degree\u2019s value<\/a><\/p>\n

It is a starting point, Terry conceded, adding: \u201cBut at the same time, you know, you can\u2019t take it for granted. I mean, I\u2019m well aware of how hard it is to make the playoffs. And I do hope that this springboards us into the way we look at other teams, and the way we look at (ourselves) and just the confidence that we\u2019re bringing into next year.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think it does feel like it could be the start of something, but yeah, I mean, there\u2019s a lot of work to be had. It\u2019s a hard thing. I mean everyone else is going to get better this summer and we just got to keep pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n

When that message reverberates around the room, it\u2019s a positive. As a group, and as individuals, there should have been enough lessons coming out of this postseason to set up what should be a serious summer of preparation and improvement.<\/p>\n

Some of that should bleed into the regular season next year, too. Terry, 28 and a veteran of eight seasons, acknowledged that while the Ducks demonstrated they\u2019re a good team, their inconsistency \u2013 a seven-game winning streak early in the season and 12 wins in 14 games from mid-January to March 1, mixed with a stretch of 13 losses (two in overtime) in 15 games at midseason and eight (two OT) in nine games at the end of the season \u2013 made things harder than necessary in the quest for that elusive playoff berth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you get into (the) playoffs and you get kind of a taste of it and just what it takes at that level,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think \u2026 we learned, myself included, just how to play in those games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say this, we\u2019re coming off a game that was a bit of a dud and it was hard to take, but I think our overall consistency in the playoffs was good. I thought we brought it for the most part and most of every game. \u2026 Like I said, this is what we kind of struggled with in the regular season, just the consistency and being sharp every night. And you learn \u2026 you can\u2019t not be \u2018on\u2019 going into one of these games. So I think it raised everyone\u2019s attention to details and all of that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also this example of growth: When the Ducks first began this postseason journey, Terry acknowledged, they were \u201cmaybe just trying to prove to ourselves that we can do it. And then that quickly turned into bigger aspirations. And that\u2019s why it\u2019s a little harder to swallow right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have guys that have won Cups and a lot of experienced guys, but for myself and then some of the young guys, I think it gave us just a taste of (a), how hard it is to get back to the playoffs, and (b), just how rewarding it is to go through this journey. \u2026 I hope that everyone goes home hungry and wants to be back here and keep building on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Baseball playoffs roundup: Santa Margarita slugs 8 HRs in rout; Foothill, Canyon advance<\/a><\/p>\n

If they do? That work is how Stanley Cups are ultimately won.<\/p>\n

jalexander@scng.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Ducks are eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series, but this young group almost certainly will be back and better in the years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion-columnist","category-represents-the-opinion-of-the-author-who-is-either-a-paid-columnist-or-an-unpaid-guest-columnist"],"yoast_head":"\nAlexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning? - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning? - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Ducks are eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series, but this young group almost certainly will be back and better in the years to come.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T11:37:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T11:37:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493\"},\"wordCount\":1041,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion Columnist\",\"Represents the opinion of the author who is either a paid columnist or an unpaid guest columnist.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493\",\"name\":\"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning? - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T11:37:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":711},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6493#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning? - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning? - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"The Ducks are eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series, but this young group almost certainly will be back and better in the years to come.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-05-15T11:37:40+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning?","datePublished":"2026-05-15T11:37:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493"},"wordCount":1041,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp","articleSection":["Opinion Columnist","Represents the opinion of the author who is either a paid columnist or an unpaid guest columnist."],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493","name":"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning? - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-15T11:37:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bb5592254ee47925a56e7eca205acbd8.webp","width":1024,"height":711},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6493#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Alexander: An unhappy ending for Ducks, but is it also a beginning?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}