Three Anaheim Ducks to remember when playing a game of Puckdoku

Puckdoku is the trivia game sweeping the hockey world. It’s the NHL equivalent of the “Immaculate Grid,“ a three-by-three fill-in-the-blank puzzle that originated as an MLB game but quickly spawned variants for all kinds of other sports leagues.

The concept is simple: For each square, try to think of a player who fits into the criteria established by both the corresponding X- and Y-axis labels. For example, Ray Bourque would fit perfectly into a Boston Bruins/Colorado Avalanche square. Patrick Roy would do just fine for Colorado/Montreal. You get the idea.

Of course, it goes a little deeper than that. Sometimes, instead of teams, Puckdoku uses statistical thresholds (“200+ goals”) or career achievements (“Olympic gold medalist”) as categories. Also, if you want to use a Minnesota North Stars player for the Dallas Stars or an original Winnipeg Jets player for the Arizona Coyotes, you can.

Naturally, some players are more useful for Puckdoku than others. Someone like Maurice Richard, who spent his entire career with the Montreal Canadiens, is pretty much useless for the game unless a Habs label happens to intersect with the right statistical category.

On the flip side, players who spent time with several NHL teams are among the most valuable for Puckdoku purposes. And the more obscure the player, the lower (and better) your “uniqueness” score will be. Both Jarome Iginla and Blake Comeau are valid answers for Calgary/Pittsburgh, but one is a little less well-known than the other.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to spend some time here at Daily Faceoff highlighting three players connected with each NHL franchise who are particularly useful in games of Puckdoku. We’ll kick things off with the Anaheim Ducks.

Kevin Shattenkirk

Teams: Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks

One of the better offensive defensemen of his generation, Shattenkirk has nonetheless bounced around quite a bit after his successful tenure with the St. Louis Blues ended in 2017. He signed a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins earlier this summer, but he can’t be used as a Puckdoku pick for Boston until he plays a game for the team.

Despite being one of the best rookie defensemen in the NHL, Shattenkirk was traded to the St. Louis Blues from the Colorado Avalanche midway through his debut season in a major deal that also included former No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson. Shattenkirk went on to spend parts of seven seasons in St. Louis, collecting 258 points in 425 games.

Shattenkirk joined the Washington Capitals at the 2017 trade deadline, but it didn’t end up going all that well. The Caps paid a hefty price (including a first-round pick) to add Shattenkirk, but he scored just one goal and finished with a minus-four rating in 13 playoff games en route to yet another second-round exit.

After a similarly fruitless stint with the New York Rangers, Shattenkirk joined the Tampa Bay Lightning on a bargain-basement contract for the 2019–20 season and recaptured some of his past magic in a less demanding role. He racked up 13 points in 25 playoff contests as the Lightning won their second Stanley Cup.

Shattenkirk ultimately parlayed his success with the Bolts into a handsome three-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks. Although the team didn’t really come all that close to contention (or even relevance) during Shattenkirk’s tenure, he logged a ton of minutes and consistently performed well on the power play.

Oleg Tverdovsky

Teams: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings

Perhaps Tverdovsky could be considered the Kevin Shattenkirk of his generation. Both short, stocky defensemen flip-flopped between demanding roles on weaker teams and depth spots on contenders, picking up championship rings along the way — although, by the time Tverdovsky was as old as Shattenkirk is now, he was out of the NHL for good.

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim selected Tverdovsky with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1994 NHL Draft, and he made his debut with the club the following season. But the Ducks ended up trading Tverdovsky before his 20th birthday, and for good reason: Teemu Selanne just happened to be available.

So, Selanne went to Anaheim, Tverdovsky went to Winnipeg and, soon after, the Jets went to Phoenix. Even as Selanne was further establishing himself as a star player with the Ducks, Tverdovsky was helping the Coyotes become a perennial playoff team in their first years in the desert (though they never made it past the first round). At age 20, Tverdovsky put up a career-high 55 points in 82 games with the Coyotes in 1996–97.

After seeing his number plummet in his third full season with the Coyotes, Tverdovsky was traded back to the Mighty Ducks in 1999 and quickly re-established himself as one of the most productive rearguards in the league. His second stint in Anaheim lasted three years before he was flipped to the New Jersey Devils in 2002.

In a twist of fate, the Devils ended up facing off against the Mighty Ducks in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final — and Tverdovsky’s new team ended up beating Anaheim in seven games, earning him his first ring. Three years later, Tverdovsky would win his second Stanley Cup, this time as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. But after 26 goalless games with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2006–07 season, Tverdovsky’s time in the NHL drew to a close, with him collecting a total of 317 points in 713 career appearances.

Maxim Lapierre

Teams: Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins

Lapierre might be best remembered for his helping the Vancouver Canucks reach Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final with his agitating play in a depth role on Alain Vigneault’s squad throughout the playoffs.

But the Canucks were actually the third team Lapierre played for in the 2010–11 season. He began the year with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he entered the league in 2005. But the Canadiens flipped Lapierre to the similarly middling Anaheim Ducks partway through the campaign.

Both the Canadiens and Ducks were destined to lose in the first round of the 2011 playoffs, but the Canucks were on their way to their first of back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies. In need of a bit more toughness, the Canucks acquired Lapierre — who didn’t score a goal in his 21-game stint with the Ducks — in exchange for depth forward Joel Perreault and a third-round pick.

Lapierre was a memorable character on some of the best Canucks teams we’ve ever seen. His tenure in Anaheim was anything but memorable, which makes him a strong “uniqueness” pick for the Ducks. And he played for enough teams that he has a pretty broad range of usefulness.

After leaving the Canucks in 2013, Lapierre made brief stops with the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins before heading overseas to play in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. He finished his NHL career with 65 goals and 139 points in 614 games.