Wally Pipp once said he "took the two most expensive aspirin in history". Perhaps, Lou Gehrig's predecessor saw the writing on the wall.
It wasn't any aspirin that forced a slew of talented Anaheim Ducks players off of the ice. It was just a numbers game. Anyone with basic math skills saw this writing on the wall: 29 active players on their roster and only 19 spots on the ice each night.
The Ducks have such tremendous depth that through two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, James Wisniewski and Jiri Sekac have yet to see the postseason ice, Korbinian Holzer has yet to even get in a game with the Ducks, Chris Wagner played two games and was never heard from again and Emerson Etem and Tomas Fleischmann have been rotating from the ice to the pressbox.
Remember John Gibson? The goaltender of postseason lore? He's backing up a goalie that hasn't needed a backup.
Sure, you could say they all got Wally Pipp'd, but that's not how they see it. Each one of them, and each one of the Black Aces from Norfolk, are doing what they can to help the Ducks reach win a Stanley Cup.
Even if it means riding the pine.
"It's frustrating, but if you weren't frustrated, there would be something wrong with you," said Wisniewski. "But at the same time, we're 8-1, so I just have to kind of keep coming to the rink, working hard and you never know when something is going to happen."
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Too many options and too much depth is about the best problem to have in the postseason. Yet the Ducks have been relatively lucky with injuries and illnesses and haven't needed to reach into their stash of reserve playoff weapons. This wasn't how any of them envisioned their postseason, but each one understands that it's about more than their individual desires.
"A lot of guys have come up to me and told me, 'Hey man, you're taking it unbelievable. You're probably dying inside but you're not showing it.' That's kind of what I'm trying to do," Wisniewski said. "I don't need a woe-is-me attitude. I go home every day, see my kids and they put me in a good mood."
Wisniewski as admittedly surprised when Bruce Boudreau went with defenseman Clayton Stoner over him in Game 1 of the quarterfinals, but he hasn't changed his attitude or his work ethic. Instead, he's used his veteran experience to help the power play unit and work with some of the younger players in practices.
His efforts have been noticed and appreciated.
"The guy I'm most proud of is Wisniewski," Boudreau said. "He hasn't played and he's been such a pro, such a good man out there for us. He's like a coach without being a coach. He knows the other guys have played right now. He knows there's a chance he might get in if we stumble. But at the same time, his attitude has been tremendous."
Etem scored two goals in the playoffs - one that still might give Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba nightmares - and was part of a strong checking fourth line that was integral in the first series. Finally, it looked as though the Long Beach-bred left wing was hitting his playoff stride after being demoted back to the AHL during the second round of last year's postseason.
But after the Ducks suffered their first and only loss, Boudreau benched him for Fleischmann. Etem had no qualms with the decision.
#NHLDucks-#Blackhawks: Series sked, TV info http://t.co/cjOIKVxk3I .. Don't miss 'Ducks Live' after each playoff game pic.twitter.com/ErmwId5fVj
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"That last game there, Game 3 in Calgary, it wasn't my best game of the playoffs," he said. "It's what I can control, not too high and not too low. I've had some pretty good games in the playoffs and I've had some not so good games. It's managing that. You go back to where you did have success and you try to emulate that as much as possible."
Etem also noted how thin the margin is between victory and error against a team like the Chicago Blackhawks, the Ducks' next opponent.
"For this next series, you can't afford to have a bad game - no one in the lineup," he said. "They're that good of a team."
Chicago's game is based on speed, which is why Sekac is hoping to finally hear his name called. He's never played in a Stanley Cup Playoff game, so the experience off the ice has been valuable, but the left winger feels like this might be his series.
He promises, he's ready.
"For sure, I think I can give this team a lot of speed, some skills and I'm pretty sure I could help our team too," he said. "If you're not in the lineup, then you're just trying to get better or work on your physical shape, because when you're body soft, you're not ready. When there is a chance, you need to be ready to prove that they made a mistake taking you out of the lineup."
Regardless of how much any of them have played - if at all - each one agreed that a positive outlook is key. Negativity isn't only detrimental to them, but to everyone else as well. While their patience has been - and may continue to be - tested, the only thing any of them can do is stay positive and stay ready.
You never know when one play will change the entire series.
"I can just try and stay positive and understand that my time might come soon," Wisniewski said. "Somebody goes down - knock on wood - or something else and I have my shoulder tapped on. Before I go in there I have to be 100 percent focused on this team and help them achieve the ultimate goal."
