Determined Kunitz Is Making It Stick

There were two distinct views of Chris Kunitz during his time in the Mighty Ducks’ training camp in September.

Ask Kunitz about it and he’ll tell you he played well. A three-goal performance in an exhibition game against San Jose only served as confirmation in his mind. Besides, he already had a call-up with the team in 2003-04 that wound up lasting 21 games.

“My expectation was that I was going to make the team,” he said Saturday, reflecting as he sat in the Duck dressing room.

Randy Carlyle, the team’s new coach, saw the forward’s work in a different light.

“He didn’t have a very good camp,” Carlyle said. “We had this discussion and [we felt] he was nowhere near what we expected of him and nowhere near what he expected of himself in training camp.”

And as he prepared himself to join the Ducks on opening night in Chicago, Kunitz got a surprise when he returned to his hotel room after their final exhibition game and looked at his telephone.

“You know it when you see the blinking light,” he said. “That’s the telltale sign. Then you have your meeting the next day with them. They pretty much told me that I didn’t fit in the plans.”

Eight months later, the 26-year-old forward is firmly in the Ducks’ plans as they head into Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Colorado Avalanche today at the Arrowhead Pond.

Kunitz played a big role in the Ducks’ 5-0 victory in Game 1, in which he scored a goal and assisted on another in a four-goal blitz during the second period. The plays upped his point total to five in eight playoff games.

Kunitz’s willingness to do the less glamorous parts of the game is what has most impressed his coach and teammates.

Against Colorado on Friday, he tied up a puck along the boards with three Avalanche players hounding him to force a whistle and blocked a shot during a penalty kill.

“You see, he’s doing everything,” forward Teemu Selanne said. “He’s doing all the right things.”

He took a winding road to get to this place. In October, Kunitz had to pass through waivers before being sent to the club’s minor league affiliate in Portland, Maine. He didn’t get there because the Atlanta Thrashers claimed him.

Two weeks later, he was back on waivers as the Thrashers tried to send him to the minors.

“I didn’t really get a shot there,” Kunitz said. “They needed to make room for the [salary] cap. I played in two games and sat for five or six of them.”

The Ducks got their chance to get him back, but he was immediately off to Portland.

After one more three-game stint in Portland, Kunitz used his strong offensive skills to secure a place on the top line with Selanne and center Andy McDonald. He wound up setting club rookie records with 19 goals and 22 assists in 67 regular-season games, surpassing marks set by former Duck star Paul Kariya.

Selanne said Kunitz immediately wanted to make a contribution when he joined their line in December.

“A lot of times, it takes a guy to be comfortable playing with [certain] guys.... For Kuni, it happened really quickly. It was great to see that he wanted to be a big part of the line right away,” Selanne said.

The difference for Kunitz, Carlyle said, has been putting more grit into his game.

“I said it’s going to take a lot more than what we saw in training camp,” Carlyle said. “He was a higher-level player than what he had performed at for the [six] weeks we were together. Our expectations were that this was his opportunity. And he has not disappointed since.”

The 6-foot Kunitz played at Ferris State in Big Rapids, Mich., where he was selected the Central Collegiate Hockey Assn. player of the year after producing 35 goals and 44 assists in 2002-03 and was a finalist for the national player-of-the-year award.

At his age, Kunitz said he knew he didn’t have as many chances as younger prospects and figured he just needed the right situation.

“It all worked out in the end,” he said. “I can’t complain where I’m at right now.”