ANAHEIM -- Ric Jackman used to have more of a thirst for what was poured into the Stanley Cup than the traditional thirst involved in the quest for the Cup.
But standing in front of the Honda Center here yesterday before boarding the bus to the airport with his Anaheim Duck teammates, the latest Black Ace to be the toast of a Stanley Cup playoff series didn't want to talk much about his former thirst.
"I had some problems when I was young. That's now in the past," said the former Toronto Maple Leaf, Dallas Star, Boston Bruin, Pittsburgh Penguin and Florida Panther in his eighth season in the league since being the fifth pick in the first round by Dallas in 1996.
WHAT A NIGHT!
The night before, Jackman - playing his first ever playoff game - scored his first goal on his first shot on goal while replacing Chris Pronger for his one-game suspension.
"He's what the Stanley Cup playoffs are all about," said Todd Marchant, himself a bit of story the night before taking on a much larger role to get Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald's line going.
"To step in and stand out like Jackman is what you need in the playoffs. He played a big game for us."
Marchant, having spent the last two months hanging around the Black Aces waiting to recover from hernia surgery, relates.
"The effort they put in, day in and day out, when their chances of getting in the line-up are slim, yet to still have that hope ... That was great for Ric. There are so many stories in the playoffs and he's one of them."
A native of Toronto, Jackman was picked 23 positions higher than Daniel Briere in that '96 draft and, to use his term, has "bounced around a bit."
He said this wasn't the way he figured his career would work out, exactly.
"There were expectations, being a high draft pick. I came in with big dreams as a player," he said. "That's a life-long dream of any player."
To get the chance to play again was huge to the 28-year-old who was obtained from Florida Jan. 3 after playing only seven games with the Panthers.
"I've never asked to be traded. I was dealt on the deadline twice and in the summer once. All of them have been kind of surprising. My wife is getting good at packing."
He had not seen action since March 22, having missed the final three games of the regular season and two rounds of the playoffs. He had played 24 games, scoring a goal, 10 assists and registering a plus three mark in his time with the team.
He'd still have to play at least one game in the final to get his name on the Cup should the Ducks win it. But all things are possible now. His goal went a long way to getting the Ducks back in the series and even-up going to Game 5 tomorrow afternoon in Detroit.
"I was a little nervous at the start, but once I settled into a groove it worked out. I just wanted to contribute any way I could. It was a great opportunity."
Jackman said getting traded was an opportunity.
"It was not going well in Florida," he said.
BLACK ACE BEFORE
When he made it to the NHL with the Stars they were defending Stanley Cup champions and he was with the team going to another Stanley Cup final.
"I was a Black Ace, but I felt like I was part of the team," he said. "And whether I played last night or not I've felt like I was a part of this team. You never know. If you work hard every day, look at the big picture and try and contribute, it can happen."
He has no idea if he'll get another game.
"I couldn't tell you, but I'll be ready to play."
Coach Randy Carlyle isn't saying.
"He's worked hard. As far as where he'll be in the lineup in the next game, we'll assess the situation. Obviously Pronger will be back in the lineup. Somebody might come out or we could go with a seventh D."
There are a lot of players who have been Black Aces before Ric Jackman who are cheering for the guy.
