Kent Huskins returns to Anaheim.
The San Jose roster features only one former Duck: Kent Huskins, who was dealt to the Sharks along with Travis Moen at last season's trade deadline.
Yet today will mark the first time Huskins will face his former team. The defenseman never played last season after Dec. 31, 2008, when he fractured his foot at Honda Center against the Columbus Blue Jackets
"The whole second half of the season, it was just kind of day to day the whole time -- which made it more difficult, waiting and seeing how it felt every day," Huskins said. "Having to sit on the sidelines, not being able to get out there and take part in the playoffs was probably the most frustrating thing."
Huskins played his first regular-season game since the injury Thursday, when the Sharks lost 5-2 to the Avalanche in Denver. He did appear in an exhibition game against the Ducks, but "the regular season is a whole different ball game," he said.
So what will it be like facing former teammates?
"I don't know. It'll probably be a little strange," Huskins said. "I'm excited. Even though there's a lot of new faces, there's a lot of guys I know pretty well over there. It'll probably be strange heading over there for warm-ups, and once the game gets started it'll just kind of fade away."
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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