The common thread that linked the Ducks' latest Game 7 playoff exit to their Game 7 loss last season and the season before that — and the season before that — was obvious.
"It was almost the mentality was they weren't going out to win, they were going out not to lose, and you can't play hockey that way. You cannot," General Manager Bob Murray said Friday. "That's just the group, and it was very disturbing to watch."
It was distressing enough for him to fire Coach Bruce Boudreau, who had guided the Ducks from the pits of the Pacific Division in December to their fourth straight division title only to squander a 3-2 series lead and lose Game 7 at home for the fourth straight season.