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LaBarbera answers Duck call

After spending most of last season in the minors, Jason LaBarbera is going to get a shot at playing in the National Hockey League again. As part of that good news, he's now with an organization that has an excellent chance to win a Stanley Cup.
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Jason LaBarbera, who spent part of last season as a backup goal tender for the Chicago Blackhawks, is now a member of the Anaheim Ducks organization.

After spending most of last season in the minors, Jason LaBarbera is going to get a shot at playing in the National Hockey League again.

As part of that good news, he's now with an organization that has an excellent chance to win a Stanley Cup.

LaBarbera, a 34-year-old who played minor hockey in Prince George, signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Anaheim Ducks on July 1. The Ducks, with star players like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and the newly-acquired Ryan Kesler, are a Western Conference power and will likely be even stronger this coming season. That's saying a lot, considering they finished first in the West last season with a 54-20-8 record. In the playoffs, they were eliminated in a seven-game, second-round series by the Los Angeles Kings, who went on to claim the Cup.

LaBarbera, who split last season between the NHL's Edmonton Oilers and two AHL clubs - the Oklahoma City Barons and Rockford IceHogs - was understandably thrilled when the contract offer came from the Ducks.

"I didn't really know where my place in the market was going to be," he said. "My agent called me twice [on July 1] and I wasn't really by my phone because I didn't really think he was going to call me that day. It was pretty surprising."

As for joining a Stanley Cup contender, that's a true bonus. LaBarbera got a taste of the most recent playoffs when the Chicago Blackhawks brought him up from Rockford as a third goaltender behind Corey Crawford and Antti Raanta. LaBarbera was present when the Hawks were eliminated in the Western Conference final by the Kings.

"I think we all felt like we were one goal away from winning a Cup," said LaBarbera, who watched the Hawks fall 5-4 in overtime in the seventh and deciding game. "Everybody kind of thought whoever won the West was going to win the whole thing.

"It was pretty cool to be around that group and see how they operate," he added. "Anytime you get a chance to be that close or get a chance to win [a Stanley Cup] is really exciting."

LaBarbera is now with his seventh NHL organization. In Anaheim, he'll probably be given a chance to compete for a spot with a couple of youngsters, namely Frederik Andersen and John Gibson.

"I don't know what [the Ducks'] plan is," LaBarbera said. "More than likely, I'm a guy that can kind of spell [Andersen and Gibson] if they need a game or two. Maybe it gives them a little bit more time [to develop] or helps them out a little bit. I can be a good teammate, be a good guy around the room and help those guys learn and grow a little bit.

"But I honestly don't know what my role would be or what they expect of me," he added. "I don't know if I'll be the backup there or be the third guy kind of going up and down. I have no clue. All you can ask for is an opportunity and do the best with the opportunities that you're given."