Star of Ducks' definitive victory is Wild fans' old pal Bertuzzi

There were 3 1/2 minutes remaining Friday night, and defending champion Anaheim was leading the Wild 4-2. A TV timeout was signaled, and that's when the Team of 18,000 started heading up the aisles and into the frigid night.

The thousands of traffic-beaters missed nothing in those final minutes, unless they were interested in circling by the Boogey Man, Derek Boogaard, that led to no mayhem.

That remained the final score, 4-2 Ducks, and nothing about this evening was satisfying for the customers, including the fact that the evening's No. 1 star was their old pal from the 2003 playoffs, Todd Bertuzzi.

The usual boos were heard when Bertuzzi was introduced, and more when he was mentioned in relation to three goals.

Two of the goals were off his stick, and one was an assist.

"They love you here," a reporter said to Bertuzzi later.

He shrugged and said: "I guess they remember me from the playoffs with Van. I like playing in an arena like this. The fans are always into the game here."

He became a villain to Wild fans, both for his belligerent play and for the needle he applied to people standing in line for a potential sixth game in the series.

"Don't bother," was Bertuzzi's message before Game 4. The Canucks won that night, digging that 3-1 hole, but when the Wild came back with three consecutive victories, the St. Paul crowds never wanted Bertuzzi to forget it.

His problems became much more serious than agitation gone bad late in the 2003-04 season, when he pummeled Colorado's Steve Moore, ending his hockey career.

Bertuzzi never has been the same player -- perhaps until right now, as he seems to be finding his stride with those two tall, talented forwards, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.

An Anaheim beat reporter asked Bertuzzi how his level of "happiness" compared with that of those high-scoring days in Vancouver.

The Ducks won their first Stanley Cup last June. There would not have been room on the roster for Bertuzzi if Edmonton had not made a huge qualifying offer for Dustin Penner, a restricted free agent.

Brian Burke, the Anaheim hockey boss, complained mightily that Edmonton had made a financial decision that would cause problems for the entire league. Then he signed Bertuzzi to replace Penner's size and to add more skill with the puck.

This seemed like a large gamble, because Bertuzzi missed most of last season with a back problem. "I rehabbed as much as possible, then went to Anaheim a month before camp to work with the [conditioning staff]," he said. "My back's good right now."

Bertuzzi will be 33 next month. He's playing the left side with Getzlaf and Perry, a pair of 22-year-olds who have played on the same line since 2005. Bertuzzi is 6-3, 231 pounds, Perry is 6-3, 209 and Getzlaf is 6-3, 221.

"I think any time you have three big-bodied, skilled players that have been able to produce some offense historically, it's an easy match to make," coach Randy Carlyle said.

He showed skill on the first goal by finishing a 3-on-1 break with a backhand, led Perry to the net for the second goal and then showed a quick trigger from in close against goalie Josh Harding for the final goal.

And on the third goal, he received no credit, but Bertuzzi provided the screen on Harding to allow Chris Pronger to blast in a point shot.

"I couldn't see much net because he was there," Pronger said. "Bertuzzi down low on the power play ... that's a nice weapon for us."