Deadline of no concern to Giguere

The NHL trade deadline in recent years has been referred to as Christmas Day for hockey fans, particularly those north of the border.

Even players can get caught up in who’s rumored to go where and which teams are buyers and sellers. Jean-Sebastien Giguere doesn’t deny that the days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline are those he views with fascination.

“I’ve been an NHL fan all my life,” the Ducks goalie said Saturday. “I loved the trade rumors. If you have [Canada-based networks] TSN or RDS, you tune it in and pretty much watch all day and see what’s going to happen.”

It’s a stressful time for those being mentioned most in trade rumors, but that’s something Giguere won’t have to worry about. The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner is holding up his end in the first year of a four-year, $24-million extension he signed in June after another strong performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Two more victories will give Giguere a fourth 30-win season and his third in a row. Before Saturday’s games, his 28 wins were tied for fourth in the league with Buffalo’s Ryan Miller. Giguere is also in the top 10 in save percentage (.919), goals-against average (2.21) and shutouts (four).

Not bad for a goalie who has never been named to an All-Star team.

Ducks captain Chris Pronger said Giguere gets less attention because he doesn’t play in the East and because he’s not flashy, making fewer spectacular saves than many goalies.

“It’s simply that you get the same thing every day,” Pronger said. “You know what you’re getting. You know he’s going to be a guy that challenges the puck and [will] be square to the puck. Everything’s going to lay in front of him.

“There’s strict guidelines that he follows technique-wise. All I know is he’s a very tough goalie to beat. He practices at that technique relentlessly every day and makes sure that he’s as sharp as he can be.”

Giguere’s consistency is what the Ducks point to. Since he was pulled in consecutive games against the Kings and Minnesota, the nine-year veteran has gone 7-1-1 with a 1.31 goals-against average.

“The one thing you can say about Jiggy is he comes to work every day,” Coach Randy Carlyle said. “He has a routine where he spends a lot of time doing things behind the scenes that people don’t see. And our younger players can learn from that.”

If he played in his native Montreal or Toronto, Giguere acknowledged, he might be a more household name. But “it’s a trade-off that I’m more than willing to take,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. I’m having fun right now with a great bunch of guys. . . . I’m really happy here with the Ducks and I’m happy with my situation here in Anaheim. I could care less about anything else.”

Giguere’s situation is much more secure than it was in the last couple of seasons when he fended off stiff challenges by Ilya Bryzgalov, who’s now with Phoenix.

“Fortunately this year, I can breathe a little bit easier than last year,” he said. “I don’t have to worry too much about being traded. It’s kind of nice, I won’t lie.”

TONIGHT

vs. Chicago, 5, FSN Prime Ticket

Site -- Honda Center.

Radio -- 830.

Records -- Ducks 35-23-7, Blackhawks 29-26-6.

Record vs. Blackhawks -- 2-0-0.

Update -- Patrick Sharp leads Chicago with 29 goals. Sharp scored twice Saturday in the Blackhawks’ victory over the Kings, including the overtime winner.

Tickets -- (877) 945-3946.

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