«From LAX it'll take around 45 minutes to get to my house, just pass by, I'm gonna be home.» Luca Sbisa is facing a do or die season in the NHL and he fully relies on the Anaheim Ducks, his practice buddies Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry – but above all on himself.

While the Swiss NHL-Stars Mark Streit (Zurich) and Jonas Hiller (Davos) spend summer in Switzerland to practice with their forming Swiss clubs, Luca Sbisa is staying in Newport Beach, Orange County. «The last time I was in Switzerland was in January, when I travelled home with the Junior national team after the World Juniors in Saskatoon.» Other than that, Sbisa spends his whole life in Newport Beach. His house in a quiet, upscale neighborhood is one mile off the lively boardwalk. His team-mates Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry have homes just down the road. «The Swiss boy got a pretty good deal,» teases Bobby Ryan, when I enter Sbisa's house. The US-American forward is Sbisa's best friend in Anaheim, he spends much time with him. Just when I stop by at Sbisa's, Ryan is about to work on his TV console.

More weight thanks to injury

Besides the fact that Sbisa's only 20 years old there is no other evidence that there is a rising NHL-star living at this house. He has a neatly maintained garden, a Beachcruiser is standing in the driveway, a BMW in the garage. «The neighbors understand my need for rest,» says Sbisa. «Nobody makes a big deal out of the fact that I'm a Ducks player.» When Sbisa gets up from his chair to get me a glass of water, I wonder. «Are you still growing?» I ask. «I'm getting stronger,» smiles Sbisa somewhat proud. Since he dropped out of the playoffs with the Portland Winter Hawks disappointingly early, he gained 10 pounds of muscle. «I have taken advantage from the fact that I am still battling injury. Because I can't do speed strength training, I could gain a lot of muscle.» Sbisa's abdominal injury from the 2009/10 season is healed, the broken finger of the World Juniors is fixed. «But my broken foot from the WHL championship still causes me problems.» Sbisa's telling me that the Canadian Western Hockey League is an organization of tough guys. «The ice pack is an everyday cure against all kinds of injuries. They wanted to teach us to suffer. But an ice bag is simply the wrong medicine for a broken foot.» The doctors discovered his broken bone too late, his ligaments and tendons have stabilized the injury. «For that I must undergo a lot of physical therapy to stretch those tapes again.»

Do or Die
Start of June Sbisa traveled to Switzerland to touch the ice at Andre Rufener's pro Hockey Camp. Rufener is the Swiss agent who has almost all the new Swiss NHL-ers under contract. Two weeks later Sbisa will travel back to Anaheim. «I'm facing a do or die season, the most important months of my career are right ahead of me. My three-year contract with Anaheim expires in July 2011 and I want to play 82 NHL games for the Ducks and then sign a nice check in summer.» So far had Sbisa's NHL Teams always had arguments to send the youngster back to juniors. «But now there is simply no reason to ban me from the team. I can make the top 5 defenders of the Ducks, I'm sure I can beat this. I am ready.» Sbisa says this knowing that the Ducks are about to hire two high profile players, in order to replace the retired star defender Scott Niedermayer. In the meantime we know one of them: Toni Lydman signed with the team.

On one stage with Ryan, Perry and Getzlaf
The fact that Sbisa was sent to juniors after only eight games last season honors him from today's perspective. «The Ducks have done the same with Bobby Ryan, with Dustin Penner and Ryan Getzlaf. It is an honor for me to get the same treatment as these superstars.» For what he calls his most important season so far, Sbisa is practicing with Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry, «this is why I live in Southern California all year-round. Here I get to practice with my colleagues, in Switzerland I would be on my own. And also I want to show the Ducks with all the means that I fully trust them. Their medical staff takes good care of me and I feel like a Californian.» To underline this, Sbisa pulls the menu of a local gourmet restaurant out of his drawer. The Anaheim White House is serving Gnocchi al Pomodoro Luca Sbisa. The chef and owner of the place, a devoted fan of the Ducks, has named Sbisa's favorite starter after the 20-year-old. That shows, Sbisa is really a Californian, with every vein of his body. 2010 will be the first year in his NHL-Career when he won't have to attend an NHL Rookie Camp anymore. He will take on the pre-season in September with the big guys at the main camp. And then he's willing, he can and he has to prove that he really is on one stage with Bobby Ryan, Dustin Penner and Ryan Getzlaf. The owner of the Anaheim White House does not wanna change his menu after all.