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Revision as of 03:00, 13 April 2009
 | For current information on this topic, see 2008–09 Anaheim Ducks season. |
| Anaheim Sucks | |
|---|---|
| File:Anaheim Ducks logo.svg | |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Pacific |
| Founded | 1993 |
| History | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1993 – 2006 Anaheim Ducks 2006 – Present |
| Home arena | Honda Center |
| City | Anaheim, California |
| Team colors | Black, metallic gold, orange, white |
| Media | FSN Prime Ticket FSN West KDOC KLAA |
| Owner(s) |  Henry & Susan Samueli |
| General manager |  Bob Murray |
| Head coach | Randy Carlyle |
| Captain | Scott Niedermayer |
| Minor league affiliates | Iowa Chops (AHL) Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 2006–07 |
| Conference championships | 2002–03, 2006–07 |
| Division championships | 2006–07 |
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). Since their inception, the Ducks have played their home games at Honda Center.
The club was founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a name based on the film The Mighty Ducks. Disney sold the franchise in 2005 to Henry & Susan Samueli, who changed the name of the team to the Anaheim Ducks before the 2006–07 season. In their 15 year existence, the Ducks have made the playoffs six times, winning two Western Conference Championships (2003 and 2007) and one Stanley Cup championship (2007).
Franchise history
 | This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. (October 2008) |
1993–2004: Disney Era
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company. The team's original name was chosen from the Disney movie The Mighty Ducks, based on a group of misfit kids who turn their losing youth hockey team into a winning team. Disney subsequently made an animated series called Mighty Ducks, featuring a fictional Mighty Ducks of Anaheim team that consisted of anthropomorphized ducks led by the mighty duck Wildwing.
The team was the first tenant of the Anaheim Arena (later the Arrowhead Pond and now the Honda Center), a brand-new arena in Anaheim located a short distance east of Disneyland and across the Orange Freeway from Angel Stadium. The arena was completed the same year the team was founded, with the naming rights originally being held by Arrowhead Water .
With their first-ever draft pick, the Mighty Ducks selected Paul Kariya fourth overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Kariya would quickly become a fan favorite and the cornerstone of the young Mighty Ducks franchise. As team captain, he would bring them within a game of Stanley Cup glory in 2003.
In their first season they would finish 33-46-5 with 71 Points and fourth in the Pacific Division.
During the 1994-95 NHL season, which was shortened due to a labor strike, the team would finish with a 16-27-5 record for 37 points giving them last place in the Pacific Division.
On February 7, 1996, the Mighty Ducks made a blockbuster deal with the Winnipeg Jets. The Ducks sent Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky, and a third-round pick to the Jets in return for Marc Chouinard, a fourth-round draft pick, and, most notably, star right winger Teemu Selanne. On a line with Steve Rucchin, who the Mighty Ducks drafted second overall in the 1994 Supplemental Draft, and Kariya, Selanne's chemistry with the latter made them one of the highest-scoring tandems in the league.
Taste of success
After missing the playoffs in their first three seasons, the Mighty Ducks finished 1996–97 NHL season with their first winning season at 36-33-13. They clinched fourth place in the Western Conference, earning home-ice advantage for a first-round playoff series with the Phoenix Coyotes. Selanne ended the season second in the league with 109 points, still a team record, and Kariya ended the season third with 99 points. The Ducks won the first two games at home but then lost the next three. Game 6 went to overtime and Kariya tied the series with a slap shot that beat goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. The Mighty Ducks then went on to win Game 7 at home to win their inaugural playoff series. However, Anaheim was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the second round. Even though Detroit officially swept the Mighty Ducks, every game was close in the series. Three games went into overtime, including one that went into double overtime, and one that went into triple overtime.
The 1997–98 NHL season was the worst in Mighty Ducks history. The team finished with a 26-43-13 record. Kariya was injured and Selanne was the only real source of offense for the ducks. Despite that, Selanne finished the season tied for first in the league in goals with 52, still a team record, and eighth in the league in points with 86.
The 1998-99 NHL season was a marked improvement for the Mighty Ducks as Kariya was once again healthy and they were a contender for the playoffs. Late in the season the Ducks had the chance to face the Phoenix Coyotes, a team they played well against that season, in the first round due to Phoenix holding fourth seed and the Mighty Ducks holding fifth. But a late season cold streak dropped the Ducks to sixth matching them up with third seeded Detroit, whom they did not play well against. Selanne won the inaugural Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the league with 47. Kariya ended the season third in the league with 62 assists, Selanne was fourth with 60 assists. Also Selanne ended the season second in the league with 107 points and Kariya was third with 101 points. However, the Ducks were swept again by the Red Wings, this time in a more convincing manner than in 1997 ending with a 3–0 loss on home ice.
Once again the Mighty Ducks took a step back during the 1999-2000 NHL season finishing with a 34-33-12-3 record, 83 Points and taking last place in the Pacific Division. Kariya was fourth in the league in goals with 42, Selanne seventh in the league with 52 assists and Kariya was fourth in the league with 86 points while Selanne finished fifth with 85 points. During the off-season the Mighty Ducks made a trade that would pay major dividends in later years. The Mighty Ducks sent a second round draft pick to the Calgary Flames for goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
The 2000-2001 NHL season saw the Mighty Ducks finish last in the Pacific Division with a 25-41-11-5 record good enough for 66 points. Fan favorite Selanne was traded to the San Jose Sharks on March 5, 2001 for Jeff Friesen, goalie Steve Shields and a second round draft pick.
During the 2001-2002 NHL season the Mighty Ducks once again finished last in the Pacific Division with a 29-42-8-3 record good enough for 69 points. During the off-season the Mighty Ducks signed unrestricted free agent Adam Oates. They also traded Friesen and Oleg Tverdovsky to the New Jersey Devils for Petr Sykora, Mike Commodore and J.F. Damphousse. The trade would later prove very valuable for both teams.
2002-2003 Season: A Trip to the Finals
The 2002-2003 NHL season was a different story. With a new coach in Mike Babcock, the Mighty Ducks were one of the best teams during the second half of the season and finished with a record of 40-27-9-6 and 95 points. During the trade deadline the Mighty Ducks sent Damphousse and Commodore to the Calgary Flames for Rob Niedermayer. The Mighty Ducks also picked up Steve Thomas from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth round draft pick. After a three-year playoff hiatus, Anaheim qualified for the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. For the third straight post-season in which they participated, the Mighty Ducks met the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings as the seventh seed. This time, however, Anaheim shocked the hockey world as they swept Detroit in the series with Rucchin's series-clincher on Curtis Joseph coming in overtime of Game 4. The Ducks would then defeat the #1 seeded Dallas Stars in six games in the Conference Semifinals, which was noted for Game 1 being the fourth longest game in NHL history, with the Ducks winning in the fifth overtime period thanks to Sykora. In the Conference Finals, the Ducks would make quick work of the upstart Minnesota Wild (only allowing one goal the entire series) to earn their first-ever Western Conference championship and berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. Giguere became a celebrity in Southern California with his outstanding play. Giguere posted a shutout streak in the Western Conference Finals of 217 minutes, 54 seconds. In between the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, Giguere appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals against the New Jersey Devils was a battle between two elite goaltenders. Martin Brodeur for New Jersey and Giguere for Anaheim. It was also noted for two brothers, Niedermayer for the Ducks, and his older brother Scott Niedermayer for the Devils, competing for the same prize. Quite possibly the most memorable moment of the series happened during Game 6 in Anaheim. At center ice, Kariya received a fierce, blind side body check from New Jersey captain Scott Stevens. Kariya was knocked out and sent to the dressing room. But eleven minutes later, Kariya returned from the dressing room and scored the fourth goal of the game to help the Ducks tie the series with a 5-2 victory. Anaheim could not complete their Cinderella run, though, as they lost a hard-fought game 7 to the Devils 3-0. The series was also noted because every game was won by the home team. For his fine play during the post-season, Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. He became only the fifth player, and fourth goaltender, in NHL history to have won the trophy as a member of the losing team. Giguere had 15-6 record, 7-0 in overtime, with a 1.62 GAA, a .945 Sv. Pct. and a record 168 minute, 27 second shutout streak in overtime. This was the third coast-to-coast Final, following 1982 and 1994; both times, the Vancouver Canucks had Cinderella runs halted; in 1982 by the New York Islanders and in 1994 by the New York Rangers. However, this was the first coast-to-coast Final played entirely in the United States.
At the draft in June the Ducks traded to get two first round draft picks. With those picks they selected Ryan Getzlaf 19th overall and Corey Perry 28th overall.
2003-2004 Season: Disappointment
During the off-season the Mighty Ducks were dealt a major blow as their captain Kariya decided to sign a free agent contract with the Colorado Avalanche. In doing so Kariya reunited with Selanne, who also signed with Colorado after two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, to try and win the Stanley Cup. However the Mighty Ducks did sign star free agent Sergei Fedorov from Detroit and Vaclav Prospal from Tampa Bay. Still, 2003–04 NHL season was a major disappointment for the Ducks as they missed the playoffs completely with a record of 29-35-10-8, 76 points and a fourth place finish in the Pacific Division. The team suffered low attendance figures despite their magical playoff run of the previous year.
2004-Present: The Samueli Era
During the summer of 2004, as the NHL and the NHL Players Association's labor dispute was headed towards a long lockout, Disney tried to sell the team but received a low offer of $40-million US, less than the franchise's original price. In 2005, Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli of Irvine, California and his wife, Susan, bought the Mighty Ducks from The Walt Disney Company for a reported $75 million (USD). The Samuelis pledged to keep the team in Anaheim, much as Arturo Moreno did when he purchased the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from Disney.
Brian Burke, former Vancouver Canucks General Manager and President, was appointed GM and Executive Vice-President of the Mighty Ducks on June 20, 2005. On August 1, 2005, former Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Randy Carlyle was hired as the seventh coach in team history. Burke was familiar with Carlyle's coaching ability, as the latter had coached the Manitoba Moose from 1996–2001 (International Hockey League) and 2004–05 (American Hockey League); the Moose had been the Canucks' farm club since 2001. Carlyle replaced Babcock, who later signed on to coach the Red Wings.
The NHL held the 2006 draft in July after the lockout ended. This was dubbed the Sidney Crosby draft and every team had a shot to land the number one pick. The Ducks came close getting the number two overall pick. With it they selected forward Bobby Ryan.
Also during that summer, the Mighty Ducks brought back fan favorite Selanne after an injury filled season with Colorado. A rejuvenated Selanne would score 40 goals, the most he had scored since the 1998-99 NHL season when he scored 47. The team also made their first big free agency splash under Burke when he signed defenceman Scott Niedermayer, the 2004 Norris Trophy winner and older brother of Ducks forward Rob, to a four-year contract, from New Jersey.
The 2005–06 NHL season saw the Ducks trade away big-name players with big contracts such as Sykora and Fedorov in favor of younger players such as first round picks Getzlaf, Perry and Joffrey Lupul and college free agent signing Chris Kunitz. The Ducks had a rough start to the season, but the plan was ultimately successful. The Ducks became one of the best teams in the league down the stretch and earned the sixth seed in the West and playoff date with the Calgary Flames. In an interesting playoff where the bottom 4 seeds knocked off the top 4 seeds, the Ducks beat the heavily favored Flames in seven games. The Mighty Ducks shutout the Flames 3-0 in game 7 in Calgary. In the second round the Ducks swept the Colorado Avalanche riding the outstanding play of backup goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. Bryzgalov took over for Giguere during the first round due to an injury to the Mighty Ducks starting goalie and broke Giguere's 2003 shutout streak. The Mighty Ducks had home ice advantage in their second Western Conference Final against the equally surprising eighth seeded Edmonton Oilers. However, the Mighty Ducks dropped the first three games of the series, won game 4 but then lost the series in game 5 at home. Selanne won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the end of the season for his dedication to the sport of hockey.
On January 26, 2006, the team announced, effective with the 2006–07 season, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim would change their name to the Anaheim Ducks. This included logo and team color changes which were unveiled at a special ceremony five months later. Many Ducks fans successfully petitioned the Samuelis to keep Wildwing as the current mascot because of the team's recent success and as a link to the past. Along with the new name, their home ice (the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) was renamed Honda Center as Arrowhead Water's naming rights had expired.
2006–07: The Stanley Cup arrives in Anaheim
On July 3, 2006, the Ducks traded young sniper Lupul, defenceman prospect Ladislav Smid, a 2007 first-round draft pick, a second-round choice in 2008, and a conditional first-round selection in 2008 to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for star defenceman Chris Pronger, who had publicly requested a trade from the Oilers ten days earlier citing personal reasons, with many speculating that his wife was unhappy living in Edmonton. [1]
With Pronger and Niedermayer back on defense the Ducks were picked by several publications as a favorite to win the Cup[1], the Ducks started the 2006–07 season on fire. On November 9, 2006, the Ducks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6–0 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia to improve their season record to 12–0–4. The win set an NHL open era record by remaining undefeated in regulation for the first 16 games of the season, eclipsing the previous mark set by the 1983–84 Edmonton Oilers. They were subsequently shut out by the Flames the following game, 3–0, ending their streak. On December 12, the Ducks defeated the Florida Panthers on the road 5–4. They broke a franchise record for their sixth road win in a row. They also improved their record that night to 24–3–6 and 54 points. No team having played 33 games had reached 54 points since the 1979 Philadelphia Flyers. The next night, the Ducks beat the Atlanta Thrashers to improve their road record to 12–1–2. The 26 points set the NHL mark for the most points on the road through 15 games. The previous record-holders, 1951–52 Detroit Red Wings had 25 points (10–0–5).
On January 16, 2007 the Ducks played in their franchise's 1000th regular season game [2], and on March 11, the Ducks recorded their franchise's 1000th point with a 4–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, which improved their franchise all-time record to 423–444–155, 1001 points [3]. On April 7, the Ducks won their first Pacific Division title in franchise history, when the Vancouver Canucks defeated the second-place San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion in the Sharks' final game of the season. Anaheim also played their last game of the 2006–07 NHL season that day against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anaheim won the game 4–3, finishing off the season with a total of 110 points—the first 100-point season in franchise history. This was good enough for the fourth-best record in the league (behind Buffalo, Detroit and Nashville). Although they had three fewer wins than the Predators, the Ducks were seeded second in the Western Conference playoffs by virtue of their division title. Selanne finished the season third in the league in goals with 48. That was the most goals Selanne had scored since the 1997-98 NHL season.
In the Western Conference Quarterfinals, the Ducks met the Minnesota Wild. The Ducks won the first three games and eventually the series 4 games to 1. The team faced the Vancouver Canucks, the Northwest Division champions, in the second round. After a split in Anaheim the Ducks won game 3 on a Perry goal and game 4 on an overtime goal by Travis Moen. Game 5 also went to double overtime. Rob Niedermayer layed a huge hit in the Canuck zone, Scott Niedermayer collected the puck at the point and beat a distracted Roberto Luongo to win the series 4-1. In their third Western Conference Final they faced the Detroit Red Wings for the fourth time in the playoffs. The Ducks lost game one 2-1 on a shot that deflected off of the glove of Francois Beauchemin. In game 2 the Ducks won in overtime on a shot by Scott Niedermayer. Game 3 back at home was perhaps their worst of the playoffs as they lost 5-0. Pronger was involved in a hit with Rob Niedermayer on Tomas Holmstrom and received a one game suspension. Without Pronger the Ducks stepped up in Game 4 and won 4-3. Game 5 back in Detroit was a defensive battle the whole way. With the Red Wings up 1-0 in the third period Carlyle pulled Giguere on a power play and with less than a minute to play Scott Niedermayer banked in the tying goal off of the stick of Nicklas Lidstrom. In overtime Andy McDonald caused a turnover in front of the Detroit net and Selanne netted the game winner over Dominic Hasek. In Game 6 the Ducks held on to win 4–3 to earn their second Western Conference championship.
The 2007 Stanley Cup Final pitted the Ducks against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa was making their first appearance in the final series. The Ducks fell behind 2-1 in game 1 at home. In the third period Getzlaf tied the score and with few minutes remaining Rob Niedermayer fed Moen in the slot for the game winner. Game 2 was a low scoring but exciting game. The only goal came off the stick of Samuel Pahlsson to give the Ducks a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 saw the Ducks lose 5-3 on a controversial goal by Daniel Alfredsson. It appeared on replays Alfredsson kicked the puck into the net but it was ruled a good goal. Once again Pronger was suspended one game for an elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond. Game 4 was tied at the end of the second period when more controversy arose. Alfredsson appeared to shoot the puck intentionally at Scott Niedermayer. This set off a brawl at the end of the period. It has been rumored that Niedermayer told the team to forget about the incident and refocus on the game. In the third period Dustin Penner scored a goal from a Selanne pass to win 3-2. On June 6, the Ducks defeated the Senators 6–2 at Honda Center to claim their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Scott Niedermayer won the second Conn Smythe Trophy in Ducks history. The Ducks became the first California team, and the first west coast team since the 1925 Victoria Cougars to win the Stanley Cup.
2007–08 season: Defending the Cup
After winning the Stanley Cup, Scott Niedermayer and Selanne stated that they were unsure whether or not the would return to the team for the 2007-08 NHL season as they were both contemplating retirement. As a result of this indecision Burke was active in the Free Agent market signing two veteran players in high scoring defenceman Mathieu Schneider and gritty forward Todd Bertuzzi to 2 year contracts to replace both players if they did indeed retire. Later on, Oilers GM Kevin Lowe signed Penner to a restricted free agent offer sheet that would pay him 4.25 million a year over the next five. Burke called out Lowe, saying 'it was a classless move made by a desperate GM trying to save his job.' Burke did not match the offer. In return, the Ducks received the Oiler's first, second and third round draft picks.
The Ducks began their Cup defense against the Los Angeles Kings for a two game set in London, England, without Niedermayer and Selanne, who were still pondering retirement, and injured Pahlsson and Giguère, splitting the series. Highly touted prospect Bobby Ryan scored his first NHL goal during the series. However, Ryan only played 23 games with the big club during the season. On October 10, against the Boston Bruins, the Ducks raised their Pacific Division, Western Conference and Stanley Cup Champion banners. It was a rough start overall for the Ducks as they made minor trades to try and tread water. Burke said he would eventually let Bryzgalov go because he felt he deserved to have a starting position in the league. Burke made good on his promise and placed Bryzgalov on waivers where he was picked up by the Phoenix Coyotes.
The drama surrounding Niedermayer finally brought positive news for the Ducks as Burke declared he would return on December 5. December 14, marked an important event in Ducks history, as Burke dealt first line center Andy McDonald to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Doug Weight, Michal Birner, and a seventh round draft pick in order to clear salary cap space for Niedermayer. On December 16, Niedermayer made his return to the Ducks line-up. The team immediately improved and got back into the playoff and Pacific Division pictures. For the All-Star game, Getzlaf and Pronger were selected to participate. Later Perry and Scott Niedermayer were listed as injury replacements. It was a club record for players in an All-Star game.
The Ducks would receive more good news on January 28, 2008, as Selanne decided not to retire and signed a one year contract. The Ducks would win nine out of their first ten games with Selanne in the line-up. At the trade deadline the Ducks acquired defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron from the New York Islanders and J.S. Aubin from the Kings. With nine games to go in the regular season Pronger would be suspended for the third time in an Anaheim uniform. He received eight games for stomping on the leg of Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks. The Ducks finished fourth in the Western Conference and began their defense of the Cup against division rival Dallas. The Stars won the first two games, the Ducks won Game 3, and the Stars won again in the fourth game. After an Anaheim win at Honda Center in Game 5, the Stars won Game 6 thus ending the Ducks' chance of a repeat Cup.
2008-2009 Season
With the Ducks having a longer off-season than of the recent two seasons, they often found themselves in the middle of media headlines.
Off the ice, the feud between Burke and former Oilers GM Lowe heated, as once again words were thrown between both in the media. League commissioner Gary Bettman ordered the feud to "cease and desist". Owner Henry Samueli was imprisoned for lying to the Securities and Exchange Commission judge about a fraudulent business operation. [4] Bettman gave interim ownership of the team to Anaheim Ducks CEO Michael Schulman, as the Samuelis were banned from any contact with the Ducks whatsoever.
The Ducks placed Bertuzzi on waivers, where he was eventually not claimed and became a free agent. He eventually was signed by the Calgary Flames. Going into the off-season the Ducks were looking to fill the void left on the second-line center position ever since McDonald was traded. They ended up signing Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Morrison to a one-year deal. More good news would abound as Scott Niedermayer announced he would return for another season. The Ducks also signed Perry to a six-year deal. Despite all the off-season moves however, the Ducks were still in a logjam cap-wise, and in turn dealt Schneider to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for Ken Klee, Brad Larsen, and minor-leaguer Chad Painchaud. Moving Schneider to Atlanta freed up enough cap room to re-sign Selanne, who was previously signed to a pro tryout contract in the preseason to ensure no team would send a counter offer his way. Veteran defenseman Sean O'Donnell was dealt a few days into the preseason, in what Burke called a cap-related move. O'Donnell was dealt to the Kings for a conditional third-round pick.
After a franchise record 6-1-1 pre-season, the Ducks opened the regular season in San Jose, taking on the Sharks in what would end up a 4-1 loss for the Ducks. Days later the Ducks held their home opener on October 12, 2008, as they hosted a young and refreshed Phoenix Coyotes team. The Ducks dropped the game 4-2 in front of a sold-out home crowd.
The Ducks struggled to start the season going 1-5, but reversed the sluggish start with a sweep of a four-game road trip, winning games in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Columbus. The Ducks would win 8 of 9 games from there, before adversity struck. Beauchemin suffered a torn ACL after taking a slapshot off the ankle in a game against Nashville. Days later, Burke resigned his position as Ducks GM, handing over those duties to right-hand man Bob Murray, as Burke would in turn leave for Toronto some days later. Ryan was then called up to the team from the Iowa Chops. Reports indicated Ryan was good enough to make the team out of camp and was only sent down for salary cap reasons. The Ducks continued to play better, but only went 9-13-2 heading to the All-Star break. Three Anaheim Ducks players, Getzlaf, Giguere, and Scott Niedermayer were all named starters for the game. The Ducks fortunes didn't change much after the break as the team lost 4 out of their first 6 games.
As the trade deadline approached the Ducks were considered one of the more interesting teams because they were right on the cusp of being a seller. Several high profile players were said to be on the block including defensemen Pronger and Niedermayer. Neither player was ultimately dealt but the Ducks did make one move before the deadline. On February 27th, the Ducks traded Kunitz as well as prospect Eric Tangradi to Pittsburgh for defenseman Ryan Whitney. GM Murray explained the team needed to, "re-tool the defense with a good puck moving defenseman." On trade deadline day the Ducks proved to be quite busy. The team placed Morrison on waivers where he would be claimed by Dallas, they acquired forward Erik Christensen from Atlanta for prospect Eric O'Dell and they traded Pahlsson to Chicago for defenseman James Wisniewski and prospect Petri Kontiola. They also traded Moen and defenseman Kent Huskins to San Jose for Boston University forward prospect Nick Bonino and goaltending prospect Timo Pielmeier and they traded defenseman Steve Montador to Boston for forward Petteri Nokelainen.
With the core of the team still intact, a re-vamped defense, a new top line consisting of Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry and whole new bottom six forward lines the Ducks got to work trying to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. On March 18th the Ducks found themselves in 13th place in the conference but a 10-2-1 finish catapulted the team into the playoffs all culminating with a 4-3 shootout victory against Dallas. The team finished with a 42-33-7 record with 91 points to place them second in the Pacific Division and eighth in the West earning them a date with the Presidents Trophy winner San Jose. Getzlaf broke the team record for most assists in a season with 66. Ryan broke a Ducks rookie record and lead all rookies with 31 goals. Ryan also lead all rookies with 57 points.
The Ducks-Sharks quarterfinal series is only the second series in NHL history to pit two California teams against one another. The first took place during the 1968-69 NHL Season between Los Angeles and the Oakland Seals.
Team colors and mascot
Logos
The Ducks' logo features a webbed foot forming a "D" followed by the other letters in the word "Ducks" in upper-case letters. The text itself is gold (which sometimes may appear as bronze as well) with orange and black accents (forming a three dimensional appearance). The entire logo is in turn outlined by white. The city of Anaheim's name appears in smaller upper-case print, above the team name. The Ducks are one of three NHL teams to feature their team name spelled out in a scripted form on the front of their jersey rather than a logo. The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals are the other two. This does not include alternate jerseys or throwback jerseys worn by other teams.
The old logo of the Ducks prior to the name change featured an old-style goaltender mask, shaped to form the appearance of a duck bill. Behind the mask are two intersecting hockey sticks, a black circle and a triangle (the color of the triangle is either green or gray, depending on how the logo is used).
Jerseys
The Ducks have officially worn two unique regular jerseys and three unique third jerseys in their franchise history:
Original Mighty Ducks Jerseys
The original jerseys of the Ducks (then the Mighty Ducks) used jade, aubergine (eggplant), white and gray as primary colors for both the home and away jerseys. The team's dark jerseys were dominantly eggplant in color with diagonal gray and white stripes; the jersey is jade below the stripes, which appear on the arms and waist. The white jerseys were similar, except that the eggplant is replaced mainly with white. On the shoulders of both jerseys are patches featuring a forward-facing version of the main logo's "duck mask," surrounded by a circle reading "Mighty Ducks of Anaheim."
Ducks jerseys after 2006
About a year after the team was purchased from the Walt Disney Company by the Samuelis, Brian Burke initiated a name change dropping the "Mighty", after consultation with the fans showed that the typical fan had a willingness to update the "Mighty Ducks" name and jersey and also a desire to keep part of the traditions of the franchise. Burke sought inspiration for the jersey from the United States Military Academy[citation needed], ending up with diagonal gold, white, black and orange stripes down the arms and waist with the word "Ducks" on the front. The jersey is similar to the team's most recent third jersey prior to the name change. The orange pays tribute to Orange County[2], where Anaheim is located.
The Ducks are not the first team from Southern California to win a title in the same year as a major uniform change. The Anaheim Angels won the 2002 World Series the same year that they changed to their current red-and-white uniforms.
2007–08 jerseys
For the 2007–08 NHL season, the Ducks, like all NHL teams, changed over to new Rbk Edge jerseys. The new team jersey shows only minor modifications from 2006–07, including a small NHL crest just below the neck. There are no third jerseys for this season.
Third jerseys
The third jerseys of the Mighty Ducks were created in 1995, 1997, and 2003. The 1995 jersey was jade with eggplant and white stripes on the collar and on the end of the sleeves. The logo was of team mascot Wildwing wearing a Mighty Ducks jersey while breaking through a sheet of ice. The jersey was short-lived; because of much criticism, it was retired at the end of the year.
| Third Jersey 1995–96 |
Third Jerseys 1997–2000, dark 1997–2001, white |
Third Jersey 2003–2006 |
|---|---|---|
| File:MightyDucksThirdJersey1.png | File:MightyDucksThirdJerseys2.png | File:MightyDucksThirdJersey3.png |
The 1997 third jersey came with a rare fourth jersey partner. The third was a jade-colored jersey with silver and eggplant stripes at the shoulders outlined in thin yellow, and a silver stripe at the bottom. It had the Mighty Ducks logo in the center of the chest. The fourth jersey was much like it. It was white with jade, eggplant, and silver stripes at the shoulders of the jersey, but no bottom stripe. These jerseys saw action until the end of 1999–2000, when they stopped playing with their third jerseys, and used only the fourth. At the end of 2000–01, the fourth was also retired.
The 2003 third jersey was black with purple and gray stripes at the waist and on the sleeves. It had the alternate script logo of the present Mighty Ducks and old-style laces at the neck, as well as a shoulder patch displaying an interlocking "MD" (for "Mighty Ducks"). The popularity of this jersey amongst fans was so great it replaced the eggplant and jade jersey, serving as the home jersey for the last half of the 2005–06 season and playoffs. It was dropped following the season as the team went to a modified name, new uniforms, and color scheme; however, this popular jersey influenced the design of the new jerseys for 2006-07. It was the only time in the modern NHL days when a mainly black jersey was not worn with black pants, they were purple.
Mascot
The official mascot for the Anaheim Ducks is an anthropomorphized duck by the name of Wild Wing. He has been the team's mascot since its inaugural season, and his name was chosen through fan voting. He wears a Ducks jersey with the number 93 on the back, referring to the year the Ducks became an NHL team.
He regularly descends from the rafters of the arena when making his in-game entrances.[3] In one such descent the rigging that lowered Wild Wing from the rafters malfunctioned leaving the mascot trapped fifty feet above the ice for several minutes. Another well known blunder occurred in October 1995 when Wild Wing, attempting to jump through a "wall of fire", accidentally tripped causing the mascot to land on the fire and set his costume ablaze.[4]
His physical appearance is similar to the duck mask in the original Mighty Ducks logo. A bronze statue of Wild Wing is also located outside the team's arena (Located at the West side of the South Doors), Honda Center.[5]
The mascot's name was also used for the leader of the Ducks, Wildwing Flashblade, in Disney's Mighty Ducks cartoon series.
During the same time in which the team announced a name change as well as change in jersey designs, there was an attempt by the team's owners to change or replace the mascot, Wild Wing, but was halted after a highly successful petition by fans.[citation needed]
Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Ducks. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Anaheim Ducks seasons.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2003–04 | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 76 | 184 | 213 | 1131 | 4th, Pacific | Did not qualify |
| 2004–05 | Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | ||||||||||
| 2005–06 1 | 82 | 43 | 27 | — | 12 | 98 | 254 | 229 | 1462 | 3rd, Pacific | Lost in Conference Finals, 1–4 (Oilers) |
| 2006–07 | 82 | 48 | 20 | — | 14 | 110 | 258 | 208 | 1263 | 1st, Pacific | Stanley Cup Champions, 4–1 (Senators) |
| 2007–08 | 82 | 47 | 27 | – | 8 | 102 | 205 | 191 | 1465 | 2nd, Pacific | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2–4 (Stars) |
- 1 As of the 2005–06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).
Current roster
Team and player honors
NHL awards and trophies
Honored members
Hall of Famers:
- Jari Kurri played for the Ducks during the 1996–97 season, and was inducted in 2001.
Retired Numbers:
- 99 Wayne Gretzky retired league-wide on February 6, 2000.
Leaders
Team captains
- Troy Loney, 1993–94
- Randy Ladouceur, 1994–96
- Paul Kariya, 1996–2003
- Teemu Selanne, 1998
- Steve Rucchin, 2003–04
- Scott Niedermayer, 2005–07
- Chris Pronger, 2007-08
- Scott Niedermayer, 2008-present
Coaches
- Ron Wilson, 1993–97
- Pierre Page, 1997–98
- Craig Hartsburg, 1998–2000
- Guy Charron, 2000–01
- Bryan Murray, 2001–02
- Mike Babcock, 2002–05
- Randy Carlyle, 2005- present
First-round draft picks
- 1993: Paul Kariya (fourth overall)
- 1994: Oleg Tverdovsky (second overall)
- 1995: Chad Kilger (fourth overall)
- 1996: Ruslan Salei (ninth overall)
- 1997: Michael Holmqvist (18th overall)
- 1998: Vitaly Vishnevski (fifth overall)
- 1999: None
- 2000: Alexei Smirnov (12th overall)
- 2001: Stanislav Chistov (fifth overall)
- 2002: Joffrey Lupul (seventh overall)
- 2003: Ryan Getzlaf (19th overall) & Corey Perry (28th overall)
- 2004: Ladislav Smid (ninth overall)
- 2005: Bobby Ryan (second overall)
- 2006: Mark Mitera (19th overall)
- 2007: Logan MacMillan (19th overall)
- 2008: Jake Gardiner (17th overall)
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Ducks player
| Points | Goals | Assists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Franchise individual records
- Most goals in a season: Teemu Selanne, 52 (1997–98)
- Most assists in a season: Ryan Getzlaf, 66 (2008-2009)
- Most points in a season: Teemu Selanne, 109 (1996–97)
- Most penalty minutes in a season: Todd Ewen, 285 (1995–96)
- Most points in a season, defenceman: Scott Niedermayer, 69 (2006–07)
- Most points in a season, rookie: Bobby Ryan, 57 (2008-2009)
- Most goals in a season, rookie: Bobby Ryan, 31 (2008-2009)
- Most wins in a season: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, 36 (2006–07)
- Most shutouts in a season: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, 8 (2002–03)
Broadcasters
- John Ahlers TV play-by-Play
- Brian Hayward TV color analyst
- Steve Carroll Radio play-by-Play
- Brent Severyn Radio color analyst
References
- ^ The Hockey News, October 2, 2006
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim Ducks 2006–2007 Media Guide. Anaheim, California: Ben Franklin Press, 2006. Page 41.
- ^ http://www.anaheimducks.com/fanzone/wing.php
- ^ SI.com - More Sports - A history of bizarre mascot incidents - Saturday July 12, 2003 01:48 PM
- ^ News: Mallard nests at The Pond - OCRegister.com
- ^ "Anaheim Ducks Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ "Anaheim Ducks Hockey Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
See also
External links
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