“Off the Floor, On the Board!” The 15th Anniversary of Paul Kariya’s Mighty Ducks Triumph

The Cup Finals

The 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were the definition of a Cinderella team. They surprised everyone by even making the playoffs. A few veteran pickups, a goaltender playing at historical levels of greatness, and a sensational leader in Paul Kariya brought this team all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in only their tenth season.

The seventh-seeded Mighty Ducks entered the final round of the playoffs with an astounding 12-2 record. They had defeated their nemesis, the Detroit Red Wings, in four one-goal games during the first round.

It was more difficult with the Dallas Stars in the second round. Anaheim again won four one-goal games, this time in a six-game series. The Conference Final against the Minnesota Wild wasn’t close. In a four-game sweep, the Mighty Ducks outscored the Wild 9-1.

It’s hard to remember there was a time when that 2003 Mighty Ducks team and their fans lacked hope. But they did. Anaheim dropped their first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in New Jersey 3-0.

Start of a Series Comeback

Coming home, they trailed, and it appeared they had finally met their match. Back at the Pond for Game 3, the Mighty Ducks scored early. Sandis Ozolinsh scored off Martin Brodeur’s dropped stick to again take the lead to break a tie. Ruslan Salei, who perished in a team plane crash eight years later, scored the overtime winner to give the Mighty Ducks some hope.

In Anaheim two nights later, veteran Steve Thomas finally scored the game’s first goal in the first overtime of a nail-biting scoreless game. That sent the teams back to New Jersey for game five. The Mighty Ducks received another sound beating. This time they lost 6-3. Back to Anaheim, the Mighty Ducks had to win to have any chance at skating with the Stanley Cup.