Anaheim Ducks: 25th Anniversary All-Decade Teams, The 1990’s
As we continue to celebrate the Anaheim Ducks 25th Anniversary season we present a new three-part series. The all-decade teams. In our first installment, we’ll take a look at the original Mighty Ducks. The first group to wear the purple, jade and WildWing mask on their sweaters. This is the All-Decade team from the 1990s.
Goalie- Guy Hebert
The Mighty Ducks first goaltender was the obvious choice here. Guy Hebert patrolled the Duck goal crease from the Ducks start until 2001. Hebert has a career record of 173-202-52. While this isn’t a spectacular record, it does have him sitting second all-time in wins, games played (441) and shutouts (27). He is also 6th in GAA and SV% among Duck starters all-time.
Hebert was the Ducks number one when they were finding their legs in this league and he did very well with what the Ducks had. The Ducks didn’t have the luxury that say the Golden Knights did last season. The talent in the 1993 draft was not on par with the latest expansion draft yet Hebert still has quality numbers. He also was the goalie responsible for getting the Ducks to their first post-season and first series win over the Pheonix Coyotes.
Hebert laid the ground-work for goaltending in Anaheim. The Ducks have had some amazing goaltenders sport the Ducks emblem and it all started with #31. He like the Anaheim Ducks got better with time and always took positive steps year after year. He started it all and it has culminated in one Cup so far with hopefully many more on the way.
Defensemen- Ruslan Salei and Oleg Tverdovsky
Ruslan Salei and Oleg Tverdosky were great Duck blueliners. Of the 114 defensemen that have suited up for the Ducks over their 25-year history, these two rank in the top 10. Salei compiled 26-79-105 in his 594 games with the Ducks. His games played is the most by any Ducks defenseman and his points rank him 10th all time.
He didn’t join the Ducks until 1996 but he had some big moments in his tenure. The Belarussian was a big defenseman for the time standing over 6 feet and 212 pounds. He used every bit of it as he was a hard-hitting defenseman as well as being a quality puck mover.
His assist total is a tribute to his skill at getting pucks from the point through and on the net. Salei was a great Ducks player and like Hebert above laid the groundwork for the defenseman of the future. Salei was tragically killed in a plane accident in 2011 but he is never forgotten by hockey fans and Ducks fans alike.
Oleg Tverdovsky
Tverdovsky joined the Ducks in 1994 at the ripe old age of 18. He was the second overall pick of the 1994 draft and for good reason. “O.T” burst on to the scene as a fast Russian defenseman for the then year-old Ducks. He posted 34 points in his first 87 games with the team.
It was his high-end play that allowed the Ducks to trade Tverdovsky for another player that will appear on this list, Ducks legend Teemu Selanne. Tverdovsky would find his way back to the Ducks and put up even more points than before. 45-125-170 in 324 total games with the team.
These point totals have him sitting fourth in goals, assists, and points, eighth in games played and fifth in power play goals. Tverdovsky was one of the first “offensive defenseman” the Ducks would have in their history.
This was at a time where “offensive defensemen” weren’t as highly valued in the league as they are today. Now the Ducks have many offensive-minded defensemen trying to chase down Tverdovsky’s numbers. With any luck, they will get there one day.
Tverdovsky brought the Ducks some added punch on the back-end and his talent brought them a franchise cornerstone as well. That’s pretty good for a young kid out of Russia coming to play hockey in SoCal.
Center- Steve Rucchin
There is no doubt that Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne put the Anaheim Ducks on the map. But its hard to argue that Steve Rucchin isn’t immediately behind them in that category. These three were the first offensive super-stars in Orange County and never far from the minds of most Duck fans.
Steve Rucchin was here from the start. Drafted by the Mighty Ducks, he played in SoCal for a decade before finishing his final 2 NHL years elsewhere. His Ducks stat line reads 153-279-432 in 616 games played. His games played ranks fourth among Duck forwards while his goals, assists, and points all remain fifth. Rucchin was the first all-star the Ducks had at center and having a big center to build around was and is imperative.
He wasn’t as flashy as the next player on our list but he contributed to many of his points. Rucchin put together many great seasons including five of his 10 years in Anaheim posting 50+ points. He was the thunder to this next players lightning.
Wing- Paul Kariya
Paul Kariya, what else can you say about Kariya that hasn’t already been said. He was a flat out super-star and the original face of the franchise. Kariya played 606 games in a Mighty Ducks uniform. In those 606 the 5 foot 10 inch, 180-pound winger put up 300-369-669. Those numbers are ridiculous even by today’s standards. He is part of a rare breed that succeeded in the 90’s NHL and would be potentially even better if he played today.
Had Kariya stayed healthy, he easily would have eclipsed 700 points. As it stands his goals rank third, assists and points fourth, and his 107 PPG are second behind the one and only Finnish Flash. Kariya had a laser of a shot and was as fast as anyone. He showed that hockey in Anaheim was no gimmick and gave the fans something to cheer about.
There is no doubt Kariya transcends the 90’s in Duck history but he may be the most influential Ducks player of the 90’s. While everyone that came before leaves some kind of legacy, Kariya may leave the biggest one, sans for one player.
Wing- Teemu Selanne
This picture may be the perfect snapshot of Ducks hockey in the 90’s. There was only one player that gave Paul Kariya a run for his money. That was Teemu Selanne.
More from Pucks of a Feather
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
Both men were incredible talents and watching them play together was a thing of beauty. So much speed, skill, and goal-scoring prowess and they just seemed to feed off each other. It was a match made in heaven.
Selanne was the perfect compliment to Kariya in every way, even in their personalities. The two remain best friends to this day. Ducks fans didn’t get to witness Selanne’s 76 goal rookie campaign as he did it with the Jets but boy did they many goals after. Selanne ended his Duck career with the following stat line:
457-531-988 in 966 games played, 12 points shy of 1000 with the Ducks. These numbers have him first all-time in Anaheim in games played, goals, and points. His PPG of (182) also tops Ducks all-time lists and it’s not even close.
Selanne helped the Ducks show, on a national stage, the Mighty Ducks were going to make big hockey moves. They weren’t comfortable being the NHL’s cute Disney project. Selanne brought an added star power element and made sure the Ducks weren’t a one trick pony, with only Kariya. They became a dynamic duo, a trend that would repeat itself down the road, and one the Ducks want to continue to model.
The following video says it all, these two were magic on the ice. Knowing where each other would always be, they were able to set each other up for pretty goal after pretty goal. They put the league on notice and showed this “expansion team” was no joke.
Next. The best Ducks players to wear jersey numbers 1-5. dark
Who do you think the 1990’s All-Decade Ducks team is? Did we miss someone? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook/Twitter!