The Scott Niedermayer Dynasty Begins
After completely missing the playoff’s the season before, the Anaheim Ducks came back swinging in 2005. With Teemu Selanne‘s return to the Pond and Scott Niedermayer leading the charge, this team was, once again, a dangerous and lethal weapon on the ice.
The Ducks also decided to move on from Mike Babcock and hired Randy Carlyle in his stead. Although Carlyle’s most recent stint with the Anaheim Ducks earned him a lot of criticism from Ducks fans, he had a big hand in returning the Ducks to their winning ways during his first stint with the club.
At the age of 32, Niedermayer should have been well past his prime. However, he showed no signs of slowing down. He was third in points on the team, with 63 (13g, 50a), and under his leadership, the Ducks made their way back to the playoffs.
Fighting their way through the Conference Quarter-Finals, the Ducks defeated the Calgary Flames in Game 7. The path to the Stanley Cup was paved through Colorado, and Anaheim flew through that series without a hitch, sweeping the Avalanche in the Conference Semi-Finals.
However, their journey to the Stanley Cup ended abruptly after losing in the Conference Final, 4-1, to the Edmonton Oilers. Nevertheless, although their playoff journey ended prematurely, one truth was blatantly obvious. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were contenders once again, in large part to the phenomenal leadership skills of their Captain, Scott Niedermayer.