Anaheim Ducks: Celebrating 12 Years Since the Stanley Cup

It’s been over a decade since the Anaheim Ducks have lifted the Stanley Cup, but it still stands out as the most important day in franchise history.

For every NHL team, a new season represents a blank slate. Instead of wallowing in their self-pity and failures from the season before, they charge forward with one goal in mind: the Stanley Cup. In 2007, the newly rebranded Anaheim Ducks wanted nothing more than to raise Lord Stanley for the very first time, and after a bit of bad luck, it finally seemed like they had all of their ducks in a row.

The Road to Lord Stanley Was Paved Well Before the 2006-07 Season

While the path to Lord Stanley seemed as though it was paved in the 2006-07 season, on the contrary. There were several steps that had to happen in order for the Anaheim Ducks to raise the most coveted trophy in the NHL. It started with their fall from grace, learning from their failures, taking the time to rest, regrouping, and finally, they had their resurgence.

In 2003, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim fell short of winning the Stanley Cup after a devastating 0-3 loss in Game 7 to the New Jersey Devils. While the effort they showed in that series was incredible, as they say, second place is always the first loser. 2004 was no kinder to them when they missed the Stanley Cup playoffs altogether. The 2004-05 season was all but lost when the NHL failed to come to terms during the lockout.

Finally, in 2005-06, with a new coach behind the bench, the addition of Scott Niedermayer, and the reacquisition of the Finnish Flash, Teemu Selanne, things seemed to be looking up for the Mighty Ducks. However, yet again, they fell just short of the Stanley Cup when they were knocked out of the Conference Finals by the Edmonton Oilers, walking away with just one win during the series.

Prior to the 2006-07 season, the franchise underwent a major facelift. In 2005, Henry and Susan Samueli purchased the team from the Walt Disney Company and decided to dissociate themselves from the original parent company. Trading in the eggplant and jade for a more sophisticated color palette, choosing the webbed “D” Ducks logo in favor of the iconic Wild Wing logo, and simplifying the team name were all steps taken to rebrand and revitalize the team.

The Final Road Bumps

With Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger leading the defense, Teemu Selanne, Andy McDonald, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry leading the offense, and J.S. Giguere standing tall in net, the Anaheim Ducks finally had every piece necessary to make it to their destination: the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ending the season with a 48-20-14 record, they walked away from the regular season first in the Pacific Division with 110 points. Prior to the 2013 season, the NHL was split into six divisions, and the Anaheim Ducks would take on the second place team from the Northwest Divison, the Minnesota Wild.

The Anaheim Ducks plowed through both the Minnesota Wild and the Vancouver Canucks rather quickly. Both the Conference Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals were forced to Game 5, but ultimately dominated by the “Water Fowl.”

I the Conference Finals, the Anaheim Ducks faced a familiar foe. The Detroit Red Wings had dominated the Western Conference during the entire regular season, including the defeat of the Anaheim Ducks during two of their three regular season games.

Nevertheless, flashbacks of the 2003 Conference Quarter Finals reminded the Anaheim Ducks and Anaheim Ducks fans that it was possible to hand a devastating loss to the Detroit Red Wings. After two close calls, the Anaheim Ducks won the series in Game 6, with a 4-3 win and the game-winning goal from Samuel Pahlsson.

The 2007 Stanley Cup Finals

After defeating the Detroit Red Wings, for only the second time in franchise history, the Anaheim Ducks were headed to the Stanely Cup Finals against the Ottawa Senators. After winning the first two games, the dream of a Stanley Cup sweep came crashing down in Game 3, when the Anaheim Ducks lost to the Ottawa Senators 5-3.

Not only did they lose Game 3, but they also lost one of their best defenseman, Chris Pronger, due to suspension. A hit to Dean McAmmond in Game 3 sent Pronger to the sidelines for Game 4. They did not allow the loss, nor the loss of Pronger, to shake their confidence, however. This loss would also set up the Anaheim Ducks to win the Cup on home ice, so in a way, although the loss was a hard pill to swallow, it worked out even better in the end.

With the series at 2-1, the Ducks came back swinging in Game 4. The Ottawa Senators struck first, lighting up the scoreboard. However, two back to back goals in the second period, scored exactly one minute apart, from Andy McDonald, gave the Ducks the momentum they needed to pull forward and win with a third-period goal from Dustin Penner.

Defeating the Senators on home ice would send the Anaheim Ducks back to the Ponda for Game 5. Only 60 minutes stood between them and the most coveted trophy in the NHL, the Stanley Cup.