Looking Through Henry Samueli’s Ownership Of the Anaheim Ducks

Henry Samueli has had plenty of time to prove himself as the owner of the Anaheim Ducks. How has he done during his 14-year tenure in Orange County?

For the past fourteen years, Henry Samueli has owned the Anaheim Ducks. Most fans across the country know the team from their Mighty Ducks days when Michael Eisner owned them, and they played with their Wild Wing jerseys that caught the eye of a whole generation of kids.

However, since then, most people haven’t batted an eye at the current owner, or what his accomplishments have been. So, we’ll pick up the task and take a look at what the history of the man behind the Anaheim Ducks is.

Henry’s Story

At one point in the history of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the “Anaheim” part was looking less and less secure by the day. Originally owned by Disney and Michael Eisner, the owners were looking to cut their losses and finally part ways with the team. During the 2004-2005 lockout, Former Hartford Whalers and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Howard Baldwin had made an offer to Disney to buy the team. He made his intentions clear, he would move the Ducks to Kansas City, Missouri, and he’d have them play in the brand new Sprint Center. However, his offer was incredibly cheap, and Disney is not the kind of company to get cheated out of money.

Eventually, the owner of the then Anaheim Arena Management LLC (the corporation that oversaw the Arrowhead Pond’s daily operations) decided to make a bid for the team that played in the building that he worked hard to keep running. That man was Henry Samueli. His offer met Disney’s standards, and he even threw the cherry on top of the cake when he promised to keep the team in Anaheim. With that, Henry was the new owner of the Anaheim Ducks.