Looking Through Henry Samueli’s Ownership Of the Anaheim Ducks

Samueli’s Big First Year

His first year of ownership was arguably the most important, and the Mighty Ducks first had to hop through filling positions. Henry’s first move as owner was to hire GM Brian Burke. He was a well-traveled GM, serving as the GM for the Hartford Whalers and then the Vancouver Canucks for seven years.

Then, he moved the former GM in Bob Murray up to the Senior Vice President Of Hockey Operations position. Finally, Burke and Samueli hired a new coach for the Ducks, former long-time IHL head coach Randy Carlyle. His only NHL experience was his two years as the assistant coach for the Washington Capitals.

Two notable additions to the team during Henry’s early months were free-agent Scott Niedermayer and the second overall pick in Bobby Ryan. Although Bobby Ryan would eventually leave for Ottawa, Scott Niedermayer would become a staple name for the Ducks.

Brand New Identities And Rings

After the 2005-2006 season that saw the Ducks finish 3rd in the Pacific and fall short of the Stanley Cup Final in five games, Henry and his wife Susan decided to change-up the Mighty Ducks in what is still a highly contested shift. The “Mighty” was no longer, and the colors went from eggplant and jade to a sleek orange and gold. Along with the name and color change, the Ducks also changed up their defense by adding a highly touted defenseman in Chris Pronger.

The opposition to the changes ceased for a little while, as the Ducks went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2007. It was the first Cup to ever go to a California team, and it was only Henry’s second season as owner. He threw a massive parade for the Ducks that ended outside of the Honda Center, where the team, the ownership, and then California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave their speeches.