Closing Out the Decade
Thanks to his General Manager, Bob Murray, Henry’s Anaheim Ducks saw success for the last of the 2000s, making the playoffs in both 2008 and 2009. Unfortunately, the team would only manage a first-round exit against the Dallas Stars in 2008, and a grueling second-round loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. Still, they were carving out a better name for themselves than they had during their Disney days, in which there were multiple seasons they did not see the playoffs.
The 2010s And Furthering Team Success
The 2010s would start out rough for the Samueli’s and their team, as they would miss the playoffs after a disappointing fourth-place finish. The Ducks also traded away a legend in goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, to the Colorado Avalanche, which would serve as the start of Jonas Hiller’s great Anaheim career.
Over the rest of the 2010s, the Anaheim Ducks would qualify for the playoffs in every season except for three (2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2018-2019) under the leadership of Randy Carlyle and Bruce Boudreau. They would also win five-straight Pacific Division titles between the 2012-13 and 2016-17 seasons. In 2015, they were only one win away from their third Stanley Cup Finals appearance as a franchise, only to be eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7. Nevertheless, it was their highest point during the decade.