Anaheim Ducks Tales: The Past Reminds Us to be Thankful for the Present
The Rise of the Dawn
The 2005-06 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were much like the ’03 team. They struggled early in the season, going 11-11-4 in the first twenty-six games of the season. A big difference though was the roster, as Randy Carlyle was the coach of the team, and Scott Niedermayer, a hallmark defenseman from New Jersey, was the new team captain. It was also the first year of former Duck, Corey Perry, as well as Ryan Getzlaf, the current team captain for the Anaheim Ducks. There were some holdovers from the ’03 team, such as Giguere, Samuel Pahlsson, and Rob Niedermayer, just to name a few.
Some notes about that team were that they were a top-notch defensive team, finishing eighth in the league in goals-against while finishing fifteenth in the league in goals scored. That year, along with the following year, were some of Randy Carlyle’s best years as the Anaheim Ducks coach, as they were even better on both sides of the ice, seventh on defense and sixth in scoring.
The leading scorer was, of course, the Finnish Flash, Teemu Selanne with ninety points (40g, 50a.) Right behind him was Andy McDonald with eighty-five points and Scott Niedermayer with sixty-three. Even Ryan Getzlaf (thirty-nine points), and Corey Perry (twenty-five points), finished in the top ten that year, which proved that there were a lot of contributors to their success.
While the team struggled early, just like ’03, the Ducks turned up the intensity later in the season, winning sixteen of the last twenty-five games to finish the year third in the Pacific division, and sixth in the Western conference with ninety-eight points, a slight uptick from the ninety-five points they got in ’03 when they finished second in the division and seventh in the West.
In the playoffs, they faced the Northwest division champion Calgary Flames, seeded third, and beat them in seven games. They then swept the Colorado Avalanche, a team that knocked out their old rival Dallas Stars in the first round, winning the series in five games. In that series, they shutout the Avs at home, outscoring them eight to nothing. After an overtime win in Game 3 on the road, it was a convincing road win to complete the four-game sweep, advancing them to the Western Conference Finals.
It was there that they lost to the Edmonton Oilers, the eighth seed. Edmonton had just knocked out the top seed President’s Trophy winners, the Detroit Red Wings, and the San Jose Sharks. This earned them a one-way ticket to the Conference Finals. The Oilers finally ended the Ducks’ run in five games.
Despite falling short, the fact that they rallied after a hard start and even made the playoffs was a story to remember. The next year, the Ducks would move all the way to first place in the Pacific Division and second in the Conference. They’d pave a path to the SCF through Minnesota, Vancouver, and their old rivals, the Detroit Red Wings. The Ottawa Senators waited for them in the Stanely Cup Finals, and the Ducks would win the Cup. However, it was the ’06 team laid all the groundwork for such an incredible run.