
The Cardiac Quack Attack Strikes Back
Two years after the Anaheim Ducks won their lone Stanley Cup, they ran into a new problem: early success and struggling late to make the playoffs. Early in the season, the Ducks went 19-15-4 heading into January. The roster had some new wrinkles: Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Pronger were now the alternate captains, and some of the guys from the Cup teams were getting older.
Getzlaf and Corey Perry, the dynamic duo, combined for 163 points together, finishing one-two on the team. Bobby Ryan, a former Duck, finished fifth on the team with points. Meanwhile, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne rounded out the top 5 in the points category, showing that their experience was not making them obsolete.
Despite winning only twelve of twenty-five games in January and February, the Ducks came back strong in March and April, winning eleven of sixteen games to make the playoffs, finishing with 91 points, second in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Conference, just making the playoffs. The most memorable part of that season was their playoff shocker against the San Jose Sharks, who were the President’s Cup Trophy winners, and their divisional rival. Though seeded eighth, that didn’t deter the Ducks from pulling off another playoff upset, knocking out the Sharks in six games, winning convincingly in the close-out game.
Again, the Detroit Red Wings proved to be a thorn in Anaheim’s side, as they knocked out the Ducks in a grueling seven-game series, the back-breaker was game 7 when Jonas Hiller lost sight of the puck, giving up the game-winning goal in the latter minutes of the deciding game.