The Anaheim Mighty Ducks existed as an NHL brand for 12 seasons, eventually dropping “Mighty” from their name. Only one year later did the rebranded Anaheim Ducks deliver the city its first Stanley Cup championship.
While that crowning moment was too late for the Disney era, there were many noteworthy performances by teams and players sporting the Anaheim Mighty Ducks logo. Arguably the best Finnish player in NHL history spent his most electric years wearing the franchise’s original crest. The team’s incredible run to Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Final packaged several timeless highlights.
Overall, this list considers the noteworthy moments in Mighty Ducks history, from the franchise’s 1993 inception until the new ownership and name took hold in 2006. Both the immediate glamour of the moment as well as overall short- or long-term significance was considered.
10. 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons: Selanne leads the league in goals
While neither season was particularly memorable from a team perspective, Teemu Selanne was a dominant player for the Mighty Ducks to close the ’90s. He led the league in goals in consecutive years, with 52 and 47, respectively. These were the second and third times he did this, along with his rookie year in Winnipeg.
Also noteworthy was that 1998-99 was the first year this honor was punctuated with the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award. This made Selanne the first NHL player formally recognized for topping the annual goal-scoring leaderboard.
9. 1997 – First playoff series victory
Their fourth season of operation was the first year the Mighty Ducks made the playoffs, earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Despite having home ice for their first-ever series, they ended up trailing the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2, in crunch time.
Things turned around when Paul Kariya scored in overtime in Game 6, bringing the series back to the Arrowhead Pond for the deciding match. The Mighty Ducks earned a commanding victory, 3-0, to advance to the second round. They ended up losing to the eventual champion Red Wings, but the first playoff series win is a noteworthy milestone nonetheless.
8. 2003 – Sykora’s 5OT goal in Dallas
After an incredible upset of the reigning champs, which will be discussed shortly, the Ducks got their second-round set with the top-seeded Stars off to a thrilling start. Anaheim held a 3-1 lead halfway through regulation, and appeared to be in good shape to take the early upper hand.
The Stars ended up tying the game with 2:47 to go, and that ended up being the last goal for quite a while. The teams would go over 80 minutes without scoring.
Then, less than a minute into the fifth overtime, Petr Sykora finally broke the stalemate, giving the Mighty Ducks a momentum-building Game 1 victory. They would also steal Game 2 from Dallas in sudden death, and eventually won the series in six.
7. 2006 – Second run to the conference final
While the 2003 playoff run is by far the most memorable, the Mighty Ducks did have a solid run in their final year before rebranding. They were in a tough spot during the first round against Calgary, down 3-2 going into Game 6 at home. They earned a 2-1 victory, and then went on to shut out the Flames on the road in Game 7.
The Mighty Ducks carried this momentum onto the next round, where they swept the Colorado Avalanche somewhat easily, with three games by three or more goals. The momentum stopped there, however, as they lost the Western Conference final to the Oilers, winning just one game in the series.
6. 2003 – Sweep of Detroit
Detroit and Anaheim quickly became familiar playoff foes, with the Red Wings previously having the upper hand with their 1997 and 1999 victories. On top of this, they were the reigning Stanley Cup champions for the third time in six years. Therefore, Detroit was the obvious favorite in the series.
Game 1 proved to be a thriller, as Kariya scored in triple-overtime, giving the Mighty Ducks a 2-1 victory. Anaheim went on to win each of the next three games in order, all by one goal. Game 4 was clinched in overtime by veteran Steve Rucchin.
The series set a precedent for the 2003 Mighty Ducks’ overtime prowess. They went 7-0 in sudden-death games during this run, including three wins that required multiple bonus periods.
5. 1993 – First-round draft selection
In their inaugural draft, the Ducks used the fourth overall pick to select the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, Paul Kariya, out of Maine.
Arriving a year later after the 1994 Olympics, Kariya was the team’s first “franchise player,” scoring many significant goals and leading the charge offensively in his early years. He would eventually get some much-needed help late in his third NHL season, but more on that in a moment.
Kariya would struggle with injuries during his career, but still has the fourth-most points in franchise history. He was the player that Anaheim built around as it emerged from a lowly expansion team to a force to be reckoned with. Had the Ducks not selected him, who knows how things would have turned out.
4. 1996 – Trade for Teemu
The late-season deal with Winnnipeg helped the Mighty Ducks “restart the franchise,” as then-general manager Jack Ferreira told ESPN.com. Anaheim sent Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdorsky and a third-round pick to acquire Selanne, who ended up being arguably the best player in franchise history.
His number is the only jersey retired by Anaheim to date. He is the franchise all-time leader in points and goals. He averaged over a point per game in all but one season with Anaheim (during which he had one fewer point than games played). And he scored 51, 52 and 47 goals during his three best seasons.
3. 2003 – Giguere’s MVP playoff performance
Jean-Sebastien Giguere was unbelievable for the Mighty Ducks during their best playoff run. He went 15-6 with a 1.62 goals against average and .945 save percentage. Included in this record were the aforementioned seven overtime victories and zero overtime losses in 14 full or partial extra stanzas.
He was essentially a brick wall throughout the playoffs. During the conference final sweep of Minnesota. he had three shutouts, and gave up one goal in the other game. His performance was recognized with the Conn Smythe Trophy despite his team coming up short in the Stanley Cup Final.
2. 2003 – Kariya’s goal in Game 6
While the moment that tops this list is the most significant in Mighty Ducks history from a long-term perspective, this is probably the most memorable for its immediate effects. Kariya seemed to be in bad shape after getting laid out by New Jersey captain Scott Stevens with one of the Hall-of-Fame defenseman’s trademark hits in the second period.
Unexpectedly, Kariya returned to the game. During the third period, he flew up the wing and unleashed a slap shot that beat Brodeur, restoring a three-goal lead en route to a 5-2 final.
This sent the Pond into an absolute frenzy, and gave the team a lot of momentum leading into the ensuing Game 7. They ended up losing the series, but this moment will never be forgotten among Mighty Ducks fans.
1. 2003 – NHL Entry Draft first round
In one of the best first rounds in NHL Draft history, Anaheim took advantage. It held the 19th overall pick, and selected Ryan Getzlaf. Getzlaf has turned out to be a star player for the franchise, leading them to an eventual 2007 Stanley Cup. He is also the second-leading scorer in franchise history.
What made the draft more significant, however, was the trade GM Bryan Murray made with Dallas to acquire a second first-round pick. They used the acquired pick to select Corey Perry, who also emerged as a star player en route to the 2007 Cup. He is now the franchise’s third-leading scorer.
The Mighty Ducks were able to select two franchise players in the first round of this draft, which has helped them emerge as one of the top franchises in the NHL since then. What may have seemed like a gamble at the time turned out to have an incredible return.
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