2009-10 Anaheim Ducks
Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006-07, the Mighty Ducks have been trying to get back to the big dance. After being taken out by the eventual champion Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Semi-finals, the Ducks acquired a number of free agents to include former Montreal Canadiens Centre Saku Koive, former Panther Nick Boynton, Steve McCarthy formally with the Russian Federation’s Salavat Yulaev and former Florida Panther Steve Eminger. The team also resigned a number of players to include Scott Niedermayer, Todd Marchant, Jonas Hiller and Mike Brown.
In the draft, the team selected Peter Holland with the 15th overall pick in the draft, Kyle Palmieri with the 26th overall pick and Matthew Clark with the 37th overall pick. The franchise also acquired a number of players via trade to include Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, Justin Pogge, Evgeny Artyukhin, Shawn Weller, Kyle Chipchura, Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala.
The Ducks are currently sitting in 11th place in the NHL Western Conference and have won six of their last ten games.
Previous Seasons
Anaheim Mighty Ducks tickets are sporting everything new in 2005-06. Anaheim hockey fans hope that new coach Randy Carlyle will help the Mighty Ducks return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2006. Carlyle brings an impressive resume to the Ducks; during his 17-year career in the league, he was named to the NHL All-Star team four times and received the James Norris Trophy in 1981. Carlyle coached the Manitoba Moose for seven seasons and spent one season as an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals. Carlyle replaces former Ducks coach Mike Babcock, who left to coach the Detroit Red Wings.
A new coach isn't the only change in Anaheim's organization for the 2005-2006 season. The team was purchased by Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli from The Walt Disney Company in August 2005; Disney has owned the Ducks since their creation as an expansion team in 1993. Samueli intends to keep the Ducks in Anaheim. Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, the Ducks home arena, opened in 1993 to host the Ducks and seats more than 17,000. The ownership change could be a welcome change for Ducks-loving hockey traditionalists, who objected to the initial decision to base the team's name on a fictional hockey team from the 1992 movie of the same name. The Ducks 2005-2006 roster includes Teemu Selanne, who played for the Ducks from 1995-2001 before being traded to the San Jose Sharks. Selanne and teammate Paul Kariya had been a significant scoring threat for the Ducks during the late 1990's. Fans hope Selanne will be back to his quick, agile self this season after undergoing knee surgery last year. A fan favorite, Selanne is known for his friendly personality.
Another welcome addition to Anaheim's roster is defenseman Scott Niedermayer, whose blazing speed, agility, and outstanding skating skills earned him three invitations to the NHL All-Star game. Neidermayer also won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils. He was the 2004 recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy. Scott joins his brother, Rob Neidermayer, who has played center for the Mighty Ducks since 2003. Scott was chosen as team captain for the 2005-2006 season.
The Ducks have yet to win a Stanley Cup, although they challenged the New Jersey Devils for the cup in 2003 in a thrilling seven game series. On their way to the finals, the Mighty Ducks defeated the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild, and the Dallas Stars. The Ducks have appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs three times since their inception in 1993; their first appearance was in 1997, when they defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round but lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the second. The hope that they will return to the playoffs this year keeps fans buying Anaheim Mighty Ducks hockey tickets.
Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who received the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003 as playoff MVP, returns for the Ducks this year. Giguere's spotty performance during the 2003-2004 season have led many to question whether he will ever return to the level of performance that he exhibited during the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Ducks are feeling the pressure, as fans are expecting them to top last year’s superb season. No team has taken back to back championships since the Detroit Redwings took both ’97-98 – but the Ducks have a fantastic chance to take it this year, as they have a great blend of vets and young talent. They will continue to be at the top of the Pacific Division title for ’07-08. They will also continue playing that very physical type of hockey that they are known for, and no NHL team has been able to come up against. The only question mark the Ducks face at the moment is the possibility of 2 key members of their star squad retiring. Captain Scott Niedermayer is undecided, as well rightwing Teemu Selanne, who fulfilled a dream by taking the Stanley Cup in ’07.
