anaheim mighty ducks history
anaheim mighty ducks history
NHL hockey fans holding Anaheim Mighty Ducks tickets are anxious for the Ducks to build on the success of recent seasons. The team was named after a hugely successful Disney movie. The Ducks parlayed their success on the movie ice into success on the NHL ice. Now it’s time for that success to pay off big time, as the Duck add a new coach, new ownership, and defenseman Scott Niedermayer. The Ducks’ Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2003 whetted the appetites of Ducks ticket holders. It has created an atmosphere of excitement as the doors of Arrowhead Pond open in 2005-06.
The Ducks first took the ice in 1993-94 as an expansion franchise, and in only their fourth season, they not only posted their first winning season, but made their first playoff appearance. Ducks tickets holders are looking forward to seeing the Mighty ones in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time.
Playing in an arena appropriately named the “Pond,” the Ducks opened the 1997-98 season against the Vancouver Canucks in the first two games ever played in Japan. That would not have happened without the success of the movie. The Ducks would have a less than stellar year following their Asian excursion, finishing in sixth place and missing the playoffs. The following year, Anaheim returned to the NHL Playoffs with a third place finish in the Pacific Division. Unfortunately, they would be ambushed by the two-time defending champion Detroit Red Wings, making an early first-round exit.
The turn of the century would prove fruitless for Anaheim, as in both the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons, the Ducks weren’t so mighty, finishing in last place. To make matters worse, in 2000-01 they finished behind both the expansion Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. The following season, the Ducks continued to struggle and once again finished the season in last place for the third straight year.
In the 2002-03 season, it was a case of worst to first. Anaheim, under the guidance of new coach Mike Babcock, would become the league’s strongest defensive team after the All-Star break. The Ducks would finish with their best season in team history. In the playoffs, Anaheim would stun the hockey world by sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings. The next series against the Dallas Stars would produce the most memorable game in franchise history, when a shot by Petr Sydora ended matters 48 seconds into the fifth overtime period. Anaheim swept the upstart Minnesota Wild 4-0 in the Western Conference finals; but their storybook season would come to an end at the hands of the New Jersey Devils in seven games.
In 2003-04 NHL season, the Ducks would add longtime star Sergei Federov from the Red Wings to replace captain Paul Kariya. However, they got off to a slow start, and were unable to get any momentum, finishing 29-35-10-8, in fourth place, and out of the playoffs in the season before the lockout.
There’s a new beginning in 2005 for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The winds of change are blowing across the Pond and the overhaul of the franchise may be the Ducks’ ticket back to the Stanley Cup Finals. New coach Randy Carlyle is a step in the right direction, and the addition of Scott Niedermayer gives Ducks ticket holders an NHL superstar. The question is how quickly can Carlyle make his team jell into a cohesive unit. Find out by picking up your Anaheim Mighty Ducks tickets right here, right now.
