Anaheim Ducks Info

The Anaheim Ducks were originally called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. They are based in Anaheim, California. The Anaheim Ducks are quite a young hockey team with a short history but they have already managed to advance in the NHL championships and have already shown stellar results.

The Anaheim Ducks (originally as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim), was set up in 1991 by the Walt Disney Company. The original name was given after the Disney picture The Mighty Ducks, where a group of teens make a successful winning hockey-team out of the loser one. The team had a sort of additional commercial, when The Mighty Ducks cartoon with prototypes of real players appeared.

In 1996 the acquisition of such players as Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky Marc Chouinard and of course Teemu Selanne helped the Ducks to reach the playoffs for the first time. Moreover, Steve Rucchin and Kariyas playing together proved to be very productive and they turned out to be one the most successful duos in the league. So after not quite a notable start out of the playoffs for three years on end it was a real success for the team to come up fourth in the West and win seven games in the playoffs. In 1998-1999 the Ducks reached the playoffs again but were defeated by the Wings in the finals.

Then again the Anaheim Ducks missed the playoff games three years running and they manged to get into the finals only in 2003. The team made glorious victories defeating Detroit Red Wings, the Dallas Stars and winning hands down the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Final. Nevertheless the Anaheim Ducks lost to the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final.

The following season the team gave Kariya to the Colorado and acquired a star-player Sergei Fedorov, but the didnt help it to raise the Ducks tickets sales and succeed in the start-games.

In 2004 Disney wanted to sell the Anaheim Ducks but was offered a very low price. Finally in 2005 the Mighty Ducks was sold to Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli and his wife Susan for $75 million and a new GM and Executive Vice-President was appointed. Then the Ducks purchased again Teemu Selänne and signed a 4-year contract with 2003-2004 winner of the Norris Trophy Scott Niedermayer.

In 2006 the Ducks again made the playoffs but were stopped in the West finals by the Edmonton Oilers.

This year the team was renamed the Anaheim Ducks, changed their logo and colors and made more acquisitions of young star players. Maybe it should be considered a turning point in its short history and hoped by the Ducks as a start of a new dynasty in the NHL.