Anaheim Ducks History
What began as a 1992 Disney movie turned into a professional hockey team as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim played their first official season in the NHL in 1993. With the emergence of Paul Kariya in late 1994, Anaheim had its first bona fide superstar.
In 1996, Teemu Selanne arrived via trade, and alongside Kariya helped lead the franchise to its first playoffs appearance in 1997. The Ducks reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2003, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils. Forever etched in Mighty Ducks lore was the knock out delivered upon Kariya by the Devils' Scott Stevens in game six. Kariya would make a hero's return in that game, emerging from the locker room to score and lead the team to victory. Netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs, becoming the fifth player to win the trophy as a member of the losing team.
Disney sold the franchise to Henry and Susan Samueli in 2005, and the team dropped the "Mighty" from their moniker. With star players on the roster, including future Hall of Fame defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Nidermayer, the Ducks finished the 2007 season as Stanley Cup Champions, defeating the Ottawa Senators in five games. With Rob Niedermayer also on the roster, the Niedermayers became the first set of brothers to win the Stanley Cup together since the 1980s. The Ducks have been in the playoffs a total of 14 times in their 29 seasons.
Anaheim Ducks Team Info
Conference: Western
Division: Pacific
Team Colors: Black, Orange, Gold, Silver
Team Rivals: Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center
Located in Anaheim, California, the Honda Center opened on June 19, 1993, and hosted its first-ever NHL game with the Ducks' inaugural season opener on October 8 of that year. In 2005, Honda Center became the first arena in the U.S. to have two full levels of 360-degree ribbon displays installed. A couple years later on June 6, 2007, the Honda Center hosted Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, where the Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-2 to become the first California team to win the championship. The arena can seat up to 17,174 hockey fans for Ducks games.
