History of the Anaheim Ducks

1993–2004: Disney Era
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company. The team's original name was chosen from the Disney movie The Mighty Ducks, based on a group of misfit kids who turn their losing youth hockey team into a winning team. Disney subsequently made an animated series called Mighty Ducks, featuring a fictional Mighty Ducks of Anaheim team that consisted of anthropomorphized ducks led by the mighty duck Wildwing.

The team was the first tenant of the Anaheim Arena (later the Arrowhead Pond and now the Honda Center), a brand-new arena in Anaheim located a short distance east of Disneyland and across the Orange Freeway from Angel Stadium. The arena was completed the same year the team was founded, with the naming rights originally being held by Arrowhead Water.

With their first-ever draft pick, the Mighty Ducks selected Paul Kariya fourth overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Kariya would quickly become a fan favorite and the cornerstone of the young Mighty Ducks franchise. As team captain, he would bring them within a game of Stanley Cup glory in 2003.

In their first season they would finish 33-46-5 with 71 Points and fourth in the Pacific Division.

During the 1994–95 NHL season, which was shortened due to a labor strike, the team would finish with a 16-27-5 record for 37 points giving them last place in the Pacific Division.

On February 7, 1996, the Mighty Ducks made a blockbuster deal with the Winnipeg Jets. The Ducks sent Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky, and a third-round pick to the Jets in return for Marc Chouinard, a fourth-round draft pick, and, most notably, star right winger Teemu Selanne. On a line with Steve Rucchin, who the Mighty Ducks drafted second overall in the 1994 Supplemental Draft, and Kariya, Selanne's chemistry with the latter made them one of the highest-scoring tandems in the league.

Taste of success
After missing the playoffs in their first three seasons, the Mighty Ducks finished 1996–97 NHL season with their first winning season at 36-33-13. They clinched fourth place in the Western Conference, earning home-ice advantage for a first-round playoff series with the Phoenix Coyotes. Selanne ended the season second in the league with 109 points, still a team record, and Kariya ended the season third with 99 points. The Ducks won the first two games at home but then lost the next three. Game 6 went to overtime and Kariya tied the series with a slap shot that beat goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. The Mighty Ducks then went on to win Game 7 at home to win their inaugural playoff series. However, Anaheim was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the second round. Even though Detroit officially swept the Mighty Ducks, every game was close in the series. Three games went into overtime, including one that went into double overtime, and one that went into triple overtime.

The 1997–98 NHL season was the worst in Mighty Ducks history. The team finished with a 26-43-13 record. Kariya was injured and Selanne was the only real source of offense for the ducks. Despite that, Selanne finished the season tied for first in the league in goals with 52, still a team record, and eighth in the league in points with 86.

The 1998–99 NHL season was a marked improvement for the Mighty Ducks as Kariya was once again healthy and they were a contender for the playoffs. Late in the season the Ducks had the chance to face the Phoenix Coyotes, a team they played well against that season, in the first round due to Phoenix holding fourth seed and the Mighty Ducks holding fifth. But a late season cold streak dropped the Ducks to sixth matching them up with third seeded Detroit, whom they did not play well against. Selanne won the inaugural Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the league with 47. Kariya ended the season third in the league with 62 assists, Selanne was fourth with 60 assists. Also Selanne ended the season second in the league with 107 points and Kariya was third with 101 points. However, the Ducks were swept again by the Red Wings, this time in a more convincing manner than in 1997 ending with a 3–0 loss on home ice.

Once again the Mighty Ducks took a step back during the 1999–2000 NHL season finishing with a 34-33-12-3 record, 83 Points and taking last place in the Pacific Division. Kariya was fourth in the league in goals with 42, Selanne seventh in the league with 52 assists and Kariya was fourth in the league with 86 points while Selanne finished fifth with 85 points. During the off-season the Mighty Ducks made a trade that would pay major dividends in later years. The Mighty Ducks sent a second round draft pick to the Calgary Flames for goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

The 2000–01 NHL season saw the Mighty Ducks finish last in the Pacific Division with a 25-41-11-5 record good enough for 66 points. Fan favorite Selanne was traded to the San Jose Sharks on March 5, 2001 for Jeff Friesen, goalie Steve Shields and a second round draft pick.

During the 2001–02 NHL season the Mighty Ducks once again finished last in the Pacific Division with a 29-42-8-3 record good enough for 69 points. During the off-season the Mighty Ducks signed unrestricted free agent Adam Oates. They also traded Friesen and Oleg Tverdovsky to the New Jersey Devils for Petr Sykora, Mike Commodore and J.F. Damphousse. The trade would later prove very valuable for both teams.

2002–03 Season: A Trip to the Finals
The 2002–03 NHL season was a different story. With a new coach in Mike Babcock, the Mighty Ducks were one of the best teams during the second half of the season and finished with a record of 40-27-9-6 and 95 points. During the trade deadline the Mighty Ducks sent Damphousse and Commodore to the Calgary Flames for Rob Niedermayer. The Mighty Ducks also picked up Steve Thomas from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth round draft pick. After a three-year playoff hiatus, Anaheim qualified for the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. For the third straight post-season in which they participated, the Mighty Ducks met the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings as the seventh seed. This time, however, Anaheim shocked the hockey world as they swept Detroit in the series with Rucchin's series-clincher on Curtis Joseph coming in overtime of Game 4. The Ducks would then defeat the #1 seeded Dallas Stars in six games in the Conference Semifinals, which was noted for Game 1 being the fourth longest game in NHL history, with the Ducks winning in the fifth overtime period thanks to Sykora. In the Conference Finals, the Ducks would make quick work of the upstart Minnesota Wild (only allowing one goal the entire series) to earn their first-ever Western Conference championship and berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. Giguere became a celebrity in Southern California with his outstanding play. Giguere posted a shutout streak in the Western Conference Finals of 217 minutes, 54 seconds. In between the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, Giguere appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals against the New Jersey Devils was a battle between two elite goaltenders. Martin Brodeur for New Jersey and Giguere for Anaheim. It was also noted for two brothers, Rob Niedermayer for the Ducks, and his older brother Scott Niedermayer for the Devils, competing for the same prize. Quite possibly the most memorable moment of the series happened during Game 6 in Anaheim. At center ice, Kariya received a fierce, blind side body check from New Jersey captain Scott Stevens. Kariya was knocked out and sent to the dressing room. But eleven minutes later, Kariya returned from the dressing room and scored the fourth goal of the game to help the Ducks tie the series with a 5-2 victory. Anaheim could not complete their Cinderella run, though, as they lost a hard-fought game 7 to the Devils 3-0. The series was also noted because every game was won by the home team. For his fine play during the post-season, Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. He became only the fifth player, and fourth goaltender, in NHL history to have won the trophy as a member of the losing team. Giguere had 15-6 record, 7-0 in overtime, with a 1.62 GAA, a .945 Sv. Pct. and a record 168 minute, 27 second shutout streak in overtime. This was the third coast-to-coast Final, following 1982 and 1994; both times, the Vancouver Canucks had Cinderella runs halted; in 1982 by the New York Islanders and in 1994 by the New York Rangers. However, this was the first coast-to-coast Final played entirely in the United States.

At the draft in June the Ducks traded to get two first round draft picks. With those picks they selected Ryan Getzlaf 19th overall and Corey Perry 28th overall.

2003–04 season: Disappointment
During the off-season the Mighty Ducks were dealt a major blow as their captain Kariya decided to sign a free agent contract with the Colorado Avalanche. In doing so Kariya reunited with Selanne, who also signed with Colorado after two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, to try and win the Stanley Cup. However the Mighty Ducks did sign star free agent Sergei Fedorov from Detroit and Vaclav Prospal from Tampa Bay. Still, 2003–04 NHL season was a major disappointment for the Ducks and Conn Smythe Winner J.S. Gigure as the Ducks missed the playoffs completely with a record of 29-35-10-8, 76 points, and a fourth place finish in the Pacific Division. The team suffered low attendance figures despite their magical playoff run of the previous year.

2004-Present: The Samueli Era
During the summer of 2004, as the NHL and the NHL Players Association's labor dispute was headed towards a long lockout, Disney tried to sell the team but received a low offer of $40-million US, less than the franchise's original price. In 2005, Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli of Irvine, California and his wife, Susan, bought the Mighty Ducks from The Walt Disney Company for a reported $75 million (USD). The Samuelis pledged to keep the team in Anaheim, unlike Arturo Moreno did when he purchased the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from Disney and decided to turn the team into a Los Angeles based franchise.

Brian Burke, former Vancouver Canucks General Manager and President, was appointed GM and Executive Vice-President of the Mighty Ducks on June 20, 2005. On August 1, 2005, former Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Randy Carlyle was hired as the seventh coach in team history. Burke was familiar with Carlyle's coaching ability, as the latter had coached the Manitoba Moose from 1996–2001 (International Hockey League) and 2004–05 (American Hockey League); the Moose had been the Canucks' farm club since 2001. Carlyle replaced Babcock, who later signed on to coach the Red Wings.

The NHL held the 2005 draft in July after the lockout ended. This was dubbed the Sidney Crosby draft and every team had a shot to land the number one pick. The Ducks came close getting the number two overall pick. With it they selected forward Bobby Ryan.

Also during that summer, the Mighty Ducks brought back fan favorite Selanne after an injury filled season with Colorado. A rejuvenated Selanne would score 40 goals, the most he had scored since the 1998–99 NHL season when he scored 47. The team also made their first big free agency splash under Burke when he signed defenceman Scott Niedermayer, the 2004 Norris Trophy winner and older brother of Ducks forward Rob, to a four-year contract, from New Jersey.

The 2005–06 NHL season saw the Ducks trade away big-name players with big contracts such as Sykora and Fedorov in favor of younger players such as first round picks Getzlaf, Perry and Joffrey Lupul and college free agent signing Chris Kunitz. The Ducks had a rough start to the season, but the plan was ultimately successful. The Ducks became one of the best teams in the league down the stretch and earned the sixth seed in the West and playoff date with the Calgary Flames. In an interesting playoff where the bottom 4 seeds knocked off the top 4 seeds, the Ducks beat the heavily favored Flames in seven games. The Mighty Ducks shutout the Flames 3-0 in game 7 in Calgary. In the second round the Ducks swept the Colorado Avalanche riding the outstanding play of backup goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. Bryzgalov took over for Giguere during the first round due to an injury to the Mighty Ducks starting goalie and broke Giguere's 2003 shutout streak. The Mighty Ducks had home ice advantage in their second Western Conference Final against the equally surprising eighth seeded Edmonton Oilers. However, the Mighty Ducks dropped the first three games of the series, won game 4 but then lost the series in game 5 at home. Selanne won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the end of the season for his dedication to the sport of hockey.

On January 26, 2006, the team announced, effective with the 2006–07 season, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim would change their name to the Anaheim Ducks. This included logo and team color changes which were unveiled at a special ceremony five months later. Many Ducks fans successfully petitioned the Samuelis to keep Wildwing as the current mascot because of the team's recent success and as a link to the past. Along with the new name, their home ice (the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) was renamed Honda Center as Arrowhead Water's naming rights had expired.

2006–07: The Stanley Cup arrives in Anaheim
On July 3, 2006, the Ducks traded young sniper Lupul, defenceman prospect Ladislav Smid, a 2007 first-round draft pick, a second-round choice in 2008, and a conditional first-round selection in 2008 to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for star defenceman Chris Pronger, who had publicly requested a trade from the Oilers ten days earlier citing personal reasons, with many speculating that his wife was unhappy living in Edmonton. 

With Pronger and Niedermayer back on defense the Ducks were picked by several publications as a favorite to win the Cup, the Ducks started the 2006–07 season on fire. On November 9, 2006, the Ducks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6–0 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia to improve their season record to 12–0–4. The win set an NHL open era record by remaining undefeated in regulation for the first 16 games of the season, eclipsing the previous mark set by the 1983–84 Edmonton Oilers. They were subsequently shut out by the Flames the following game, 3–0, ending their streak. On December 12, the Ducks defeated the Florida Panthers on the road 5–4. They broke a franchise record for their sixth road win in a row. They also improved their record that night to 24–3–6 and 54 points. No team having played 33 games had reached 54 points since the 1979 Philadelphia Flyers. The next night, the Ducks beat the Atlanta Thrashers to improve their road record to 12–1–2. The 26 points set the NHL mark for the most points on the road through 15 games. The previous record-holders, 1951–52 Detroit Red Wings had 25 points (10–0–5).

On January 16, 2007 the Ducks played in their franchise's 1000th regular season game, and on March 11, the Ducks recorded their franchise's 1000th point with a 4–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, which improved their franchise all-time record to 423–444–155, 1001 points. On April 7, the Ducks won their first Pacific Division title in franchise history, when the Vancouver Canucks defeated the second-place San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion in the Sharks' final game of the season. Anaheim also played their last game of the 2006–07 NHL season that day against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anaheim won the game 4–3, finishing off the season with a total of 110 points—the first 100-point season in franchise history. This was good enough for the fourth-best record in the league (behind Buffalo, Detroit and Nashville). Although they had three fewer wins than the Predators, the Ducks were seeded second in the Western Conference playoffs by virtue of their division title. Selanne finished the season third in the league in goals with 48. That was the most goals Selanne had scored since the 1997–98 NHL season.

In the Western Conference Quarterfinals, the Ducks met the Minnesota Wild. The Ducks won the first three games and eventually the series 4 games to 1. The team faced the Vancouver Canucks, the Northwest Division champions, in the second round. After a split in Anaheim the Ducks won game 3 on a Perry goal and game 4 on an overtime goal by Travis Moen. Game 5 also went to double overtime. Rob Niedermayer laid a huge hit in the Canuck zone, Scott Niedermayer collected the puck at the point and beat a distracted Roberto Luongo to win the series 4-1. In their third Western Conference Final they faced the Detroit Red Wings for the fourth time in the playoffs. The Ducks lost game one 2-1 on a shot that deflected off of the glove of Francois Beauchemin. In game 2 the Ducks won in overtime on a shot by Scott Niedermayer. Game 3 back at home was perhaps their worst of the playoffs as they lost 5-0. Pronger was involved in a hit with Rob Niedermayer on Tomas Holmstrom and received a one game suspension. Without Pronger the Ducks stepped up in Game 4 and won 4-3. Game 5 back in Detroit was a defensive battle the whole way. With the Red Wings up 1-0 in the third period Carlyle pulled Giguere on a power play and with less than a minute to play Scott Niedermayer banked in the tying goal off of the stick of Nicklas Lidstrom. In overtime Andy McDonald caused a turnover in front of the Detroit net and Selanne netted the game winner over Dominic Hasek. In Game 6 the Ducks held on to win 4–3 to earn their second Western Conference championship.

The 2007 Stanley Cup Final pitted the Ducks against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa was making their first appearance in the final series. The Ducks fell behind 2-1 in game 1 at home. In the third period Getzlaf tied the score and with few minutes remaining Rob Niedermayer fed Moen in the slot for the game winner. Game 2 was a low scoring but exciting game. The only goal came off the stick of Samuel Pahlsson to give the Ducks a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 saw the Ducks lose 5-3 on a controversial goal by Daniel Alfredsson. It appeared on replays Alfredsson kicked the puck into the net but it was ruled a good goal. Once again Pronger was suspended one game for an elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond. Game 4 was tied at the end of the second period when more controversy arose. Alfredsson appeared to shoot the puck intentionally at Scott Niedermayer. This set off a brawl at the end of the period. It has been rumored that Niedermayer told the team to forget about the incident and refocus on the game. In the third period Dustin Penner scored a goal from a Selanne pass to win 3-2. On June 6, the Ducks defeated the Senators 6–2 at Honda Center to claim their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Scott Niedermayer won the second Conn Smythe Trophy in Ducks history. The Ducks became the first California team, and the first west coast team since the 1925 Victoria Cougars to win the Stanley Cup.

2007–08 season: Defending the Cup
After winning the Stanley Cup, Scott Niedermayer and Selanne stated that they were unsure whether or not the would return to the team for the 2007–08 NHL season as they were both contemplating retirement. As a result of this indecision Burke was active in the Free Agent market signing two veteran players in high scoring defenceman Mathieu Schneider and gritty forward Todd Bertuzzi to 2 year contracts to replace both players if they did indeed retire. Later on, Oilers GM Kevin Lowe signed Penner to a restricted free agent offer sheet that would pay him 4.25 million a year over the next five. Burke called out Lowe, saying 'it was a classless move made by a desperate GM trying to save his job.' Burke did not match the offer. In return, the Ducks received the Oiler's first, second and third round draft picks.

The Ducks began their Cup defense against the Los Angeles Kings for a two game set in London, England, without Niedermayer and Selanne, who were still pondering retirement, and injured Pahlsson and Giguère, splitting the series. Highly touted prospect Bobby Ryan scored his first NHL goal during the series. However, Ryan only played 23 games with the big club during the season. On October 10, against the Boston Bruins, the Ducks raised their Pacific Division, Western Conference and Stanley Cup Champion banners. It was a rough start overall for the Ducks as they made minor trades to try and tread water. Burke said he would eventually let Bryzgalov go because he felt he deserved to have a starting position in the league. Burke made good on his promise and placed Bryzgalov on waivers where he was picked up by the Phoenix Coyotes.

The drama surrounding Niedermayer finally brought positive news for the Ducks as Burke declared he would return on December 5. December 14, marked an important event in Ducks history, as Burke dealt first line center Andy McDonald to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Doug Weight, Michal Birner, and a seventh round draft pick in order to clear salary cap space for Niedermayer. On December 16, Niedermayer made his return to the Ducks line-up. The team immediately improved and got back into the playoff and Pacific Division pictures. For the All-Star game, Getzlaf and Pronger were selected to participate. Later Perry and Scott Niedermayer were listed as injury replacements. It was a club record for players in an All-Star game.

The Ducks would receive more good news on January 28, 2008, as Selanne decided not to retire and signed a one year contract. The Ducks would win nine out of their first ten games with Selanne in the line-up. At the trade deadline the Ducks acquired defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron from the New York Islanders and J.S. Aubin from the Kings. With nine games to go in the regular season Pronger would be suspended for the third time in an Anaheim uniform. He received eight games for stomping on the leg of Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks. The Ducks finished fourth in the Western Conference and began their defense of the Cup against division rival Dallas. The Stars won the first two games, the Ducks won Game 3, and the Stars won again in the fourth game. After an Anaheim win at Honda Center in Game 5,  the Stars won Game 6 thus ending the Ducks' chance of a repeat Cup.

2008–09 season: More Playoff Success
With the Ducks having a longer off-season than of the recent two seasons, they often found themselves in the middle of media headlines.

Off the ice, the feud between Burke and former Oilers GM Lowe heated, as once again words were thrown between both in the media. League commissioner Gary Bettman ordered the feud to "cease and desist". Owner Henry Samueli was imprisoned for lying to the Securities and Exchange Commission judge about a fraudulent business operation. Bettman gave interim ownership of the team to Anaheim Ducks CEO Michael Schulman, as the Samuelis were banned from any contact with the Ducks whatsoever.

The Ducks placed Bertuzzi on waivers, where he was eventually not claimed and became a free agent. He eventually was signed by the Calgary Flames. Going into the off-season the Ducks were looking to fill the void left on the second-line center position ever since McDonald was traded. They ended up signing Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Morrison to a one-year deal. More good news would abound as Scott Niedermayer announced he would return for another season. The Ducks also signed Perry to a six-year deal. Despite all the off-season moves however, the Ducks were still in a logjam cap-wise, and in turn dealt Schneider to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for Ken Klee, Brad Larsen, and minor-leaguer Chad Painchaud. Moving Schneider to Atlanta freed up enough cap room to re-sign Selanne, who was previously signed to a pro tryout contract in the preseason to ensure no team would send a counter offer his way. Veteran defenseman Sean O'Donnell was dealt a few days into the preseason, in what Burke called a cap-related move. O'Donnell was dealt to the Kings for a conditional third-round pick.

After a franchise record 6-1-1 pre-season, the Ducks opened the regular season in San Jose, taking on the Sharks in what would end up a 4-1 loss for the Ducks. Days later the Ducks held their home opener on October 12, 2008, as they hosted a young and refreshed Phoenix Coyotes team. The Ducks dropped the game 4-2 in front of a sold-out home crowd.

The Ducks struggled to start the season going 1-5, but reversed the sluggish start with a sweep of a four-game road trip, winning games in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Columbus. The Ducks would win 8 of 9 games from there, before adversity struck. Beauchemin suffered a torn ACL after taking a slapshot off the ankle in a game against Nashville. Days later, Burke resigned his position as Ducks GM, handing over those duties to right-hand man Bob Murray, as Burke would in turn leave for Toronto some days later. Ryan was then called up to the team from the Iowa Chops. Reports indicated Ryan was good enough to make the team out of camp and was only sent down for salary cap reasons. The Ducks continued to play better, but only went 9-13-2 heading to the All-Star break. Three Anaheim Ducks players, Getzlaf, Giguere, and Scott Niedermayer were all named starters for the game. The Ducks fortunes didn't change much after the break as the team lost 4 out of their first 6 games.

As the trade deadline approached the Ducks were considered one of the more interesting teams because they were right on the cusp of being a seller. Several high profile players were said to be on the block including defensemen Pronger and Niedermayer. Neither player was ultimately dealt but the Ducks did make one move before the deadline. On February 27, the Ducks traded Kunitz as well as prospect Eric Tangradi to Pittsburgh for defenseman Ryan Whitney. GM Murray explained the team needed to, "re-tool the defense with a good puck moving defenseman." On trade deadline day the Ducks proved to be quite busy. The team placed Morrison on waivers where he would be claimed by Dallas, they acquired forward Erik Christensen from Atlanta for prospect Eric O'Dell and they traded Pahlsson to Chicago for defenseman James Wisniewski and prospect Petri Kontiola. They also traded Moen and defenseman Kent Huskins to San Jose for Boston University forward prospect Nick Bonino and goaltending prospect Timo Pielmeier and they traded defenseman Steve Montador to Boston for forward Petteri Nokelainen.

With the core of the team still intact, a re-vamped defense, a new top line consisting of Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry and whole new bottom six forward lines the Ducks got to work trying to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. On March 18 the Ducks found themselves in 13th place in the conference but a 10-2-1 finish catapulted the team into the playoffs all culminating with a 4-3 shootout victory against Dallas. The team finished with a 42-33-7 record with 91 points to place them second in the Pacific Division and eighth in the West earning them a date with the Presidents Trophy winner San Jose. Getzlaf broke the team record for most assists in a season with 66. Ryan broke a Ducks rookie record and lead all rookies with 31 goals. Ryan also lead all rookies with 57 points.

The Ducks-Sharks quarterfinal series was only the second series in NHL history to pit two California teams against one another. The first took place during the 1968-69 NHL Season between Los Angeles and the Oakland Seals. The Ducks stunned the Sharks by winning the first two games in San Jose 2-0 and 3-2. Hiller took over the starting job from Giguere and recorded his first NHL playoff shutout. Back at home for game 3, the game was tied at three in the 3rd period when Perry took a hooking penalty and Patrick Marleau scored on the ensuing power play to win the game. Game 4 was completely dominated by the Ducks 4-0. The first chance for the Ducks to eliminate the Sharks in Game 5 in San Jose went to overtime where once again Marleau was the hero. In Game 6 the Ducks received goals from Perry, Selanne, Beauchemin and Getzlaf to win the game 4-1 and the series 4-2. The Ducks became just the fourth team to beat the Presidents Trophy winner in the first round. In the semifinals the Ducks faced a familiar foe in the Detroit Red Wings. In game one Lidstrom scored in the final minute to win 3-2. In game two Marchant scored in triple overtime to even the series at one. It was the first playoff game to go at least three overtimes for the Ducks since game one of the 2003 semifinals versus Dallas. That game ended in five overtimes. The Ducks won game three on a controversial goal scored by Marian Hossa. The ref claimed to have blown the whistle before the puck went in. Game four was all Detroit by a final score of 6-3. Hiller was pulled in the third period after giving up five goals. A pivotal game five was won by the Red Wings 4-1. However the Ducks evened the series at three with a 2-1 win the game six. In the Ducks first game seven since the 2006 quarterfinals versus Calgary, Detroit got out to a 2-0 lead. Selanne scored a power play goal to cut the lead however Detroit scored again to make it 3-1. Perry scored next to trim the lead to 3-2. In the third period Ryan scored to tie the game at three. However Dan Cleary scored with three minutes to go to end the Ducks season.

2009-10 Season: New Team, New Look
With news on draft day that Scott Niedermayer signed a one year deal and Selanne would be coming back to fulfill the last year of his contract the Ducks traded Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers. In return they got Joffery Lupul back along with defenseman Luca Sbisa, the Flyers first round pick that year and their first round pick next year. On July 8 the Ducks signed former Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu to a one year contract.