60 Fun Facts About Anaheim Ducks

Which entertainment giant founded the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993?

Walt Disney founded the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as a 1993 expansion team, naming the club after its 1992 film about a struggling youth hockey team.

Half of the Ducks' $50 million expansion fee went to which team to 'share' the market?

The Los Angeles Kings received $25 million of the expansion fee as compensation for sharing the Southern California market with the new Anaheim club.

Whom did the Ducks select fourth overall in the 1993 entry draft, their franchise face for a decade?

Paul Kariya went fourth overall in 1993 and was the Ducks' captain and leading scorer for most of his nine seasons in Anaheim.

Who was the Ducks' first head coach?

Ron Wilson coached the expansion Ducks from their first game in 1993 and later led Washington to the 1998 Stanley Cup Final.

Who captained the Ducks in their record-setting 33-win expansion season?

Troy Loney, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh, was the expansion Ducks' first captain in 1993-94.

Which two players did Anaheim send to Winnipeg in the 1996 trade for Teemu Selanne?

Anaheim sent Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky to Winnipeg in February 1996 for Selanne, who scored 51 goals for the Ducks the following season.

Which Blackhawk's cross-check gave the Ducks' captain a season-ending concussion in 1998?

Gary Suter's cross-check to the jaw on February 1, 1998 ended the captain's season and kept him out of the Nagano Olympics.

Which defending champion did the seventh-seeded Ducks sweep to open the 2003 playoffs?

The Ducks swept the defending champion Detroit Red Wings in 2003; Giguere stopped 63 shots in the triple-overtime Game 1 win.

Who scored in the fifth overtime of Game 1 against Dallas in 2003, one of the NHL's longest games?

Petr Sykora scored less than a minute into the fifth overtime, ending a game that passed 140 minutes of play, then among the four longest in NHL history.

Which Devils captain knocked the Ducks' captain unconscious in Game 6 of the 2003 Final?

Scott Stevens flattened the Ducks' captain with an open-ice hit in Game 6; he returned to score in a 5-2 win, but the Devils took Game 7 3-0.

In 2003 Jean-Sebastien Giguere became only the fifth losing-team player to win which award?

Jean-Sebastien Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy with a 1.62 goals-against average over 21 playoff games, even though the Ducks lost the Final in seven.

The Ducks' captain left in 2003 to reunite with Selanne on which team?

Both signed with the Colorado Avalanche for 2003-04, the captain taking a bargain $1.2 million; Anaheim slumped to 29-35-10-8 without him.

Which Broadcom co-founder bought the Mighty Ducks in 2005 for about $75 million?

Henry Samueli and his wife Susan bought the club from its founding owner in 2005; their firm already managed the arena, renamed Honda Center in 2006.

Which general manager, hired in 2005, oversaw the rename to Anaheim Ducks?

Brian Burke, hired as general manager in June 2005, dropped 'Mighty' from the name in 2006 and built the 2007 Cup winner before leaving for Toronto in 2008.

Whom did the Ducks take second overall in 2005 after beating 4.16% lottery odds?

Bobby Ryan went second to Anaheim, one pick after Pittsburgh took Sidney Crosby; he scored 31 goals as a rookie in 2008-09.

Which free-agent defenseman signed in August 2005 to play alongside his brother Rob and was soon named captain?

Scott Niedermayer left New Jersey as a free agent to join his brother Rob in Anaheim, and captained the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup.

Which Norris Trophy-winning defenseman became Ducks head coach in August 2005?

Randy Carlyle, the 1981 Norris Trophy winner, coached the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup and returned for a second stint from 2016 to 2019.

Which defenseman came from Edmonton in 2006 for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid and a first-round pick?

Chris Pronger arrived in July 2006 after requesting a trade; he was suspended twice in the 2007 playoffs and Anaheim won both games without him.

The 2006-07 Ducks set an NHL record by opening unbeaten in regulation for how many games?

The Ducks went 12-0-4 through their first 16 games of 2006-07, a season-opening unbeaten streak that broke a record standing since 1983-84.

Whom did the Ducks beat in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final?

The Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators in five games, clinching the franchise's first Stanley Cup at home on June 6, 2007.

Which Senators defenseman's own goal off Ray Emery gave Travis Moen the 2007 Cup-winning goal?

Chris Phillips' clearing attempt banked in off his own goalie in Game 5; the goal made Anaheim the first California team to win the Stanley Cup.

Where did the Ducks open the 2007-08 season with two games against the Kings?

The Ducks and Kings split two games at London's O2 Arena on September 29-30, 2007, the NHL's first regular-season games played in Europe.

Which goalie did the Ducks lose on waivers to Phoenix during 2007-08, making Jonas Hiller the backup?

The Ducks waived Ilya Bryzgalov in November 2007 and Phoenix claimed him; he became the Coyotes' starting goalie for the next four seasons.

Which former Canadiens captain signed with Anaheim on a one-year deal in 2009?

Saku Koivu, Montreal's captain for a decade, signed a one-year deal in July 2009 and ended up playing five seasons in Anaheim.

Who became the first Duck to win the Hart Trophy, in 2010-11?

Corey Perry scored 50 goals in 2010-11 to win the Hart and the Rocket Richard, the latter the club's first since Selanne in 1999.

Which former Duck died in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash and was honoured with a No. 24 patch?

Ruslan Salei spent nine seasons on Anaheim's blue line before dying in the September 7, 2011 crash; the Ducks wore a No. 24 patch in his memory.

Which two forwards did Anaheim get from Ottawa in 2013 for its 2005 No. 2 overall pick?

Anaheim got Jakob Silfverberg and Stefan Noesen, plus a first-round pick, from Ottawa in July 2013; Silfverberg went on to spend eleven seasons with the Ducks.

Where did the Ducks beat the Kings 3-0 in their first outdoor game in January 2014?

The Ducks shut out the Kings 3-0 at Dodger Stadium on January 25, 2014, the first NHL outdoor game played in California.

How many points did the 2013-14 Ducks record, a franchise best that fell one short of the Presidents' Trophy?

The Ducks finished 54-20-8 for 116 points in 2013-14, one behind Boston's 117; the Kings then beat Anaheim in seven and won the Cup.

Which center did the Ducks acquire from Vancouver in June 2014?

Ryan Kesler came from Vancouver on June 27, 2014 for Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa and a first-round pick; he scored 20 goals in his first Ducks season.

Anaheim's 2015 loss to Chicago made it how many straight seasons losing a home Game 7 after leading 3-2?

Three straight springs, from 2013 to 2015, Anaheim led a series 3-2 and then lost Game 7 on home ice, the last of them 5-3 to Chicago.

Which team did the Ducks beat in Game 7 in 2017 to end their Game 7 losing streak?

The Ducks beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the 2017 second round, Nick Ritchie scoring the winner to end four straight home Game 7 defeats.

Which NHL record did the 2020-21 Ducks set at 8.94%?

Worst power-play percentage in a season: Anaheim converted just 8.94% of its chances in 2020-21, the lowest rate since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1977-78.

Which general manager resigned in November 2021 amid an investigation into alleged verbal abuse?

Bob Murray, general manager since 2008, resigned in November 2021 and entered an alcohol-treatment program while the club investigated his conduct.

Whom did the Ducks select second overall in 2023 after Chicago won the lottery?

Leo Carlsson, a Swedish centre from Orebro HK, went second overall in 2023 after Chicago won the lottery and took Connor Bedard.

Which coach, reinstated after the 2010 Blackhawks scandal investigation, was hired by Anaheim in 2025?

Joel Quenneville, a three-time Cup winner with Chicago, was hired on May 8, 2025, ten months after the NHL cleared him to return to coaching.

The original Mighty Ducks colours were officially named which two shades?

The 1993 palette was Eggplant and jade with silver and white; the 2006 rebrand switched to black and gold with orange as a nod to Orange County.

What did the original Mighty Ducks logo depict?

A duck-shaped goalie mask, styled after the old fibreglass masks, was the 1993 logo's centrepiece, set over two crossed sticks and a puck inside a triangle.

After the 2006 rebrand, the logo became a webbed foot forming which letter?

The 2006 logo turned a webbed foot into a stylised D; it stayed the primary mark until the 1993 mask logo returned to the jerseys in 2024.

What number does the Ducks' mascot wear?

The mascot wears 93 for the year the Ducks joined the NHL; in 1995 he caught fire botching a jump through a flaming wall.

Which short-lived secondary 'mascot' played electric guitar in the stands at the Ducks' first game?

The Iceman, a guitar-playing character who performed in the stands, was dropped after the 7-2 loss that opened the 1993-94 season.

Which 1995 alternate sweater showing the mascot bursting through ice was retired at once?

The 'Wild Wing' third jersey, worn only in 1995-96, showed the mascot smashing through ice; the design came back as a Reverse Retro in 2020-21.

Which local water company paid $15 million for the arena's original naming rights in 1993?

Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water paid $15 million over ten years to name the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim; Honda took over the naming rights in 2006.

Which Finnish club did Teemu Selanne star for before joining the NHL?

Selanne scored 39 goals in 44 games for Jokerit in 1991-92, helping the Helsinki club win the Finnish championship, before joining Winnipeg.

Selanne is the all-time leading scorer at which international event, with 43 points?

The Olympic men's hockey tournament saw Selanne total 43 points over six Games from 1992 to 2014, with bronzes in 1998, 2010 and 2014 and a 2006 silver for Finland.

Besides hockey, which job did Selanne hold for three years while playing in Helsinki?

Selanne spent three years as a Kindergarten teacher in Helsinki while still playing semi-professionally, before joining Winnipeg in 1992.

The Ducks opened the 2011-12 season with games in which two European capitals?

In Helsinki and Stockholm the Ducks lost 4-1 to Buffalo and then beat the Rangers in a shootout, with Selanne playing in his home city.

Which former Capitals coach took over the Ducks bench midway through the 2011-12 season?

Bruce Boudreau, fired by Washington two days earlier, was hired on November 30, 2011 and went on to win four straight Pacific Division titles with Anaheim.

How many games did the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season last, in which the Ducks won the Pacific?

The 2012-13 schedule was cut to 48 games, all within the conference, and Anaheim won the Pacific with a 30-12-6 record.

In December 2013 the Ducks set a franchise record with how many consecutive wins?

The 10 straight wins in December 2013 set a club record that an 11-game run in 2016 later passed.

Which goalie made his NHL debut for the Ducks in 2013-14 with a 3-0 shutout of Vancouver?

John Gibson blanked Vancouver 3-0 in his April 7, 2014 debut and went on to start more games than any goalie in Ducks history before a 2025 trade.

How long was the July 2015 extension for the centre acquired from Vancouver in 2014?

Six years, worth $41.25 million through 2021-22; the club also added Carl Hagelin and Kevin Bieksa that summer and was tipped as a Cup favourite.

Losing to which team in seven games in 2016 cost the Ducks' head coach his job?

The Nashville Predators won Game 7 2-1 in Anaheim in April 2016, and the Ducks fired their coach two days later despite four straight division titles.

Whom did the Ducks send to New Jersey in the trade that brought Adam Henrique to Anaheim?

Sami Vatanen went to New Jersey on November 30, 2017 along with a conditional pick, with Adam Henrique, Joseph Blandisi and a third-round pick coming back.

Whom did the Ducks draft ninth overall in 2019?

Trevor Zegras, picked ninth in 2019, scored 23 goals in each of his first two full seasons before a June 2025 trade to Philadelphia for Ryan Poehling and picks.

Who was named Ducks general manager in February 2022?

Pat Verbeek, a 500-goal scorer as a player, was hired on February 3, 2022, taking over from interim GM Jeff Solomon.

In which year did the Ducks reach the playoffs for the first time?

The Ducks first reached the playoffs in 1997, their fourth season, beating Phoenix in seven games before being swept in the second round.

Which defenceman was named Ducks captain before the 2024-25 season?

Radko Gudas, signed from Florida in July 2023, became captain in October 2024, filling a post left vacant since Ryan Getzlaf retired in 2022.

Which number did Teemu Selanne wear during the 2005-06 season instead of his usual 8?

Selanne wore 13 in 2005-06 because a teammate already held No. 8; he reclaimed it the next season and the Ducks retired it in January 2015.

Who was the first Ducks alumnus inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, in 2001?

He scored 13 goals and 22 assists for the club; Kariya and Selanne, the two who earned their credentials mainly as Ducks, went in together in 2017.