Nexen Tire High Performance Moments of the 2021-22 Season: 15-11

With the 2021-22 season in the books, AnaheimDucks.com takes a look back at some of the memorable moments from an exciting campaign in Anaheim. Today, the countdown continues with Moments 15-11. |
Moments 20-16
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Moments 25-21
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#15 - Ducks Win Eight Straight
While the season did not finish the way the Ducks or their fans wanted with a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a thrilling stretch in November offered a glimpse of what a successful rebuild could bring in the future.

The eight-game run spanned a few monumental nights for the franchise, including Ryan Getzlaf's franchise-record 989th point, his 1000th point two weeks after and one more special moment featured below. The streak was the club's longest unbeaten run since 2016 (11-0-0) and tied for the third longest in Ducks history.
"The greatest thing we have on this team right now is competition," head coach Dallas Eakins said after a win over the St. Louis Blues. "It is a total team effort right now. Not only the 20 guys who dressed...We need all 23 of our players right now and those players are sacrificing for each other. They're committed to each other."

In total, Anaheim earned wins over Montreal, New Jersey, Arizona, St. Louis, Vancouver (x2), Seattle and Washington, outscoring opponents 33-13 and leading the NHL in goals (33) and power-play goals (nine) in that span. John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz combined to post a league-best 1.63 GAA and .945 SV% in the eight games.

"This team is playing for each other and playing loose," Terry said at the time. "I know it's a cliche answer, but it's just a lot of fun being on this team right now."
#14 - Pat Verbeek Named Ducks General Manager
After an extensive search led by some of the most influential players in Ducks history, Anaheim officially announced former Detroit Red Wings executive Pat Verbeek as the club's new General Manager.

READ: Verbeek Sits Down with Orange Alliance Members, Discusses Ducks Future
READ: Verbeek Recaps Season, Looks Ahead to Offseason Moves

Verbeek, a veteran of more than 1,400 NHL games, joined the Ducks after working 12 seasons with Hall-of-Famer Steve Yzerman in Tampa Bay and Detroit.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of building a Stanley Cup winner," Verbeek told Orange Alliance members at Honda Center. "We have some really good pieces, and now it will be my job, working with our scouting staffs both amateur and professional, to find players who can support our core players. I want our team to be a really hard-working, competitive team that is hard to play against every single night."
Since taking his post, the new boss has gotten right to work in reshaping the Ducks roster and management staff. Prior to the NHL trade deadline in March, Verbeek dealt four veteran pending unrestricted free agents, acquiring a slew of draft picks and prospects.

"I think that was probably the hardest part going through that process of, trading those players away," Verbeek said. "But I felt, like I told you guys before, we couldn't let guys walk away. And this was a chance to really set up the franchise to be to put it in a good position down the road to build a lot of depth through the entire organization, whether it's in the minors and up top with the Anaheim Ducks.
"And so, when I felt that I couldn't get the guy signed, that's when I made the decision to do that. And now we have a lot of draft picks over the next three years, and now it's gonna be the responsibility of us to draft well, and to set this franchise up to be good down the road to really start to look at being a winning team, a contending team and eventually, hopefully, a championship team."
Verbeek also added to his staff in May with the hiring of former St. Louis Blues exec Rob DiMaio as an Assistant GM. DiMaio will also serve as the General Manager of the San Diego Gulls (AHL).
#13 - Ducks Earn Win Number 1,000
On the same night a franchise icon joined an exclusive club (more on that later in the countdown), Ducks fans enjoyed a special night at Honda Center as the club earned its 1,000th win with an
overtime defeat of the Washington Capitals
.

The Ducks jumped out to an early lead on Ryan Getzlaf's 1,000th career point, a cross ice-pass to Cam Fowler for a slapshot goal. Getzlaf became the 92nd player in NHL history to reach the 1,000 point milestone and the 39th player to do so all with the same club. Of the 29 retired players to record their first 1,000 points with a single franchise, 26 have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Capitals would eventually force overtime with a couple of third period goals, but rookie Trevor Zegras stole the show in the extra session with the game-winning goal and an unforgettable celebration, with more to come on that later in the countdown.

Anaheim's 1,000th win came in the 2,127th game in franchise history, making the Ducks the sixth-fastest club to reach 1K, trailing only Philadelphia, Montreal, San Jose, Edmonton and Buffalo.
#12 - 21st Duck Luke Gane Joins the Ducks on Opening Night
Continuing a great club tradition, Luke Gane joined the Ducks this season as the club's 21st Duck.

In 2008, Gane was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia as a Junior in high school, requiring a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. With chemotherapy, a successful bone marrow transplant from one of his four younger brothers, and a four month stay at CHOC, Luke went on to have a successful high school football career and went on to play football and graduate from UCLA.

Gane was introduced to Ducks fans as part of a special ceremony on opening night, in which he passionately skated out to center ice to join the team during pregame introductions.

The other 21st Ducks came alongside me when I met them before the game," Gane said. "And all of them said, 'Go slow. Enjoy the moment. Milk it, and don't try to rush it.'"
#11 - Zegras Does the Michigan...AGAIN!
Only in a rookie campaign full of spectacular achievements can a goal that has been accomplished just five times at the NHL level not become the most memorable moment of a player's season, but that was just what happened this year for Trevor Zegras.

By the time the Ducks arrived in Arizona in April, Zegras had already brought the hockey world to its collective feet twice with otherworldly displays of skill, but the outgoing 20-year-old had one more trick up his sleeve, pulling off a lacrosse-style goal from behind the net once again.

After a blocked shot sent the puck behind Arizona's net, with Sonny Milano parked just outside the goal crease, Zegras scooped the puck flat onto his stick and wrapped it around Milano at the far post just under the crossbar for his 17th goal of the season.

"I kind of saw the play and made it," Zegras said. "There was nobody really behind the net, so I figured, 'Pick it up.' If there was anybody in my way it was Sonny, which was pretty funny. I don't think he even saw me, to be honest."
"I think there's a time for it and that was certainly one," Eakins said. "He had lots of time to get it done. I think what might even be more impressive was Sonny's ability to get out of the way and make himself super skinny."