The Pathway to Cup Glory

This piece originally appeared in the Anaheim Ducks 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book, available for purchase here.

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When the Ducks became the first California team to capture the Stanley Cup on June 6, 2007, it was the culmination of a series of events that originated with Henry and Susan Samueli purchasing the then Mighty Ducks from Disney in the summer of 2005.

Anaheim had already shown a propensity for success two years prior when the Mighty Ducks made an improbable run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final behind the goaltending of J.S. Giguere. But a difficult ensuing season was followed by an NHL lockout that led to the cancellation of the 2004-05 campaign and left the Ducks franchise in a state of flux.

J.S Giguere, Ducks goalie: I think Disney was a good ownership, Henry and Susan are the best. They're always there for the players. They treat the players like their sons. The organization just got better right off the bat. I think they're great for the community. They make sure that the guys do a lot. Anaheim probably is the place where I've done the most public relations stuff, and it's because of them. They're so involved and they're so charitable. I couldn't think of two better people to own a team.

Corey Perry, Ducks winger: To have the Samuelis come in and take over, and kind of start fresh, it was an exciting time for the whole organization. When you get an owner that is enthused about the team as much as you are, it's exciting – not just for the organization but for the fans and for Orange County itself.

Brian Hayward, Ducks TV analyst: It was exciting because, first of all, there was a moment there that we didn't know if the Ducks were going stay in town, because there were all kinds of rumblings. Henry and Susan had the management contract on Honda Center, so it made sense for them, at the time, to hold onto their anchor tenant here in Anaheim, but I didn't realize, to be honest with you, how passionate they were about the team, and how much they loved the sport and the team itself. So to find that out they were purchasing the team was pretty darn exciting.

Soon after the Samuelis took over the franchise, the Ducks made a number of moves over that summer that would have a significant impact on the organization. They hired Brian Burke as Executive Vice President & General Manager, and he in turn hired Randy Carlyle as head coach and Bob Murray as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. They signed one of the game’s best defensemen in Scott Niedermayer, who had just captured his third Stanley Cup against the Mighty Ducks and his brother Rob two years prior. Scott and Rob were each signed to four-year contracts on the same day – August 3, 2005.

Bob Murray, then Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations and current Executive Vice President and General Manager: When [Brian Burke] and I came here, it was out of the lockout, and it was hectic, but it was exciting. There were some good parts left from the team that went to the Final two years before. The biggest thing that was done, as we convinced Robbie Niedermayer to stay. That gave Brian the opportunity to get Scotty. That was huge. To get Robbie to stay, we had to convince him that we were going to be a tough team. We went out and got guys like Travis Moen and Todd Fedoruk, and I remember calling Robbie and telling him what we’d done and saying, “Is that enough yet?” That was critical in getting him to stay and then having a chance at Scotty.

Scott Niedermayer, Ducks defenseman and captain: It was an interesting situation, obviously, missing a whole year of hockey then being an unrestricted free agent. Teams were sort of scrambling trying to get things going again. Here in Anaheim there had been a lot of changes. The Samuelis had just bought the team, hired Brian Burke. Brian went out and hired a new coaching staff, brought in Randy Carlyle and the rest of the guys. And my brother had been here for a couple years under different owners, different coaches. Having played against each other back in 2003, kind of put things in perspective a little bit for us, I think. It was a bit of a difficult sort of situation to stand between your brother and his dream of winning the Stanley Cup. A year later we got to play together at a World Championship for Team Canada. And I think those two experiences kind of got us thinking that one day it would be kind of neat if we could play together in the NHL. And then the opportunity did come about. It was a hard decision to make. New Jersey had been a very good place for me. We had great teams that were winning three Stanley Cups so it was a difficult decision to make. But, it ended up working out better than I could have imagined, obviously.

Later that summer the Ducks signed franchise icon Teemu Selanne, who was recovering from knee surgery, to a one-year contract that initiated a magical second stint with the Ducks.

Teemu Selanne, Ducks legend: I had knee surgery, and I had the time to recover from that during the lockout. I just wanted to go somewhere I know I'm gonna be happy for sure. When we first called Brian Burke, they didn't have any room for salary, but then about two weeks later they called and said, "Now we have a little room," and I said I'd take it right away. I knew that I wanted to come back here and I was so happy that I did it. We had a great team. We got Scott Niedermayer and Randy Carlyle just came on as coach. I used to play with Randy in Winnipeg so it was an exciting thing for me, and I was so hungry too because I had played for so many years with the bad knee, and I got that fixed so I had a lot of jump and energy and hunger to play well and prove myself again that I can play well at this level.

Scott Niedermayer: It was pretty exciting to have Teemu come back. As a defenseman, you look pretty good when you pass a puck up to a guy like that and he does his thing, and you've got an assist, and really, he's the guy who did the work. I know playing against him the little bit I did, he was always such a threat to score goals. And maybe what I didn't know is what a great person and fun person he is to be around and a great team guy. Obviously, it worked out very well. It was great to see him back. The fans love him, and that meant a lot to our team, as well. The fans really gave us great support, and a big reason is because of guys like that.

Giguere: It was really cool that summer to hear about those moves. Obviously everybody loves Teemu, so it was fun to have him back. I think it was exciting for the fans. But the players, we were so excited because we knew what kind of guy he was in the dressing room. He could take a tense moment and make you relax, crack a joke here and there and just make sure that you're relaxed. He's a great role model. And Scotty's the greatest leader I've ever played with. And probably one of the greatest that's ever played hockey. Bringing a guy like that, you had a chance right off the bat to win a Cup.

The Ducks got off to a slow start in 2005-06 and within a span of a week in mid-November made a couple of deals for eventual franchise mainstays. Defenseman Francois Beauchemin was acquired from Columbus in a trade that included sending future Hall-of-Famer Sergei Fedorov to the Blue Jackets. A few days later, the Ducks claimed former Columbus forward Todd Marchant off waivers, and both he and Beauchemin would go on to play major roles during Anaheim’s Cup run.

Scott Niedermayer: It was quite an interesting first year. I didn't really know what to expect coming here. You look at the roster and you say, ‘”Yeah, there's some good talent there. There's some good players.” But with so many changes it's really hard to predict how things are going to play out. So, a little bit of a rough start. But we found our identity, started playing well as the year progressed and got into the playoffs.

Todd Marchant, Ducks forward: I came from Columbus to a Ducks team that wasn't playing very well at the time. It was November of 2005 and [Ryan] Getzlaf and [Corey] Perry were rookies who actually had been sent to the minors for a few games. By Christmastime, we were just starting to jell and turn things around. We kind of hit our mark right around the New Year and went on a tear.

Scott Niedermayer: It was interesting we made the trade and got Francois Beauchemin on the team and I ended up being his D partner. I'd never really heard of the guy in all honesty and you know, just a fierce competitor. Very similar to a lot of guys I'd played with before in New Jersey, guys that did all the dirty jobs, blocked shots, were physical, took hits to make plays.

Beauchemin would have an impact on Anaheim’s Western Conference Quarterfinals series with the Calgary Flames, who were heavily favored over the Mighty Ducks. With the Ducks down 3-2 in the series, Beauchemin dropped the gloves with Flames captain Jarome Iginla early in Game 6 and won the fight emphatically (page 38). By all accounts, it shifted the series in Anaheim’s favor.

Selanne: The first round against Calgary, we were underdogs, especially in the Canadian media. They didn't really give us much chance to win the series. But we knew that we can be good, and we can compete against these guys and, it was very tight games. But I still think the whole series turned around when Beauchemin fought Iginla and just we all see how great he did, and he won the fight. And after that, I felt that all the Calgary players, they felt and looked smaller I think that was the momentum change for that series, and we won in seven.

Scott Niedermayer: We were all committed and he went out and took on their leader. Jarome can handle himself, as well. They're both pretty tough guys. And just to see a guy willing to do all those little things whether it was that or other guys laying in front of shots or taking hits or playing hurt. That's how you win. We had guys willing to do that.

Perry: I was on the bench. I think I closed my eyes a few times when Beauch started throwing the lefts, and I think he caught Iginla off guard. I think everybody looked at that fight as a turning point, and it definitely carried everybody over.

Hayward: As soon as they dropped their gloves and squared off, my first thought was, I wonder if Iginla knows he's a lefty. Clearly he didn't, because Beauch just tagged him a couple of times, and it was another pivotal moment in that series. And we say this all the time in hockey, that playoff series, for the most part, are a series of moments that shift the momentum one way or the other, in favor of one club, and that was a big one for us. There's no question, because I think everyone on Calgary, and on their bench was expecting that Iginla, who's a tough, tough customer, was gonna get the better of Beauchemin, and he just got jack hammered.

The Ducks won Game 7 in Calgary 3-0 behind the first of three consecutive shutouts by quirky goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.

Scott Niedermayer: We really had belief in our room. We were playing well. We believed in each other and we ended up sneaking that out in a Game 7 up there, which, was a pretty big thrill. I mean, to have success like that against a tough opponent and to come out on top is a pretty rewarding time. It was great especially from where we started at the beginning of the year where we weren't doing so well and some changes were made and we ended up finding our way. To win a tough playoff series is a huge accomplishment especially for a team that's maybe just coming together with some new faces, some young guys, to really figure out how to have success in the playoffs. That was really what I was glad for was this is a great learning experience for us to be able to go into a real tough playoff series, physically demanding, playing against a real good team and to come out on the road in a Game 7. That's a great learning experience and I'm sure it paid dividends for us down the road.

Anaheim would go on to sweep the Colorado Avalanche in the conference semis. The Ducks ran into a hot goalie in Edmonton’s Dwayne Roloson in the Western Conference Final – not to mention a big, hard-nosed Oilers defenseman by the name of Chris Pronger – and Anaheim fell in five games. But the roots of a perennial playoff contender had been planted in Anaheim.

Marchant: That team really felt like it had unfinished business in a sense that we felt we deserved better.

Murray: Quite frankly, we got beat by Edmonton because of Pronger and Roloson, two guys who ended up working for us [Roloson would become Anaheim’s goaltending coach after retirement]. But we felt like we should have beaten them that series.

Hayward: I thought at the time we had a great team here in Anaheim. We were right on the cusp of being the dominant team in the league. What stands out for me, is that we lost to the Edmonton Oilers in a conference final series in which I think we outplayed the Oilers in every single game by a significant margin. And I just remember at the end of it, that it was like, "I can't believe we lost the series." Dwayne Roloson was an absolute superstar and Chris Pronger showed why, at the time, he was, if not the best, certainly one of the top two, or three defensemen in the NHL. He was a dominant player in that series as well. So I just remember that it was a very deflating feeling, watching that Stanley Cup Final. It just was setting up so well if we got past Edmonton, we would've faced Carolina in the final, and I really would've liked our chances in that series. And it was one of those reminders, I guess, that you never know what can happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, because, not only should we not have lost in five games, we should not have lost that series.

Scott Niedermayer: We felt good at that point with ourselves, with everybody that was involved with the team, with what the Samuelis were trying to do, the support they showed us. Brian, the coaching staff, Randy, everybody. We had accomplished some things the year before but we knew there was still more work to be done. People were still pushing forward and giving us everything we needed to do that. So we were excited. We were just real excited to get going again to get back out there and have some fun playing hockey and trying to win a Stanley Cup.

For the second straight summer, the Ducks would make some moves that had a tremendous impact on the organization. On June 22, 2006 the team officially changed its name from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the Anaheim Ducks in a festive ceremony at the Arrowhead Pond (which would become Honda Center four months later). The franchise also unveiled a new “Ducks” wordmark logo and color scheme of black, gold and orange (a tribute to the team’s Orange County home) with new uniforms modeled by Perry and Marchant.

Perry: I think the Samuelis wanted to put their mark on the franchise, and really show that they care about this team and they're going to establish its own identity. Moving forward I think everybody was excited about the new change. And the fans were excited. The players were excited to see what kind of jerseys we were going to have.

Marchant: I think Henry and Susan wanted to put their own stamp on this team. They had just taken over the team the year before, and you kind of just let things ride out. The way that they wanted to do that, was first off get rid of the Mighty part, and second of all change the color of the jerseys. I know that a lot of effort, and a lot of things went in to that whole process. I was fortunate enough, Corey Perry and I, came out for the unveiling, and we had not seen the jerseys until we actually put them on. I remember him and me both looking at each other and going, "Wow." It looked traditional. It looked crisp. They chose black because they thought black was a color that made you look tougher. I think that sort of image carried over into the way that we played. We were a hard team to play against, and if you had asked anybody that season that they knew they were going up against the Anaheim Ducks, they knew they were in for a tough night. I think that all was part of the whole process of being able to turn the corner on what was a great franchise prior to them taking over, but then to carry the tradition to another level.

Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks center: It was great. The jersey change, the name change, all those things were pointing in the direction of their taking control and wanting to do something here.

Selanne: It was what we were expecting because obviously when the Samueli family took the team over, they wanted to have their own identity in the end. We heard the rumor that the "Mighty" was going to drop off the name, and that's fine. And I really liked the new uniforms and everything. And obviously when Disney was the owner, even they were good owners too, but you really didn't feel that soul in the organization because it was big company behind it. But now it was a family and you felt that soul, and as much as the Samueli family does for the communities here, it was a different feeling.

Giguere: I was glad we kept the name Ducks. I was glad that we kind of kept a tie to what we were. But in the same time, I think it was time for a change. I think the new colors and the new name fit the team well, fit our personality well. The colors match well with Orange County. It was a well-needed change. I like the old logo, and the colors, and all that, but this definitely felt more modern and more fresh.

Within days of announcing a new identity, the Ducks added a major piece to its roster in a blockbuster trade with the Oilers that brought Pronger to Anaheim in exchange for right wing Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Ladislav Smid and three draft picks.

Murray: When Burkie sets his mind to things, he gets it done. And that’s what he did with the Pronger trade. We were fighting over the last [conditional] first round pick because I thought we’d given them enough. But he said, “We’re gonna do this.” Thank God he was right, because you don’t win the Cup without two No. 1s on defense, which we had with Pronger and Niedermayer. Once we made that deal, we knew we had a pretty solid team.

Niedermayer: We knew we had a real good team after what we did the year before, and really believed and were excited about being able to chase the Stanley Cup. And then when you get a little shot in the arm by acquiring a defenseman like Chris, such a great player, smart player, fierce competitor, I think our confidence just got a big boost when everybody heard that. Rightly so.

Chris Pronger, Ducks defenseman: Having just played them in the conference final and knowing the roster fairly well and the style they play, I was excited to be a part of that team and that group. I certainly thought we had a chance to do what we did, which was compete for a Stanley Cup. And of course there was the weather, the lifestyle, my brother [Sean] had played there and was still living there. So it was high on my list on a number of fronts, but first and foremost the hockey team.

Getzlaf: When you go out and we lose in the conference final the year before, we knew we were missing something, obviously. To go out and make a statement like going and getting Chris Pronger at the start of the year, that just showed all of us in the locker room, I think, that they're willing to spend. They're willing to do whatever it takes to win, and they did it.

Selanne: I knew it was going to help us next year because we had a really good team and obviously that offseason, we got Chris Pronger. When I heard that news my smile was pretty big. I knew right away that he was the missing piece of what we didn't have here before. When we got him, I really felt that this team had a chance to win the whole thing.

Pronger: I knew most of the guys from a distance, and obviously from playing against them, but didn’t know them personally. You play against players and you battle, and most recently we had battled one another pretty hard, going through the verbal jabs and whatnot. Having played Teemu fairly hard for let’s call it 13 years, I think he was excited to be able to play with me, and I was excited to play with him. I thought my skillset matched up with his speed and being able to outlet the puck to him for breakaways appealed to me and I think him as well.

Marchant: When they made the trade for Chris Pronger, that turned everything around for us. I think it started in training camp, where we looked around and thought, We were close last year, but this is a team that could win it all. I can't think of any team in the last 15 years or so that has had two No. 1 defensemen like we did in Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. They could play against anybody and in any situation, and it was apparent that would be a difference-maker right away. What also helped is having a close group of guys. We'd go out for dinner on the road and there'd be 13 or 14 guys there. We felt like we were destined to do something great.

Anaheim was picked by many to win the Cup that year and the Ducks wasted no time showing they had become the class of the league. They set an NHL record by earning points in their first 16 regular season games (a 12-0-4 record).

Murray: Early on that year, I remember distinctly there was one game where we beat them walking away, like 5 or 6 to nothing. And I remember thinking, This team is as good as we think it is. That team was special.

Marchant: The biggest thing with that team was that we expected to win, every single night. There are certain buildings that are tough to play in. When you have a team that maybe isn't as strong, or isn't as talented, you kind of go into some of those buildings saying, "Geez, I hope we can squeak out a win tonight," or, "I hope that we can get a point," or whatever. That wasn't the case with that team. That team, it didn't matter who we were playing, and when we were playing, where we were playing, we expected to get two points every night. And that was the mentality of that team, and that's why that team was so successful. We played a pretty brash style of hockey and didn't back down from any situation. That was our identity as a team and we stuck to it and played to it every night.

Pronger: We had guys that understood how we needed to play. We had the ability to score goals, but we had the ability to play the power game, a heavy a game, a tough game. I think we could play any way you wanted. We could play a tight defensive game or we could beat you 6-5. We could play a speed game or a punch in the face game. We were a jack of all trades but at a high level. We could beat you a lot of different ways, and that was the exciting thing about it. That was the appeal of that team for me, and Randy’s system was tailor made for that group of players.

Giguere: That team was special from the get go. I don't think there was a doubt in anyone's mind that that's where we were heading. I think when you can have guys like Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger on your team, either playing together or separately, it makes your team so much stronger. It makes you an elite team right off the bat. We had very talented forwards who could score some goals and on top of it, we were one of the toughest teams in the league. Nobody wanted to play us. Everyone else did their job and made it easy on me. But it was a good team, well-coached and well-prepared. We never really had a doubt we were heading for something great.

Randy Carlyle, Ducks coach: I don't know if you could say there was a defining moment. I think our group made the decision at training camp. The way our team came together right out the gate of training camp, we got together and we were a team early. And I think we had some sort of crazy record going. We were unbeaten and we hadn't lost in like [16 games] or something and it just seemed that that was a stepping stone. And then we ran into a little bit of a hurdle at Christmas, but we found ways to regroup. And we made adjustments as we went forward, but players are the ones that put it on the line night in night out and they deserve all the credit.

Andy McDonald, Ducks forward: Whether it was on the scoresheet or a defenseman making a great play, blocking a shot, there was always some guy in the spotlight. It made it really tough to defend against us because it was like, “Well, who do you stop?”

Murray: You remember the old dynasty teams like Montreal and the Islanders and Edmonton, some of those Boston teams I grew up watching. Those teams could play the game any way you wanted. You want to play fast? Okay. You want to play physical? Okay. Any way you want to throw it tonight. That was the thing with our team, they could go any way you wanted it to go. I have too much respect for those old teams to make comparisons, but the only thing I’ll say there is I wish there was the opportunity to see our team play some of those great ones. I think our team could have played with them.

Marchant: That team had so many veteran guys like me who had been in the league for years and never won a Cup. So we were a hungry group, and we knew that opportunity doesn't come around every day. You don't know when you'll get back here, so you want to take advantage of it now.

Pronger: We had high expectations and then to get off to that type of start, you’re clicking on all cylinders. At some point, you’re gonna hit some adversity, and I think the big thing for us was how we’re gonna deal with it. It hit when Scotty and I got hurt, and we fell into a bit of a funk. That was our little wakeup call, where we lost probably five of eight or six of ten, and it was a little slap in the face that we can’t just show up. We’ve got to come prepared to work and play our style and our system to the best of its ability. As the season goes on, the teams that succeed continue to adhere to the little details and push themselves to get better. When you face some tough challenges, you understand your team better and the dynamic of each player, and you can overcome those things.

Scott Niedermayer: I think there are moments where you recognize that it could be a special team. You're in the dressing room and there is a feeling, there is an atmosphere in there, and you recognize that everybody is buying in. Everybody is committed to what we're trying to do here, and we're doing it real well. When that happens, you know your chances of having success are good. In the middle of those things, you never want to admit it and you never want to let your guard down. But obviously now as time's passed and looking back at it, I think most guys would agree in a sense that we had the special feeling that it takes to have success. Guys were willing to put the work in, sacrifice themselves for whatever they needed to do for the team. You can sense it, but you don't want to admit it at the time. You want it to keep going.

Selanne: We had a great combination of older guys and younger guys, Getzlaf and Perry were up and coming. Our top line with [Chris] Kunitz and [Andy] McDonald was unbelievable and really solid. Defense, we had Pronger and Niedermayer and Beauchemin and [Sean] O'Donnell and those guys, very solid. And we have the checking line of [Samuel] Pahlsson, [Travis] Moen and [Rob] Niedermayer, and that line was our best line a lot of nights. Great goalies in Jiggy and Bryz who gave us confidence and chance to win every night. So the depth that we had was unbelievable, and that made a big difference. That’s what made this team so special. There were no egos. Everyone had a role, and we all accepted it. There was so much hard work.

Scott Niedermayer: You look at the makeup of that team, some of the older players we had who brought a lot of that experience and different experience to the team, and then the younger group of players who brought their enthusiasm and talent and played huge roles. You have that combination of things, and obviously goaltending with Jiggy and Bryz - both of them very capable of doing the job for us. Yeah, I think that team can be put up against any other team that's won the Stanley Cup and argue that they're as good as any of them.

Among the more valuable members of the team, though certainly not the most heralded, were the checking line of center Samuel Pahlsson and wingers Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen. The line stayed intact for virtually the entire season and through the playoffs, frequently assigned to shut down the opponents’ top units while contributing on the offensive end as well.

Getzlaf: Those guys were huge. They were the unsung heroes. They played so many hard minutes for us and against a lot of other top lines. Those guys a lot of nights would play 20 minutes a night, and check against the best lines and the best players in the league. On top of that, they scored some big goals for us throughout the playoffs. Most of them, or the three of them, played so well together, and I think it started the year before when they learned each other and learned what they were gonna do. And then they went out and every night came out and did the same things, and they blocked shots and they hit. They made it tough on other lines.

Perry: They definitely were our workhorses that whole year and in the playoffs. They shut down the top line of the other team, they killed penalties for us, and they put up some big numbers, and they scored some crucial goals at crucial times, and those three guys were our best line by far in keeping guys off the score sheet.

Giguere: You can’t say enough about those guys.

Travis Moen, Ducks winger: Me, Robbie and Sammy, we just clicked. We just went out and worked hard every night. Didn’t care who got credit for goals and our role was defensive. We tried to play well defensively every night. If we chipped in, we chipped in.

Rob Niedermayer: I think the biggest thing our line had was trust. That was the key word for us. If I’m gonna be in a certain position, they’re gonna be backing me up, and the same goes for them.

Newell Brown, assistant coach: We called Sammy Pahlsson the Viking, because nothing could stop him.

Pronger: They were so good because all three of them can skate well, all three of them are physical, and eventually all three are going to get scoring opportunities because of that.

Marchant: For a line to be successful, you have to develop a good chemistry, and that showed because they were together all year. It was the only line that was together all year long.

The Ducks made a couple of in-season moves that brought in two eventual fan favorites. George Parros was acquired from Colorado for draft picks and soon became immensely popular for his fighting ability, personality and signature mustache. The Ducks made only one significant move at the trade deadline, as veteran Brad May was also brought in via a trade with Colorado and added a veteran presence, toughness and charisma.

George Parros, Ducks enforcer: They were off to a real hot start that year at the time of the trade. And, I was put on waivers by LA to start the season and picked up by Colorado, then traded to Anaheim. So, in a matter of a month and a half, I'd gone from being on the waiver wire, to joining the frontrunners for the Cup that year. So, it was quite an amazing period of time, and I was certainly excited to come back to California.

Brad May, Ducks winger: When I was traded, I was so lucky and fortunate to be traded to this team. It was amazing. No matter what team you are traded to, you try and do the best you can. But coming to such a great team – and I was the only one who was picked up that day – you just didn’t want to screw it up. You just kind of find your place. I knew a lot of the guys, and I was very comfortable with Brian Burke and that group. It just worked out perfectly.

Murray: We had known Brad and knew he was high character. We were tough enough as it was, but we wanted that little extra character guy. We had some injuries and this was some depth we needed. We didn’t do very much, but we didn’t need to do very much. The moves we made that season were tinkering with the depth of the hockey club.

Anaheim captured its first Pacific Division championship on the last day of the regular season to earn a No. 2 seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They dispatched the Minnesota Wild in five games in the opening round, winning the first three straight without its veteran goalie J.S. Giguere. The former Conn Smythe winner was tending to his newborn son Maxim, who was born with a condition in his right eye known as persistent fetal vasculature syndrome (he ultimately had successful surgery to repair it). Backup Ilya Bryzgalov performed admirably in the first three games of the Minnesota series, but Giguere made his first appearance midway through Game 4 and started every game the rest of the postseason.

Giguere: Throughout the whole playoff there was an issue with my son's eye condition. And when there was time that the doctor thought he may have cancer, and stuff like that. Emotionally, it was very difficult. I can't explain to you how difficult all this was.

Murray: Jiggy and his wife handled it so professionally. He’s a special guy. We wanted to give him as much time as he needed. He’s the ultimately professional, and he didn’t want to disrupt the hockey team. It couldn’t have been easy for him. The good thing was that we he had Bryz as a backup, and he had won a bunch of playoff games the year before. He’s a different character, but he can stop the puck.

Carlyle: We had a decision to make that we thought would be in the best interest of the hockey club, because his mind wouldn’t where it needed to be, and you can’t blame the individual. There are things that happen in life that are more important than the game, and this was one of those things.

Brian Burke, then Ducks General Manager: I’m not sure I’ve seen a guy focus through adversity like J.S. Giguere did here. To have a baby with a serious medical issue and refocus and play like he did, I’ve never seen anything like it.

Pronger: Especially when it’s your first child, not really knowing what’s to be expected, and you hear the various things I’m sure he heard from the doctor, it can rattle you. He’s an emotional guy and someone who needs to feel a certain way to play the game. To his credit, he went to Randy and Burkie and said it was affecting him and he couldn’t play. We as players appreciated that and certainly understood and wanted him to be comfortable. At some point he was gonna get the opportunity, and ultimately when he did, he took the bull by the horns and got back to Playoff Jiggy form. The rest is history.

Marchant: Jiggy was great for us all year long. So was Bryzgalov. We had a great tandem in the two of them. You're not gonna advance in the playoffs if you don't get great goaltending, and certainly Jiggy did that from the time that he got into the playoffs till the end when we won. It just goes to show you that he had been there before and he knew what he had to do.

With Giguere in net, the Ducks took a 3-1 series lead on the Vancouver Canucks and their star goalie Roberto Luongo in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Selanne: Every series is a different story, and you never know how the teams are gonna match against each other. And Vancouver, we knew they had a good team and scoring power with the Sedin brothers [Daniel and Henrik] and everything. But the confidence we had that year, it was just so special.

The deciding Game 5 at Honda Center went to double overtime before Rob Niedermayer laid a jarring hit on Vancouver’s Jannik Hansen and knocked the puck loose. Scott Niedermayer picked it up and immediately fired it past a distracted Luongo, who was pleading to officials for a penalty.

Scott Niedermayer: It was a crazy play obviously. A puck coming up the boards and my brother stepping in and getting a big hit. The puck just kind of slid to me. I think people were a little bit distracted by the big hit wondering, Was it a penalty or what's going to happen here? I just quickly whipped the puck at the net, because usually that's just a good play. Get the puck on the net and good things can happen. I was as surprised as anybody when it went in, no doubt. I've been around enough to know strange things do happen. You gotta be on your toes every second you're on the ice. It’s just one of those strange moments where we came out on the right side of it, and it was pretty exciting to see it happen.

Rob Niedermayer: I just stepped into him and the puck bounced right to Scott. We were throwing everything at Luongo and found a way to get one by him. I couldn’t have written a better script myself.

Giguere: It was like, “What just happened?” Robbie hit him pretty hard in the corner. I think it was a pretty good check, which I could see Roberto complaining to the referee, putting his hand up and yelling at the referee, and at that point the puck goes to Scotty, and there it is, he just shoots the puck. These things happen to a player like that, because he's so good. It was just a great moment, nobody expected the goal. I've talked to Roberto since, and he was like, "Ah, I don't know what I was doing." What a great moment, what a great way to finish a game.

Getzlaf: It was one of those weird plays. I felt bad for Luongo at the end of it. He was trying to make a penalty call because of the hit by Robbie, and Scotty just threw it at the net and it found a way in. That's the way it goes when you win in the playoffs. You score in all different ways. Guys like Scotty make a name for themselves.

Todd Marchant was a veteran leader who missed the first two rounds with a sport hernia injury, but was able to contribute in other ways. He created a series of motivational t-shirts that the players wore throughout the playoffs. Each one was black and displayed inspirational words, with a new word added each round of the postseason.

Marchant: It all kind of started with Teemu, because he used to use the word "Passion" all the time. He always said you've got to play the game and live your life with passion. So I had shirts made with that word on it and I put it in everyone's stalls prior to Game 1 of the first round. The guys wore them, and in the second round they said we needed to do something different. I thought, What if we just added a word? At that time of the year, when you're in the playoffs, it's about sacrificing your body, your family having to sacrifice for the time you're away and everyone in the organization having to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. So I added that word, and it started to build steam. When we got to the third round, guys couldn't wait for the next one. I talked to some of them to see what they thought the next word should be, and someone said, "This game is all about heart. You've got to have the heart to get by this next series." Once that unfolded, I knew what the fourth word was gonna be, but I kept it to myself. There was so much excitement around the group when we won that Conference Final against Detroit and got ready for the Stanley Cup Final, and there was anticipation of what the next t-shirt was going to be. We added the one word I had in mind, so the shirt read, "Destiny is Heart, Sacrifice and Passion."

The Ducks had their toughest test of that postseason with a frequent playoff rival – the Detroit Red Wings – in the Western Conference Final.

Scott Niedermayer: You’re playing the Detroit Red Wings, a team that's been in the top of the league for quite a while. Great playoff team who knew what it took to win, and we knew it was going to be a huge challenge to have to go and try to beat them in this series. It's talented players, guys who knew how to win in the playoffs. It was going to take everything we had to try and do it, which I think proved to be the case. We had a lot of great performances from a lot of guys that played extremely well for us.

The Ducks were thrashed 5-0 in Game 3 of that series and endured another loss when Pronger was suspended for a late-game hit against the glass on Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom. Without one of their best defensemen and leaders, the Ducks gutted out a 5-3 victory in Game 4 at home.

Giguere: We knew that to replace Prongs, not one guy could just do it on his own. We knew we had to be better as a group to replace him.

Getzlaf: We didn't match up that great against that team throughout the season. We had all kinds of battles, and had been on the losing side of a couple of them, and we knew we were in for one. To have that critical moment where our best defenseman, essentially, aside from Scotty, was out of the game, and we weren't going to be able to have him in our lineup, it was an opportunity for some other guys to step in and do some things. Our team rallied around each other. Those are those moments that help win those championships.

With Anaheim trailing 3-2 in the series and down 1-0 in Game 5 in Detroit, things looked bleak again. But Scott Niedermayer managed to score the tying goal with 48 seconds remaining and the Anaheim net empty, with a shot that deflected off the stick of Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and fluttered over the shoulder of goalie Dominik Hasek. Its competition for biggest goal in Ducks franchise history came later in overtime when Teemu Selanne jumped on a turnover by Detroit defenseman Andreas Lilja in the Detroit zone and roofed a backhand to win it 2-1.

Scott Niedermayer: I don't remember anything specific that was said at a moment like that, a real important moment in the playoffs. But, just having been around, knowing that one shot away can make the big difference. If that's the case, I've seen it happen for us, I've seen it happen against us, where there's such a fine line with winning and losing when you get to that position in the playoffs. You're two very good hockey teams competing really hard, and you just never stop believing, never quit, never give up, because it can happen at any moment. It just takes a split second and the game is changed. We just talked probably about that, believe in each other, trying to just get that one more shot to make a difference.

Selanne: Probably the most important goal I've ever scored. Andy [McDonald] was forechecking the Detroit defenseman and he kind of lost the puck and I got it and just made my signature move, backhand, and seeing that puck go in was just unbelievable feeling. I always remember that Joe Louis Arena, 19,000 people, how silent it was after that. It was awesome. It's really, really special, and that point, I thought we're going to win and next game, when we won at home and we went to the finals, so that was incredible moment.

Scott Niedermayer: To push a game like that into overtime and then to watch Teemu score his pretty goal in overtime, it was a pretty big moment in the whole playoffs for us. It was nice I was able to score a bit of a lucky goal to be able to tie the game. I was as excited or more excited to see Teemu score that overtime goal. Moments like that it's euphoria. You know it's a big game, you know it's an important game, and to see that goal go in means a lot.

(More details of that game and that series are on page 50.) The Game 5 victory propelled the Ducks to the series clincher in Game 6 at Honda Center, where they got out to a three-goal lead and held on down the stretch to win 4-3 and earn the second Western Conference title in franchise history.

Getzlaf: It was a weird feeling winning the Western Conference because it's a sense of accomplishment but you really haven't accomplished what you want to. I think that when we won it, it was an exciting time. Don't get me wrong, we went through a hard fought series there and came out on top in our building. And everybody's going crazy, the building's going nuts. We knew we were going to the big show after that.

Giguere: We were very excited. I was very excited about it. I think we all knew we had a team to win. We had all the elements that we needed to win the Cup. We didn't want to take the Senators lightly, but we knew that if we played our game ... I don't think we said to ourselves, "Oh we know if we do this we'll win." But I think we, in the back of our head, if we were gonna lose that series it would have been our fault. Every game it seems, somebody came up with a big play, or a big goal, or a big defensive play, a big save here and there. It was a well-played series by us, and I think we never looked back.

The Ducks advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final in the last five years, this one against an Ottawa Senators team that Anaheim seemingly was favored to beat. Although that wasn’t the consensus.

Hayward: For those of us who work and live in the West, we've always felt that there's a little bit of an East Coast bias that applies to the NHL, and I had a lot of people from the Canadian networks calling me and saying, "Man, you guys are in for a tough, tough haul here." And I couldn't believe it, and I would just listen to them and say, "Do you have any idea how good this team is?" It was the old story where a lot of people who live on the East coast didn't see a lot of the Ducks during the regular season. They saw the record, they saw the playoff victory over the Red Wings, but I kept hearing going into that series, “They're not gonna have an answer for [Ottawa forwards] Jason Spezza or Daniel Alfredsson. These guys are too good. People have tried to shut them down all year, but they can't shut them down.” And I was totally baffled by it, and I said, "Guys you have no idea what they're gonna see with Niedermayer and Pronger, and the checking line of Sammy Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer. I mean you really don't know what they're gonna have to deal with in this series." And they were totally shut down.

Marchant: We knew Ottawa had had a great year, had a good team, they were deep, they were built on speed, but we knew that we had the ability of beating any team in any kind of series. We could beat you many different ways, and I don't think we ever really feared the Ottawa Senators. I think we knew that if we went out and we played our game, that we would get the job done.

The Ducks won Games 1 and 2 at Honda Center, each by a goal, with Sammy Pahlsson scoring the lone goal of Game 2. Game 3 shifted to Ottawa, where the tide of the series could have changed.

Marchant: Before Game 3, we had gone a couple days early, there's always an extra day in between the games in the Final, and the team went out for a nice dinner in Ottawa. So we had this restaurant, we had the whole second floor to ourselves, and we ordered dinner and somehow, someway, the transformer box that provided all the electricity to the restaurant had blown. So they were scrambling to finish all of our food, so that we could have a team meal. So then, they finally did, it took forever, and we eventually got on the bus. Sean O'Donnell, who is from the Ottawa area, knew of a Dairy Queen that was not far away. So the bus actually went over to Dairy Queen, because we couldn't get dessert at the restaurant, and we pulled the bus over right in front. The guys got off and got Dairy Queen for dessert. So, in the Stanley Cup Final, when you've got police escorts and everything and you pull up to a Dairy Queen, here's 23 guys, 25 guys getting off the bus to go get ice cream. So, that was a different moment in that series for sure.

Pronger: The way our team was set up, there were no cliques or guys who only hang out with each other or whatever. It’s rather unusual because even the tightest of teams have some cliques to a certain extent. That’s what was pretty special about that group. Whether you were a first-liner or a fourth-liner, a guy up and down from the minors, whatever your role was, everybody was treated as equal and everybody was part of the team. You look at the guys who had to come in and play games for us in those playoffs – guys like Joe Motzko, Mark Hartigan, Drew Miller, Ryan Carter – they didn’t play a lot of minutes for us in the regular season, but suddenly they were thrust into roles. But that group and the way everybody interacted allowed guys like that to get comfortable in the toughest of situations. It was a fun-loving, easy-going group that held each other accountable but had a lot of fun. Whether you’re Teemu Selanne or Joe Motzko, everybody was fair game.

The Senators prevailed 5-3 in Game 3 to get back in the series and Anaheim lost Pronger once again to suspension, this time for a hit to the head of Ottawa forward Dean McAmmond. The Ducks would be without him for Game 4, with veteran Joe DiPenta taking his spot in the lineup.

Getzlaf: You go into a game like that, where again you've lost one of your biggest defensemen that logs 30 minutes a night, and plays against the other team's top lines. And again, the comfort that we had in our group and the confidence that we had was unmatched. And I think that obviously knowing that we did it against Detroit Red Wings team, losing him again was one of those things where other guys got to play. Other guys got to step up and play the game the way that we had been. And our guys did a great job rallying around each other and getting a big win in that Game 4, going home knowing that we could win it in our building again.

Murray: People forget about guys like Kent Huskins and Joe DiPenta and Ric Jackman, who played the minutes in those games that Pronger was out. They were unassuming, good team guys, no maintenance whatsoever. They came in and did the job.

David McNab, Ducks Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations: There are such little plays that happen in that series that don't get talked about. Game 4, when Chris Pronger is suspended. If you would have asked somebody before the game who, what defenseman is going to lead the team in ice time, it would have been 100% of people would have said Scott Niedermayer. It was Francois Beauchemin. Beauchemin's performance in Game 4 in Ottawa was unbelievable and it was a type of a game in which you needed players to step up. Ottawa was within a game now of taking it back to Anaheim 2-2 and all of the momentum would have come with them.

In addition to the defensive effort, the Ducks got two McDonald goals within a minute of each other in the second period. The game-winner came on a beautiful feed from Selanne to Dustin Penner, who filled an open net four minutes into the third.

McNab: It was McDonald's two goals within a minute. I sometimes say that was the biggest 60 seconds in Anaheim's history, because we were down 1-0 in the second period and McDonald scored to tie it, and then a minute later he scores to put the team ahead. Even though Ottawa came back to tie it and then Dustin Penner scored the winner in the third period, but that was as much of a team effort, and that was to me the game that won the Stanley Cup, because we weren't going to come back to Anaheim and lose Game 5.

Pronger: At the end, I kind of sat with my back to the TV and turned off the volume, and I was like, “Just get this thing over with and get the win.” The last minute or minute and a half, I just couldn’t watch it. I thought, When I hear the horn go, I’ll be much better.

There was a defining moment near the end of the second period of Game 4, when Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson ripped a slap shot directly at Scott Niedermayer and hit him in the leg with the puck. (Alfredsson admitted years later he did it intentionally out of frustration and regretted the incident.)

Marchant: It was obvious that he did it on purpose, and our team mentality was that we were gonna get retribution right away. That was the way that we had played all year, we were one of the most penalized teams all year. And we came into the locker room and you could tell, the guys were all mad and they were upset and were gonna get this guy. And he came in and, Scotty doesn't say much, and he basically said "Look, you know what? Don't worry about it. There's a greater goal involved here, okay? We wanna win the hockey game, that's the bottom line." And that was a moment that it was like, Okay, we're gonna do this. You didn't know, but you kind of had that feeling like we're in pretty good shape if Scotty Niedermayer is coming in saying, “Don’t worry about it, we'll take care of business on the ice.” So, that was a pretty pivotal moment, especially in that series.

Two days later the Ducks faced a Game 5 at Honda Center with a 3-1 series lead and the Cup in the building.

Selanne: Well, I always remember that night before when it could be the last game. You try to sleep but your body is just too much energy, and your mind is too busy about thinking if you're going to win and you’re so pumped. It was hard to fall asleep. You couldn't wait until the game starts. And obviously we're up 3-1 in the series, so we knew we were gonna have a good chance at home. For myself, I had to wait like 15 years before I even had a chance to go to the Final, and now I’m one game away from winning the Stanley Cup, which has been my biggest dream since when I was a little boy.

Getzlaf: I probably slept more than I can tell you. It was an exhausting time. I mean, when you got home at the end of the night, before those big games and stuff, you were exhausted. So I probably slept pretty decent and got the rest that I needed as well as the excitement going into that next one. I don't think I slept much that afternoon though.

Moen: Yeah, it was a pretty sleepless night. I think we're all pretty nervous, a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Anaheim, at home, not too many guys get that chance. So, didn't sleep a whole bunch. We just got in the night before from Ottawa, so we're all a little tired, but we knew we had a chance and we're going to leave it all on the ice and we came up with probably one of our best games of the playoffs.

Giguere: I was just a nervous wreck, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. You just don't want to do something that will change the way the series is going. The momentum is on our side, and you don't want to change it to put it back in their hands, because you don't know what's gonna happen at that point. You don't want to go back to Ottawa, play another game. We knew that was the game we needed to win. Fortunately we had a huge game by everybody. Everybody played, probably their best game of their lives.

McNab: I remember Chris Kunitz had broken his hand in the Detroit series, probably shouldn't have ever come back, but then he comes back for Game 3 in Ottawa and got an extremely bad Charlie horse and he had zero percent chance of playing Game 5. But he did, and after the game he would state that he would have never lived with himself if he had not dressed for Game 5. He had a hand that was demolished and a leg that was destroyed, but he had to play, and that was the type of a team that we had. If you went around our locker room, it was a special, special team, where I think everyone wanted to be in Anaheim, wanted to play for Anaheim. I think that whole year, we had that type of team where you knew we had a chance to win it, and then as things got rolling in the playoffs, they went pretty well.

Anaheim dominated Game 5 from start to finish, holding Ottawa to just 13 shots (the fewest allowed in Ducks postseason history) and scoring six times. They got on the board just 3:41 into the game on a power play strike by Andy McDonald, who finished with five goals in the series (10 total in the postseason) and became the only NHL player since 1992 to average at least a goal per game in the Stanley Cup Final. The Ducks took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission and got a fluky goal late in the second period. Ottawa defenseman Chris Phillips took the puck from goalie Ray Emery deep in the Ottawa end and the puck inadvertently went off the back of Emery’s skate and into the net. Travis Moen was the last Ducks player to touch the puck and was credited with what would ultimately become the game-winning goal. He added another goal four minutes into the third to give the Ducks a 5-2 lead and was part of a defense that held Ottawa to just 13 shots the entire game.

Moen: It was pretty cool to be able to score two goals in a Stanley Cup Final game and be credited with the game-winning goal, even though it was a pretty ugly one, but I’ll still take it.

The Ducks held a three-goal lead in the third period, but it took a couple of pivotal moments for them to truly feel comfortable. Giguere stoned Ottawa forward Antoine Vermette on a penalty shot with 12:37 left in the game to retain a 5-2 cushion. About 10 minutes later Perry one-timed a loose puck past Emery to ignite the Honda Center crowd and give the Ducks an insurmountable 6-2 lead with three minutes left.

Perry: It was just a turnover in their zone and I came off the bench and walked into a slapshot, and I beat Emery. To score in a series-clinching game where you knew if you won this game, you're going to win the Stanley Cup and to get that last goal and to put ourselves up by four, you know, it's huge. You can just feel the excitement in the building. Everybody knew that you just had to get through the last three minutes and the Cup was going to be ours.

Giguere: As a goalie, it seems like you never can relax, but if there was ever a time that I was more relaxed, that was one of them. What was fun is it gave you a few minutes to enjoy being in that setting. Because when you're in the Final, as much as you say, "Oh yeah, I'm enjoying this" it's so stressful, and it's such a media frenzy. It's fun, but it's not that fun. This gave you a few minutes to enjoy and just take it all in, the fans screaming, and really appreciate the moment.

Burke: Watching that clock tick down and looking at it, you’re looking at it every seven or eight seconds. The pace doesn’t change but you’re still looking at it, down at the ice, up at the clock, and just praying that this thing runs out.

Carlyle: I didn’t feel comfortable with the game until we scored the sixth goal. When Corey Perry scored, I knew we would win the Stanley Cup.

Murray: Corey Perry scored the sixth one from the high slot, and when that went in, you could just look at their bench and at our bench and think, Finally.

With the Ducks holding a four-goal lead, the last three minutes of the game were mostly a victory lap until the final horn.

Getzlaf: With the lead that we had at the end of the game, we were able to sit there and actually enjoy it and take it all in. We had that cushion and you got to look up and down the bench and see everybody's face and actually enjoy the moment where you weren't anxious about them scoring or something like that to ruin it.

Murray: We came down from our box to near the bench area because we wanted to be there when it ended. It’s something I question to this day because you couldn’t see the ice for the last three or four minutes. We were just looking at a TV monitor. I might have liked to see the very end from up high.

Scott Niedermayer: Obviously it’s pretty special to be able to win something in the last minute and for it to be a surprise moment. There's something to be said, too, for having a lead, sitting on the bench, the game's still going on, yet you're pretty confident you know what's gonna happen in about 10 minutes or whatever it is. You can see the emotion in the guys. They realize the same thing. Just to have that little bit of time to let it sink in and to understand what's about to happen is pretty special. It was fun for me to just be aware of that and watch how some of the guys reacted.

Parros: That was the best part because we were at home and we were up by a significant margin, so, the guys like me who weren't playing that game, we could put our equipment on and get ready to celebrate on the ice, knowing that we wouldn't have to take it off in shame. So, we were excited to start strapping on the skates and all that stuff, and kind of had a big buildup and sprint on the ice as soon as we could when the clock wound down.

Murray: I remember Randy saying to me later that he wanted to put Teemu on the ice at the end, but he had tears in his eyes. For as cool as he is, he does get emotional. So there was no way to put him out there.

Selanne: The last two minutes were tough, because when you have a dream and you’re getting so close, you start getting really emotional. We knew we were gonna win, and you can enjoy every second. We didn't really have to grind in the final seconds. You can enjoy it all, and it's just unbelievable and there's no words for that. It's a dream come true.

Hayward: I had a unique vantage point that night, because I was actually working what's called the international feed, the broadcast that goes outside of North America, and you really wanna focus on the European-born players, because that's your primary audience. So I had the luxury of being on the bench when the final buzzer went, and I saw the celebration. Because the Ducks were comfortably in the lead, the team decided they were gonna allow family members onto the bench, at the end of the game, to be closer to the experience. So I was actually standing by Teemu’s dad, and I had the producer screaming in my ear, "Get me Teemu, get me Teemu, we gotta talk to Teemu." But I was there for that exact moment where Teemu realized that his dad was on the bench, and their eyes met, and then he came over to the bench and they started bawling their eyes out, and they're hugging and the producer's screaming at me, and he's saying "You gotta get Selanne, you gotta get him." And there was no way I was gonna interrupt that moment. People ask me "What's the greatest experience you've had as a broadcaster?” and that was it. You could just see how important it was, because Teemu was so emotional in the last five minutes that they couldn't put him on the ice, because he knew that he was gonna finally win it. So it was a great moment and something that I'll never forget.

Selanne: Well, obviously, my dad has been the biggest influence in my career, and without him and obviously both parents, but especially my dad, you know, this would never be possible, and I think it was emotional for both of us. All the work and dedication he has put in, it was unbelievable to share it with him. Obviously my mom was here too and everything, and we have been a good team but my dad traveling and driving to practices and games, it was just such a special moment. Especially when he gave me the eyes and we gave a big hug and it just, you didn't need any words. It was just unbelievable.

One of the iconic moments after the final horn was Getzlaf and Perry jumping into the arms of Giguere in front of the Anaheim net before behind mobbed by the rest of the team.

Getzlaf: I’ve got goosebumps right now thinking about it. Randy put us out in the last 10-15 seconds of the game, and we were able to be on the ice at the end of that. It's one of those moments where it's surreal. You don't really think that it's true, you just kind of go and throw your gloves off like you're supposed to and go about your stuff. You definitely don't think about it when you're in the moment. But it was pretty awesome, running over and grabbing Jiggy and knowing that we accomplished what we set out to do right at the start of that year. I remember hugging Teemu and seeing that look on his face, and it was just priceless. He said to me at that point that the team was mine, and he ended up playing [seven more seasons], so he lied to me on the ice that day. But it was just an unbelievable moment where you've seen all that hard work that we'd done that season summed up in a couple seconds after.

Giguere: It was the best moment, besides having a kid. Because you've worked so hard to get to that point, and it's finally there, there's nobody who can take it away from you. It's something that you can share with all your teammates that played with you, and you have a special bond now for the rest of your life. Just an amazing moment. It's really hard to describe unless you get to feel it, to live it. I can't tell you how hard it is to get to that point. It's such a relief.

Scott Niedermayer was awarded the Conn Smythe award as the postseason MVP, the first time he had won the award despite winning three previous Stanley Cups with New Jersey.

Scott Niedermayer: It was nice to be recognized for what I was trying to do out there, but at the same time, there was probably at least a handful of guys that you could have easily called their name out, and no one would've been surprised. We had a lot of guys compete hard for each other, and that's what makes it special. That's what makes winning the Stanley Cup special is because the guys you've been slagging away with, practicing, working hard, sweating with and sacrificing things of your own personal goals and then to win. That's what it's all about. We had every single guy doing that.

Soon after receiving the Conn Smythe, Scott Niedermayer was handed the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. After skating it around the Honda Center ice, he handed it to his brother, Rob.

Scott Niedermayer: To be honest, I didn't think a whole lot about it prior to that because again, you don't want to get ahead of yourself. I've been through it, and the last thing you want to do is start making these types of plans. There is never a guarantee. So that wasn't my main focus, but after it all happened and we were Stanley Cup champions, it really seemed like the natural thing. He was one of the captains, and I didn't think anyone would have argued too loudly if I decided to hand it to him. There was a bunch of guys on this team I could have handed it to, but I felt there was one easy choice. I thought I was gonna get emotional. I was feeling it in my stomach. It was a pretty unique opportunity and a special experience for us to share together like that. It's absolutely a highlight of my career.

Rob Niedermayer: He wanted to win a Cup so badly for me. When he passed me that Cup, I just couldn’t control myself. I remember the tears were just coming down, and it was just a great feeling. It’s the best feeling I have ever had in my career.

Selanne: It's funny, two months playing playoff hockey and you're so exhausted and so tired and then you're handed this big trophy. It was heavy but you didn't feel how heavy it was because you were so happy and there's no really words for describe that. It's just such a relief when you get something that you have dreamed about for so many years. I’ve seen so many great players raise the Cup, and they’re so happy. You always dream you can do that one day. It’s unbelievable.

Marchant: It’s so exciting. It’s very difficult to describe in words. You keep saying the word, “Unbelievable” over and over again.

McDonald: It’s unreal. It’s a dream, just to raise the Cup and hold it above your head. It’s amazing.

Parros: Everyone kind of dreams of lifting that Cup and I know when I lifted it, I rubbed my mustache all over it. That was pretty funny. But, the best part was just in the locker room after, and, you know, you work and sweat, and bleed all year long. And, I went in that locker room, and it's a place for work and business and seriousness. And after you win, you just get to trash it and have a good time and blast music, and wash all that away with this. It was a good feeling. That was the best part.

Giguere: Having my son on the ice, to be able to have him in my arms with the Stanley Cup was something special. And then the pictures that we have at home from that is pretty amazing.

Marchant: I think that for a lot of us, what was special about that whole team is that there were a lot of guys who spent a lot of time in this league who had never won the Stanley Cup. Scotty was the only one on that team that had ever won a Stanley Cup prior to us getting that position. And you had guys like Chris Pronger, Sean O'Donnell, Brad May, Rob Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, myself, guys that had spent 15-plus years in the National Hockey League and never gotten to this point. And it’s not disrespect to the other guys on the team, but I think that's what made it the most special thing of it all. Here was a group of guys that had put in a lot of time and a lot of effort and a lot of sweat, and have had their season cut short every year prior to that. For guys like that to finally get to that point was pretty special.

Perry: When you look at those guys, they're 35, 36 or whatever years old, and they're trying to get the same thing that us young kids are trying to do, that's exciting. You want to go out and you want to win it for them, and you see the emotion on their face at the end of it. It all puts it into perspective.

Pronger: I had lost in a Game 7 the year before, and it was a bittersweet summer with that loss and then the trade. You get a fresh start at the beginning of the year with a new team, a new goal, a new attitude and a new life. Getting another kick at it and being able to finish it off was a dream come true. Being able to hoist it once we won was something special that you’ll always remember.

McNab: I've been in hockey a long time and my father had won the Stanley Cup in Detroit, so it was something obviously you want to do, you want to be involved with a Stanley Cup champion and I knew that it took a lot of things to go well. We did a lot of things right over the years, and there were a lot of GMs that were a part of this. Jack Ferreira gets Selanne. Pierre Gauthier gets Giguere. Bryan Murray makes trades and drafts Getzlaf and Perry and trades for Rob Niedermayer. Brian Burke and Bob Murray came in and made great moves, so we had a lot of smart hockey people over the years involved in this. This wasn't something that just sort of falls together, and it never does. You never thought maybe after '03 would happen again and then in '06, we were close, but in '07, it's pretty special to go over the top and win it.

May: I remember Francois Beauchemin breaking his jaw and coming back against Minnesota. I remember J.S. Giguere and the issues he had with his son Max near the start of the playoffs and coming back to play so well. Todd Marchant before the playoffs started, having surgery on his ab. Sammy Pahlsson was an amazing player for us, and he was so banged up he couldn’t even practice. Chris Pronger had dislocated his shoulder. I broke my hand. We were a walking infirmary, but the doctors – Dr. [Ronald] Glousman and Dr. [Craig] Milhouse – did such a great job. With all the injuries and the sacrifices we made, that’s what I remember. The greatest thing is all the friendships, and of course the winning. When we hoisted the Stanley Cup, just sharing it all with some unbelievable guys, that was the best.

Marchant: As a player, winning a Stanley Cup brings everything to fruition. You think back to when you're three years old putting on skates for the first time, or you're out in the driveway playing street hockey with your friends. When you're a hockey player, winning a Stanley Cup is always in the back of your mind, especially when you start playing competitively. I went 14 years in the NHL without even getting to a Stanley Cup Final, and then to finally have it happen in 2007, it kind of summed everything up and wrapped my playing career in a bow.

Pronger: It’s what you dream about. Just to have the opportunity to win it. Every player is superstitious and doesn’t want to get close to it or touch it before they win it. When I was 8, the Cup was in Winnipeg for one of my hockey tournaments that I was at. There was a group of about seven of us who took a picture around it. It’s sitting at my parents’ place and now I have another one right next to it. I actually won it this time, so it makes it sweeter.

Sean O’Donnell, Ducks defenseman: At this point in your career, you assume it’s the last time you’re gonna get to do this, and you just want to leave it all on the table, give everything you have, and hopefully it’s enough.

Perry: You dream as a kid to win a Stanley Cup, and you play on the streets and play road hockey as Game 7, Stanley Cup Final, do or die, the last game and the last goal wins. So to be a young guy, second year in the league, only 22 years old and going out and playing for the Cup, it's a special moment and you just take it all in.

May: It’s something that you always have. People look at you differently, because you were a member of a team like that. It would be like the guy who always had the dream of climbing Mt. Everest. It’s such a daunting challenge, and most people don’t get there. But you were able to get to the top, and became part of a team that was the best of the best. It’s going to positively affect you forever. You work so hard to get there, and even if it doesn’t happen the way you dreamt about it, it doesn’t matter. Being part of a group like that stays with you forever. I run into some of the guys on that team from time to time, and you have that instant bond. That lasts forever.

Marchant: You take the big family photo on the ice with the team – I say family photo because that's what it was, it was our family. And then afterward I’m looking for my family, my wife and my kids and my mom and my dad. We shared a pretty special moment in the locker room. There was champagne flying everywhere and I saw my dad, and I gave him a big hug, and he said to me, "You did it!" And I said "No, Dad. We did it." I wouldn’t be a player if he didn't coach me at 7 years old. I wouldn't have been there without all of those practices and games my mom and dad took me to, and all the sacrifices my brothers had to make, all of the sacrifices that each individual of that Ducks team and their families had to make for it to happen. We all share in that moment, and it really makes it all the more special.