'Tremendous Human Being' Niedermayer Stars in 'A Mighty Journey' Debut

Ask those involved with the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup team about bringing the championship to California for the first time, and you'll hear some great stories of the moments that led to a monumental day.

There was the thrill of the march to the 2003 Cup Final, and the despair of falling one game short. The excitement for the return of Teemu Selanne and the jolt of landing former MVP Chris Pronger.

But one thing upon which those that lived it can agree: Everything changed on August 4, 2005 - the day Scott Niedermayer came to Orange County.

"Scott Niedermayer is one of the top defensemen in the game today whose skating, puck-moving ability and leadership qualities make him a great addition to our team," Brian Burke, then Anaheim's General Manager and Executive Vice President, said at the time of the monumental signing.

"Obviously Scotty comes with a certain pedigree that makes you want to follow him," recalled former captain Ryan Getzlaf, then a wide-eyed rookie when Niedermayer first became a Duck. "He had instant credibility when he came in with his name and what he had accomplished in the league. Going into that room and understanding we had a guy that has done so many great things, won championships, it allows you to relax and follow his lead."

Niedermayer, by then a three-time Stanley Cup Champion with New Jersey, including one to victimize those Mighty Ducks just a couple years prior, arrived in Anaheim to play alongside his brother, Rob, who re-signed with the Ducks as a restricted free agent on the same day. Together, the brothers would form the nucleus of a leadership core stocked with stars of the present and future, a group that would climb hockey's tallest mountain and put the Ducks in the record books as the state's first NHL champion.

"I can't even imagine what it felt like for them to be able to share that together," Getzlaf said.

"It's hard to put into words because I don't think I would do it justice," Rob Niedermayer said. "The elation you feel when you have your brother pass you the Cup as you reach that childhood dream, it was unbelievable."

Niedermayer, who wore the captain's "C" for nearly all of his time in an Anaheim sweater, was the first Duck to lift Lord Stanley's Cup and thus the perfect start to the new Ducks Stream documentary series "A Mighty Journey."

"Most people know the unparalleled accolades Scott achieved on the ice, but his story is so much more than that," Ducks Vice President of Marketing Merit Tully said. "Those who know him see a person that possesses a unique blend of humility, confidence and accountability."

The series, which is narrated by legendary broadcaster Mike "Doc" Emrick and will later feature several more Ducks of the past and present, focuses on the moments, stories and people who helped shape a player's ascent to the NHL. The first edition, centered on Niedermayer, touches on his hometown, a formidable street hockey team, a soccer teammate turned sports agent and much more.

"This inside look at his upbringing and those that helped guide his path to becoming the greatest winner of his generation, made this story an easy choice as our first installment in this series," Tully said. "[Ducks Senior Manager, Broadcasting] Joey Liberatore and the entire Ducks broadcast team did an incredible job setting an extremely high bar with this first installment and are excited to bring many more in depth stories that are about so much more than hockey in the future."

You'll hear from Scott's parents, Carol and Bob Niedermayer, his brother and teammate, Rob, his wife, Lisa, former teammate Getzlaf and one-time tenant Cam Fowler, among others.

"I always knew who I was and where I came from," Niedermayer said. "Those connections were always strong.

"My parents were always there, something I recognized when I was older and had my own kids (laughs)…The more I look back at the effort and time they put in, I'm so very thankful."

The documentary also highlights the stories of Niedermayer bursting onto the hockey scene, including the chance encounter with a WHL scout who not only (correctly) predicted the then 12-year-old Niedermayer would one day win the Norris Trophy, but also called him "the best prospect since Bobby Orr."

"I remember watching him play [prior to his draft year]," said longtime NHL General Manager Lou Lamiorello, who drafted Niedermayer third overall in 1991. "Scotty was our choice from day one."

Niedermayer is known for his incredible successes on the ice as one of the purest skaters in the history of the game while being one of its great winners and leaders. But those closest to him will tell the stories of the person he is away from the playing surface, recalling moments where Niedermayer steered them through personal trouble or shared his accomplishments with the people of his hometown.

"With Scott, nothing has changed, he's the same guy as when we were kids," Rob Niedermayer added. "He's still super supportive of everybody and really down to earth."

Added mom Carol, "Scott has changed but his core values didn't change as he moved on his profession."

And, of course, the roughly hour-long feature will include plenty of the moments most special to Ducks fans and those across Orange County, when Niedermayer and the Ducks brought home a Stanley Cup title.

"When Scotty received the Cup and gave it to Rob, that was my mountain top," Carol beamed of seeing her sons capture glory together. "To have him hand it to Rob was icing on the cake. It's a memory that will last forever."

Concluded Rob, "You couldn't write it up any better than it happened."