32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: Anaheim Ducks

Alexis Bazydola
May 1, 2020
4 min read

Updated: May 11, 2020

NHL teams occupy 32 amazing cities across North America. Each team is unique. Each fanbase holds their own traditions. Each team has its own history. Throughout the next 32 days, I will share a synopsis of each NHL city: a history of the team, its fanbase, where it calls home, and notable players on each team. Today, we begin with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Location: Anaheim, CA

If you were to take a lucky guess as to where the Anaheim Ducks called home, you’d be absolutely correct if you said Anaheim, California. Playing their home games at the Honda Center, the Ducks are the primary tenant of their facility. The arena officially opened its doors on June 19, 1993 to a sold-out Barry Manilow concert. In October of the same year, then known as the Arrowhead Pond, the arena held its first Mighty Ducks of Anaheim game. In 2006, both the arena and the team received the names they are known as to this day. The Honda Center can hold 17,174 fans for a hockey game and is also home to the Big West basketball tournament.

Team History

The Walt Disney Company was officially awarded the NHL Franchise for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1992 with their first year of league play beginning in 1993. The Ducks can credit their name to the 1992 Disney classic film, The Mighty Ducks. The Ducks paid a $50 million entry fee. Half of this fee would be given to the Los Angeles Kings as they were to share the southern California market. With Jack Ferreira as their first General Manager and Ron Wilson as their first head coach, the Ducks were ready to make a splash in the NHL. The most notable selection Anaheim made during their first entry level draft was for that of Paul Kariya who would go on to become the face of the franchise for many years.

The Ducks had an incredible first season as a new franchise: they finished the season 33-46-5, sold out 27 of 41 home games, and their merchandise sales shot to number one in the NHL. While a lockout shortened the 94-95 season, Paul Kariya made his debut for the Ducks that year. In 1996 he was chosen to represent the Ducks and the Western Conference at the NHL All-Star game. That same year the Ducks acquired Teemu Selanne in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets thus forging a powerhouse line with Selanne and Karyia at the forefront.

Kariya continued to gain momentum for the Ducks as he was named team captain for the 96-97 season and led the team to its first winning record and post-season appearance. But this success did not last long. Following this season, the Ducks went on to face losses both due to coaching changes and Paul Kariya (both contract disputes and injuries). Anaheim once again reached the post-season in 2003 with coach Mike Babcock at the helm. They swept the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, went on to beat the Dallas Stars in 6 games, and then swept the Minnesota Wild to make it to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance. The Ducks faced the New Jersey Devils and although they pushed the series to seven games, could not hoist the cup that year.

With the departure of Paul Kariya during the off-season, the Ducks struggled once again the next year. In 2005, Henry and Susan Samueli bought the Mighty Ducks from the Walt Disney Company. Along with newly appointed General Manager Brian Burke, the Samuelis renamed the team to the Anaheim Ducks. The 2006-07 season saw more changes for the Ducks in the form of new colors and new logo. Ending the season with their first division title, they were ready to take on the playoffs. After beating out Minnesota, Vancouver, and Detroit, the Ducks went on to make their second Stanley Cup Final appearance against the Ottawa Senators eventually hoisting the cup on their home ice in game five. Since then, the Ducks have continued to face changes in team members and coaching staff and have not yet been able to see another Stanley Cup final game. Their most recent attempt in the Western Conference final in 2017 saw their demise in Game 6 to the Nashville Predators.

Fanbase

Sports would not be the same if not for their dedicated fanbases. The Ducks franchise is interesting, however. With both the San Jose Sharks and LA Kings being in the closest proximity to the Ducks, their fanbase can often be split. There are still traditions that the team has instilled regardless of where their fans’ allegiance is pledged that night. One of these traditions is their goal song, “Bro Hymn” by Pennywise. This song was debuted as the official goal song during the 2005-06 season. While other chants are sacred to fanbases, in the NHL, goal songs are often the most unique aspect of each teams’ culture with its fans.

The Ducks’s official mascot is Wild Wing. He is known as the daredevil of stunts as he was the first mascot in NHL history to descend down from the rafters. Anaheim is also cheered on by their Power Players cheerleaders.