Anaheim Ducks

History

Start of a franchise (1993–1994)

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company. The franchise was awarded by the NHL in December 1992, alongside the rights to a Miami team founded by Wayne Huizenga that would become the Florida Panthers. An entrance fee of $50 million was required, half of which Disney would pay directly to the Los Angeles Kings in order to "share" the Los Angeles media market. On March 1, 1993, at the brand-new Anaheim Arena, the team's name was announced. The name was inspired by The Mighty Ducks, a 1992 Disney film about a struggling youth hockey team that, with the help of their new coach, become champions. Philadelphia arena management specialist Tony Tavares was chosen to be team president, and Jack Ferreira, who previously helped create the San Jose Sharks, became the Ducks' general manager. The Ducks selected Ron Wilson to be the first head coach in team history. The Ducks and Florida Panthers filled out their rosters in the 1993 NHL expansion draft and the 1993 NHL entry draft. In the former, a focus on defense led to goaltenders Guy Hebert and Glenn Healy being the first picks, followed by Alexei Kasatonov and Steven King. In the latter, the Ducks selected Paul Kariya with the fourth overall pick, who began playing in 1994 and would turn out to be the face of the franchise for many years. The resulting roster had the lowest payroll of the NHL at only $7.9 million.

Led by captain Troy Loney, the Ducks finished the 1993–94 season 33–46–5, a record-breaking number of wins for an expansion team, which the Florida Panthers also achieved. The Ducks sold out 27 of 41 home games, including the last 25, and filled the Arrowhead Pond to 98.9% of its season capacity. The Ducks licensed merchandise shot to number one in sales among NHL clubs, helped by their presence from Disney's theme parks and Disney Stores.

Paul Kariya era (1994–2003)

The lockout-shortened 1994–95 season saw the debut of Kariya, who would play 47 games that year, scoring 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points. For his efforts, he was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy for the top rookie of the year. The Ducks went 16–27–5, missing the playoffs.

During the 1995–96 season, Kariya was chosen to play for the Western Conference in the 1996 NHL All-Star Game as the lone Ducks representative, playing in place of Pavel Bure, who was out with a knee injury. Following the All-Star Game, the Mighty Ducks completed a mid-season blockbuster deal with the Winnipeg Jets. The Ducks sent Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky, and a third-round pick to the Jets in return for forward Marc Chouinard, a fourth-round draft pick, and right winger Teemu Selanne. Following the trade, Ducks center Steve Rucchin commented, "Paul [Kariya] had a lot of pressure on him... He single-handedly won some games for us this year... Now that we have Teemu, there's no way everybody can just key on Paul." These three players formed one of the most potent lines of their time. However, the Mighty Ducks lost the eighth spot in the Western Conference to the Winnipeg Jets based on the number of wins.

During the 1996–97 season, Kariya became team captain following Randy Ladouceur's retirement in the off-season. The Ducks qualified for the postseason after recording the franchise's first winning record of 36–33–13, good enough for home ice in the first round as the fourth seed against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Ducks trailed 3–2 in the series going into Phoenix for game six. Kariya scored in overtime to force the franchise's first game seven, which they won. However, in the second round, they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings, in a four-game sweep. After the season, Ron Wilson was fired for philosophical differences. Pierre Page succeeded him. The Ducks started out slowly in 1997–98, in part because Kariya missed the first 32 games of the season in a contract dispute. He came back in December, but on February 1, he suffered a season-ending concussion when Gary Suter of the Chicago Blackhawks cross-checked him in the face. With Kariya playing only a total of 22 games that season, the Ducks missed the playoffs and fired Page. The Ducks followed that season up by finishing sixth in the Western Conference in 1998–99 with new head coach Craig Hartsburg. However, they were swept by Detroit again, this time in the first round.

At training camp prior to the 1999–2000 season, the Ducks made a motto, "Take the next step," going into the season. However, due to a much more competitive Western Conference, they missed the playoffs by four points behind rival San Jose Sharks. In the following season, 2000–01, the Ducks ended up performing worse, as Kariya and Selanne's point production significantly declined from the previous season – Kariya went from 86 points to 67 points and Selanne went from 85 points to 57 points. Selanne was subsequently dealt to San Jose at the trade deadline for Jeff Friesen, Steve Shields and a second-round draft pick, while head coach Craig Hartsburg was fired during the season. The team ended up with a losing record and last place in the Western Conference that season. Without Selanne, Kariya's numbers continued to drop in the 2001–02 season with new coach Bryan Murray. The Mighty Ducks finished in 13th place in the Western Conference.

New ownership, Selanne's return and franchise rebrand (2003–2008)

After the 2002–03 season, Kariya promised to bring the Mighty Ducks back to the Stanley Cup Final the following year. However, Kariya left the Ducks in the summer and joined former teammate Teemu Selanne on the Colorado Avalanche. During the 2003–04 season, the team regressed to a 29–35–10–8 record, finishing fourth in the division.

During the 2004 off-season, Bryan Murray, who had wished to coach again, left the Ducks to join the Ottawa Senators. As the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA)'s labor dispute was headed towards a long lockout, Disney tried to sell the team but received a low offer of US$50 million, less than the franchise's original price. In 2005, Broadcom Corporation co-founder Henry Samueli of Irvine, California, and his wife Susan bought the Mighty Ducks from The Walt Disney Company for a reported US$75 million. Henry Samuelis, whose family was already managing Arrowhead Pond said of the sale, "Since we manage the Pond ... it seemed natural to purchase the team since Disney had it up for sale for quite a while." Brian Burke, former Vancouver Canucks general manager and president, was appointed general manager and executive vice-president of the Mighty Ducks on June 20, 2005. Shortly after, Babcock rejected an extension to stay with the Ducks, signing with Detroit instead. Thanks to a weighted draft lottery in which the Ducks had a 4.16% chance at first overall, they were able to get the second pick, which they used to select Bobby Ryan.

On August 1, 2005, former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Randy Carlyle was hired as the seventh head coach in team history. Burke was familiar with Carlyle's coaching ability, as the latter had coached the Manitoba Moose from 1996 to 2001 (International Hockey League) and 2004–05 (American Hockey League); the Moose had been the Canucks' farm club since 2001. On August 4, 2005, free-agent defenseman Scott Niedermayer signed with the Mighty Ducks to play with his brother Rob; Scott Niedermayer was almost immediately named team captain. On August 22, Selanne returned to Anaheim after undergoing knee surgery. He led the team in scoring during the season with 40 goals and 50 assists for 90 points. He would also record his 1,000th NHL point on January 30, 2006. The 2005–06 season also saw the emergence of rookies Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry. On November 15, 2005, Anaheim traded Sergei Fedorov and a fifth-round draft pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Francois Beauchemin and forward Tyler Wright.

Bob Murray era (2008–2021)

The Ducks began the 2008–09 season with another slow start, going 1–5–0. On November 12, 2008, Burke resigned to take the same position for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bob Murray replaced him as general manager, but the team struggled to make the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. A bevy of trade deadline deals saw the departure of some mainstays from the Cup team, including Chris Kunitz, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Ryan Whitney, Samuel Pahlsson, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman James Wisniewski, and Travis Moen, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks for two prospects. The Ducks defeated the first-seeded, Presidents' Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in six games in the first round before being eliminated in the conference semifinals by the eventual Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Before the 2009–10 season, the Ducks traded Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and two first-round draft picks. Francois Beauchemin and Rob Niedermayer also left via free agency for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils, respectively. The Ducks then signed free agent center and former Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu to a one-year deal.

The Ducks would have another slow start, beginning 6–10–3 to the 2009–10 season. Before the trade deadline, the Ducks traded Giguere to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala after signing Hiller to a contract extension. The trade deadline saw the Ducks trade Ryan Whitney to Edmonton for offensive defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, as well as the acquisitions of defenseman Aaron Ward from the Carolina Hurricanes and goalie Curtis McElhinney from the Calgary Flames. The Ducks played through frequent injuries and picked up play in the second half of the season, but struggled coming out of the Olympic break. For the first time since the lockout, the Ducks failed to make the playoffs with a 39–32–11 record. The 2010 off-season was also busy for the Ducks, as Scott Niedermayer announced his retirement in a June press conference. Niedermayer decided to stay a member of the Ducks as a team consultant. The Ducks re-signed Saku Koivu and signed free agent defenseman Toni Lydman. In addition to Lydman, the Ducks were able to get defenseman Cam Fowler via the draft, and 35-year-old defenseman Andy Sutton signed to a two-year deal. Restricted free agent Bobby Ryan was signed to a five-year deal.

On October 4, 2010, Ryan Getzlaf was named team captain. The 2010–11 season did not begin well for the Ducks, who would lose their first three games and go 4–7–1 throughout October. They maintained a .500 throughout record through the first half of the season, but got better and finished 47–30–5, good for 99 points and second place in the Pacific Division. Corey Perry and Jonas Hiller represented the Ducks at the 2011 All-Star Game, and Perry went on to have a 50-goal, 98-point season, which won him the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy. He became the first-ever Duck to win the Hart, as well as the first Richard winner as a Duck since Teemu Selanne won the award in 1999. However, Hiller was injured at the All-Star Game and missed the rest of the season. In the 2011 playoffs, they lost in the first round to the fifth-seeded Nashville Predators.

Rebuild (2021–2025)

On June 17, 2019, the team named Dallas Eakins as the franchise's tenth head coach. Corey Perry left the team in free agency, signing with the Dallas Stars. However, the team was unable to make the expanded 2020 playoffs due to multiple losing streaks throughout the season, missing the postseason for the second consecutive season.

The following season, the team did not fare better as they set an NHL record for the worst power play percentage in a season at 8.94%, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Ryan Miller retired at the end of the season. In the 2021 draft, the Ducks selected third overall Mason McTavish.

On November 9, 2021, Murray was placed on administrative leave by the Ducks pending the results of an ongoing investigation. The investigation was reportedly focused on Murray's alleged history of verbal abuse to players and staff members. Assistant general manager Jeff Solomon was initially named as acting general manager but was then named interim general manager when Murray resigned on November 10. Pat Verbeek was named general manager on February 3, 2022. At the end of the season, captain Ryan Getzlaf retired.

The Ducks fell to last place in the 2022–23 season, including a league worst 357 goals against and -129 goal differential. Following the end of the regular season, Eakins left as head coach. Though the Ducks finished last in the league during the 2022–23 season, the Chicago Blackhawks won the draft lottery and Anaheim's pick fell to second overall. The team hired Greg Cronin as the Ducks' eleventh head coach on June 5, 2023. At the 2023 NHL entry draft, the team selected Leo Carlsson second overall. The Ducks also signed Radko Gudas. The team missed the playoffs again, only gaining one point over the previous season. After the conclusion of the regular season Jakob Silfverberg signed a contract to play overseas in Sweden. Prior to the 2024–25 season, Radko Gudas was named team captain. With their failure to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, Cronin was fired. Joel Quenneville, who had been reinstated to the NHL following an independent investigation into their role in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal, was hired as the team's next head coach. In addition, both Trevor Zegras and John Gibson were traded respectively to the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Ryan Poehling and goalie Petr Mrazek.

Team information

Name

Founded in 1993, the then-called Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were directly named for The Mighty Ducks movies. When the Walt Disney Company, which produced the movies and owned the NHL team, sold the team in 2005, the name was shortened to Anaheim Ducks.

Uniforms

The Mighty Ducks' original road (later home) jersey features an eggplant and jade base, divided by silver, purple and white diagonal stripes. The home (later road) jersey has a white and jade base, divided by purple, white and silver diagonal stripes. For most of its history, purple pants were used with this set; from 1993 to 1997, and from 1999 to 2003, the pants featured jade and white stripes. In 1996, an alternate front-facing "angry duck mask" logo is added on the shoulders.

In 1995, as part of the NHL's third jersey program, the Mighty Ducks wore alternate "Wild Wing" jerseys, featuring the current mascot breaking out of a sheet of ice amid a jade base and purple trim. The primary logo appears on both shoulders. Even though the Mighty Ducks won two of three games with this uniform, it was immediately retired.

From 1997 to 1999, the Mighty Ducks wore two alternate jerseys. The road alternate has a jade base with purple, jade and silver stripes along the chest and sleeves, and the home alternate has a white base with jade, purple and silver stripes along the chest and sleeves. During this period, the Mighty Ducks switched to black pants and helmets, but in 1999, returned to wearing purple pants and helmets while retiring the road alternate jerseys.

In 2003, the Mighty Ducks released a black alternate jersey with purple and silver trim. This design features the full team name written in a classic script style, and the interlocking "MD" on both shoulders.

After rebranding as the Anaheim Ducks, the uniforms became black and white with metallic gold and orange stripes. The crest featured the full team name in front. This set was worn until the 2013–14 season, with a few adjustments after Reebok moved to the Edge template in 2007.

In 2010, the Ducks unveiled a black alternate jersey, featuring the "webbed D" as the main crest and thick orange stripes. The original Mighty Ducks logo, this time recolored to the current scheme and placed inside a white oval with the full team name, was placed on the shoulders.

For their Stadium Series game on January 25, 2014, the Ducks created a special jersey. This jersey is primarily orange with black lettering and numbers. The chromed Ducks logo, designed for the Stadium Series, is on the chest. There are gold, black and white stripes on the sleeves as well as black trim around the bottom and sleeves. The jersey has old fashion black lace on the neck and also has a unique "OC" logo on the left shoulder to represent Orange County where the Ducks are from.

Mascot

The official mascot for the team is an anthropomorphized duck by the name of Wild Wing. He has been the team's mascot since its inaugural season. He wears a Ducks jersey with the number 93 on the back, referring to the year the Ducks became an NHL team.

He regularly descends from the rafters of the arena when making his in-game entrances. In one such descent the rigging that lowered Wild Wing from the rafters malfunctioned leaving the mascot trapped fifty feet above the ice for several minutes. Another well known blunder occurred in October 1995 when Wild Wing, attempting to jump through a "wall of fire", accidentally tripped causing the mascot to land on the fire and set his costume ablaze.

His physical appearance is similar to the duck mask in the original Mighty Ducks logo. A bronze statue of Wild Wing was located outside the south doors of Honda Center from 1993 to 2012, until construction began on the 'Grand Terrace' addition to the arena. When construction was completed and the Grand Terrace opened, the statue was noticeably absent. The statue was later returned from storage in 2017 and sat at the southeast entrance of the arena.. The statue was temporarily removed again in 2026 when construction began on the arena’s new south entrance. It currently sits outside the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center.

The mascot was the inspiration for the character Wildwing Flashblade in Disney's Mighty Ducks cartoon series.

The Mighty Ducks also used a secondary "mascot", a person (with no particular costume) called the Iceman, during the team's first game in 1993. The Iceman appeared occasionally in the stands, played an electric guitar, and attempted to liven up the crowd. However, the Iceman was poorly received by fans and was quickly eliminated after the Ducks lost to the Red Wings in their inaugural game, 7–2.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Ducks. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Anaheim Ducks seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated August 20, 2026

Team captains

Reference:

League and team honors

Retired numbers

The Anaheim Ducks currently have three retired numbers: Teemu Selanne's no. 8, which was retired on January 11, 2015, Paul Kariya's no. 9, retired on October 21, 2018, and Scott Niedermayer's no. 27 on February 17, 2019.

The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Notes

Selanne wore number 8 for 14 of his 15 seasons with the Ducks, he would wear number 13 during the 2005–06 season before returning to number 8 from the 2006–07 season onward.

Hall of Fame

The Anaheim Ducks hold an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame, including seven inductees from the players category. Of those seven, Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne earned their credentials primarily with the Ducks.

Jari Kurri was the first player to be inducted in to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He spent only one season with the team, scoring 13 goals and providing 22 assists. Adam Oates only played one season with team in 2002–03, registering nine goals and 36 assists. Oates was inducted in 2012. Scott Niedermayer, inducted in 2013, spent five seasons with the team, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2007, and serving as team captain until his retirement in 2010 (with the exception of the 2008–09 season). Niedermayer provided 60 goals and 204 assists with the team. Sergei Fedorov and Chris Pronger were inducted in 2015. Pronger played three seasons with the team and won the Stanley Cup in 2007, providing 36 goals and 114 assists. He also served as team captain for the 2008–09 season while Niedermayer sat out for most of the season. In 2017, both Kariya and Selanne were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Kariya was drafted by the Ducks and spent nine seasons with team. He spent seven seasons as captain. Kariya scored 300 goals and provided 369 assists while with the Ducks. Selanne started with the team in 1996 via a trade and returned to the team in 2005 winning a Stanley Cup with the team in 2007. Selanne registered 457 goals and 531 assists along with 34 goals and 35 assists in the playoffs. Selanne also holds the NHL record among Finnish players with points and goals.

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

* – current Ducks player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Franchise goaltending leaders

These are the top-ten goaltenders in franchise history by wins. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

* – current Ducks player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts

All-time franchise records

Regular season

Playoffs

Broadcasters

John Ahlers, TV play-by-play

Brian Hayward, TV color analyst

Steve Carroll, Radio play-by-play

Emerson Etem, Radio color

Past announcers include Matt McConnell, Charlie Simmer (who was the radio analyst alongside McConnell from 1993 to 1996), Brian Hamilton (who was the radio play-by-play announcer from 1996 to 1999), Pat Conacher (who was the radio analyst from 1996–97), Darren Eliot (who was the radio analyst alongside Hamilton from 1996 to 1999), Mike Greenlay (who was the radio analyst from 1999 to 2001), Brent Severyn (who became the radio analyst beginning in 2005), and Chris Madsen (who was the television play-by-play announcer from 1993 to 2002).

All games are streamed on Victory+. Most games are also aired on television by Fox Television Stations' owned KCOP-TV or KTTV. Radio broadcasts are hosted on Ducks Stream, an online radio station available via TuneIn.

Disney planned to start an ESPN West regional sports network for the 1998–99 season, which would also carry Anaheim Angels baseball games, but the plan was abandoned. Until the 2024–25 NHL season, television broadcasts were on Bally Sports SoCal or Bally Sports West, as well as KCOP.