If the Mighty Ducks Won in 2003

[Stephen]

If Anaheim had won that cup in 2003 and beat the Devils in that game 7, and gone on to win in 2007 as they did, how would their franchise have been remembered historically as a great team in the 2000s? Obviously Anaheim was a Cinderella team that year, so they didn't have the same reputation as the others, but on paper, with two cups in five years, they would have been tied with New Jersey and Colorado for 2 Stanley Cups apiece dating back to the mid 90s, while they would have equaled Detroit's 2 cup wins during the '00's.

Click to read more...

 

[LeafOfBread]

If they had won though, who says they would've won again in 2007? There's no way things would've happened exactly the same in the following years if they had won. Butterfly Effect my friend.

I wish they had won though, almost everyone except NJD fans were cheering for them on that run and Giguere put up one of the best Conn Smythe performances in history. What a run to remember, too bad the ending sucked.

But still to answer your question, it's really hard to say. They would obviously have an even better reputation, however they would be viewed differently than Detroit or NJ. Detroit and NJ were powerhouse teams throughout the decade, Anaheim would be viewed as the team that got lucky once, and then won with a stacked team the second time around.

 

[GreatGonzo]

If definitely would have done gown as one of the biggest cup runs in the NHL. And Giguere would have gotten a lot of fame from it. But i wouldnt put them as an "elite" team like Colorado, New Jersey, and especially Detroit. Anaheim has had 1 division championship and 1 cup between them, if they captured the cup in 03, it definitely would have been only a Cinderella story and not the start of an elite franchise

Detroit
Division titles: 2001-2009, 2011
Western Conference Titles: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
Presidents Trophies: 2002, 2006, 2008
Conference champs: 2002, 2008, 2009
Cups: 2002, 2008

New Jersey
Division titles: 2001, 2003, 2006-07, 2009-10
Eastern Conference titles: 2001
Conference champs: 2000, 2001, 2003
Cups: 2000, 2003

Colorado
Division titles: 2000-2003
Western Conference titles: 2001
Presidents Trophy: 2001
Conference champs: 2001(also appeared in 2000 and 2002)
Cups: 2001

Also the fact that these teams made the playoffs nearly every year while Anaheim only made the playoffs in 1997, 1999, and 2003 before breaking through in 2006. I dont feel they are or would be an elite team

 

[Fish on The Sand]

Its hard to say what would have happened. They were a bad team that caught fire at the right time, and even missed the playoffs the next season. By 2006, the team was nothing close to the one that went to the finals, and in 2007, it was obviously even more different.

 

[Big Phil]

They were far different teams. I don't think they'd be remembered all that great. They'd get forgotten in the shuffle. 2003 was an abberation for them in the mold of the 2006 Oilers, or 2004 Flames.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

if the '03 team wins, do they overturn the roster quickly enough to become the '07 team? or do they sign guys like carney and rucchin to longterm contracts and never have the space to get niedermayer and pronger?

 

[jkrx]

Its hard to say what would have happened. They were a bad team that caught fire at the right time, and even missed the playoffs the next season. By 2006, the team was nothing close to the one that went to the finals, and in 2007, it was obviously even more different.

It wasnt the same team though. The 04 team had lost Oates, Kariya and Thomas who were important during the cup run. Mike Leclerc were injured, Andy McDonald didn't break out, Lupul werent ready for top-6 minutes. Basically, Murray misjudged his core and thought alot of players were ready and/or better than they actually were (and didn't have the money to keep or replace his FAs).

 

[Fish on The Sand]

It wasnt the same team though. The 04 team had lost Oates, Kariya and Thomas who were important during the cup run. Mike Leclerc were injured, Andy McDonald didn't break out, Lupul werent ready for top-6 minutes. Basically, Murray misjudged his core and thought alot of players were ready and/or better than they actually were (and didn't have the money to keep or replace his FAs).

They were cheap. My recollection is Kariya was an RFA and they didn't qualify him because they couldn't afford 9 million.

 

[Roomtemperature]

They were cheap. My recollection is Kariya was an RFA and they didn't qualify him because they couldn't afford 9 million.

Well Kariya said he would negotiate a better deal with the team thus the fact they didn't qualify. He then quickly left for the Aves

 

[Brodeur]

Well Kariya said he would negotiate a better deal with the team thus the fact they didn't qualify. He then quickly left for the Aves

I don't recall Kariya making any false promises or pulling a Carlos Boozer on Anaheim.

Murray sounded unsure of the chances of getting Kariya to come back for next season. ''He did not give us the right of first refusal.'' he said. ''He was obviously disappointed.''

The Ducks deciding not to qualify Kariya at 10 million happened on the eve of free agency. From the quote, it didn't appear like Murray believed that Kariya would give them any special treatment.

As for the original topic, I would agree with others in that the Ducks winning the Cup in 2003 would have resulted in some different decisions. I can just imagine the PR nightmare had Anaheim not kept Kariya after winning the Cup. Perhaps there is a Kariya-Selanne reunion in 2003-04, but this time it was Teemu taking a drastic paycut to play for the defending champs.

If the Ducks have Kariya instead of Fedorov, do they slump in the 2003-04 season? Does Bryan Murray not resign, eventually opening a door for Brian Burke in 2005 to drastically re-shape the club?

 

[God Bless Canada]

If the Ducks win the Cup in 2003, then it would have had a dramatic impact on the 2007 team. Keep one thing in mind: in 2003, the Stanley Cup finalist did not pick 29th overall. The Cup champ picked 30th, but the finalist selected based on their regular season finish. Rather than selecting 29th (as the finalist) or 30th (as the champion), Anaheim selected 19th. They stole Ryan Getzlaf. Even as a 22-year-old, Ryan Getzlaf was a key member for the Ducks in 2007. He was their top playoff point producer, their No. 2 centre at even strength, and usually their No. 1 centre on the PP. Amazing how much one rule change can impact something as big as the draft.

Anyways, if they win it all in 2003 and 2007, we still don't talk about them on the same level as Detroit for the first decade of this century, or Colorado, New Jersey and Dallas for 1996 to 2004. Those were consistently top teams. Anaheim was feast or famine. They win the Cup in 2007. They reach the final in 2003. And they did reach the conference final in 2006. But from 1997 to 2011, they've been past the first round five times, they've lost in the first round several times, and they've missed the playoffs several times. Since winning the Cup in 2007, they have won one series. Consistency has never been the strong suit of the Ducks' organization.