Mighty Ducks Opening Night 1993

Lore & Background

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.

Reader's Guide

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.

Did You Know?

• The Ducks have won six Pacific Division championships and have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final twice, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007.
• The Ducks have produced two Conn Smythe Trophy winners – Jean-Sebastian Giguere in 2003 and Scott Niedermayer in 2007.