Opening Night Notes
Wednesday, 09.30.2009 / 8:51 PM
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FOR OPENERS: The Ducks open their 16th NHL season Saturday night vs. San Jose at Honda Center (7:05 p.m. on KDOC-TV and AM 830)…Anaheim is 7-7-1 all-time in home openers, including a 3-1-0 mark in the last four games…the contest marks a rematch of the 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals, won by Anaheim in six games…that series marked the first NHL playoff meeting between two California teams since the 1969 Western Conference Quarterfinals, when the Los Angeles Kings beat the Oakland Seals in seven games (that was the ONLY previous in-state playoff matchup).
The Ducks-Sharks matchup features two of the most successful teams in the NHL since the lockout (start of the 2005-06 season)…since that time, the Ducks have posted a 180-107-41 record, with four playoff appearances, two 100+ point seasons, a Pacific Division title (2007) and Stanley Cup championship (2007)…the Sharks have posted a 197-94-37 mark since the 2005-06 season, including three consecutive 100+ point seasons, four playoff appearances and two Pacific Division titles (2008 & 2009)…the Ducks have an all-time record of 41-41-8 vs. San Jose, including marks of 18-22-5 at Honda Center and 23-19-3 at HP Pavilion.
SWEET 16: The Ducks enter their 16th NHL season (17th year including lockout) with an all-time record of 518-507-173 (.503 winning percentage)…the club will play their 1,200th NHL regular season game Oct. 6 @ Minnesota…over the last four seasons, the Ducks have posted a regular season record of 180-107-41 (.611 winning percentage), including a 100-43-21 mark at Honda Center (.674 winning percentage).
PLAYOFF PERFOMERS: The Ducks have qualified for the playoffs in a club-record four consecutive seasons…since that time, Anaheim has posted a 34-22 record in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (.607 win percentage)…the club has won more playoff games since 2005-06 than any other team in the NHL with the exception of Detroit (43 wins)…Anaheim has also won seven playoff rounds during that stretch (also Pittsburgh), second to the Red Wings (nine)…the Ducks are one of only six NHL teams (also Detroit, NY Rangers, New Jersey, Calgary and San Jose) to have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last four years (post-lockout era).
WELCOME BACK: The Ducks have 17 returnees from last year’s club…the five newcomers to the 2009-10 Ducks include center Saku Koivu, right wings Joffrey Lupul (played with Anaheim from 2003-06) and Evgeny Artyukhin, and defensemen Steve Eminger, Nick Boynton, and Luca Sbisa…below is a look at the roster changes from 2008-09 to 2009-10:
THE 2009 PRESEASON: The Ducks concluded their 2009 preseason schedule with a 5-3-0 record, winning three of their last four games…Anaheim’s five victories were the second-most in team preseason history, trailing only the club’s 6-1-1 record in 2008…right wing Bobby Ryan scored 4-4=8 points in six exhibition games, leading the club in scoring, goals, plus/minus (+8) and shots (18) while tying for the team lead in assists…right wing Corey Perry (3-2=5) and center Saku Koivu (1-4=5) tied for second on the Ducks in scoring with Koivu also tied with Ryan for the team lead in assists…goaltenders J.S. Giguere and Jonas Hiller each made three appearances in net, going 2-1-0 with a 3.20 GAA and .895 SV%, and 1-1-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .926 SV%, respectively.
THE 2008-09 SEASON: The Ducks finished the 2008-09 regular season with a record of 42-33-7 for 91 points, ranking second in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference…Anaheim went 20-18-3 at home and 22-15-4 on the road in the regular season….the Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in club history (1997, 1999, 2003, 2006-2009).
THE 2009 PLAYOFFS: The Ducks opened the 2009 postseason against the NHL’s top team in the regular season, the San Jose Sharks…the series marked the just the second NHL playoff meeting between two California teams and the first since the 1969 Western Conference Quarterfinals when the Los Angeles Kings beat the Oakland Seals in seven games…with a 4-2 series win over San Jose, the Ducks became the fifth team to upset the NHL’s best regular season team (by standings points) in the first round since the Expansion Era began (1967-68)…the Ducks were also just the 11th team in NHL history to defeat a team who earned 110-or-more standings points during the regular season in the first round…with the series victory, Anaheim advanced to the second round to face Detroit for the fifth time in franchise playoff history…the Ducks stretched the Western Conference Semifinals to seven games before falling short in Game 7 at Detroit…center Ryan Getzlaf led the team in postseason scoring with 4-14=18 points while goaltender Jonas Hiller posted a 7-6 record with two shutouts, a 2.23 GAA and .943 SV% in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut.
The Ducks-Sharks matchup features two of the most successful teams in the NHL since the lockout (start of the 2005-06 season)…since that time, the Ducks have posted a 180-107-41 record, with four playoff appearances, two 100+ point seasons, a Pacific Division title (2007) and Stanley Cup championship (2007)…the Sharks have posted a 197-94-37 mark since the 2005-06 season, including three consecutive 100+ point seasons, four playoff appearances and two Pacific Division titles (2008 & 2009)…the Ducks have an all-time record of 41-41-8 vs. San Jose, including marks of 18-22-5 at Honda Center and 23-19-3 at HP Pavilion.
SWEET 16: The Ducks enter their 16th NHL season (17th year including lockout) with an all-time record of 518-507-173 (.503 winning percentage)…the club will play their 1,200th NHL regular season game Oct. 6 @ Minnesota…over the last four seasons, the Ducks have posted a regular season record of 180-107-41 (.611 winning percentage), including a 100-43-21 mark at Honda Center (.674 winning percentage).
PLAYOFF PERFOMERS: The Ducks have qualified for the playoffs in a club-record four consecutive seasons…since that time, Anaheim has posted a 34-22 record in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (.607 win percentage)…the club has won more playoff games since 2005-06 than any other team in the NHL with the exception of Detroit (43 wins)…Anaheim has also won seven playoff rounds during that stretch (also Pittsburgh), second to the Red Wings (nine)…the Ducks are one of only six NHL teams (also Detroit, NY Rangers, New Jersey, Calgary and San Jose) to have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last four years (post-lockout era).
WELCOME BACK: The Ducks have 17 returnees from last year’s club…the five newcomers to the 2009-10 Ducks include center Saku Koivu, right wings Joffrey Lupul (played with Anaheim from 2003-06) and Evgeny Artyukhin, and defensemen Steve Eminger, Nick Boynton, and Luca Sbisa…below is a look at the roster changes from 2008-09 to 2009-10:
| ARRIVALS | POSITION | TRANSACTION/DATE | LAST CLUB |
| Evgeny Artyukhin | Right wing | Acquired via trade, Aug. 13, 2009 | Tampa Bay |
| Nick Boynton | Defenseman | Signed as a free agent, July 9, 2009 | Florida |
| Steve Eminger | Defenseman | Signed as a free agent, Sept. 4, 2009 | Florida |
| Saku Koivu | Center | Signed as a free agent, July 8, 2009 | Montreal |
| Joffrey Lupul | Right wing | Acquired via trade, June 26, 2009 | Philadelphia |
| Luca Sbisa | Defenseman | Acquired via trade, June 26, 2009 | Philadelphia |
| DEPARTURES | POSITION | TRANSACTION/DATE | NEW CLUB |
| Francois Beauchemin | Defenseman | Became a free agent, July 1, 2009 | Toronto |
| Bret Hedican | Defenseman | Became a free agent, July 1, 2009 | Retired |
| Brad Larsen | Left wing | Became a free agent, July 1, 2009 | None |
| Drew Miller | Left wing | Traded, Aug. 13, 2009 | Tampa Bay |
| Rob Niedermayer | Left wing | Became a free agent, July 1, 2009 | New Jersey |
| Chris Pronger | Defenseman | Traded, June 26, 2009 | Philadelphia |
THE 2009 PRESEASON: The Ducks concluded their 2009 preseason schedule with a 5-3-0 record, winning three of their last four games…Anaheim’s five victories were the second-most in team preseason history, trailing only the club’s 6-1-1 record in 2008…right wing Bobby Ryan scored 4-4=8 points in six exhibition games, leading the club in scoring, goals, plus/minus (+8) and shots (18) while tying for the team lead in assists…right wing Corey Perry (3-2=5) and center Saku Koivu (1-4=5) tied for second on the Ducks in scoring with Koivu also tied with Ryan for the team lead in assists…goaltenders J.S. Giguere and Jonas Hiller each made three appearances in net, going 2-1-0 with a 3.20 GAA and .895 SV%, and 1-1-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .926 SV%, respectively.
THE 2008-09 SEASON: The Ducks finished the 2008-09 regular season with a record of 42-33-7 for 91 points, ranking second in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference…Anaheim went 20-18-3 at home and 22-15-4 on the road in the regular season….the Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in club history (1997, 1999, 2003, 2006-2009).
THE 2009 PLAYOFFS: The Ducks opened the 2009 postseason against the NHL’s top team in the regular season, the San Jose Sharks…the series marked the just the second NHL playoff meeting between two California teams and the first since the 1969 Western Conference Quarterfinals when the Los Angeles Kings beat the Oakland Seals in seven games…with a 4-2 series win over San Jose, the Ducks became the fifth team to upset the NHL’s best regular season team (by standings points) in the first round since the Expansion Era began (1967-68)…the Ducks were also just the 11th team in NHL history to defeat a team who earned 110-or-more standings points during the regular season in the first round…with the series victory, Anaheim advanced to the second round to face Detroit for the fifth time in franchise playoff history…the Ducks stretched the Western Conference Semifinals to seven games before falling short in Game 7 at Detroit…center Ryan Getzlaf led the team in postseason scoring with 4-14=18 points while goaltender Jonas Hiller posted a 7-6 record with two shutouts, a 2.23 GAA and .943 SV% in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut.
