Don Cherry
05-26-2003, 12:14 PM
Game 1 of the Cup Finals is Tuesday night at New Jersey.
Anaheim had never made it past the second round of the playoffs before this year, and the team wasn't expected to make the postseason at all. But after going a franchise-best 40-27-9-6 during the regular season, the Ducks began a stirring playoff run.
Behind the sensational goaltending of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, solid defense and balanced scoring, seventh-seeded Anaheim swept defending Cup champion Detroit in the opening round, eliminated top-seeded Dallas 4-2, then swept Minnesota in the Western Conference finals.
The Ducks' story has been similar to the 1992 movie that gave them their name. "The Mighty Ducks" is about a group of kids who beat the odds and become champions. Michael Eisner, chairman of The Walt Disney Co., carried the name over when the franchise came into the league in 1993.
Babcock, whose players have bought into his "the next game is the most important" mantra, cautioned that the Ducks haven't finished writing their script for this season.
"We're still in the process of making the movie," the coach said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE: (http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/story/6391951)
Anaheim had never made it past the second round of the playoffs before this year, and the team wasn't expected to make the postseason at all. But after going a franchise-best 40-27-9-6 during the regular season, the Ducks began a stirring playoff run.
Behind the sensational goaltending of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, solid defense and balanced scoring, seventh-seeded Anaheim swept defending Cup champion Detroit in the opening round, eliminated top-seeded Dallas 4-2, then swept Minnesota in the Western Conference finals.
The Ducks' story has been similar to the 1992 movie that gave them their name. "The Mighty Ducks" is about a group of kids who beat the odds and become champions. Michael Eisner, chairman of The Walt Disney Co., carried the name over when the franchise came into the league in 1993.
Babcock, whose players have bought into his "the next game is the most important" mantra, cautioned that the Ducks haven't finished writing their script for this season.
"We're still in the process of making the movie," the coach said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE: (http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/story/6391951)