On April 4, 1997, the Anaheim
Ducks clinch their first-ever playoff berth.
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California,
United States. They are members of the Pacific Division
of the Western
Conference of the National Hockey
League (NHL). Since their inception, the Ducks have played their home games
at the Honda Center.
 |
| Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks. |
The club was founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney
Company as the Mighty Ducks of
Anaheim, a name based on the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks. Disney sold the franchise in 2005 to Henry and Susan Samueli,
who along with GM Brian Burke
changed the name of the team to the Anaheim Ducks before the 2006–07 season.
In their 20-year existence, the Ducks have made the playoffs eight times,
winning one Pacific Division title (2007), two Western Conference Championships
(2003 and 2007), and one Stanley
Cup Championship (2007).
The
official mascot for the Anaheim Ducks is an anthropomorphized duck
by the name of Wild Wing. He has been the team's mascot since its inaugural
season, and his name was chosen through fan voting. 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 is also located outside the team's arena
(located at the West side of the South Doors), Honda Center.
The
mascot's name was also used for the leader of the Ducks, Wildwing
Flashblade; in Disney's Mighty Ducks
cartoon series.
During
the same time in which the team announced a name change as well as change in
jersey designs, there was an attempt by the team's owners to change or replace
the mascot, Wild Wing, but was halted after a highly successful petition by
fans.
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.
