The Aftermath – 2007 Edition: Part 6
The 2006-07 NHL season is now finished. After dropping an adjective from their name, the mighty Anaheim Ducks took the NHL by storm and went on to win their first ever Stanley Cup.
This Inaugural edition of The Aftermath is a six part series, which will consist of brief summaries of every team’s performance this season. Part 6, the final part of the series, will finalise coverage of the Western Conference with the Pacific Division.
Anaheim Ducks
Final standings: 48W, 20L, 14OTL, 110 points, 1st Pacific, 2nd Western Conference, 4th NHL
Having bought the team from the Walt Disney Company prior to last season, new owners Susan and Henry Samueli decided it was time for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to shorten their name. The identity overhaul proved ironic, as GM Brian Burke managed to snag big bad defenceman Chris Pronger in a blockbuster deal with Edmonton: with Pronger’s help, along with team Captain Scott Niedermayer on the blueline, the newly renamed Anaheim Ducks turned out to be the mightiest ever, as they went on to earn the best record in franchise history. They got started by breaking an NHL record, going undefeated in regulation during their first 16 games, and all season long they, along with Buffalo, were heavy favourites to win the Stanley Cup this year. Eventually, they made the playoffs and made quick work of the Minnesota Wild in five games before beating the Vancouver Canucks in five, and then made their second consecutive (and third overall) Conference Finals appearance, in which they faced playoff nemeses Detroit, beating them in six. The Ducks then made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in franchise history, and faced the Ottawa Senators. Anaheim were heavy favourites to win this series, and as the media expected, the Ducks beat the Sens in five games to win their very first Stanley Cup, making them the first ever California team, and West Coast NHL team, to win the Cup.
Dallas Stars
Final standings: 50W, 25L, 7OTL, 107 points, 3rd Pacific, 6th Western Conference, 6th NHL
The Dallas Stars had a very good season; however it was not without disappointment. They battled hard against division rivals Anaheim and San Jose for the top spot in the Pacific Division, but lost a slightly higher playoff seed to the Sharks due to them winning one more game. The Stars could easily have been a much better team this season, if it weren’t for them being hit by lengthy injuries to key players such as Captain Brendan Morrow and veteran forward Mike Modano. The Stars also made some strange decisions when it came to trading players, such as acquiring mainly veterans rather than more young talent and trading away their first round draft pick for 2007. In the first round of the playoffs, the Dallas Stars played a thrilling seven game series in which they lost to the Vancouver Canucks, losing in the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. On a high note, Dallas had an impressive rookie goaltender on their roster, Mike Smith, who in 23 games with the Stars made a 0.912 percentage save average.
Los Angeles Kings
Final standings: 27W, 41L, 14OTL, 68 points, 4th Pacific, 14th Western Conference, 28th NHL
The Los Angeles Kings celebrated their 40th anniversary in style, having another mediocre season, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in a row, and watching their Southern California rivals the Anaheim Ducks win the cup before them. The Kings were expected to have a great start to this season due to the many changes taking place with staff and players, however Los Angeles ended up becoming one of the worst teams in the NHL, finishing right near the bottom of the standings, in what us at PowerPlayGoal.com like to refer to as the ‘NHL’s toilet’, along with Phoenix and Philadelphia. Perhaps one of the better moments this season for the Kings took place on February 5th, when they traded the most hated player in the league, Sean Avery, to the New York Rangers.
Phoenix Coyotes
Final standings: 31W, 46L, 5OTL, 56 points, 5th Pacific, 15th Western Conference, 29th NHL
The Phoenix Coyotes are another team that spent this season eating sand, sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Division and Western Conference all season long with division rivals the Los Angeles Kings, however they were still 11 points higher than the league lowest Philadelphia Flyers. All season long the Coyotes struggled, and only really had one long winning streak, which lasted from late December until early January, for seven games. On an upside for these desert dogs, their average attendance was very high, although the lowest number of fans they attracted to a game was 11,079.
San Jose Sharks
Final standings: 51W, 26L, 5OTL, 107 points, 2nd Pacific, 5th Western Conference, 5th NHL
For the San Jose Sharks, despite going only as far as the Western Semi-finals in the playoffs, this year was the best in franchise history. They began with their best start in 16 seasons, as in their first 27 games they had a good record of 20 wins and just 7 losses. The losses only came after every few winning games, and it has been like that all season long for the Sharks. Another impressive feat by the Sharks this year was their road win record of 26 games, the most in the league. For most of the year, San Jose battled hard against division rivals the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Pacific Division, and at one point it looked as though they were going to take the number one spot; however Anaheim got it, and San Jose settled with second place: they were tied for points with Dallas, but got a higher playoff spot because they won one more game than the Stars. In the playoffs, the Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators 4 games to 1 in the quarterfinals, and then lost to the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 2 in the semi-finals.
This was ‘the Aftermath’, brought to you by PowerPlayGoal.com. Next season; expect it to be finished much earlier…