Founding and Early Years
The NHL’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company, who named the franchise after the youth hockey team in their iconic film, The Mighty Ducks. Although the Mighty Ducks had the lowest payroll in all the NHL for the 1993–1994 season, through astute scouting and drafting, the Ducks were able to ice a competitive team by acquiring good talent in players such as Guy Hebert, Stu Grimson, and Paul Kariya, the future star of the Mighty Ducks, who wouldn’t see the ice until the 1994–1995 season.
Rise to Prominence
In the 1996–1997 season, with Paul Kariya as their captain, the Mighty Ducks made it to the postseason, where they lost in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Detroit Red Wings. The Mighty Ducks would return to the postseason in 2003, making it all the way to the finals, where they would eventually lose to the New Jersey Devils.
Ownership Change and Stanley Cup Victory
In 2005, The Walt Disney Company sold the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, which were then renamed The Anaheim Ducks. The next season (2006–2007), the Ducks, with new jersey colors and a new logo, defeated the Ottawa Senators in the finals and became the first California team in the NHL to win the Stanley Cup.
Anaheim Ducks Retro Jersey History
For their debut season, the Anaheim Ducks jersey colors were purple, jade, white, and grey and featured the team’s duck mask logo on the front. The Anaheim Ducks jersey would remain much the same, with slight variations, such as the addition of the shoulder patch, until 2006. Several unique alternate jerseys (or “third jerseys”), which can be found in our shop, were introduced during these years. The Anaheim Ducks jersey colors changed to gold, white, black, and orange in 2006 when the team name was shortened to the Ducks.
1995 “Wild Wing” alternate Mighty Ducks Jersey and the 2005 alternate Mighty Ducks Jersey:
You can even get a custom Ducks jersey to sport your own last name and favorite number. Check out our full collection of NHL throwback jerseys, and get free shipping today.