The game of hockey, like all sports, is filled with heroes. Most of the time, it is the superstars who have a reputation for coming up clutch. However, we are here to talk about the heroic performances that seem to come from nowhere. An unlikely hero can step up and chip in with a massive, Stanley Cup Playoff series-clinching goal, or maybe it is a season-long performance, the likes of which will never be seen again. These unlikely heroes become a part of hockey history. Today, we bring you our Last Word On Hockey summer series, as we look at the Anaheim Ducks Unlikely Heroes.
Credit Image: © Peter Joneleit/Cal Sport Media
Anaheim Ducks Unlikely Heroes
The Criteria
Some wonder what makes an unlikely hero. It can be a player who comes with a massive improvement out of nowhere. An unlikely hero can step up and chip in with a massive goal or a shutout that wasn’t expected. It can also be a player who steps up and has a season to remember. An unlikely hero can be a player who’s a youngster that gives a breakthrough performance. It can also be a star player that gives one last flash of greatness.
For the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 it was a team effort. It meant Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry. Each played a major role in helping Anaheim win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. However, one player who did not carry the same name recognition became one of the Ducks’ most important offensive contributors when it mattered most. The Ducks did not win their only Stanley Cup because of star power alone. Several players outside the spotlight produced crucial moments throughout the 2007 playoffs. Today, we examine the Anaheim Ducks and two players who helped turn a talented roster into champions.
1. Andy McDonald
McDonald’s career did not begin with the expectations often placed on future Stanley Cup heroes. He went undrafted after four productive seasons at Colgate University, where he became a Hobey Baker Award finalist and a First Team All-American during his senior season. Nevertheless, NHL teams passed on him, leaving the Mighty Ducks to sign him as a free agent in 2000.
At 5’10” and 175 pounds, McDonald did not possess the physical profile that many teams valued from a centre during the early 2000s. Instead, he relied on quickness, vision, and an ability to find open space. He worked his way through the organization before becoming a regular NHL contributor, recording 51 points in 2005–06 and 45 more during the 2006–07 regular season.
Those were strong totals, but they did not make him the face of the franchise. Anaheim’s roster included Selanne, already one of the NHL’s most dangerous scorers, and Niedermayer, a three-time Cup winner who had joined the Ducks in 2005. The following summer, general manager Brian Burke acquired Pronger from the Edmonton Oilers, giving Anaheim arguably one of the best bluelines in the modern NHL.
Meanwhile, Getzlaf and Perry were beginning their rise as young, franchise cornerstones. Giguere had already won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading Anaheim to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final. McDonald was an important part of the roster, but he was not the player opponents or fans first discussed when evaluating the Ducks’ championship hopes.
The 2007 Playoff Run
Anaheim entered the 2007 playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference after finishing the regular season with 110 points. The Ducks defeated the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks in five games each before meeting the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Final.
Detroit represented the biggest challenge of Anaheim’s run. The Red Wings had elite talent, playoff experience, and home-ice advantage. The series was tied 2–2 entering Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena, and Anaheim faced a late 1–0 deficit in regulation.
Niedermayer tied the game with 48 seconds remaining, forcing overtime. Then, McDonald made one of the most important plays in Ducks history. He pressured Detroit defenceman Andreas Lilja behind the Red Wings net, helping create a turnover that gave Selanne the puck in front of Dominik Hasek. Selanne scored on his backhand, putting Anaheim ahead 3–2 in the series.
The goal is remembered for Selanne’s finish, and understandably so. However, McDonald’s forecheck created the opportunity. The Ducks then won Game 6 at Honda Center, earning their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in five years.
McDonald entered the Final with seven goals, already leading Anaheim in that category. Still, his best work remained ahead.
Anaheim won Game 6 and advanced to its second Stanley Cup Final in five years.
5/20/2007: Teemu Selanne scores "the goal" against the Detroit Red Wings to win Game 5 of the 2007 Western Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/K47ghPqkv3
— Today in Anaheim Ducks history (@AnaDucksHistory) May 20, 2026
Andy McDonald Took Over the 2007 Stanley Cup Final
The Ducks faced the Ottawa Senators in the Final. Ottawa had finally broken through after years of playoff disappointment, led by its elite line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley. Anaheim countered with its depth, physicality, defensive structure, and the ability to receive offence throughout the lineup.
McDonald immediately became a problem for Ottawa. He scored the tying goal in Game 1, helping Anaheim erase an early deficit before Travis Moen delivered the winner in the third period. The Ducks also claimed Game 2, but the Senators responded with a Game 3 victory at home.
Game 4 became McDonald’s defining performance. He scored twice and added an assist as Anaheim won 3–2, taking a 3–1 series lead back to Honda Center. His offensive production was especially valuable because the Senators had tied the game twice, including on a third-period goal by Alfredsson. McDonald helped ensure that every Ottawa push had an Anaheim answer.
The Ducks closed out the series in Game 5 with a 6–2 victory. McDonald opened the scoring on the power play, while Moen added two goals and several other Ducks found the net. Anaheim had its first Stanley Cup, and McDonald finished the Final with five goals and two assists in five games.
He scored five of Anaheim’s 16 goals in the series. Moreover, he ended the entire postseason with 10 goals and four assists in 21 games. No Duck scored more goals during the 2007 playoffs.
People don't talk about how good Andy McDonald was enough. https://t.co/ZtZjURQhOe
— Ryan Gibbons (@RyanGibbs56) June 5, 2025
The Conn Smythe Conversation
Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and his case was strong. He recorded 11 points in 21 games, played more minutes than any skater during the postseason, and led a defence corps that featured Pronger and François Beauchemin. He also carried the responsibilities that came with being Anaheim’s captain.
The Ducks did not win the Cup because of one player. Giguere posted a .922 save percentage during the playoffs. Getzlaf led the team with 17 points, while Perry and Selanne also produced 15 points each. Furthermore, the Pahlsson line, with Moen and Rob Niedermayer, did important shutdown work against opposing top players.
McDonald did not have the complete playoff résumé that Niedermayer brought to the table. Niedermayer excelled throughout all four rounds while playing a demanding role on the blue line. As a result, calling McDonald robbed of the Conn Smythe would overstate the case.
However, McDonald deserved more recognition for what he did in the Final. If the NHL awarded a separate Final MVP, he would have been a serious candidate. His five goals were the most by any player in the series, and his Game 4 performance placed Anaheim one win from the championship.
Only Andy McDonald (10) scored more goals for the Ducks in the 2007 playoffs than Travis Moen (7, tied with Getzlaf). Moen, Påhlsson, & Robby Neidermayer combined for 34 points during the Cup run. That team was so stacked! #FlyTogether https://t.co/pVPez1nJyJ
— Dalton Keys (@DucksKeys) June 6, 2026
An Important Part of Ducks History
McDonald did not spend his entire career in Anaheim. The Ducks traded him to the St. Louis Blues in December 2007 as part of the deal that brought Doug Weight to the club. Even so, his time with the Ducks included the most important chapter in franchise history.
His story also reflects why the 2007 championship team worked so well. The Ducks had elite talent and major personalities, but they also received crucial contributions from players who understood their roles and exceeded expectations. McDonald was not simply a depth scorer who happened to have a few good games. He was a top-six forward who elevated his game during the most important series Anaheim had ever played.
The 2007 Stanley Cup will always be connected to Selanne lifting the trophy, Niedermayer passing it to his brother Rob, and Giguere finally finishing the job after the heartbreak of 2003. Yet McDonald’s playoff run deserves to sit alongside those memories.
He was an undrafted player who developed into an NHL regular, helped create the biggest goal in Ducks history against Detroit, and then became Anaheim’s leading scorer in the Stanley Cup Final. That is why Andy McDonald remains one of the Anaheim Ducks’ most unlikely heroes.
2. Travis Moen
Travis Moen arrived in Anaheim with a much different role. The Ducks acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in August 2005 in exchange for Michael Holmqvist. He was not expected to become a featured scorer. Instead, Moen gave Anaheim size, physicality, and reliable defensive play on the wing.
He found an ideal fit alongside Samuel Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer. The trio became Anaheim’s shutdown line, regularly taking difficult defensive assignments while creating enough offence to make opposing teams pay. The Ducks relied on their stars to drive play, but Moen’s line gave head coach Randy Carlyle a dependable answer against elite forwards.
That role became especially valuable in the 2007 Final. Ottawa’s top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley had dominated opponents through the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pahlsson line did not eliminate the Senators’ star players, but it gave Anaheim important defensive minutes and limited the room Ottawa’s top forwards had to operate.
Moen’s Moment
Moen also delivered offence at the most important times. He scored the Game 1 winner against Ottawa, breaking a 2–2 tie late in the third period. Anaheim then won Game 2 and built a 2–0 series lead before heading to Ottawa.
His biggest moment came in Game 5. With the Ducks trying to close out the series at Honda Center, Moen was credited with the game-winning goal midway through the second period. The goal gave Anaheim a 3–1 lead after a comical miscommunication between Ottawa defenceman Chris Phillips and goaltender Ray Emery.
Ottawa cut the deficit to 3–2 later in the period, but Anaheim responded immediately through Francois Beauchemin. Moen then scored again early in the third, extending the lead to 5–2 and removing any remaining doubt about the result. The Ducks won 6–2 and captured the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
Moen recorded seven goals and 12 points in 21 playoff games. His numbers were strong for any middle-six winger, but they carried greater value because of his role and the situations in which they arrived.
An Underrated Heart and Soul Player
Moen did not become one of the defining faces of the Ducks franchise. He never carried the profile of Selanne, Getzlaf, Perry, Niedermayer, or Pronger. Yet his name remains directly connected to the only Cup-clinching win in Anaheim history.
His story also represents the depth that separated the Ducks from other contenders. Anaheim did not need its biggest stars to score every important goal because role players such as Moen could provide timely offence while handling difficult defensive responsibilities. The Pahlsson line remains one of the most effective checking units in modern Ducks history, and Moen was a major reason why it worked.
3. Honourable Mentions
The PPG Line
Getzlaf, Perry, and Dustin Penner were known as the PPG Line during the 2006–07 season. Getzlaf and Perry were both 21-year-old second-year players, while Penner, 24, was in his second full NHL season after going undrafted. None had yet become the established NHL names they would later be associated with.
The group produced 40 playoff points during Anaheim’s Cup run. Getzlaf led the Ducks with 17 points, Perry had 15, and Penner added eight. Their growth gave Anaheim another productive line behind Selanne and McDonald, while signaling the franchise’s future after the veteran core moved on.
Penner’s role deserves particular attention. An undrafted forward who had spent much of the previous season between Anaheim and the AHL, he broke out for 29 regular-season goals, second on the Ducks behind Selanne. He then scored the Game 1 winner against the Minnesota Wild in the opening round and delivered the most important goal of his postseason in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. After Ottawa tied the game 2–2, Penner scored early in the third period to give Anaheim a 3–2 win and a commanding 3–1 series lead. He also assisted on both PPG Line goals in Game 3 of the Final, setting up Perry and Getzlaf despite Anaheim’s loss.
Ilya Bryzgalov
Bryzgalov’s most surprising Anaheim playoff run came in 2006, when he went 6–4 with a .944 save percentage and helped the Ducks sweep the Colorado Avalanche. Still, he also played a meaningful role in the 2007 championship season.
Giguere took a personal leave during the opening round against the Minnesota Wild, and Bryzgalov started the first four games of the series. He went 3–1 in those starts and finished the postseason with a .922 save percentage in five appearances. Anaheim ultimately returned to Giguere for the rest of the run, but Bryzgalov ensured the Ducks did not lose their footing before their starting goaltender returned.
The 2007 Ducks had the talent expected of a championship team. Yet McDonald, Moen, the PPG Line, and Bryzgalov showed why championship teams need more than their best-known players. Each provided something Anaheim could not have done without on the way to its first Stanley Cup. We hope you’ve enjoyed our Summer Series, as we looked at Anaheim’s unlikely, unsung heroes. Stayed tuned, for tomorrow’s edition, as we head off alphabetically to the Boston Bruins.
Main Photo Credit: © Bobby Navasca/Southcreek/ZUMAPRESS.com
