question re: your 2 long cup runs

I have a question guys, firstly congrats on the cup win, i like seeing a team's fans getting rewarded after coming soooo close in a previous campaign which leads me to my question, which might be kind of dumb :)

Anyways which playoff run have you personally enjoyed more? the 2003 playoffs or the 2007, obviously the ending of this one is what all fans aspire to feel but did you find the 2003 playoffs more exciting as a ducks fan being such underdogs in every round. Or did you enjoy this one more knowing all the way through you were a strong chance to win it all?

I have a question guys, firstly congrats on the cup win, i like seeing a team's fans getting rewarded after coming soooo close in a previous campaign which leads me to my question, which might be kind of dumb :)

Anyways which playoff run have you personally enjoyed more? the 2003 playoffs or the 2007, obviously the ending of this one is what all fans aspire to feel but did you find the 2003 playoffs more exciting as a ducks fan being such underdogs in every round. Or did you enjoy this one more knowing all the way through you were a strong chance to win it all?

Well, I enjoyed this cup run a lot more for obvious reasons, but besides the actual cup win...this team was more exciting. The 2003 run was amazing, but it was a cinderella team. Very surprising run, but not as fun for me anyway.

For me 03 was special just because I got to be at every home playoff game, and every one of them was a near-classic, with the deciding goals being scored near the end of regulation or in OT. It's the most fun I've had following any sports team. For the most part, each win was more emotional, if only because I didn't expect them to win any of those series except against Minnesota. So there was more of an, "Oh my god" factor.

Roger Kahn wrote that you revel in a team victorious, but you fall in love with a team in defeat. I think he's right.

It was cool being the underdog, but that team was really mostly average players playing their hearts out. This team is more exiting and talented. Both runs saw us win serieses quick which left too much downtime, which is hard to bare as an anxious fan.

'03 was more compelling, '07 more gratifying.

The games of 07 were more exciting, because they featured a better style. More hitting, more offense, less trapping. Domination by the Pahlsson line and Getzlaf line.

The series of 03 were more exciting, we won games that we had no business being in. And Giguere was amazing. And I was at a game, although it was a Dallas loss.

From a pure enjoyment of the games point, 03 definitely. It was so unexpected, and every game was a nail biter. The build up of energy at the Pond as each round passed, Giguere being unconscious, so many great OT games (Sykora!), all leading up to "He whose name shall not be spoken" getting knocked back into 1983 and coming back to score the goal. I still can remember every second of game 6, from the night before, to making fun of a devils fan who sat down in our section with a Hitler jersey , to gasping in stunned silence at The Hit, to how all 17000 people went nuts when he blew the slapper past brodeur.


This year, it's been more tense nervousness (because the Ducks were expected to win), and then vindication, and satisfaction. Not as much pure unbridled joy.

I think Jezz summed it up nicely. The 2003 run was a roller-coaster ride right up until the Finals. I'll admit, I wasn't really feeling it this run until the Detroit series started. Minnesota didn't show up for the first round, and while the Vancouver series had several nice moments (my favorite being "10% more" in Game Four), I didn't get the sense of accomplishment because the team wasn't playing the way I knew they could.

Than came the great effort in Game One of the Detroit series. Even though we lost, I loved how the team played. Probably my favorite Duck playoff loss, which sounds kind of funny, but I loved how we played on the road, in what was historically the toughest stadium for us to win. Do you realize we now have as many playoff wins at the Joe (four) as we have regular season wins over our entire history? How does that happen?

Than the Pronger-less Game Four, the "how the hell are we hanging in there" Game Five with the deflection off of Lidstrom's stick over Hasek's shoulder to tie it up (the turning point of the playoffs... never forget this) and Andy Mac and Teemu combining to seal the deal in overtime. Than coming out and blasting Detroit in the first two periods of Game Six, before the Ducks thought, "hey, you know what our fans need? A collective heart attack!" third period.

The four Ottawa Finals wins were as satisfying as anything. This was the Ducks reminding everyone, "we're a great [bleep]ing team." The team looked rejuvenated and ready for destiny. Hell, they looked like they could have played a fifth round if necessary. Just a beautiful thing all around. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

I think Jezz summed it up nicely.

Ditto. Took the words right out of my mouth.

But now that this run is over I can tell you I can look back on it and enjoy every minute of it whereas in 03 those once pleasant memories became painful to some degree. Though I can watch Rooch score that goal against Detroit a hundred times and still have that big smile on my face.

Just to add, the 05-06 run was really quite enjoyable. That awesome series with Calgary, the total domination of Colorado, and the tough series with Edmonton. The thing with that team is that no one really expected them to make it past Calgary and they did. It was also good for the experience factor. :)

I agree. '03 was unbelieveable because no one expected that team to get out of the 1st round, let alone get to game 7 of the Finals. I think because it was the farthest that the Ducks had ever been, coupled with the fact that Giguere was playing insane in his first playoffs ever, made it more special and unreal. I still get chills watching the "How the West Was Won" recap of those playoffs. One of my favorite playoff memories will always be when Stevens knocked out Kariya and he wasn't moving until all of a sudden his breath fogged up his visor. I was just happy to see him being helped off the ice, not stretchered off. Then to see him come back and score that slap shot goal was beyond incredible.

Of course the ending was heartbreaking, seeing Oates and Stumpy just staring, refusing to believe that it was over, and knowing that they would probably never win the Cup. I almost hoped the Wings would win it the next year since the Ducks and Oilers (Oates) didn't make the playoffs just so Thomas could hoist it up just once.

This year it was like they had been there before and I just had so much more confidence in this team because they were doing everything that was expected of them and more. Sure, they face some adversity (Pronger suspensions...) but I always felt like they were good enough to overcome it and they did. If they had lost in 7 games this year, it would have been much more of a let down than '03.

I've became a ducks fan on the 03 run because I hate New Jersey (being a Flyers fan), so Ducks was my choice. And my best friend loved Detroit, so it was AWSOME seeing Jiggy wipped the wings!

Now this one is probably sweeter for me, being on the west coast (Seattle) I was able to see most of the Ducks games, and oh yeah Stanley Cup champions! How great is that?

Just to add, the 05-06 run was really quite enjoyable.

I was about to say the same thing. The Calgary series was probably my third favorite series behind This year's Finals and the Dallas series in 2003. I've watched Game Six several times.

The 2003 final was more exciting because it had more 'edge of your seat' periods and finishes. The whole time, I kept expecting some team to just blow the Ducks out of the water, it was a feeling of "why are we here still, and why are we winning?"

Obviously, though, 2003 left a very bitter taste in Ducks' fans mouths, so this year's run was much more satisfying, even if it wasn't as dramatic and the feeling at the end was more of relief.

But after all of the early growing pains of the franchise, these past 4 years have all been amazing, including the 2006 playoffs. I hope it continues.