What happened in 2003-04?

Question:

The 2003-04 season, where the Ducks did not do well, seems to be an odd bookend between the four greatest seasons in team history.

2002-03: Magical run to Game 7 of the Cup Finals.

2005-06: Revitalized run to the West Finals

2006-07: Cup Champs

2007-08: Still very good team

Yet they struggled in 2003-04.

Three questions:

1. Why and how did they struggle?

2. How did they recover after that in the 2005-06 season?

3. How would you compare the 2003-04 Ducks to the 2005-06 Ducks?

Question:

The 2003-04 season, where the Ducks did not do well, seems to be an odd bookend between the four greatest seasons in team history.

2002-03: Magical run to Game 7 of the Cup Finals.

2005-06: Revitalized run to the West Finals

2006-07: Cup Champs

2007-08: Still very good team

Yet they struggled in 2003-04.

Three questions:

1. Why and how did they struggle?

2. How did they recover after that in the 2005-06 season?

3. How would you compare the 2003-04 Ducks to the 2005-06 Ducks?

That season doesn't exist.

That season doesn't exist.

As a Sabres fan, I can't say 2002-03 didn't exist.

At least your team never had the combo of bad team and bankruptcy.

As a Sabres fan, I can't say 2002-03 didn't exist.

At least your team never had the combo of bad team and bankruptcy.

Disney?

03-04 Paul Kariya left.

Disney?

03-04 Paul Kariya left.

:cry:

Our best player was unmotivated like no other (Federov). Prospal sucked while he was here. Ozo couldn't get away from the boos (he was a key part in the cup run the year before.)

Brian Burke is what happened. 02-03 was the abberation, not 03-04, but then Burke came in and changed everything for the better.

What happen? Someone set up us the bomb!

Our best player was unmotivated like no other (Federov). Prospal sucked while he was here. Ozo couldn't get away from the boos (he was a key part in the cup run the year before.)

Just to make clear that it wasn't the fans... Ozo couldn't get away from booze.

Not winning the Cup took the wind out of there sails. You get feel it in training camp. Plus the 03 thing had a very specific chemistry and there was a lot of turnover in 03-04.

Kariya and Oates were replaced by players who had better numbers in Fedorov and Prospal. Problem was Prospal is a streaky points producer, one year he'll rack up a ton the next he'll be mediocre, and Fedorov was a one man show. Despite popular belier Fedorov wasn't unmotivated at all. He was our whole team that year and Babcock rode him as such. It was always "give Sergei the puck" and then he'd get two guys on him and that was that. He scored 31 goals on a team that couldn't score goals.

Rooch played on one knee all year. Sykora was going through his every other year 20 goal season. Mac was playing when he shouldn't have been. Leclerc was out all year as was Byslma. Krog turned back into an AHL player. Chistov proved to be a one-hit wonder. Jiggy started the year real cold and the team couldn't recover. Garrett Burnett may have been the worst player to ever play for the Ducks. Ozo busted his knee.

Too much turnover and too much of a residual letdown from the Finals.

And the 05-06 was different because Burke came in and cleaned house. He brought in Moen, Fedoryk, Scotty and Teemu while deleting Skoula, Rucchin, and Leclerc. He almost got rid of Sammy as well. Man that would have sucked. But by the end of that year he also removed Sykora, Ozo and Carney. Vish and Salei would follow in the summer. Plus new coach, new rules, rookies like Getz, Perry, Kunitz and Penner. Things were changed to say the least.

Just to make clear that it wasn't the fans... Ozo couldn't get away from booze.

lol my bad.

03-04....oh yea, that was the only season that the Sharks made it past the 2nd round, but lost in the WCF to Calgary.

Despite popular belier Fedorov wasn't unmotivated at all.

Yeah he was.

What happened? 2 players showed up for the season. Pahlsson, and Jiggy in the 2nd half.

They suffered Cinderella syndrome.

The Hurricanes did the same thing. They went to the finals in 2001-2002, only to finish last in the league in 2002-2003.

The Oilers also did this. They went to the finals in 2005-2006, only to finish 25th in 2006-2007.

Yeah he was.

yeah...didn't he pretty much admit in that interview in the Hockey News that his heart wasn't really into it

yeah...didn't he pretty much admit in that interview in the Hockey News that his heart wasn't really into it

He was still our best player. In the second half he was one of the best in the league. I mean that team flat out couldn't score goals and he still ended up with 31. I'd like to see this quote because I enjoyed the season he had. There were a number of others on that team I very much didn't.

Losing Kariya didnt help for the 03-04 season.

Why did we improve?

A player named Scott Niedermayer comes to mind.

He was still our best player. In the second half he was one of the best in the league. I mean that team flat out couldn't score goals and he still ended up with 31. I'd like to see this quote because I enjoyed the season he had. There were a number of others on that team I very much didn't.Coming off an 83 point season, only putting up 65 points was a bit of a dissapointment.

Another reason we sucked was we had only 4 players who put up over 40 points. (Feds with 65, Prospal with 54, Sykora with 52 and Rucchin with 43). I think losing guys like Kariya, Oates and Thomas put us in a tough situation.

Coming off an 83 point season, only putting up 65 points was a bit of a dissapointment.

Another reason we sucked was we had only 4 players who put up over 40 points. (Feds with 65, Prospal with 54, Sykora with 52 and Rucchin with 43). I think losing guys like Kariya, Oates and Thomas put us in a tough situation.

He scored 83 points on a stacked Detroit team and 65 on a lowly Ducks team. The players acquired in 03 just didn't click like the team did in 02-03. That team had a very specific amount of chemistry. They won most of their games by one goal and Jiggy was a monster. Oh well, our finish in 04 led to drafting Smid which helped in acquiring Pronger. Works for me.

The Ducks needed Robbie Neid............. 1st!!!!!!!!!

without Robbie, it would of been a cold day in ............. to ever think of getting Mr. Hockey himself...:handclap:

yeah...didn't he pretty much admit in that interview in the Hockey News that his heart wasn't really into it
Yep. But you only had to watch him to see he wasn't all there. He only played about half his shifts.

Hero complex.

Here's what happened.

02/03 Giguere carried the team. Most forget how well he played during the regular season. We had one scoring line, and some guys like Kurt Sauer playing over their head. Then Bryan Murray made some moves adding guys like Ozo, Niedermayer and Thomas which made the room believe.

I can't believe how Mike Leclerc went from being so good to being out of hockey.

I don't think it's any coincidence Gigueres only bad season we sucked.

Not winning the Cup took the wind out of there sails. You get feel it in training camp. Plus the 03 thing had a very specific chemistry and there was a lot of turnover in 03-04.

Kariya and Oates were replaced by players who had better numbers in Fedorov and Prospal. Problem was Prospal is a streaky points producer, one year he'll rack up a ton the next he'll be mediocre, and Fedorov was a one man show. Despite popular belier Fedorov wasn't unmotivated at all. He was our whole team that year and Babcock rode him as such. It was always "give Sergei the puck" and then he'd get two guys on him and that was that. He scored 31 goals on a team that couldn't score goals.

Rooch played on one knee all year. Sykora was going through his every other year 20 goal season. Mac was playing when he shouldn't have been. Leclerc was out all year as was Byslma. Krog turned back into an AHL player. Chistov proved to be a one-hit wonder. Jiggy started the year real cold and the team couldn't recover. Garrett Burnett may have been the worst player to ever play for the Ducks. Ozo busted his knee.

Too much turnover and too much of a residual letdown from the Finals.

And the 05-06 was different because Burke came in and cleaned house. He brought in Moen, Fedoryk, Scotty and Teemu while deleting Skoula, Rucchin, and Leclerc. He almost got rid of Sammy as well. Man that would have sucked. But by the end of that year he also removed Sykora, Ozo and Carney. Vish and Salei would follow in the summer. Plus new coach, new rules, rookies like Getz, Perry, Kunitz and Penner. Things were changed to say the least.
I didn't think Feds played poorly at all either, in reality the difference between him being a ppg player and being a 65 point guy was his linemates. I remember him playing a lot of minutes which I think hurt his overall effectiveness and thus there being times where it looked like he 'turned it on'. I have no real complaints about his effort but we are obviously better for having his contract gone.

I didn't think Feds played poorly at all either, in reality the difference between him being a ppg player and being a 65 point guy was his linemates. I remember him playing a lot of minutes which I think hurt his overall effectiveness and thus there being times where it looked like he 'turned it on'. I have no real complaints about his effort but we are obviously better for having his contract gone.

Oh I totally agree. Trading him turned out to be one the best moves we ever made. It got us Frankie and Marchy. Enabled Mac to be our #1 center and saved us money for Pronger.