View larger image Anaheim Ducks Rob Niedermayer looks back as the puck slides into the net after scoring against Ottawa Senators' goalie Ray Emery on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (AP / Dave Sanford, Pool)
View larger image Anaheim Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer raises the Stanley Cup after winning Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final hockey game Wednesday, June 6, 2007, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP / Mark J. Terrill) View larger image An Ottawa Senators fan holds his head at the end of the first period while watching the action on large screens in Ottawa Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (CP / Jonathan Hayward)
Anaheim Ducks win 2007 Stanley Cup
CTV.ca News Staff
The Anaheim Ducks have become the first Californian team to win the Stanley Cup, beating the Ottawa Senators 6-2 Wednesday night and hoisting the trophy after five games.
Anaheim took the lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Andy McDonald -- who scored on a power play -- and Rob Niedermayer.
Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson fought back in the second period, personally scoring two goals, but the Ducks managed to stay ahead.
Senators player Chris Phillips scored on his own net as he tried to get the puck away from Travis Moen, who was credited with the goal. And then Anaheim's Francois Beauchemin scored -- his fourth goal of the playoffs.
The Ducks dominated the third period, with Moen and Corey Perry both blasting the puck into the Senators' goal, in front of a capacity crowd of 17,372 at the Honda Center.
Ottawa never managed to get the puck past Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the final period. The netminder managed a total of 11 saves Wednesday night.
To the frustration of Ottawa fans, history was firmly set against the Senators.
Since the best-of-seven format began in 1939, only the Toronto Maple Leafs have ever managed to win after trailing the finals 3-1 -- and that was back in 1942.
"I think most people accepted the Senators weren't going to pull this off. There were no lineups outside the bars on 'Sens Mile' like there were earlier in the series," reported CTV's Roger Smith in Ottawa.
Anaheim also had 16 Canadian players on its team, compared with 12 skating for Ottawa.
Two of the Canadians playing for the Ducks were brothers: Scott and Rob Niedermayer. They're the first siblings to win the Cup together since Brent and Duane Sutter raised the trophy for the New York Islanders in 1983.
Scott Niedermayer also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
And in another piece of future trivia, Anaheim player Teemu Selanne, 36, is the oldest player in NHL history to score more than 45 goals. The Finn managed 48 in the regular season.
Despite winning the Stanley Cup, however, celebrations were largely subdued in California.
"They used to call this place 'The Pond,' and hockey spirit here is a bit like a pebble in a pond: the ripples don't go very far. A kilometre or so away from here and you wouldn't know there was any hockey," reported CTV's Tom Walters from outside Anaheim's Honda Center.
"There was bit of a splash in the centre, though. Nearly 18,000 fans saw their team win the Stanley Cup, the first in the 13-year history of this franchise, and that was very exciting for those in the building."
With files from The Canadian Press
''Anaheim wins series 4-1. (Best of Seven)''



The Anaheim Ducks won the National Hockey League's (NHL)  on Wednesday in Game 5 of the . The Ducks achieved a 6-2 score against the Ottawa Senators at their home stadium, , winning the best-of-seven series while only allowing one Ottawa victory. This marks the first such championship for a California professional ice hockey team.  They are the first west coast team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1925 Victoria Cougars.

Scott Niedermayer won the  as the NHL's most valuable player in the 2006-2007 season.