Anaheim Ducks: A history of Great Goaltending

Guy Hebert, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth. What do all these goalies have in common? They’re all elite goaltenders that broke out with the Ducks.

Since their conception in 1994, Anaheim has always had great goaltending between the pipes. From 94 to 01 Guy Hebert posted a .911 SV% and a 2.75 GAA, and won 173 games. After he was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers, Giguere stepped up and brought the Ducks to two Stanley cup finals; winning one, and receiving the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP for the other. During that time a young Russian goaltender by the name of Ilya Bryzgalov tested Giguere for the number one spot and was eventually traded to Phoenix where he established himself as a star. Eventually Giguere lost the throne to Jonas Hiller who has since gone on to win 126 games, and now there is Viktor Fasth- former Swedish Elite League star who has won ten of his thirteen appearances this season. Clearly the Anaheim Ducks understand netminders.

What’s even more astonishing is the lineup of quality goaltenders that Anaheim has in their system. Frederik Andersen is a twenty-three year old goalie from Denmark who has a .931 SV% and 2.11 GAA in 31 games with the Ducks affiliate team, the Norfolk Admirals, and is a guaranteed future pro. And then there is John Gibson who most recently reached international stardom for his performance at the 2013 World Juniors where he backstopped the United States to a gold medal while picking up MVP honours as the tournament's best player. The Ducks also have Igor Bobkov who, in 2009, was recognized as the best goaltender in the World Juniors U18 tournament.

Anaheim has paid close attention to goaltending and it is paying dividends. They’re currently second in the West, with an eleven point lead over the third place Minnesota Wild, and there’s no reason why they can’t stay on top for the remainder of the season. The Ducks strong goaltending is a sign of great management and scouting, and is a positive model for the rest of the teams in the NHL.