The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks announced today their affiliation with the National Hockey League’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim has ended. The announcement closes the book on an eight-year relationship with the Anaheim franchise.
The move comes three day after Cincinnati’s season ended with a loss to Chicago in the West Division final of the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs. Cincinnati’s player development contract with the NHL club expired at the conclusion of the season.
“There was no problem with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,” Cincinnati president/CEO Pete Robinson said. “We had an excellent relationship with them, but they’ve opted for another direction. We wish the Anaheim organization all the best in its future endeavors.
“We’re looking around to see what all of our options are,” Robinson said. “We’re committed to preserving the AHL in Cincinnati and expect to have an announcement in regards to next season and beyond in the coming days.”
The Mighty Ducks finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 44-31-1-4 for 93 points and a third place finish in the West Division and sixth in the Western Conference. They set a club record for most wins and most home wins (28). The Mighty Ducks were 13 games above .500, marking just the second time in franchise history the club finished with a better than .500 record.
Over the past eight years, 51 players that played in the AHL for Cincinnati went on to play in the NHL with Anaheim. Cincinnati has qualified for the playoffs five times in its history.
