It is difficult to imagine the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim reaching the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals without Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who became the rare Conn Smythe Trophy winner for a non-championship team that year.
 

Anaheim might have won the 2007 Cup with Ilya Bryzgalov in net, but this too is disputable.

So how do you honor the one player who, more than any other, turned the franchise from “Team Disney” into one of the league’s perennial playoff threats?

On the team Web site Sunday, after Giguere was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake, this farewell message possessed the gift of understatement:
 

We would like to sincerely thank Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the class, dignity and professionalism he showed on and off the ice during nine memorable seasons with the Ducks.

Among those countless memories are a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003, a Stanley Cup championship in 2007 and a number of franchise goaltending records.

Best of luck in Toronto, Jiggy.

Sincerely,
The Anaheim Ducks

The clues to Giguere’s impact on hockey in Orange County, beyond his impressive statistics, were left elsewhere in the local media.

Wrote the Los Angeles Daily News: “Giguere was traded twice as a minor-leaguer before playing his first full NHL season in Anaheim in 2001-02. After nine years, one Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup championship, Giguere's Anaheim career ended Sunday in a similarly unassuming fashion … He got off the team bus before a practice in Tampa Bay, called general manager Bob Murray to receive the news, then headed back to a hotel to gather his belongings.”

Wrote the L.A. Times: “He grew up here as a person, too. He became a husband and a father, sharing his joys with his fans and gaining strength from their support when his first son, Maxime, was born with a damaged eye. That's why on Sunday, after he waived his no-trade clause and agreed to be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal that will give the Ducks salary-cap relief next season and give him a chance to again be a starter, he knew he was saying goodbye to teammates and to a phase of his life.”

And the Orange County Register: “You deal with the passages. Giguere said he still has hockey left. The Ducks' very essence as a franchise is due to the hockey he left behind.”

Though only 32, Giguere was past his prime with the Ducks, who gave a 4-year, $18 million extension to former understudy Jonas Hiller on Saturday. And though the ending to his Anaheim career was abrupt and unheralded, it’s not the last time his No. 35 will be seen in Honda Center.

Even if Vesa Toskala gets to keep his longtime jersey number this season, it will eventually be found in the rafters, with Giguere’s name on the back.

 

In other Anaheim news:

The team finished its season-long, six-game road trip Monday with a 3-3 record by beating the Florida Panthers 3-0. … Forwards Dan Sexton (AHL Manitoba) and Matt Beleskey (ECHL Bakersfield) were sent to the minors to make room for Blake and Teemu Selanne, who came off IR and scored his 596th career goal in Florida. … D Nick Boynton was placed on waivers Monday.

 

Shane Doan led the league with nine points on three goals and six assists last week. He also registered a plus-5 rating to help the Coyotes (33-18-5) win four consecutive games and reach fourth place in the Western Conference Standings. On Monday, the captain was named first star of the week by the NHL. … The Coyotes’ win over Dallas on Sunday marked their 33rd win of the season in their 56th game, the fastest they have reached that total in the 30-year history of the franchise. … Former captain Teppo Numminen was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor before Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers. … About the only bad news this week for the Coyotes was the indefinite loss of RW Scottie Upshall to a torn ACL. He sustained the injury in the third period of Thursday’s win over the Calgary Flames.

 

By coming back to beat New Jersey on Sunday, the Kings completed their first 5-0 road trip in franchise history, their first six-game winning streak since March 11-23, 2002 and pushed their road winning streak to seven games. That’s the longest since an eight-game streak from Dec. 18, 1974 to Jan. 16, 1975. ... Goalie prospect Jonathan Bernier was named the AHL player of the week after he stopped 85 of 87 shots and recorded two shutouts in three games for the Manchester Monarchs. … See what’s on Matt Greene’s iPod in the latest installment of Yahoo’s Puck Tracks podcast. … The Kings have a high interest in Atlanta sniper Ilya Kovalhuck and are talking to the Thrashers, according to LAKingsinsider.com.

 

C Joe Thornton, the NHL leader in assists, had seven giveaways in a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. … In the win, Jason Demers joined Dan Boyle and current general manager Doug Wilson as the only Sharks to score two goals in a game. ... The Columbus Dispatch reported that the Sharks will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in Stockholm to open the 2010-11 season. … RW Jed Ortmeyer has six points in his last six games, which gives him a career-high 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) through 54 games this season. The 31-year-old has only spent one full season with an NHL team (2005-06 with the Rangers) in his seven-year professional career.

 

Forward Tom Wandell will miss the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in Vancouver Jan. 21. Wandell had five goals and 15 points in 50 games this season. … D Mark Fistric was fined $2,500 but was not suspended for his match penalty in Wednesday’s game against Calgary, when he hit Eric Nystrom on the head with Nystrom's helmet. Fistric contended it was an accident. … C Warren Peters was recalled from AHL affiliate Texas on Monday. Peters has one goal in eight games over two stints with the Stars this season. He is expected to fill the lineup spot of forward Brian Sutherby, who is out with an upper-body injury. … The 4-2 loss to the Coyotes Sunday in Dallas prevented the Stars from winning three games in a row for the fourth time this season. … G Alex Auld has started six of eight games since Jan. 16, going 4-2 with a 2.93 GAA.

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