Twenty-five years ago, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim took the ice at Arrowhead Pond for their first regular season game in franchise history. The bright-eyed team of misfits was scheduled to face off against the Detroit Red Wings. The “Pond” was filled with enthusiastic fans who were ecstatic that a hockey team had finally landed in Orange County.
With freshly sharpened skates and an optimistic attitude, Anatoli Semenov skated out to center ice to battle Sergei Fedorov. Semenov put up a fight, but Fedorov won the face off. This was an early sign that the Red Wings would control the pace of the game.