It's quack-tastic: Ducks win the Cup

~ Anaheim easily handled Ottawa in the Game 5 clincher.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Anaheim Ducks aren't called mighty anymore. Now they can simply answer to Stanley Cup champions.

The 14-year-old Ducks captured their first NHL title with a 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, ending the series in five games in front of the home folks again.

For the first time, the Stanley Cup resides in California and at the expense of Canada, which hasn't boasted a winner since Montreal in 1993. Calgary, Edmonton and now Ottawa -- in its first trip since the Senators were reborn in 1992 -- each had a chance the past three seasons only to be done in by a U.S. club from the sun belt.

Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim aren't exactly traditional hockey hotbeds but they have been the Cup's warm weather homes since 2004. Wayne Gretzky made the game a happening in Southern California when he came to Los Angeles in 1988, the Ducks made it legit two decades later with their second trip to the finals.

No longer Disney's darlings, the Mighty Ducks' movie days are gone. A victory rally awaits them Saturday night.

Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer won the Cup for the fourth time, and brought his brother Rob and teammates Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger along for the ride for their first. Rob Niedermayer is one of three Ducks left from the losing side in 2003 when Scott Niedermayer and the New Jersey Devils captured their third title in Game 7.

Only Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere had something to smile about that year when he was given the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoffs MVP. This win was so much sweeter as he stopped 11 shots in the clincher. The biggest roar for him came when Antoine Vermette had the puck slide wide of the post during a penalty shot in the third.

Scott Niedermayer finally earned the MVP award many thought he deserved four years ago. His biggest thrill came when he handed the Cup off to Rob, one of the reasons he left New Jersey for Anaheim before last season.

"That was something I'll never forget," Scott said. "You can't even dream that stuff. It doesn't get any better."

The 36-year-old Selanne waited 14 seasons to become a champion. After leading the Ducks in scoring this season, he capped off the year with a title. Pronger was on Edmonton last season when the Oilers lost in seven games to Carolina. He returned to the lineup for the clincher after serving a one-game suspension.

A perfect finish after demanding a trade from Edmonton last summer.

"This is a special moment," the former St. Louis Blues star said. "It's always worth it when you win it."