Expansion Index

Tonight, the Mighty Ducks play the Florida Panthers for the sixth time in franchise history. Introduced into the NHL together in 1993, the Ducks and Panthers have taken divergent paths. Florida is one of the best teams in the NHL after reaching the Stanley Cup finals last season. The Ducks are still struggling and have never made the playoffs. A serious--and not-so-serious--statistical comparison of the NHL’s youngest teams:

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ITEM DUCKS Season Record 14-21-5 (.413) NHL Rank Tied for 21 Cumulative Record 98-133-23 (.431) Head-to-Head Record Coaching Changes 0 General Manager Changes 0 Mascot Changes 2 Captaincy Changes 2 Rodents in Franchise History Kevin “Rat” Todd Playoff Appearances 0 Postseason Record 0-0 Stanley Cup finals 0 Stanley Cup championships 0 1996-97 Payroll (Rank) $16.5 million (24th) Hockey News Talent Rank 22nd Players Remaining from Expansion Draft 3 Players on Roster Acquired in Entry Draft 2 Players Who Were First-Round Picks 5 Own First-Round Picks 1 100-point scorers (1995-96) 2 Career All-Star Appearances 14 Age of Leading Scorer Teemu Selanne, 26 Career Record, No. 1 Goalie 83-97-20 Age of No. 1 Goalie Guy Hebert, 29 Vanbiesbrouck, 33 Attendance Avg. (Pct. of capacity) 16,798 (97.8%) All-Time Sellouts 98 Average Ticket Price $41.20 Profitable Seasons 3 Closing Stock Price Disney 68 7/8 (- 1/8) Holdings 18 5/8 (+1 1/4) Value of Franchise (1995) $99 million

ITEM PANTHERS Season Record 21-10-9 (.638) NHL Rank 3 Cumulative Record 115-97-42 (.535) Head-to-Head Record Florida, 3-1-1 Coaching Changes 1 General Manager Changes 1 Mascot Changes 0 Captaincy Changes 0 Rodents in Franchise History Too Many to Count Playoff Appearances 1 Postseason Record 12-10 Stanley Cup finals 1 Stanley Cup championships 0 1996-97 Payroll (Rank) $18.7 million (19th) Hockey News Talent Rank 4th Players Remaining from Expansion Draft 10 Players on Roster Acquired in Entry Draft 6 Players Who Were First-Round Picks 8 Own First-Round Picks 3 100-point scorers (1995-96) 0 Career All-Star Appearances 3 Age of Leading Scorer Scott Mellanby, 30 Career Record, No. 1 Goalie 274-244-75 Age of No. 1 Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, 33 Attendance Avg. (Pct. of capacity) 14,703 (100%) All-Time Sellouts 71 Average Ticket Price $35 Profitable Seasons 0 Closing Stock Price Florida Panther Holdings 18 5/8 (+1 1/4) Value of Franchise (1995) $45 million

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Sources: The National Hockey League, The Hockey News, Financial World, Mighty Ducks, Florida Panthers, Bloomberg Business News.

Researched by Robyn Norwood, Times Staff Writer