Two Real Ice Breakers

Mighty Duck General Manager Brian Burke vowed that the team would be aggressive on the ice. In an unprecedented time of NHL free agency, he showed it would be just as active off of it by landing the game’s best defenseman.

The Ducks were bystanders in this week’s shopping frenzy until they signed former New Jersey Devil star Scott Niedermayer to a four-year, $27-million contract Thursday and pried the reigning Norris Trophy winner away from a team he helped lead to three Stanley Cup titles.

An unmatched skater with size and exceptional playmaking ability, Niedermayer was among the elite players in a star-studded pool of unrestricted free agents. Some, such as Peter Forsberg, Joe Nieuwendyk and Brian Leetch, have changed teams, while Mike Modano, Markus Naslund and Steve Yzerman have remained with their clubs.

For the Ducks, the acquisition of Niedermayer is a coup and a potential landmark move in the club’s history -- ranking with the draft of Paul Kariya and the acquisitions of Teemu Selanne and Sergei Fedorov.

“This is a big day for the Mighty Ducks,” Burke said. “No question about it.”

Despite spending his entire 13-year career with the Devils, Niedermayer relished the idea of playing with his brother Rob, a Duck forward. The two played for Canada at the 2004 world championships and opposed each other in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals as New Jersey beat the Ducks in seven games.

The siblings could be together for a while as Rob Niedermayer agreed to a four-year, $8-million deal. Scott Niedermayer, who will be 32 on Aug. 31, said there were other family considerations because his wife’s parents live in Palm Springs.

“There were a few things, but obviously the big one was since I was 16 and he was 15, we’ve been apart playing hockey and now we have the opportunity to play on the same team,” Scott said. “When we played in the world championships for Canada, it was a lot of fun. It felt extra special.”

Said Rob Niedermayer, who is 16 months younger: “We thought it would be nice to experience that for a whole season. When he decided to come, I was probably one of the happiest guys around.”

Burke made acquiring Niedermayer his top priority and got the deal done over a dizzying three-day period. On Monday, he was in Colorado talking with Niedermayer’s agent, Kevin Epp, by phone while wining and dining team sponsors. On Tuesday night, he was in Canada at Niedermayer’s ranch in Cranbrook on the eastern edge of British Columbia. On Wednesday, he was hammering out details with Epp in his Vancouver office.

As he arrived in Southern California on Wednesday night, Burke knew he got his man.

“I think he took it upon himself to do everything to make the deal happen,” Epp said. “At a point Tuesday night, we were still thinking there was a possibility that Scott was going to be back in New Jersey.

“When we got to Vancouver, everything really changed. [Scott and Rob] believed what he had to say. The more Brian got to know them as people, the more he wanted them.”

In the end, the Ducks won a high-stakes courtship of a three-time All-Star at his peak. Scott Niedermayer won the Norris Trophy in the 2003-04 season -- the last season before the NHL lockout -- totaling 14 goals, 40 assists and logging a plus-minus rating of plus-20 in 81 games. He has 112 goals and 364 assists in his career.

The defenseman gives the Ducks a strong complement of performers on the blue line as he joins Sandis Ozolinsh, Ruslan Salei and Keith Carney. The move also leaves them with approximately $3.8 million for six other players under the salary cap, although Burke said he wouldn’t rule out a trade to create more cap room.

Burke said Niedermayer’s ability and playoff experience will be major assets.

“This was a no-brainer to go after [Scott],” Burke said. “This guy is a proven winner and he has the jewelry to prove it.”

Niedermayer said he wrestled with the decision to leave New Jersey, admitting that calls from teammates made it more difficult.

“I’ve been with that organization for 14 years,” he said. “That’s half my life at this point. Obviously New Jersey has been great for me. I’ve had some good times and some tough times and Lou [Lamoriello, general manager] was there every step of the way.”

The move to lock up Rob Niedermayer may have been done to help in his dealings with his brother. The Ducks originally presented a $1.596-million qualifying offer to the forward, a restricted free agent they acquired from Calgary in 2003.

Scott Niedermayer said his situation did not revolve around what the Ducks did with his brother.

“It was Rob’s choice, not mine,” he said. “Obviously there was one more year that we could have played together and that was enough for me. If it’s going to be more than that, even better.”

New Duck Coach Randy Carlyle said of his new defenseman: “Any time you can add a player of this level, it only can bode well for the rest of your team. We feel very fortunate to have him wear our sweater.”

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SCOTT NIEDERMAYER

* Mighty Ducks sign 31-year-old, 6-1, 200-pound defenseman formerly of New Jersey.

* Played in three NHL All-Star games.

* 2004 Norris Trophy winner (given to league’s best defenseman).

* Member of New Jersey’s 1995, 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup champion teams.

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Niedermayer stats

Scott Niedermayer’s career statistics, all with the New Jersey Devils:

*--* YEAR GP G A PTS +/- 1991-92 4 0 1 1 1 1992-93 80 11 29 40 8 1993-94 81 10 36 46 34 1994-95 48 4 15 19 19 1995-96 79 8 25 33 5 1996-97 81 5 30 35 -4 1997-98 81 14 43 57 5 1998-99 72 11 35 46 16 1999-00 71 7 31 38 19 2000-01 57 6 29 35 14 2001-02 76 11 22 33 12 2002-03 81 11 28 39 23 2003-04 81 14 40 54 20 GP G A PTS +/- Total 892 112 364 476

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