Ducks ready to climb the biggest step

And now, after nine months of turning lofty expectations into reality, the Ducks are down to the moment that they’ve pointed to since gathering together on the first day of training camp.

They are playing for the Stanley Cup.

They’ve talked about it from the beginning and openly embraced the possibilities that, for once in the franchise’s 14-year history, seemed very realistic. Certain moves, such as trading for Chris Pronger last summer, announced that the Ducks were serious about winning it all.

Game 1 of the Cup finals unfolds today at the Honda Center with the Ottawa Senators as the final team left to conquer on the way to hockey nirvana.

“It’s what you’ve dreamed about as a kid all along,” said Ducks center Todd Marchant, a 12-year veteran playing for his first championship. “It’s always something that’s in your head.

“Every single guy in the league has dreamed about it. And now we’re the only two teams left.”

Products of the NHL’s expansion in the 1990s, the Ducks and Senators may not be the desired big-market matchup from a ratings standpoint, but they bring the possibility of a long, entertaining series because both are willing to push the action.

The Ducks are in the Cup finals for the second time in four seasons, but this version hardly resembles the 2003 group that shocked the hockey universe. That team might have had goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, but there was no Pronger, Scott Niedermayer or Teemu Selanne.

“I think 2003 was more of a learning experience where we had nothing to lose,” said Giguere, one of four players from that team still with the Ducks. “This year is a goal that we set at the beginning of the year that we have a chance to play for.”

Ottawa isn’t only playing for its first Cup since the franchise’s first incarnation (it last won a Cup in 1927). Save for diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fans, the Senators have an entire nation behind them.

No Canadian team has won a Cup since the Montreal Canadiens brought back the silver chalice to the birthplace of hockey after their 1993 triumph over the Kings. Ottawa will attempt to change that after Calgary lost to Tampa Bay in 2004 and Edmonton lost to Carolina last season.

“We’re hockey historians also,” Senators center Jason Spezza said. “I think having the opportunity to bring a Cup back to Canada and become Canada’s team is definitely another driving reason for us to try and win.”

Even though series predictions among the assembled media have been split about equally, Ducks General Manager Brian Burke couldn’t resist firing an opening salvo when he said the series is “a Canadian-U.S. thing.”

“A lot of the Canadian media are going to pick the Canadian team,” Burke said. “That’s fine. We have more Canadians on our team than Ottawa does. That’s fine. But we’re content to be the underdog in this.”

The marquee matchup will be the Ducks’ dynamic defensive duo of Niedermayer and Pronger against Ottawa’s potent line of Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson.

No team has stopped the trio in this postseason -- it has combined for 23 goals and 58 points. Alfredsson has a playoff-leading 10 goals, and Heatley tops all players with 21 points. Right behind is Spezza with 20 points, including seven goals.

“They’re the hottest line in the playoffs,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “They lead their team in all the offensive categories. Plus people have described Alfredsson as probably the best player in the playoffs right now.

“So for us, it will be about trying to take away time and space.”

Factoring into that test will be the Ducks’ shutdown checking unit of Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen. They’ve not only taken on the opposing team’s top forwards but have also contributed 10 goals.

“Being in the finals, we expect it to be the toughest challenge we face,” Spezza said.

Another key matchup will be in goal, where the Ducks have Giguere, a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner as most valuable player in the playoffs. Ottawa counters with Ray Emery, a 24-year-old in his second season.

Giguere already has resurrected images of 2003 with nine wins and a 1.87 goals-against average in 12 starts.

Only Dallas’ Marty Turco and Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo had a better save percentage in these playoffs than Giguere’s .931.

Giguere was particularly impressive in Games 4 and 5 of the Western Conference finals against Detroit, making 36 saves in each as the Ducks took both games on the way to winning the series in six.

“We’re comfortable with Giguere,” Carlyle said. “He’s played outstanding. He’s probably been one of the more overlooked assets of our hockey club in the playoffs this year.”

Emery doesn’t have Giguere’s experience but has been solid after a shaky 2006 postseason. He has a 1.95 goals-against average and three shutouts.

Ottawa Coach Bryan Murray, who in 2004 left his position as the Ducks’ general manager to coach his hometown team, said it won’t be just one area that will decide the series.

“Goaltending is going to be a factor, no doubt,” Murray said. “Depth is going to be a factor. The way we play the game and make adjustments within the series is going to be a factor.

“So there’s a whole group of things. I wouldn’t like to think that if we didn’t score a goal with our top line, we didn’t have a chance to win. I think we do.”

Now after several days of waiting (Ottawa hasn’t played since May 19, the Ducks since Tuesday), it’s time for both to chase after history.

“We’ve had five days now to kind talk about each other,” Pronger said. “I think it’s about time we got things going.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com

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Stanley Cup finals

Best-of-seven series; all games start at 5 p.m. PDT:

Ottawa will win if: The trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley continues its prowess in these playoffs, Ray Emery holds up his end in goal and the Senators’ depth on the blue line makes things tough offensively for the Ducks’ forwards.

* Ducks will win if: Their leaders, such as Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger, continue to seize the big moments, Jean-Sebastien Giguere keeps playing at a high level and youngsters Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner become dominant.

-- ERIC STEPHENS