Eisner Is Getting With the Program

Disney Chairman Michael Eisner has jumped onto the Mighty Ducks’ bandwagon -- and since it’s his bandwagon, who’s to argue?

Eisner was among the nervous spectators Saturday at the Arrowhead Pond, exulting after the team’s good moments, grimacing through the bad ones and joining the players in the locker room afterward to congratulate them on their 3-2 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils.

“I was a wreck in overtime,” said Eisner, who has previously declined interview requests. “I was sitting with Jim Belushi and he said the team is awesome in overtime and 20 seconds later they scored. It was great.”

Eisner was a frequent visitor to the Angels’ locker room last fall during the buildup to their World Series triumph, but he hasn’t been around the Ducks much this season. He attended the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals at New Jersey and was glad for the chance to enter a happy locker room Saturday, although he could never have imagined both Disney-owned teams would play for their league titles.

Disney sold the Angels several weeks ago and has put the Ducks up for sale; Eisner refused to comment on a possible sale, saying he preferred to enjoy this moment with his team and savor another remarkable postseason run.

“This is the same kind of Cinderella story,” Eisner said. “I deal in fantasy, of course. I’m always the eternal optimist. It’s been an exciting 10 years.

“These guys have really worked hard. They never gave up. It’s been fantastic.”

The parallels between the Ducks and Angels, he said, are “professionalism, hard work and a little pixie dust. That’s the way I look at it, though I know these guys don’t.

“They played hard. They knew they had to win this game.”

His first emotion was relief. “It makes Monday night even more important,” he said, referring to Game 4 of the finals. “It makes it better for ABC and ESPN.”

Which, of course, are owned by Disney. “Synergy,” Eisner said, cheerfully.

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It had been a long dry spell for Duck forward Marc Chouinard.

His second-period goal ended New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur’s shutout streak at 161 minutes 46 seconds. It gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead.

It was Chouinard’s first goal since Jan. 22 against the Kings.

“Thanks for the reminder,” said Chouinard, who had only three goals during the regular season.

“I guess the only thing I can say to that is my timing is great.”

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The Ducks are close to coming to terms with prospects Joel Stepp and Igor Pohanka. Both need to be signed and the paper filed by today at 2 p.m. PDT or both will be returned to the draft. Both signings are expected to be announced today.

Stepp, a 6-foot, 207-pound center, was a third-round pick in the 2001 draft. Pohanka, a 6-2, 202-pound center, was acquired last summer in the seven-player deal with New Jersey that brought Petr Sykora to the Ducks.

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The Mighty Ducks’ victory in Game 3 ended a six-game winning streak for teams on the road in overtime in the Stanley Cup finals. Detroit was the last team to win an overtime game at home in the finals, in 1998, when the Red Wings beat the Washington Capitals, 5-4, in Game 2.

Since 1990, road teams are 11-3 in overtime games in the finals.

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The Ducks continued to win with late goals. Of their 13 victories in the playoffs this season, 10 have come with the game-winning goal being scored in the third period or overtime. Of those 10, six of the game-winners came in overtime.

Times staff writers Chris Foster and Lisa Dillman contributed to this report.