Niedermayers’ joy brings great pleasure to Ducks

If Rob and Scott Niedermayer didn’t get along so well, if they had developed a sibling rivalry while growing up in Cranbrook, Canada, Scott wouldn’t have packed his three Stanley Cup rings and left New Jersey to share a locker room and a car pool with the brother who is 16 months his junior.

That they like each other might be the luckiest break the Ducks have ever gotten.

The Ducks would not have reached the Western Conference finals in two successive seasons without Rob, the hard-nosed forward who thrives in the tight-checking realm of postseason play, or Scott, the smooth-skating defenseman whose feet seem to hover above the ice.

Certainly, without either one in their lineup the Ducks could not have left Detroit with the impressive 4-3 overtime victory that pulled them even with the Red Wings as the series shifts to Anaheim on Tuesday for Game 3.

Rob scored the Ducks’ first goal Sunday, converting a short pass from Ryan Getzlaf late in the first period. Scott Niedermayer scored the winner 14:17 into sudden-death play, pinching in from the blue line to take a chip pass from Rob and flick a perfectly placed shot past a startled Dominik Hasek.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. Niedermayer,” Brian Burke, the Ducks’ general manager, cheerfully wished the siblings’ mother, Carol.

She wasn’t at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday, choosing instead to spend the holiday in Edmonton. For Burke, every day has been a holiday since he got Scott Niedermayer’s signature on a four-year, $27-million free-agent contract in August 2005.

The Ducks had acquired Rob first, in March 2003, and he played a key role in their run to the Cup finals -- where they lost in seven games to Scott and the Devils. Although he hasn’t developed into the prolific goal scorer he was projected to become after he scored 26 goals for Florida in 1995-96, Rob has established himself as a good defensive player and a physical presence at 6 feet 2 and 204 pounds.

Rob’s contract was up in the summer of 2005 and Burke made sure to keep him with a four-year, $8-million deal.

“Then I went off after Scott,” Burke said.

The brothers had played for Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup tournament and enjoyed the experience, giving them the seed of an idea that they’d like to team up again someday. Burke was only too happy to oblige them.

“I flew to Cranbook and told Scott, ‘Give me a list of what you need,’ ” Burke said.

“He said, ‘I want to play in the West, I want privacy away from the rink and I want to play with my brother.’

“I said, ‘Only one GM can give you those things,’ and we got him.”

They got a winner, a designation he deserves not only because he was awarded the Norris Trophy in 2004 -- and may get it again this season -- but because of his unflappable demeanor and ability to lead when others find it easier to follow.

During the season he scored the 10th overtime goal of his career, tops all-time among NHL defensemen. During the Ducks’ second-round series against Vancouver, he spoiled a record-setting 56-save performance by goaltender Roberto Luongo by scoring a double-overtime goal that ended Game 5 and gave the Ducks a week to rest before they had to take on the Red Wings.

Rob Niedermayer didn’t get an assist on Scott’s series-clinching goal against the Canucks, but he made it possible with a huge hit on Jannik Hansen that created a turnover. Scott pounced on the loose puck and scored from out near the blue line.

“I don’t know if he’s got ice in his veins or what, but he’s just able to maintain that calm when the stakes get higher,” defenseman Sean O’Donnell said of Scott Niedermayer.

“He has the uncanny ability to rise to the occasion. He’s one of those pressure guys that when stakes rise, he raises his level of play.”

For another member of the Ducks’ defense corps, Francois Beauchemin, Scott Niedermayer’s magic lies in the little things he does.

“It’s just about reading plays and being at the right place at the right time,” said Beauchemin, who played a team-leading 37 minutes, 49 seconds on Sunday. “He made a great shot there at the end, and it found its way in. That was a huge goal for us.”

It was the kind of moment they envisioned when Scott’s wish list was fulfilled by Burke.

“This is a big thrill for me, for sure,” Rob said. “It’s certainly nice to come up with the win tonight. I mean, just watching Scott score that winning goal was pretty special.”

Scott Niedermayer also enjoys strengthening their brotherly bond.

“Teaming up for goals, that’s neat,” he said. “Just every day being able to come to the rink together and working for the same team, it’s been fun.”

Rob Niedermayer is scheduled to get married after the season, though he said the wedding is “a long way off” and wouldn’t give the date. He did say that Scott will be his best man -- a role Scott is accustomed to playing at this time of year.

helene.elliott@latimes.com