Moen on Top of NHL Mountain

The Ducks have some pretty talented goal scorers. But few would put checking-line winger Travis Moen among that group.

Yet, it was Moen that scored two goals in the game, including the game-winner in the 6-2 win.

Amazingly, he finished the campaign with seven goals, tied for second on the team with Ryan Getzlaf, just two behind Andy McDonald’s team-leading 10 goals. Moen was also clutch. Wednesday’s game-winner was the third such deciding goal of the tournament, including the memorable overtime goal he scored in the second round against Vancouver.

“Every day when I played street hockey, you dream about scoring the big goal,” Moen said. “To score the game-winning goal in a Stanley Cup game is unbelievable.”

It is safe to say that the game-winning goal Wednesday was uglier than anything he ever dreamed about while playing street hockey.

With 4:16 left in the second period, and Anaheim clinging to a 2-1 lead, Moen took a harmless 12-foot wrister that Ray Emery easily turned aside. But then, he moved the puck a little too strongly to his defenseman, Chris Phillips, behind the net. Phillips tried to make a play on it, but put it into the feet of Emery as he circled back into his crease. Emery ended up kicking it into his own net. Moen got credit for the goal because he was the last Duck to touch it.”

“One was a little lucky, but in the playoffs pucks go in in funny ways. I’ll take it any way I can,” he said with a laugh.

But like they say, they don’t draw pictures in the box score. So years from now, fans will only know that Moen scored what proved to be the game-winning goal. Likely, they imagine a goal along the lines of the one Moen scored in those street-hockey games of his youth.

”I was just a small part,” he said. “It was 20 guys playing together, showing a lot of heart. We played a full 60 minutes and whenever we scored, we bounced back.”

And, because of that resiliency, Moen and his mates will forever be known as Stanley Cup champions. Has he come to grips with that?

There’s still a little bit of disbelief, I couldn’t believe it’s actually come to this,” he said. “I still can’t believe I won the Cup.”