That was likely the sentiment of everyone associated with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim when their 2000-01 season mercifully ended with a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on April 8.

In a word, the Ducks' campaign was miserable. They finished with only 66 points, their worst total since finishing with 65 in 1997-98 and the second-worst mark in the team's eight-year history.

Along the way, the Ducks were racked with injuries, fired their coach and said goodbye to superstar Teemu Selanne. Instead of challenging for a playoff berth, which was the expectation during training camp, the Ducks hit ground zero. And they did in front of dwindling numbers of fans.

In short, the Mighty Ducks became the lame ducks.

THE BEST OF TIMES: Anaheim looked as if it might be in for good times in October, racing off to a 6-3-1-2 mark and staying near the top of the Pacific Division. Selanne and Kariya got off to decent starts and the Ducks offense clicked, scoring at least five goals in five of their first 12 games.

THE WORST OF TIMES: From November on, life was no picnic for the Ducks, but the low point hit on Dec. 15 when Anaheim fired coach Craig Hartsburg. The firing came after Anaheim had gone winless in 16 of 20 games following its sizzling start. Poor goaltending a season-ending injury to top-line center Steve Rucchin were the chief causes for the Ducks' collapse and general manager Pierre Gauthier said Hartsburg wouldn't be held as a scapegoat. Turns out, Hartsburg was.

KEY STAT: Rucchin, first-line forwards Paul Kariya and Mike Leclerc and defenseman Niclas Havelid missed a combined 157 games with injuries. The return of Rucchin and Havelid for next season are in question and the Orange County Register reported Kariya may need further surgery on a left foot that he's broken three times in his career.

Personnel File

MVP: Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky. In a year of adversity, Tverdovsky was his steady self. He was third on the Ducks in scoring (14 goals, 39 assists) behind Kariya and the departed Selanne. He also played in 82 games for the third straight season and extended his ironman streak to 246, the second-longest active streak in the NHL.

A STEP FORWARD: Rookie goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was 11-16-3 with a .912 save percentage but was outstanding down the stretch, recording three shutouts in the final six weeks after replacing Guy Hebert as the team's No. 1 goalie. Leclerc (15 goals, 20 assists) also opened eyes before missing the final six weeks with an injury.

AND A STEP BACK: Center German Titov signed a three-year, $4.6 million contract as an unrestricted free agent last summer but gave the Ducks only 13 goals and 25 assists, quite a comedown from the 17 and 29 he had produced with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers the year before.

BEHIND THE BENCH: Guy Charron took over for Hartsburg on Dec. 15 and promptly led the Ducks to a three-game winning streak. Anaheim faded afterward and wound up 14-25-7-2 under Charron. Still, the coach established a system the players seemed willing to follow and motivated the group enough that the Ducks were only three below .500 (9-12-5-1) after the All-Star break. None of that earned Charron another chance as he was axed the day after the season ended. No replacement was immediately named.

The Offseason

THE DRAFT: The Ducks finished with the fifth-worst mark in the NHL (including the worst mark in the Western Conference) and, according to the league office, have an 8.1 percent chance to move up and receive the No. 1 pick in the entry draft. Two of Anaheim's top three prospects are goalies, so the Ducks could try to package goalie Steve Shields to find the scoring depth they so desperately need.

FREE AGENTS: The Ducks are in pretty good shape in this area, because most of their veterans are locked up. Some young players (Leclerc, Havelid, Shields, forward Petr Tenkrat) will be restricted free agents, as will newly acquired LW Jeff Friesen. Friesen made $2.75 million this season but shouldn't expect a huge raise considering his disappointing offensive season (14 goals, 34 assists). Still, the Ducks are rebuilding around Friesen and Kariya, so Friesen might want a significant contract.

SIGNINGS: The Ducks likely will be in search of scoring depth when free agency hits in July. They may also be in need of a top-line center if Rucchin's injury prevents him from playing. Still, Kariya's $10 million annual salary will make it near impossible for the Ducks to lure any big-name free agents.