They deserved it. They out-played, out-muscled and out-hit the Ottawa Senators, and proved they could also match the Senators speed.

I’m thrilled for Teemu Selanne, who waited fifteen years to finally play on a Cup champion, and he was able to do it for the team with which he’d had most of his greatest individual success.

I’m happy for the Niedermayer brothers, who got to win a Cup together.

I’m also happy for warhorses Sean O’Donnell and Todd Marchant, who like Selanne went years without playing for a winner and now, in the twilight of their careers, are part of a Cup championship.

I'm happy for guys like Ric Jackman and Chris Kunitz, who were fortunate to be picked away from struggling teams to end up playing key roles in the Ducks success.

GM Brian Burke deserves full marks for taking a team with lots of promising young talent, bringing in some key veterans like Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Selanne, O’Donnell and Marchant, hiring Randy Carlyle as head coach, and forging a championship team.

But some credit also goes to Ottawa Senators head coach – and Burke’s predecessor – Bryan Murray, as the Ducks two brightest young stars, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, were drafted by him.

Speaking of the Senators, they deserve credit for getting this far. They’re a very good team, one that has made significant strides in their growth, and finally shook off the “choke artist” label. This is a team that, with a bit more grit and scoring depth, could find themselves hoisting the Cup in the near future.

I think this Ducks team is built to last, but then again, so many of us thought the same thing about the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The salary cap broke up those Cup champions, and it remains to be seen if the Ducks will suffer the same fate.

But that’s in the future. For now, all that matters is the Ducks are the 2007 Stanley Cup champions, and deserving champs at that.