Maggie the Monkey

Last updated August 21, 2021

Maggie the Monkey, also Maggie the Macaque (born 1991), is a crab-eating macaque from the Bowmanville Zoo used as an animal oracle to make predictions of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

History

Maggie was born and hand-raised at the Bowmanville Zoo in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.^[1] At the zoo, she was trained to spin a wheel. In 2003, several executives and expert panelists from the Canadian sports broadcaster TSN decided they would "do something random" with their show, and they ended up bringing Maggie onto their broadcasts to make predictions.^[2] While the expert panelists all overwhelmingly favored the reigning Stanley Cup champion and number-two seed Detroit Red Wings to defeat the seventh-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the first round of the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Maggie spun a wheel and selected the Ducks.^[2] Astoundingly, the Mighty Ducks upset the Red Wings in a four-game sweep. As the playoffs progressed, Maggie kept pace with the panelists and continued to select the Ducks each round. The Ducks eventually lost the Stanley Cup to the New Jersey Devils in seven games, but Maggie's overall record was 8–7; Maggie finished one guess behind three panelists, tied two, and defeated one. During her playoff run, Maggie became extremely popular, especially in Anaheim — she was even featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times .^[2]

For the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Maggie was given her own segment on TSN called The Ape-rentice, an obvious parody of the popular reality television show The Apprentice . While her picks were not as successful as in the previous year, she finished with an overall record of 7–8, again losing to three panelists, tying two, and defeating one.

When a poll was done in the 2005–06 season, 74% of TSN viewers said they wanted to see Maggie during the playoffs again.^[3] Maggie's best year was 2006. While she incorrectly selected the Edmonton Oilers to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes for the championship, she still finished first out of a panel made up of Bob McKenzie, Pierre McGuire, and Bill Berg. In 2008, she made eight correct predictions out of 15. In the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Maggie went a disappointing 2–6. She continued to disappoint during the rest of the playoffs, but for her first time, she selected the Stanley Cup winner correctly.

Method

Maggie's method of selecting teams is entirely random. She is presented with a wheel (similar to a carnival big six wheel), divided into sections. Half the sections display one team in a particular playoff matchup, the other half display the opposing team. Prompted by her handler, Maggie then spins it — whichever team is picked is her selection to win the best-of-seven series. James Duthie of TSN claimed in 2003 that one of the primary motives behind having Maggie on the network was because of the unpredictability of hockey.^[2]

Record

Playoff year	Correct	Incorrect
2003	8	7
2004	7	8
2006	9	6
2007	8	7
2008	8	7
2009	5	10
Total	45	45

Related Research Articles

The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The Senators play their home games at the 18,652-seat Canadian Tire Centre, which opened in 1996 as the Palladium.

The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division. Since their inception, the Ducks have played their home games at the Honda Center.

Craig D. Adams is a Bruneian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who most recently played with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Adams was born in Seria, Brunei, but was raised in Calgary, Alberta, residing and playing hockey in the community of Lake Bonavista. Adams won the Stanley Cup with both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ron Wilson (ice hockey, born 1955) American ice hockey player

Ronald Lawrence Wilson is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey player and head coach. In his coaching career in the National Hockey League (NHL), he has coached the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also was head coach of the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 1998 and 2010 Winter Olympics. Wilson holds dual citizenship of the United States and Canada.

Jean-Sébastien Giguère is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played with the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he was drafted 13th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the Calgary Flames organization for three seasons before joining the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2000.

Todd Michael Marchant is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played nine seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and almost six seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, along with just over a season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and a game with the New York Rangers. He also played 49 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) between his time with the Binghamton Rangers and Cape Breton Oilers.

Samuel Olof Påhlsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who last played with Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Påhlsson spent the majority of his playing career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks. He was originally drafted 176th overall by the Colorado Avalanche at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, though he never played for the team.

Petr Sýkora is a Czech former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota Wild. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, having won with the Devils in 2000 and the Penguins in 2009. Sýkora has played in six Stanley Cup Finals in his NHL career.

Ruslan Albiertavič Saliej, better known as Ruslan Salei, was a Belarusian professional ice hockey player. Salei played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the latter of which selected him ninth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

Robert Wade Niedermayer Jr. is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 17 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres.

Martin Gerber is a Swiss former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Mighty Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers, winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Hurricanes in 2006. Following the 2011–12 season, he played two seasons in the Swedish Elitserien before returning to the NLA, finishing his playing career with the Kloten Flyers.

Travis Shawn Moen is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who most recently played under contract for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Although he was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, he grew up in Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan. He was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames; however, he never played for the club.

Joseph Jean-François Vinet Beauchemin is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Although he spent tenures with the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche, he spent the vast majority of his career playing for the Anaheim Ducks. Drafted in the third round, 75th overall, by Montreal in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Beauchemin won a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks.

Christopher Kunitz is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks.

Dustin Penner is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals. Undrafted by any NHL team, in 2004, Penner signed with Anaheim after playing college hockey at the University of Maine in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Penner won the Stanley Cup in his first full season with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, before adding a second Stanley Cup in his first full season with Los Angeles in 2012.

The 2006–07 Anaheim Ducks season was the 14th season of operation for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. It was the team's first season as the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks clinched their first Pacific Division title in team history with 110 points, and defeated the Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup Final four games to one. It was the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, as well as the first time a team in the state of California won the Stanley Cup.

2003 Stanley Cup Finals 2003 ice hockey championship series

The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-seeded Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils defeated the seventh-seeded Western Conference champion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games and were awarded the Stanley Cup. It was New Jersey's first appearance since 2001 and third in four years. It was Anaheim's first-ever appearance. The Devils defeated the Mighty Ducks in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in less than a decade.

The history of the Anaheim Ducks begins when the team joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1993 as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Founded as an expansion team in 1993 along with the Florida Panthers, the Ducks were originally owned by The Walt Disney Company, which named the franchise after its film The Mighty Ducks. Since their inception, the team has played at the Honda Center, located in Anaheim, California, close to both Disneyland and Angel Stadium.

References

↑ Bowmanville archived website. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
1 2 3 4 "NHL predictions spin Monkey to new-found fame". CTV. 2003-05-22. Archived from the original on May 28, 2003. Retrieved 2006-10-22.
↑ "No Monkey-ing Around: Maggie the Macaque returns to TSN for NHL Playoffs". CTV. 2006-04-18. Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2006-10-22.

"2003 predictions". TSN. 2003. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
"2004 predictions". TSN. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
"2006 predictions". TSN. 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
"2007 predictions". TSN. 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
"2008 predictions". TSN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-06.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[zoo_old-1] Bowmanville archived website. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.

[ctv_2003-2] 1 2 3 4 "NHL predictions spin Monkey to new-found fame". CTV. 2003-05-22. Archived from the original on May 28, 2003. Retrieved 2006-10-22.

[ctv_media-3] "No Monkey-ing Around: Maggie the Macaque returns to TSN for NHL Playoffs". CTV. 2006-04-18. Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2006-10-22.

[1]

[2]

[3]