Getzlaf retires as the Ducks' all-time leader in games played, points and penalty minutes. He also won the Stanley Cup early in his career in 2007.
The first round pick (19th overall) in the 2003 draft has been the captain of the Ducks since 2010. He is one of only 11 players in NHL history to captain the same team for a decade and accumulate over 1,000 points. Getzlaf joins Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque, Alex Delvecchio, Jean Beliveau, Jarome Iginla, Ron Francis, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in that regard. That's not a bad list...
In the days following Getzlaf's announcement, a massive amount of tributes poured in from his former teammates.
Teemu Selanne was one of them:
One of the most emotional tributes, however, was from Corey Perry. The former Ducks forward, who is now with the Tampa Bay Lightning, spent more than 13 seasons with Getzlaf with the Ducks. The latter delivered a moving message Wednesday night:
POLL | ||
7 AVRIL | 210 ANSWERS Corey Perry gets very emotional about Ryan Getzlaf Will Ryan Getzlaf be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame? | ||
Yes | 170 | 81 % |
No | 40 | 19 % |
List of polls |