3 years ago
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ANAHEIM — Ahead of their 3rd gathering with the Winnipeg Jets successful 13 days, the Ducks were looking for a imaginable milestone from a guardant and continued accumulation from their defense.
Ryan Getzlaf entered the evening 2 points shy of Teemu Selanne’s 988 points arsenic a Duck, the astir successful franchise history. Selanne, who began his vocation with the archetypal iteration of the Winnipeg Jets that aboriginal moved to Arizona, archetypal graced Anaheim with his beingness successful the mid-90s. After stints with Colorado and San Jose, helium returned to Anaheim for good.
Ten seasons later, Getzlaf arrived successful the Ducks’ dressing room, 1 twelvemonth earlier the 2 forwards would hoist the Stanley Cup together. In the decennary and a fractional since, overmuch has changed successful Southern California’s hockey scene.
“I deliberation it’s neat to beryllium portion of that full progress. Obviously erstwhile we won the Stanley Cup, however large quality that was. At the clip determination were lone a fewer rinks here. Now, if you privation to commencement playing hockey arsenic a young lad oregon girl, you person truthful galore opportunities,” Selanne told the Winnipeg Free Press.
Selanne, whose children person grown up spending clip successful some Orange County and his autochthonal Finland, said helium has seen opportunities for them to play proliferate and that the Ducks’ efforts to fortify the region’s hockey infrastructure person impressed him deeply.
Getzlaf, present successful his 12th play arsenic Ducks captain, has spent his full vocation with the organization. Since helium and longtime moving mate Corey Perry, present with the Tampa Bay Lightning, won the Cup arsenic fresh-faced contributors, helium has led the Ducks to the league finals twice.
He could person near Anaheim past play astatine the commercialized deadline oregon implicit the summertime erstwhile helium was an unrestricted escaped agent, but Getzlaf returned connected a one-year contract. That’s fixed him the accidental to mentor young centers specified arsenic Trevor Zegras, and besides to cement himself arsenic the astir prolific subordinate successful franchise history.
FOWLER LAUDS DRYSDALE
The Ducks’ defence has been a important portion of their reinvigorated discourtesy and powerfulness play this season, with seasoned Kevin Shattenkirk and rookie Jamie Drysdale contributing the astir frankincense far.
Drysdale followed the way of teammates Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm, highly touted defensemen who made speedy leaps to the NHL. Lindholm played 1 play successful the minors, portion Fowler and Drysdale saw important clip successful the NHL close aft they were drafted.
“For me, it was precise challenging, luckily I had thing but enactment wrong the organization,” Fowler said. “It’s not mislaid connected radical who hard it is to marque that transition.”
Fowler said Drysdale was making an adjacent much seamless transition, tossing retired plaudits similar the Ducks’ defence corp has dished retired assists this season.
“He’s a large kid, helium truly listens erstwhile radical effort and help. He doesn’t request a full batch of help, he’s doing a large job,” Fowler said. “He’s miles up of wherever I was erstwhile I was that age. He’s a mature kid, he’s taken everything successful stride and he’s been fixed a batch of responsibility, too.”
DUCKS PART WITH VOLKOV
According to aggregate reports, the Ducks and Russian guardant Alexander Volkov are parting ways. Volkov was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Ducks and signed a one-year declaration earlier the season.
After being assigned to the insignificant leagues, it appears his declaration volition beryllium terminated, leaving him to prosecute different opportunities successful the NHL oregon successful the Moscow native’s location country.
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