Getzlaf credits Hitmen for playoff preparation
Anaheim captain continues to be Flames’ nemesis after solid performance in Game 1
Talk all you want about the impact of Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler or the shocking new scoring prowess of 30-goal scorers like Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves.
But it was Ryan Getzlaf who wasted little time in Game 1 against the Calgary Flames reminding everyone who the heart and face of the Anaheim Ducks franchise is.
“This is, for sure, his team,” said Eaves in reference to Getzlaf, who opened Thursday’s Game 1 with a power-play blast 52 seconds into the game.
“He was unbelievable,” added Rakell, who tied the game 2-2 by banging in a Getzlaf rebound to turn the game on a dime late in the second.
“He has won before and he’s doing something special for us every year. He’s leading us in points and killing penalties and playing the point on the power play. He’s our true leader, he’s our captain.”
On Thursday he was, quite simply, the best player on the ice in every facet of the game.
In 24 minutes of play, he won 60 per cent of his faceoffs, levelled Flames captain Mark Giordano with the biggest hit of the night and was so impressive in his own end that coach Randy Carlyle leaned on the 31-yearold Regina native to kill off the Flames’ five-on-three advantage in the final minutes of a 3-2 win.
“He’s a player that does it all,” says teammate Jakob Silfverberg of the six-foot-four, 220-pound centre.
“He plays physical. He’s a skill player. He makes plays. He’s a leader on and off the ice. It’s good seeing him have the kind of game he had last night (Thursday). It impacts the rest of the team seeing him going like he does on every shift. If we want to be a successful team, he’s going to be the one to lead it. That’s what he did last night and, going forward, I expect no different than that. The four years that I’ve been here, he’s been our best player by far in the post-season.”
A dozen years after starring for the Calgary Hitmen, Getzlaf is once again the biggest impediment standing between the parent club of his junior team from advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
He opened his NHL playoff career against the Flames in winning fashion in 2006 and 105 spring games later he’s doing his best to do it again. Let’s not forget he also played a key role in eliminating the Flames two years ago.
“The one thing he never seems to get enough credit on is his defensive responsibilities,” said Carlyle, who cited Getzlaf’s brilliance at the 2016 World Cup as further evidence of his versatility.
“If you took an analysis of where he sits on Team Canada’s roster, he’s their fourth-line centre, shutting down the world’s top players. The one thing our group needed was some responsibility spread among lots of players and not relying just on Getzlaf and Perry to be our guys. It was unfair pressure put on them to start every season.”
But pressure he’d always handled so brilliantly, whether it be as an Olympic gold medallist (2010, 2014), a Stanley Cup winner (2007) or as captain of one of the league’s perennial powerhouses.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be on the ice in the big situations and in order to do that you have to be able to play in your own end. I try to do that,” said Getzlaf, whose two-point night gave him a franchise-leading 101 playoff points.
“Ultimately the way I’ve tried to lead is I’ve never asked anybody to do anything I’m not willing to do. I try to lead by example as much as I can.”
Getzlaf credits Kelly Kisio, Richard Kromm and several other coaches with the Hitmen for giving him the solid base on which he’s built a Hall of Fame career.
“I learned a lot in junior, whether it be the playoffs or the regular season. Calgary was a great place to play,” said Getzlaf who will see his retired Hitmen number in the Saddledome rafters during Game 3 Monday.
“I had a lot of good memories and good coaching there. A good organization. They taught me a lot of things about how to carry myself, which helps you in a lot of situations, including playoffs.”
As complete a player as the game has today, Getzlaf is well aware Carlyle has one complaint about his game. “The one thing we’re constantly trying to hammer home is, ‘Shoot the puck, Getzy,’” said a smiling Carlyle, who recently put Getzlaf on the point to man power plays.
“I’ve been told the same thing since I was a kid. The only people who don’t tell me that are my linemates,” said a laughing Getzlaf, the ultimate playmaker whose opening goal was a point blast.
“At the point, you have to shoot the puck, which is why I’m back there now.”