Ryan Getzlaf To Have Number Retired By Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks will never have a player don #15 again. Yesterday afternoon, the Ducks announced they would retire Ryan Getzlaf’s number on January 30th of the upcoming season.

As with any team, having your number retired is an honor known only by a select few. In Anaheim, Getzlaf will join other Ducks veterans like Teemu Selänne, Paul Kariya, and Scott Niedermayer in the rafters at the Honda Center.

The Ducks selected Getzlaf with the 19th overall pick of the famous 2003 NHL Draft. He was playing for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen at the time, becoming one of the league’s better prospects and winning Gold medals with Team Canada’s World Junior Championship teams.

Finally, Getzlaf debuted for the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2005-06 season. Unfortunately, he didn’t receive any votes for the Calder Trophy that year after scoring 14 goals and 39 points in 57 games. Still, it didn’t indicate what he would become.

In his sophomore season, the Ducks had their most success as a team with Getzlaf. The Regina, SK native scored 25 goals and 58 points in 82 games, with an additional seven goals and 17 points in 21 postseason contests, helping Anaheim win their first Stanley Cup championship. He improved his game under the brightest lights, averaging nearly a point per game in the Western Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final.

In the two years following, Getzlaf had the most personal success of his career. Throughout the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, Getzlaf registered 49 goals and 173 points in 158 games with a +37 rating. Despite becoming one of the league’s best playmakers, Getzlaf racked up 260 hits and 215 PIMs over that stretch.

It became clear that Getzlaf had cemented himself as the face of the franchise in Anaheim. The Ducks named him captain ahead of the 2010-11 season, a title he would not relinquish until he retired following the 2021-22 campaign.

Although the Ducks never repeated as champions throughout Getzlaf’s tenure, he provided the organization substantial stability throughout his 17-year career. Getzlaf retired as the Ducks’ all-time leader in games played (1,157), assists (737), and points (1,019).