Longtime Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf picks up assist in final NHL game
Ryan Getzlaf skated in with the puck on his stick and a clear path to goal. With an entire building practically begging him to shoot, the Anaheim Ducks' longtime captain glanced left, spun right and feathered a breathtaking, behind-the-back pass to trailing teammate Adam Henrique, who did not miss.
The final point of Getzlaf's 17 NHL seasons both epitomized and punctuated everything that made him one of the greatest playmaking centres of his era and a monumental player in California hockey.
The Captain's final assist is a beauty and our crowd lets him know about it! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThankYouGetz?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThankYouGetz</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZLscHnIG1D">pic.twitter.com/ZLscHnIG1D</a>
Nearly every time when he could have gone for personal glory — whether in trying to score more goals, or in leaving the struggling Ducks for a better team late in his career — Getzlaf chose his teammates first. He refused to change his style or his address, and Anaheim returned his love yet again when he finally said farewell.
Getzlaf finished his prolific career with 1,019 points, the 88th-most in league history — but few of those points will be more memorable than his final assist. Getzlaf broke in practically unmarked on St. Louis goalie Ville Husso, but in keeping with the pass-first philosophy that defined his career, he found a creative way for the Ducks to score.
"Absolutely not," Getzlaf said when asked if he considered a shot. "There wasn't a chance in my mind I was shooting that puck. It's funny how those things fall into your lap and happen that way. I couldn't ask for a better way to finish it."
The standing-room-only crowd at Honda Center repeatedly roared for Getzlaf from his first
