Anaheim Ducks 25th Anniversary: Best player to wear numbers 16-20
By Ed Stein
2018 is the 25th anniversary of the Anaheim Ducks first NHL season. We honor 25 years of excellence by counting down the best Anaheim Ducks player to wear each jersey number. Today we cover numbers 16-20.
It is mind-boggling that the Anaheim Ducks are celebrating their silver anniversary. For some fans, it may seem like it was only yesterday when the Ducks took the ice at the Pond for the first time.
Others may not have followed the Ducks as long. No matter how far you go back as a Ducks fan, we can all reminisce about the past. Today we will continue our stroll down memory lane by honoring the best Ducks to wear jersey’s 20-16. This group may not be Hall-of-Famers, but you’ll find that all of them were important in building a solid foundation for this franchise.
20 – Steve Rucchin (1995-2004)
If not for Steve Rucchin, Paul Kariya might not have put as many points on the board during his amazing career. Not in a Gretzky-Kurri way, but Rucchin did hard tasks on the ice, which made Kariya’s job just a little easier. He may go down as the one of the best “wing-men” in Anaheim history, always having Kariya’s back.
He did pretty well on his own, as well. During Rucchin’s 10-year career in Anaheim. He still ranks high in many all-time franchise categories:
Fourth Place
Games Played – 626
Fifth Place
Points – 432
Goals – 153
Power play goals – 58
Game-winning goals – 23
Shots – 1050
Assists – 279
Shooting Percentage – 13.3%
Total goals on ice for – 684
Tenth Place
Points per game – 0.71
Point Shares (hockey’s version of WAR) – 42
He was a clutch player as well. That may be best demonstrated by his overtime goal in the opening round of the 2003 playoffs in Detroit. At 13:30 into extra time, he scored the game-winner to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions
Although Rucchin didn’t make our list as one of the Anaheim Ducks/Mighty Ducks top five captains, he did have an almost impossible task. He wore the “C” the season after Kariya jumped ship and had the responsibility of keeping a dis-spirited locker room together.