Anaheim Ducks Op-Ed: The Value of Getzlaf’s Leadership

Our weekly Anaheim Ducks Op-Ed focuses on how Ryan Getzlaf’s leadership helps his team even when he doesn’t play.

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has taken leadership to the next level. I’m going to explain it in more detail, but first I want to reveal an epiphany I had years ago that underlies his ability.

When I was younger, I worked in several mid-management jobs. I considered myself a good boss, I looked out for the people who worked for me and I kept good relationships with the people I worked for. My overall goal was to show how indispensable I was to the organization who employed me.

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Back then, I was under the illusion that it was a good thing if they couldn’t run the place without me. What I learned later on in life is that the real hallmark of a good leader is that when they’re gone, things run pretty smoothly in their absence.

Down But Not Out

The Ducks game Friday night was a great example of the above principle. Getzlaf didn’t play due to flu-like symptoms, but his heart and determination were on the ice with his teammates. On the surface, it may not look like Anaheim Ducks had a great game, in their 3-2 overtime loss to Winnipeg.

They were outshot 42-18, and for the majority of the game, Winnipeg controlled the puck in the Ducks end of the ice. It looked at times that Winnipeg was at a shooting gallery. Props to goalie John Gibson for holding Anaheim in the game with his spectacular play between the pipes. There is, however, more to the story.

Perseverance

There were plenty of opportunities for the Ducks to pack it in and say we’ll get the next one in Edmonton. They didn’t. Anaheim, as a team, fought with the heart their captain would have if he were out there with them. Then Nick Ritchie broke through early in the third period to tie the game at two.

As the Jets took shot after shot on Gibson throughout the remainder of the third period Anaheim hung in the contest. The 20 players wearing the Anaheim Ducks crest on their sweaters played as if Getzlaf’s “C” were also on the front of their own.

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Sure the Ducks lost the game, but the one point they did earn was invaluable to their playoff chances. If it comes down to the end and that point makes a difference between making the postseason or even getting a better matchup look back to Friday night. The captain wasn’t on the ice with his team, but his essence was. It made a difference.