Most hated Anaheim Ducks players around the league – Part One
The Anaheim Ducks have more than their share of despised players on the roster. This is first in a three-part series, listing “The O.C.’s Most Wanted.”
Every team has a few players on their roster opposing fans just can’t stand. If you are a Ducks fan, what kind of emotions do the names Dustin Brown, Joe Thornton, or Connor McDavid stir up? The Anaheim Ducks are no different. If anything, Anaheim has more hated players on their team than anyone else.
This is a three-part series counting down the five most hated. Today, we countdown from number five to number three. Anyone who follows the Anaheim Ducks knows who the top two are. Each of them will get their own article. All that remains is the order of the top two.
The better question is overall why are the Ducks so hated, around the NHL? That’s a story for another time, but one we will cover in depth. To be brief, teams are hated and scorn for players is a result of hating an opponent. It seems to be working in the opposite direction for the Ducks. Hate for the parts adds up to hate for the team.
5 Josh Manson
The former sixth-round pick takes the recently departed Kevin Bieksa’s spot on the list. Bieksa was hated long before he was a Ducks player, but going to Anaheim was the final straw. Now that he’s gone, Manson moves up.
It’s easy to see why opposing fans would dislike Manson. He’s the closest thing the Ducks have to an enforcer. The game has changed, since his father Dave, a true enforcer, collected 2792 penalty minutes from 1986-2002. Fighting is slowly losing its place in the NHL.
All lessons were not lost on the younger Manson. If someone wants to drop the gloves with him, they should be prepared to take a beating. The game has changed, but the right hook has not. He can throw fists with the best of them.
It will always tick off opposing fans, watching one of their own get pummeled. Manson doesn’t lose many scuffles he’s in. He also won’t hesitate to help a teammate in need. That sometimes gets a little nasty.
Also, Josh Manson delivers some hard hits on the ice. He’s not a man to be messed with and opponents should keep their heads up he’s in the game. When you put together the combination of hard hits, protecting teammates, and beating the tar out of would be tough guys, it makes him a target of opposing fans ire.
4. Nick Ritchie
Nick Ritchie drives Anaheim fans nuts by taking stupid penalties. How many times has he derailed the Ducks by making “unfathomable” plays? His offenses are many, and his timing is terrible. Ritchie has earned the all the shade thrown his way from Ducks Nation.
As much as he’s irked his own side, he’s also ticked off the fans of his victims. No fan wants to see one of their own team get steamrolled on the boards by a questionable hit. They get mad, and they want revenge. Ritchie has a target on his back.
There have been plenty of instances that led to his bad reputation. We can start with a K.O. punch to Michael Rozsival of Chicago in April of last year which got Ritchie a two-game suspension. His blindside hit to Viktor Arvidson during the 2017 playoffs, left his own coach Randy Carlyle shaking his head. Ritchie received a game misconduct and the spite of Music City hockey fans.
That hit came after an earlier incident during the previous round against Edmonton. Ritchie leveled Oilers defenseman Kris Russell when he a long run up and threw a high check slamming the Edmonton player’s head into the boards. Another team, another city that hates Ritchie.
Obviously, he didn’t learn much from his playoff indiscretions. Nope. Last January, he knocked out David Backes of Boston. Backes is no boy scout, but Ritchie didn’t need to level him with a late high shoulder up two goals and just over five minutes left to play.
3. Ryan Getzlaf
He’s the captain of the Anaheim Ducks team which makes him a focal point of opposing fans hate. If that was the only reason, Getzlaf wouldn’t be on the list. He has built up his own reputation around the league. Some would say well earned.
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The general impression of Ryan Getzlaf is that he’s a dirty player. While he had less self-control when he was younger, it seems more like guilt by association. For better or worse, he’ll be tied to CP10, who has an even worse reputation. He plays the game hard, but clean.
Getzlaf is despised for another reason. Opposing fans see him as a whiner. He hasn’t reached Sydney Crosby status among NHL fans, but Getzlaf still annoys them. It’s clear he’s not intimidated by the referees and isn’t shy about sharing his opinion about calls or non-calls. This is a good example from December 11, 2011, it comes from “On the Forecheck,” a Nashville Predators blog. That day their blog was titled Captain Crybaby and it led with:
“As sure as night follows day, sunshine follows rain and spring follows winter, the league-wide portion of our hockey notes begin with Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf complaining after last night’s 3-2 Predators win… “
Here is another one from 2011, courtesy of Bleacher Report:
“There is just something about Ryan Getzlaf’s swagger and sneer that drives me nuts. He’s an incredibly talented player that I’d take on my team in a heartbeat. But opposing him?”
Other examples that opposing fans saw as whining include him calling the league to task over some players (ie Connor McDavid) getting preferential calls during games. The homophobic slur he made during last year’s playoffs and his resulting weak apology added wood to the fire.
Next: Mid-Summer Review: Are the Ducks better?
Stick around over the next week for numbers one and two on the O.C.’s Most Wanted list.