Most hated Anaheim Ducks players around the league – Part Three. You know my name.

Puck Prose

So far we’ve had both a conference and a division rival chime in about the “dastardly” Corey Perry. My final stop was to Dave Stevenson, our site expert at Puck Prose for a more holistic view.

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“Every sport needs villains. Players who are fun to root against it. Brad Marchand is the current gold standard, but for years, Corey Perry was a fun player to hate. And he still is. He’s a power forward in the style of Jarome Iginla. Someone just as likely to deliver a bone-crushing hit or punch as they are to score a goal. However, Iginla had an aura of class about him. His hits were well within the guidelines set by the NHL.

Perry tiptoes the guidelines and is not afraid to ignore them. Every Western Conference fanbase can recall at least one questionable at best hit delivered from him. It’s likely most Eastern Conference fanbases can as well. Perry has been suspended on multiple occasions. Just since 2009, he has three suspensions of at least four games.

Perry’s also an excellent agitator who knows how to get in his opponent’s heads. Much of the hatred directed at him stems from him being a guy who not only knows how to break the rules but get away with it when he does.”

I like the term villain. Hey, without The Joker, there would be no Batman. Is Corey Perry the ultimate NHL villain? I don’t know. Is he the most despised player to ever wear an Anaheim Ducks sweater? Absolutely, every player and fan in the NHL knows his name.