Anaheim Ducks 25th Anniversary: Best players to wear numbers 11-15
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.
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 counting down the best Ducks to wear jersey’s 15-11.
15 – Ryan Getzlaf (2007-Present)
Another no-brainer. Ryan Getzlaf is one of the top five, maybe, top three players in franchise history. The 33-year-old center was drafted by the Ducks with the ninth overall selection of the 2003 Entry Draft. He was with the big team almost from the get-go in his rookie season, playing only 17 minor league games.
His marvelous career deserves many more words than he’ll get here. Instead here are some of his accomplishments:
917 Games Played – third in Ducks history.
247 Goals – fourth in Ducks history
628 Assists – first in Ducks history, sixth highest among active players and 75th all-time NHL
+125 – first in Ducks history.
48 Game-Winning Goals – third in Ducks history.
There is more, much more. His career will get a better write-up in another article (or two) in August.
14 – Joe Sacco (1993-1998)
An original Mighty Ducks player, Joe Sacco was selected in the 1993 expansion draft from Toronto. It was quite a coup for the fledgling franchise. One year prior, Sacco was a member of the United States Olympic team, when only amateurs played, that made it all the way to the Bronze Medal Game.
The Medford, Massachusetts native had a true NHL journeyman’s career, playing for six teams over 12 years and appearing in 738 NHL games. His stop in Anaheim lasted nearly five years. Sacco scored 130 points (62g, 68a) in 333 games as a member of the Mighty Ducks. He also played in the franchise’s first playoff series in 1997.
His departure from Southern California came near the 1998 trade deadline. Sacco went to the Islanders in a big trade that brought Travis Green to Anaheim. After his playing career ended, Sacco went into coaching, running the show for the Avs from 2009-2013.
13 – Nick Bonino (2013-2014)
San Jose’s sixth-round draft pick in the 2007 Entry Draft, has carved out a nice career for himself. In nine years and 478 games, Bonino has scored 212 points (87g, 125a). He came to the Anaheim Ducks in a 2004 deadline trade.
“Bones” played parts of five seasons in Anaheim. He scored 82 points (33g, 49a) in 189 games. One of his biggest contributions to the organization was his trade out of O.C. Bonino was part of the package Anaheim sent to Vancouver in the Ryan Kesler trade.
Of note: Teemu Selanne (2006) – He wasn’t always a great eight. He wore #13 for the franchise in 2005 -06, scoring 90 points in 80 games.
12 – Mike Leclerc (1999-2004)
Mike Leclerc was selected by the Mighty Ducks in the third-round (55th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Coming up through the Anaheim system, he was never going to be an NHL scoring threat. That didn’t stop him from playing 291 games for the Anaheim organization in a variety of roles.
More from Pucks of a Feather
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
Leclerc came into his own as a Mighty Ducks player in 1999 when the Winnipeg native became a full-time member of the team. His best season, was the only season he played a full 82 games, 2001-02. Leclerc scored a career best 44 points (20g, 24a).
He is probably best known by Ducks fans for his game-winning overtime goal against Dallas in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, beating a very stingy Marty Turco. That goal was only part of his fantastic postseason contributions (2g, 9a in 23 games) to the Mighty Ducks first run to the Stanley Cup Finals
11 – Saku Koivu (2009-2014)
Saku Koivu had a legendary hockey career before he came to the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2009. Among his accomplishments were several all-star appearances and 450 assists in 13 years with Montreal. He tied Jean Belliveau as longest tenured Montreal Canadiens captain at 10 seasons.
He earned the 2002 Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship when he returned for the final few Montreal games after undergoing cancer treatment for the majority of the season. He also won the 2006-07 King Clancy Award for leadership on and off the ice for his work with the Saku Koivu Foundation, a cancer-fighting organization.
Unable to agree on contract terms with Montreal, Koivu signed with the Anaheim Ducks in July of 2008. He played the final five seasons of his career with the Ducks. Those years weren’t a victory lap, Koivu scored 191 points (64g, 127a) in 332 regular season games for the “Webbed D’s.”
Next. Raise, Call, Fold - Corey Perry. dark
Check out some of our past editions of best jersey numbers