Anaheim Ducks: Fifteen Great Moments from 2018
By Ciara Durant
Ben Street’s First NHL Goal
Bob Murray is a sucker for signing players from “the land of misfit toys.” Although Vitamin D is good for your health, SoCal hasn’t done much for the rehabilitation of lost hockey players. The few that do find their success on the sunny shores of the Pacific Ocean, however, have given the Anaheim Ducks the confidence that they can do the same for any player.
In the past two seasons, this has led Bob Murray to sign players like Derek Grant, Jason Chimera, Chris Kelly, Luke Schenn, Andrej Sustr, Pontus Aberg, Carter Rowney, and Ben Street, to name a few.
Granted, there are a few names on that list who have worked out, such a’s “Elite 1C” Derek Grant. However, more often than not, they end up being sent down to San Diego, scratched, or in the case of Chimera and Kelly, sent down to the extremely dysfunctional fourth line.
Despite the handful of questionable contracts GMBM has handed out, it is always a joyous moment when a player scores their first NHL goal. It is even more exciting when the player who scores his first goal is 31-years-old, such is the case with one Mr. Ben Street.
Street was signed as a free agent by the Anaheim Ducks on July 2, 2018. After five unsuccessful seasons bouncing around the NHL, he was sent down to the Detroit Red Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The player who had never had more than a 1 point NHL season found success in the AHL, having a 55 point season in 2016-17 and 65 points in 2017-18. Bob Murray saw the untapped potential, and with his fingers crossed, he signed Street to a one year contract.
With the promise that 2018-19 would be the year the Anaheim Ducks rolled out a decent fourth line, Ben Street was one of the players acquired to take on this task. Fast forward to his fourth game with the Ducks, and he would have the greatest moment of his NHL career.
On October 10, 2018, the Anaheim Ducks faced off against the Arizona Coyotes for the second time since the start of the season. The ‘Yotes pulled ahead with a short-handed goal early in the second period.
The Anaheim Ducks rolled out their fourth line and caught the Coyotes on a change. Defenseman, Marcus Pettersson had control of the puck and moved it up the ice. It connected with Ben Street’s stick, and his wrist shot beat Antti Raanta on the short side, top shelf, at 14:39 into the second period.
The game remained tied until the end of regulation, sending it into the five minute overtime and, eventually, the shootout. The Coyotes won the shootout with one successful goal from Nick Cousins.
Despite the defeat, at 31-years-old, Ben Street scored his first NHL goal and at the same time, skated past his previous season record of one point. Since his first goal, he has scored two more.
Although his point production leaves much to be desired, and he spends most nights rotating with Brian Gibbons as a healthy scratch, he now has a five-point season which is his highest to date.