The Honors That Be
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Before we get to the last player on the list, I want to take a second to list some honorable mentions. In the defense category, the other guy I would consider for this list would be Josh Manson. Manson needs to have a big bounce-back year considering his struggles in being the enforcer that he was the last few years, but his presence as the other vet on the defensive front also puts some pressure on him to produce for the team. He’s proven that he can offer some nice physicality, and I think that his impact comes more in that form than the actual scoring side of things.
In the forward department, you can look at Rickard Rakell who also desires to bounce back himself after a down season last year. Adam Henrique struggled last year as well, but he’s been able to bounce back quite nicely before. Some of the younger guys like Max Jones, Troy Terry, and Devin Shore that are looking to find ways to contribute to the teams’ success could also be big forwards. While there are others who can put themselves in that position as the season goes on, there’s only one spot left on the list, and it will go to the man who is heading the team.
The One Who Dons the “C”
Drake Ducaine, Canard Thunderbeak, Wildwing Flashblade, Scott Niedermayer, Paul Kariya, and Charlie Conway. What do these guys have in common? They have worn the captain’s C. The first three are fictional characters from the Mighty Ducks animated series, and Conway was the leader in the movie series of the same name, but despite their fictitious existences, these six guys mentioned here have worn the Captain’s C with style and great leadership skills. These skaters have led their teams by example by using their courage, bravery, and fearlessness to lead the way, and the current Anaheim Ducks captain in Ryan Getzlaf should take some pointers from the aforementioned captains considering that he’s Anaheim’s number one player.
Getzlaf embodies the virtues of all the previous six that I mentioned before believe it or not. He possesses the ability to pass and create plays like Niedermayer and Kariya, he has the fearlessness and toughness of Conway, and most importantly of all, he never cracks under pressure. Getzlaf is the heart and soul of the team, the leader that everyone will look to for leadership, and with his partner in Corey Perry heading off to Dallas, Getzlaf will try to lead the team by carrying a heavy captain’s load.
Getzlaf really needs to rely on his teammates to chip in as well, however, and it’s crucial that he isn’t the present skater on the ice. Team bonding for these newer skaters and Getzlaf will require patience, but it’s crucial for his success. It also means that he needs to build a circle of leadership that can help him lead the way when he’s having an off night. Getzlaf has been known to pass the puck around, but this year he may have to unleash the slapper a lot towards the net to keep the opposing teams in check.
In the end, Getzlaf must don the captain’s C and take on the responsibilities that go along with it. I don’t know how many goals he will score, but what I do know is that Getzlaf’s leading of the flock will be crucial to how far this team flies. They won’t win the Stanley Cup, but who knows, maybe Getzlaf can find a way to lead the Ducks back into the hunt in the close future. Ryan simply has to set an example for the rest of the team to follow, and how he leads is how the rest of the team will do.
The Assembling of the 5
These five guys that I mentioned in this article are not the only ones that have to produce even if they are the best players on the team. It will take an all-out effort from one to twenty on this team if they want to go far. What these five do bring to the table is strength, fearlessness, resiliency, energy and most importantly, brains.
All of those traits will be astoundingly important if this team wants to achieve things down the road, and they’ll be crucial to keep in mind as the season plays out. I won’t make any bold predictions on this season for how far these five will carry the team, but what I will say is that their success will feed into how the rest of the team plays, and that’s just as important as how they’re fairing out on the ice.
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