Ryan Kesler Gave Body and Heart for the Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks 2021-22 season has been a source of excitement and optimism; especially as the Ducks look to turn over the keys to the next wave of young players that will lead them for the next decade. Without killing that mood, however, I feel as though we need to look back for a moment at the old Ducks guard to honor a player that, in my opinion, won’t ever get the recognition he truly deserves. That player is Ryan Kesler.

“I tried coming back on my first hip and I was working hard rehabbing and skating, and then my other hip went and blocked all my momentum,” Kesler said Monday. “And to be honest, I’m still a far way away to even coming close. I don’t think I’ll ever get to an NHL level again. I’m just hoping to get to a level that I’m happy at.” –Ryan Kesler

Any fan of the Anaheim Ducks over the last 10 seasons or so knows Ryan Kesler. They also know what he brought to the Anaheim Ducks over his all too brief 5 years with the team. He completed a vaunted 1-2 punch with captain Ryan Getzlaf, bringing a level of compete, heart, skill, and will that was second to none, allowing him to quickly become a leader and voice for the Ducks.

Kesler was valuable and used in virtually every situation you could possibly name: power-play, penalty kill, up a goal, down a goal, the list goes on. Kesler was the guy you wanted on the ice. It could be a non-conference game in early January or Game 7 of a playoff round and the intensity and tenacity he brought was always the same, off the charts. And then, perhaps, it all caught up to him.

The Injury

The quote that began this article is from an NHL.com article that was posted back in September. Ryan Kesler sat down with Adam Kimelman and discussed the last couple of seasons and the extent of his hip injury.

Kesler last played an NHL game on March 6, 2019, due to a nagging hip injury that the severity of wouldn’t be disclosed until much later. The damage to Kesler’s hip is so extensive he had to have a procedure known as hip resurfacing. In its simplest explanation this surgery entails shaving down the femoral head (the ball at the top of your thigh bone) as well as the acetabulum (the cup your thigh bone sits into in your pelvis) and then they are both capped with metal.

This is, essentially, only one step down from having a complete total hip replacement. And anyone that watched how hard Kesler played, the 200ft game he gave night in and night out, it’s no surprise his hips were torn to shreds.

Within the article, Kesler describes the pain he was in day to day, how hockey no longer became fun. Just being able to do everyday things with his kids was painful or he wasn’t able to. It also states that with all that, Kesler made every attempt to come back and compete at the NHL level and with the Anaheim Ducks.

Gratitude for Anaheim Ducks Unsung Hero

Looking back at the quote, we do not deserve you, Ryan Kesler. I am one of the biggest hockey fans there is, and specifically an Anaheim Ducks fan. No matter the game I am up until 12:30-1am (east coast problems) and I am with this team through thick and thin. And playing the game my whole 29 years of life (nowhere near the level of Kesler) I have loved every single second of Kesler on ice and what he brought to the team.

He is an impact guy in every phase of the game no matter the situation or what you need he is someone you want on the ice. He skated until he virtually could not skate anymore. And he brought that confidence and swagger you want on a team and it is something the Anaheim Ducks sorely miss. The young guys on this team and to that some of the veterans could use a little bit of what Kesler brought to the ice all the time.

Ryan Kesler gave his heart and body to this Anaheim Ducks organization, coming here looking to claim hockey’s ultimate prize, and fell just short of that goal. However, Kesler brought so much and then some to Anaheim and he should be honored for that. Will we ever see #17 in the rafters of Honda Center? Sadly probably not due to the short time Kesler wore a webbed D.

But he is absolutely one of the best to ever sport the logo and brought so much on and off the ice to this organization. As stated in the NHL.com article Kesler knows he won’t get back to a level where he can play in the NHL. But maybe coaching is in the cards for RK17.

If he brings even half the intangibles he brought on the ice to behind the bench the Anaheim Ducks would be in great shape and a nightmare to play against. But right now the most important thing for Ryan Kesler is to be pain-free, be able to do everything he wants and needs for his family, and to truly enjoy life after hockey. And from this Ducks fan and every Ducks fan around the globe, thank you for everything to one of the greats, Ryan Kesler.

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