The preseason is a little over a month away and outside of a Cutter Gauthier contract extension announcement, the summer news cycle has slowed down to an inevitable crawl. While we hunker down from the heat and long for the the cool days of fall, let's take a retrospective look at some franchise pillars who are forever immortalized at Honda Center and which alumni have a case to be joining them in one of the most time-honored traditions; retired numbers.
Already retired
8
Teemu Selanne was the first Anaheim Ducks player to have his number retired by the franchise in 2015 and the honor was well deserved. In his 15 seasons with the Ducks, Selanne is first in goals with 457, second in points with 988, fourth in games played with 966, first in powerplay goals with 182, and won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007. Even though he was not with the Ducks at the time, Selanne also has claim to one of the most unbreakable records. For all his on-ice accolades, Selanne was gracious with his time and his interactions with the fans, made him a favorite of the Anaheim cohort.
9
In a move that should have happened years earlier, the Ducks franchise finally made peace with Paul Kariya and retired his number in 2018. Not only was Kariya a central figure in one of the most incredible Cinderella runs to the Stanley Cup in 2003, he rightly and wrongly, became forever immortalized with a goal in that final series. Kariya was the first ever draft selection by the Ducks and is still amongst the franchise leaders in games played (606), goals (300), and points (669).
27
Scott Niedermayer had his number retired by the Anaheim Ducks in 2019 and was the captain of the team, when the franchise captured its only Stanley Cup victory in 2007. Niedermayer also fulfilled his goal of winning with his brother Rob, who had agonizingly lost to Scott in 2003. In his five seasons in Anaheim, Scott Niedermayer played in 371 regular season games and registered 264 points. In the postseason though, Scott Niedermayer seemingly never left the ice, averaging 28:10 per game. Coupled with playing alongside Chris Pronger, the Ducks' top defensive pair was outright dominant, especially during the Stanley Cup run of 2007.
Will be retired
15
Ryan Getzlaf spent all of his17 NHL seasons with the Anaheim Ducks and was the captain of the team for 11 of those seasons. Not only was Getzlaf part of the Stanley Cup winning team of 2007, but he is also first in games played with 1,157 and points with 1,019. Getzlaf was also a focal point to the Ducks' success in the mid 2010s, in which the team won five straight Pacific Division titles. The only conceivable reason his number has not be retired yet, is probably in large part, due to the next player on the list still playing in the NHL.
10
Corey Perry formed the other half of a dynamic duo with Getzlaf, and along with Selanne, the trio became the faces of the franchise in the 2010s. Perry spent 14 seasons in Anaheim, was also part of the Stanley Cup winning team, and won the Hart Trophy in 2010. Perry is third in games played with 988, second in goals with 372, and third in points with 776. Although he signed with the hated Los Angeles Kings, again, in the offseason, whenever Perry decides to finally hang up the skates, his number will be hanging from the rafters at Honda Center, alongside Getzlaf's.
Could be retired
4
Cam Fowler spent 15 seasons with the Ducks and even though he never became a Niedermayer type of player, he was still the best defender the team had for a majority of his career and was part of some memorable playoff runs in the mid 2010s. Fowler is also second in games played with 991 and fifth in points with 457. Fowler was also amongst the leadership group for the team, regularly wearing an "A" on his jersey, which became even more important, after Getzlaf retired.
35
At his peak, J.S. Giguere was one of the best goalies in the entire NHL, which was evident during the Stanley Cup Final loss in 2003, as he skated off the ice with the Conn Smythe trophy is a losing effort. In 2007, Giguere backstopped the Ducks to the Stanley Cup win with a .922 save percentage and 1.97 goals against. In his nine seasons with Anaheim, Giguere is second in games started with 429 and posted a .914 save percentage with 2.47 goals against.
Honorable mentions
Even though the latter half of his Anaheim tenure was forgettable, as the Ducks transitioned into a rebuild, John Gibson spent 12 seasons with the team and leads the franchise in games started with 494. Gibson also won the William Jennings trophy in 2016 with Frederik Andersen and posted a .910 career save percentage with the Ducks.
Steve Rucchin spent 10 seasons with the Ducks and though his offensive numbers are not eye-popping, 432 points, he was the center for both Kariya and Selanne. Rucchin's two-way game helped facilitate the offensive chances for his dynamic wingers and is sixth in games played with 616.
Guy Hebert was the first pick in the 1993 expansion draft for the Ducks and spent eight seasons with the team, as a goalie. Hebert is third in games started with 426, has a career save percentage of .911, and helped the Ducks capture their first playoff series win against the Phoenix Coyotes in 1997. Today, Hebert is more well known as an analyst for the local Ducks broadcast.
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