Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf, right, in action in Game 2 against the Calgary Flames.Kelvin Kuo
Understandably perhaps, Ryan Getzlaf wasn't too interested in wandering down memory lane, talking about the good old days in Calgary, while the team he captains, the Anaheim Ducks, is immersed in the second round of the NHL playoffs against the Flames.
But the fact is, Calgary played an important role in Getzlaf's evolution as a player. He arrived here in 2001 from Regina, a teen with a full head of hair and a size-skill package that tantalized scouts who followed junior hockey. Potential oozed from his pores. Everyone figured he'd be good. Maybe even great.
In all, he spent four years playing for the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen, and after the second season, Getzlaf was chosen 19th overall by the Ducks in a 2003 NHL entry draft that was loaded with future stars. He was still playing for the Hitmen in 2004 when the Flames made an unexpected run to the Stanley Cup final, and he was here again the following year when the lockout caused an entire NHL season to be wiped out, which left him in junior for longer than probably he – or the Ducks – anticipated.
A lot of the big changes in his life – the growth and maturity that come between 16 and 19 – occurred in Calgary. The Hitmen's dressing room is about 10 paces from the Flames' room in the bowels of the Scotiabank Saddledome, so he had a close look at what a deep Stanley Cup playoff run can look like when he was still a teenager.
So while it was a bit awkward, Getzlaf didn't dodge questions about his time in Calgary. "Those were big years in my life, and I ended up growing into a pro player going through that city," he said in an interview before departing Anaheim. "It was cool. The whole city was excited – much like Winnipeg was, much like here. Anywhere you really play in the playoffs, the city likes to get involved. We're excited about it."
Getzlaf's first NHL postseason experience came in 2006, when the Ducks upset the Flames in the opening round. In 2007, at the end of his second season, the Ducks won the Stanley Cup. He had just turned 22.
Now just five days shy of his 30th birthday, Getzlaf also has two Olympic gold medals on his resume and has been a Hart Trophy finalist as the NHL's most valuable player. He is also the undisputed leader of the Ducks, who've rolled to a 2-0 lead in the Pacific Division final against the Flames. He and his right-hand man, Corey Perry, each have six points as Anaheim has outscored Calgary 9-1 heading into Tuesday's third game here at the Saddledome.
"This year, more importantly than any other year, they realized it's their team," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of Getzlaf and Perry. "Getzy's been the captain for a while, but there was always Teemu [Selanne] and Saku [Koivu] around, and they were born leaders. Now that [those guys] are not there, I think they understand they've got to be the leaders. I've told both of them many times this year that when they're playing their best, our players will just follow their lead. And so I think they've taken it really seriously in these playoffs."
Ducks backup goaltender Jason LaBarbera has played with and against his captain ever since Getzlaf came into the league, and says what he admires most about him is his ability to slow the game down.
"He's got so much patience and he's so calm with the puck," LaBarbera said. "Sometimes, when you watch him, you think, 'Okay, there's someone coming, make a play,' and he's like, 'Nah, I'm good. I know what I'm doing.' He's waiting for something to open up and then he makes a play."
LaBarbera has played for the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers, so he's watched Getzlaf and Perry mature into high-end players. Even in a draft as deep as 2003's, not every prospect did so. What set them apart from the rest?
"I think a lot of it is situational," LaBarbera said. "It's the franchise you go to, the system you come into, the environment. There are so many variables involved. These guys, they came in young, but they were on the second, third lines. They weren't relied on right away. The guys like Selanne and [Andy] McDonald led the way, and when those [younger] guys were ready, they turned it over to them, like they do in Detroit."
Getzlaf stands 6 foot 4 and weighs 221 pounds; Perry is 6 foot 3, 212. In today's NHL, their size and skill are a dangerous combination, and they've run amok against a comparatively undersized Flames team.
"They're big and strong and that's what makes them so special," Boudreau said. "Probably the best thing they've got going for them, other than all the intangibles, is they're competitive. On the ice, they're playing to win. Off the ice, you want to play a game of golf, and they're fighting and clawing to win that too."
"You can see it on Corey Perry's face all the time – how much he wants to score, how much he wants to be the guy who does the damage. It's probably why he gets into a lot of trouble with other players. He can be an antagonizer and an instigator as well as a great player. You don't see too many guys of their stature getting into fights three or four times a year. They're competitors. They take it to heart."
"When our two best players play great," Boudreau added, "it shows everybody else they're committed. And they usually follow suit."