Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks’ retiring captain after 17 seasons with the franchise and its all-time leader in assists, points and games played, is the Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association’s nominee for the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The PHWA awards the trophy “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” It is named for Masterton, who died as a result of injuries in a game Jan. 15, 1968, while playing for the Minnesota North Stars.

The winner will be announced during the Stanley Cup Final in June.

In his 17th and final NHL season, Getzlaf is ending it in the way that he came in – playing a hard, physical game, honest in its manner and execution while resuming his status as the greatest playmaking center in franchise history.

The 36-year-old Ducks star washed away the bitter taste of a joyless 2020-21 season played mostly without fans. He did that with a great start to 2021-22 that included becoming their all-time leading scorer and surpassing the 1,000-point milestone.

A foot injury hobbled him in the second half, but it didn’t diminish his influence on young linemate Troy Terry and his breakout 36-goal season.

Getzlaf ended his career with an assist on Adam Henrique’s third-period goal, a behind-the-back pass that lifted a standing-room-only crowd of 17,446 out of its seats at Honda Center during a 6-3 loss Sunday to the St. Louis Blues. Getzlaf had 737 assists, and 1,019 points in 1,157 games.

The Captain’s final assist is a beauty and our crowd lets him know about it! #ThankYouGetz pic.twitter.com/ZLscHnIG1D

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 25, 2022

“He’s still got it,” Henrique said Sunday. “It’s not like the game has surpassed him or anything. He’s still out there. He still leads the way for us. Every night, he drags guys into the battle, he makes plays. Still the smartest guy on the ice, all of that. There’s no telling he’s still got it. If we can manage to talk him into it over the summer about coming back, we’ll try. Troy keeps saying he’s not convinced.

“We’ll see.”

Teemu Selanne won the award in 2006, after rejoining the Ducks as a free agent after spending parts of three seasons with the San Jose Sharks and one with the Colorado Avalanche. After recovering from knee surgery, he had 40 goals and 50 assists in 2005-06.

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COMMUNITY ASSIST

Hundreds of children from charitable organizations Getzlaf assisted over the years greeted him as he walked the Honda Center hallways to the dressing room before Sunday’s game. They were from the Learn to Play program, CureDuchenne and the Anaheim Ducks Foundation.

Getzlaf and Corey Perry, a former Ducks teammate now with the Tampa Bay Lightning, co-started and co-funded the Learn to Play program.

“I was ready for a quiet walk into the rink and then all that happened,” Getzlaf said after the game of the unexpected reception. “Very emotional. Again, I was thrown off by it all. It’s not easy to react the right way, but I couldn’t have been happier to see those smiling faces and those kids.”

As is his nature, Getzlaf downplayed the role he and his wife, Paige, played in raising funds for the charities, including CureDuchenne, which fights against the most common form of muscular dystrophy. The Getzlafs started an annual golf tournament to benefit the program.

“We’re a small part of this process,” he said. “There are a lot of people who work behind the scenes to help this organization. One of the things we love about them and why we got involved with them is their passion for finding a cure. We’ve just been able to chip in a little.”

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