Welcome to LWOS Hockey’s summer series, Call to the Hall, where we take a look at the next great player from each NHL franchise to get called to the Hockey Hall of Fame. There are a few caveats, the player must be active, and must have played 300 games (or 150 for goaltenders) with the franchise.
Check out the previous Call to the Hall articles HERE.
Call to the Hall: Anaheim Ducks
For the Anaheim Ducks, the obvious choice would have been Teemu Selanne (with a shout-out to Paul Kariya), but since we’re looking only at active players, it became splitting hairs between current Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, and his perennial running mate, Corey Perry. While their hasn’t been much to differentiate between the two since they broke into the league together as 20-year-olds in 2005, Perry gets the slight nod here.
Corey Perry
Perry first made a name for himself as an absolute offensive phenom with the London Knights in the OHL. Drafted 28th overall by the Ducks in 2003 (just nine spots behind Getzlaf), The Peterborough, Ontario native would prove his value as a first-round pick, notching 40 goals and 113 points in 66 games before exploding the next season, to the tune of 47 goals and 130 points in just 60 games in 2004-05. Already the accolades were pouring in for Perry, who would be named the OHL’s most outstanding player, lead the league in scoring, and be placed on the first all-star team. He would lead the Knights to a Memorial Cup championship over Sidney Crosby‘s Rimouski Oceanic in the final, and also be named Memorial Cup MVP with seven points in four games. Seven more points in six games at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2005 would also earn Perry his first goal medal in international competition.
He jumped to the Ducks the following season, and put in a solid showing as a rookie (25 points in 56 games) in very limited ice time (just 11:34 per game). There would be no sophomore slump for Perry either, as he exceeded his output in goals (17), assists (27) and points (44) the following season. However, it was the post-season to follow in 2006-07 which would be Perry’s coming out party.
At just 21 years old, Perry brought his offensive game to another level during the Ducks run to the Stanley Cup in 2007, notching 6 goals and 15 points in 21 games, finishing tied for second on the club in post-season scoring (two points behind, of course, Getzlaf). On a club featuring the likes of Selanne, defensemen Scott Neidermayer and Chris Pronger and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, all playing at the top of their game, Perry had become a part of that core, and it was a sign of great things to come for the power winger.
For the next three years, Perry would fully take the reigns as the club’s top talent on the wing as Selanne slowly faded out of the picture. From 2007-09 to 2009-10, Perry would average 29 goals, 67 points and a whopping 109 penalty minutes, proving that not only could he put the puck in the back of the net, the 6’3”, 213-pounder also had some snarl to his game, quickly earning a reputation as being one of the most annoying players in the league to play against.
2010-11 is the year when Perry would finally take that next step from star winger to superstar winger, fulfilling the potential he had shown in junior to be an elite offensive force. A league-leading 50 goals (including 32 at even strength). A whopping 98 points, which would put him third in league scoring. An incredible 11 game-winning goals. Yet another 100 penalty minute season. It all added up to a slot on the NHL First All-Star Team, the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals, and the first Hart Trophy in Ducks franchise history.
If you’re looking for a point where you can separate Perry and Getzlaf, particularly in the Hall of Fame debate, look no further. Individual hardware goes a long way with the HHoF voters, and Perry’s Hart and Richard (not to mention two appearances on the NHL’s First All-Star Team) give him a huge advantage over Getzlaf, who, despite being a prolific scorer and supreme team leader in his own right, has yet to win any individual award.
Since that incredible 2010-11 season, Perry has continued his scoring ways, averaging 0.85 points per game over the last four seasons. In 2013-14, Perry’s 43 goals were second only to Alex Ovechkin, while his 35 even-strength goals that year would lead the NHL.
So far in a ten-year career, Perry has put up nearly 300 goals (296) and just over 600 points (602) in 722 games. At just 30 years of age, it seems very likely that Perry could reach the lofty 500-goal and 1000-point plateaus, which many consider requirements for enshrinement in the Hall.
More importantly, Perry has emerged as one of the top right wingers in all of hockey (something Hall voters also consider), regularly appearing on lists among the aforementioned Ovechkin (who has been known to play both sides and is technically listed as a left winger by the NHL’s official site) as well as Hawks superstar Patrick Kane and new Penguins sniper Phil Kessel as the best in the world at that position. Perry is currently 6th among active right wingers in scoring, and is likely to jump up the list very soon as the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa and Shane Doan slowly begin to make their way out of the game.
Lastly, Perry’s international resume also has to be considered because, though it is short, it is sterling (or should I say golden?). Perry has donned the maple leaf and represented Canada only five times in international competition, but has managed to take home a gold medal thrice. In addition to gold at the World Juniors, he has also been named twice to Team Canada for the Olympics, 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi, and captured gold both times. He played a key role on the 2010 team, scoring four goals in seven games, including the 2-0 goal in the gold medal game against the Americans in front of a raucous Vancouver crowd. In total, Perry has put up 9 goals and 19 points in 28 senior-level international matches.
In Perry, you’re looking at a resume of a player with serious Hall of Fame credentials already, and plenty of time to strengthen his case. A Hart trophy, a Rocket Richard, two Olympics gold medals, a 50-goal season, a solid points-per-game pace (0.83) over his career, a Memorial Cup and a Stanley Cup ticks all the boxes Hall voters are looking for.
The article began with a take that Getzlaf may be just as deserving of making it into the Hall as Perry, and that’s very much true, however by virtue of a few more shiny trophies on his mantle, Perry comes out on top of this debate, for now. However, nobody would be surprised if these two make it into the Hall of Fame the same way they’ve done everything else in their professional careers – together.
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