Is Ryan Getzlaf a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer? The Ducks legend is eligible in 2025

IRVINE, Calif. – Seven new members of hockey royalty were enshrined on Monday night in Toronto for the 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with longtime Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber, Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk and American star Jeremy Roenick representing the NHL player faction.

With the 2024 plaques officially unveiled, eyes of the hockey world turn to a loaded potential class in 2025, with former Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf among the first-year eligible players.

Getzlaf retired in 2022 after spending all 17 years of his career in Anaheim, where he finished as the franchise’s all-time regular season leader in games (1,157), points (1,019) and all-time playoffs leader in games (125), points (120) and assists (83).

“He was like Reg Dunlop,” Trevor Zegras said, comparing the former captain to Paul Newman’s character in the classic hockey movie Slapshot. “He was like a player-coach. There would be countless times where, I mean we weren’t an amazing team that year (2021-22), he did a great job making sure that he was in charge of the message in the room, whether it be a closed door or at practice or after a game.

“Pretty much the ultimate teammate.”

At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Getzlaf was the era’s template of a power center.

Getzlaf posted the fifth-most assists and seventh-most points in the salary cap era, post-2005 lockout, and was the Ducks leading scorer on their run to the 2007 Stanley Cup championship.

“First of all, he’s just one of my closest friends, so that’s what I think of first,” Troy Terry said. “I grew up being a huge fan of his, just how smart he was. I felt like I kind of had to play a similar way, just to be cerebral. 

“The difference was he was like a foot taller than me, and he was as smart and as big as he was. He was still someone that I idolized.”

While Anaheim never got back to the Stanley Cup Final during his career, the Ducks posted an unprecedented run of success in franchise history with playoff appearances in 11 of his first 13 seasons, five consecutive Pacific Division championships from 2013-17 and two more Western Conference Finals appearances in 2015 and 2017.

Getzlaf was the Ducks captain for 12 seasons starting in 2010, and despite not making the playoffs in those final four seasons, he served as an exemplary leader for the next generation of Ducks.

“Coming here, for whatever reason, he took it upon himself to take me under his wing,” Terry said. “I owe a lot of my success in my career to him. To just be a small part of his whole career was special to me, and I hope that he gets in (to the Hall of Fame) right away.”

“The way I got to see him on the way out was very impressive,” Zegras said of Getzlaf’s final season. “He hated all the attention. He hated everything that he got. I think if he could do it all over again, he would’ve never told anybody he was going to retire until the season was over. 

“Just the way he interacted with the staff, the coaches, whether it was the omelet guy or whatever, he was just such a great human.”

The Hockey Hall of Fame doesn’t just encompass a player’s NHL contributions. Their international duties also serve as a major component, and Getzlaf has that in spades.

The Regina, Saskatchewan native won World Junior gold for Canada in 2005 and represented his country to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014 and the World Cup of Hockey title in 2016. Getzlaf also skated in two World Championships for Canada.

It will be notably stiff first-year competition for the Ducks’ legend, as joining Getzlaf on their first year of entry are three-time Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, Hart Trophy and Art Ross winner for the Bruins and San Jose Sharks Joe Thornton and Montreal Canadiens all-time wins leader and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price. Keith, Price and Thornton all won Olympic golds with Getzlaf.

That’s not to mention other worthy candidates that have previously been passed up, like Russian trailblazer Alexander Mogilny, New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup champion Patrik Elias, Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar and Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup champion Rod Brind’Amour or modern candidates like San Jose Sharks legend Patrick Marleau, Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup champion and Swedish gold medalist Henrik Zetterberg or American star goaltender Ryan Miller.

Only four male inductees can be chosen for a given Hall of Fame class, so, will Getzlaf make it on the first ballot?

“I think so,” Terry said. “I know he’s won everything. Then just his numbers, and just the way he played the game. He was a big power forward that was one of the best passers in history.”

“Absolutely!” Zegras said. “I think it’s very cool and very unique that he stayed with the Ducks his whole career. I think he’s got to be a first ballot Hall-of-Famer in my book.”

The 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame Class will be announced next June.

Practice Notes:

• Defenseman Cam Fowler was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and did not practice on Tuesday. Fowler has missed the last two games, including a game-time decision on Sunday after participating in warm-ups. 

• Forward Robby Fabbri was also played on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and did not practice on Tuesday. Fabbri, who recently scored his 100th NHL goal, played 13:46 of ice time on Sunday, but he did not play the final five minutes, while his linemates Isac Lundestrom and Brock McGinn did.

• Forward Mason McTavish did not practice on Tuesday and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. McTavish did not play on Sunday after he missed practice on Saturday with reported tightness.

• Goaltender James Reimer was put on waivers on Tuesday. The 36-year-old journeyman netminder was claimed off waivers by Anaheim from Buffalo just before the start of the regular season, as longtime starter John Gibson recovered from an emergency appendectomy. Gibson was taken off of injured reserve on Friday and earned a win in his first start on Sunday. Reimer started two games for the Ducks, both on the second game of back-to-backs, and recorded two losses with a .864 save percentage and 4.50 GAA.