Ryan Getzlaf Professional Canadian ice hockey player Date of Birth: 10.05.1985 Country: Canada

Biography of Ryan Getzlaf

Ryan Getzlaf is a professional Canadian ice hockey player who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL. He was born and raised in Regina. As a child, he was involved in various sports along with his brother Chris, who currently plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. Getzlaf started playing hockey at the age of four and it quickly became his favorite sport, although he also excelled in volleyball, Canadian football, and baseball.

In 2000, Getzlaf was drafted 54th overall by the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League (WHL) - one of the three largest junior ice hockey leagues in Canada. In his first season, he only scored 18 points, but in the following season, he significantly improved, scoring 68 points. Getzlaf was selected 19th overall by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the 2003 NHL Draft. However, before playing in the NHL, he spent two more seasons with the Calgary Hitmen.

In the 2003/2004 season, Getzlaf scored a record-breaking 75 points in just 49 games in junior hockey. His last season in the WHL was marked by a serious injury he sustained in a collision with another future NHL star, Dion Phaneuf, who was playing for the Red Deer Rebels at the time. After the 2004/2005 season in the WHL, Getzlaf was called up to the Anaheim Ducks' farm team, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, where he played the rest of the season. The following fall, Ryan made his NHL debut.

Getzlaf had a successful rookie season, scoring 39 points in 57 games. He secured a solid place in the lineup for the playoffs and helped the Ducks reach the Western Conference finals. In the next season, 2006/2007, Getzlaf played all 82 regular-season games, scoring 58 points. Together with Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, Getzlaf formed the second line of the Anaheim Ducks, nicknamed the "Kid Line" by journalists (Getzlaf and Perry were both 21 years old, while Penner was 24). This trio scored a combined total of 147 points in a season.

Getzlaf played a key role in the first Stanley Cup victory in the history of the Anaheim Ducks in the spring of 2007, scoring 17 points in 21 playoff games - more than anyone else on the championship team. In November 2007, Getzlaf signed a five-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks, worth $26.625 million. Ryan had an excellent season, setting a personal record with 82 points and playing in his first NHL All-Star Game, where he scored a goal. However, the playoffs were not successful for the defending champions as the Ducks lost in the first round to the Dallas Stars.

In the 2008/2009 season, Getzlaf started wearing the letter "A" (short for alternate captain) on his jersey. On October 29, 2008, Getzlaf managed to tie the club record for the most assists in a single game, assisting his teammates five times in a game against the Detroit Red Wings (5-4 win). Following the fan vote, Getzlaf was selected to the starting lineup of the Western Conference team for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal. He also increased his point production during the regular season, finishing with 91 points (the highest in Anaheim and the sixth-highest in the entire league). Getzlaf continued his impressive performance in the playoffs, ranking among the top scorers until the team was eliminated in the second round.