Ryan Getzlaf turned 22 during the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup run, standing out as a support player on a star-laden roster and positioning himself as a potential future leader of championship teams.
He fulfilled that promise with Team Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and again at last year’s World Cup tournament, but he and the Ducks haven’t gone as deep into the playoffs as they did in that triumphant season a decade ago.
Getzlaf will celebrate his 32nd birthday next Wednesday. If the Ducks’ season is still alive then, it will be because he has taken the team upon his strong back and is leading the way forward not only with his familiar slick playmaking skills but with his surprising goal production.