Getzlaf seems destined for stardom

Coach says Ducks center 'can be as good as he wants'

Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Larger- than-life photographs of Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Teemu Selanne hang from the outside corners of the Honda Center, a tribute to the Anaheim Ducks' most popular players.

It's probably only a matter of time before Ryan Getzlaf, a 22-year-old center, joins them.

A second-year pro, the 6-foot-3, 211-pound Getzlaf is a physical force, but he also has a scorer's touch, the ability to thread a pass through the tiniest opening and unusual balance for a big man.

"We've made the statement numerous times, we think he can be as good as he wants to be," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Tuesday.

Getzlaf wasn't so good in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals until the third period, when he scored the tying goal in the Ducks' 3-2 come-from-behind win against the Ottawa Senators.

But Carlyle expects a more consistent performance from his budding star when the best-of-seven series resumes tonight (6 MDT, Versus).

"He is a young player that has the ability to do things that other players can only wish they can do," Carlyle said. "He's a big man, he can be physical and he's tough. Right now, he's emerging as a player that wants more, and that's a great sign."

Carlyle wasn't feeling so great when Getzlaf took what the coach described as a "horrendous" cross-checking penalty against Mike Comrie in the second period that led to a Senators' power-play goal and a 2-1 Ottawa lead.

Fortunately for the Ducks, Getz-laf redeemed himself in the third period when he took all three of his shots and used a nifty move to score the tying goal before Travis Moen provided the winner.

"So I forgave him," Carlyle said, smirking.

Getzlaf, the Ducks' first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2003 NHL entry draft, scored 14 goals as a rookie last season, improved to 25 this season and his six playoff goals tie him with first-line center Andy McDonald for the team lead.

Senators coach Bryan Murray was Anaheim's general manager when the Ducks drafted Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who plays on Getzlaf's line.

"I wish they were playing elsewhere right now," Murray said.

Getzlaf grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, and comes from an athletic family. His older brother Chris turned to football when he was deemed too small to make a career in hockey, starred as a slotback for the University of Regina and is in training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.

Ryan is making it big while skating on the Ducks' so-called "Kid Line" with Perry, 22, and Dustin Penner, 24. It's a big line, too; Perry is 6-3, 202 pounds and Penner goes 6-4, 245.

The thing is, they can bang people around but are pretty nimble on their skates.

"It's a tough line to match up with," Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger said. "They have that size and like to work the corners and the front of the net."

Getzlaf's line has combined for 12 goals and 17 assists in the playoffs and was at its best in the third period Monday when the game was on the line.

"Our line has got to keep pushing and keep getting better every night," Getzlaf said. "I want to be one of the better players in the league and I hope to push for that over the next little while here. I mean, right now the main focus is getting done what we need to do right now, and that's winning the Stanley Cup."

Murray said the Ducks might have gone a little overboard in their quest for the Cup by using obstruction tactics and taking some liberties against Senators goalie Ray Emery.

"I think there were a couple times where Ray Emery had the puck covered and there were two or three extra hacks at him," Murray said. "But I asked one of the officials (about it) and he told me to go stand behind the bench."

No harm intended, Getzlaf responded, but he said he and his linemates will continue to make life as miserable as possible for Emery.

"We're definitely not trying to do anything to provoke him or injure him by any means," he said. "But we can go until that whistle blows. If there's loose pucks, we're going to go get them the same way he's trying to battle to recover them."

sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com