Catching Up with Ryan Getzlaf

If it still feels a little odd to watch a Ducks game without #15 leading the way, rest assured you are not alone. Now at the All-Star break of the first NHL season in 18 years without Ryan Getzlaf on the ice, the former Ducks captain is now happily adjusting to life after professional hockey.
AnaheimDucks.com sat down with Getzlaf this week when the all-time great came by his old stomping grounds for an update on retirement life, his son's burgeoning media career, the growth of two-time All-Star Troy Terry and much more. (Some of the answers have been lightly edited for clarity.)
Getzlaf also joined Ducks Stream's flagship podcast "Light the Lamp" with host Alexis Downie.
Click here for the full episode.

On life in retirement
Life is busier than I expected (laughs). When the kids are at school and stuff, I have some time and I've been playing some golf. But for the most part, as soon as school ends, I'm basically an Uber driver. They're all going to different sports and stuff like that. Life is very hectic at home.
On the role of family in his decision to retire
It definitely played a role in it. My kids are at an age now where things are starting to get busy. They're starting to know and care whether you're home all the time. They're starting to care whether you miss their games, those kind of things. So I was lucky to be in a situation where I could make that decision and be around for them more.

On his son Ryder's gig as the Ducks junior reporter
It was cool. It's always kind of like one of those scary thoughts of, you know, what's it going to turn out like? How's it going to be perceived when he has those relationships with some of the guys where they go back and forth with each other? I thought he did a great job. It was really, really great to see.
Him being my oldest...you know when you have one child, he got to come in the locker room probably more than the rest of them, because once you get two, three, they're all younger and everything that comes with that. Then the COVID stuff happened, so kids weren't allowed to be around. So he was probably the most around the guys out of all of my kids and he was able to build those relationships, which was really cool. The guys were always great with him.

On watching more sports in his retirement
I do watch way more, actually. It is weird. I never really grew up watching sports very often and definitely not hockey, but now I kind of find myself watching a lot of hockey games again. My daughter loves to watch the games with me. It gives us something to do together, which is cool. It also helps me kind of stay involved in the game and understand what is going on, the trends of the game and whether I want to get into coaching or management, whatever it may be.
On his participation in Women in Sports Weekend skates at Great Park Ice
I dug my skates out of the closet and I didn't have any steel in them (laughs). So I had to call "Muggsy" (Ducks Head Equipment Manager Chris Aldrich). I was like "Hey, I got skates but they're not really much good without steel."
It was cool to just be out and involved again. Helping out and seeing some of these young girls and women that had never really played before, it was great to see them on the ice and enjoying themselves. It was a lot of fun.

Reflecting on his last NHL game
I couldn't have asked for anything better. I got the chance to play my last game at home here with our fans. The team did an unbelievable job at making me feel special. Seeing the kids in the hallway when I got to walk in, all that kind of stuff. Sharing that with my family was a great experience.

On what he misses most about the game
Just the guys. Being in the locker room is the biggest thing I'll always miss. Hanging out with the guys, dinners on the road, all that stuff.
On his All-Star Game experiences
I went at different stages in my life and my career, which was cool. The first time I ever went, I went to the Young Stars game in Dallas and Teemu took good care of me there (laughs). I got to run with him and Joe Sakic, and that was the first time I met Joe. That was a cool experience...I got to hang out with my brother at one. And then the other ones I brought my family, my kids. That was a really cool thing to share with them.

On Troy Terry, who often cites Getzlaf as a mentor, making his second straight All-Star Game
It's been growth for Troy, for sure. Troy didn't deal with ups and downs very well coming into the league. I was actually afraid it would hinder him for a long time because of his mentality. But Troy was always open, which was great. We talked a lot about different things and different situations, but he was always wanting to learn. He did grow quickly once he understood what it took to be a pro and how to show up every day.
He had the talent to do it, he just needed to get that mentality. I think the way he has stepped up in the last two years has been a prime example of that.

On the transition from a good young player to a team leader
It's hard. It should be natural. To some guys, it is, and to some guys, it isn't. Sometimes it gets foced on you just because of your play. So it's going to be one of those things you have to learn as you go along and take in stride. It's more about understanding what your actions and your expressions mean to the locker room, rather than your play. The biggest thing you have to pay attention to is just understanding how much effect you can have on a locker room without even wanting to.

On becoming the Ducks captain
I think that leadership to me is natural. It should be a natural thing, a natural progression, and I thought I was able to do that here. I wasn't forced into anything that I was uncomfortable with. I know a lot of guys come from being big high draft picks and they get thrown in, they want them to be captain their first year or whatever. I was lucky enough to not have to do that. I don't know if I would've been ready at that point. I was able to get three, four or five years under my belt before that was thrown at me, and I got to learn a lot from the guys in front of me.
On his favorite road cities to visit
I loved Calgary because I played there [in juniors]. I was there for four years. I had so many family and friends there all the time. The relationships with the people at the rink and around the city was always fun to back to see. And then Chicago as well. I loved playing in Chicago. It got better as my career went along. That building wasn't exactly rocking when I was a rookie (laughs), but over the years they built that thing back up to where they wanted it, obviously.
On watching the Ducks this season
I've enjoyed watching the guys. Obviously, I played with most of them in the past couple years and seeing some of those guys take another step has been good. The struggles are a little bit hard for me to watch. I know some guys it affects more. Some guys were ready to start pushing to win again. That makes it difficult and it's hard to watch for some of those guys.
This season, from a realistic standpoint, probably not quite as good as expected, but I think the expectation of struggles was there. We understood that this was kind of a rebuilding year and a big transition year for this team that hasn't happened in a long time. So for the average fan, they're not used to seeing that unless you've been around forever. This organization has done a great job at rebuilding on the go. We've always had a decent set of core guys. This year is that true transition where they're going to really expect big changes around here and have a different group leading them forward.
On staying in touch with former teammates
I've had different guys call me at times. I try not to reach out other than just to generally talk about life of whatever. As far as hockey goes, I've had numerous guys call me throughout the start of the year and ask how to deal with certain things they're struggling with. That means a lot to me to be able to help them still and give some sort of guidance from an outsider's perspective.
On staying involved in hockey
It's been a weird year. I kind of envisioned myself transitioning right way. I never really wanted to leave the game, so to speak. I just wasn't ready to keep playing on the ice and put my body through what I did. I'm hoping to learn a few more different areas. I've been able to look at some stuff, but overall, anywhere I can help, I'm just happy to be around.