Terry was thrilled to be the beneficiary, though he claimed he got so caught up in the moment, "I forgot that I even scored it. It was just so cool for me. As soon as it happened, just to jump into his arms like that, it was a special moment. Selfishly, it was probably one of the coolest moments of my hockey career and something I'll remember forever."
Terry says part of the reason is that he looks up to the Ducks captain just like a young Getzlaf used to admire Selanne.
"The way he talks about Teemu and what he did for Southern California hockey, and how much he learned from him, it was wild for me to listen to him talk about someone meaning that to him, because that's exactly what he was to me," says the 24-year-old Terry. "Just having that guy to look up to, it's so cool he was able to break his record. Last year was tough on everyone, but the way that he would come into the rink every day, the way he treats his family, the way he treats everyone around the rink and everyone in the organization, he has the utmost respect for everyone. He doesn't have to demand respect. He's just really the perfect role model and someone I've got very close with and developed some chemistry on the ice with."
That's the type of mentality Getzlaf says he learned from nine seasons as a teammate of the Finnish Flash.
"Teemu was a mentor for me when I came in, to have a guy of his stature as a teammate," Getzlaf said. "I got to sit beside him in the locker room, and I learned a lot of things away from the game from Teemu that people don't see, how to conduct yourself, deal with the fans, deal with the media and deal with the day-to-day grind. This is a tough league, and I got to watch Teemu enjoy it at an age when most of us can't skate anymore. I was fortunate to play with a lot of great players, and Teemu was definitely one of them that I looked up to."
The Ducks will honor Getzlaf for passing Selanne on Friday night vs. Arizona at Honda Center, which promises to be just another special moment in the careers of both Anaheim legends.
"It's amazing these moments like this," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "You can go through a whole career as a player and coach, and moments like this are few and far between. You'll get a handful of them if you're lucky. To have the privilege to work beside him and be one of his coaches, it's an incredible night for everyone. Ryan makes it a special night for everyone."