This season it was mostly a foregone conclusion Terry would represent Anaheim for the second straight time, as he has led the team in nearly every offensive category from day 1. But the Ducks wanted to do something special to reveal the selection to him and reached out to NFL Hall-of-Famer and current ESPN TV analyst Troy Aikman to record a congratulatory video. Terry and his family are huge Dallas Cowboys fans, and his parents Susan and Chuck named him Troy after the legendary quarterback, Chuck's all-time favorite player.
After a recent practice, Terry and the rest of the Ducks were summoned to the video room where they expected to study game footage but were instead greeted by a recording of Aikman from the Monday Night Football booth in Indianapolis.
"Hey Troy, it's Troy Aikman..." the video began, to which Terry reacted, "He's talking to me!"
"How cool are we to have the name Troy, first of all," Aikman said. "I know why your parents named you Troy, so it makes me feel really proud. But what makes me feel even prouder is the fact the Ducks organization has given me the honor to let you know that for the second consecutive year, you my friend are an NHL All-Star."
The announcement was met by loud applause from Terry's teammates, not to mention a hearty head rub from Trevor Zegras sitting next to him.
"Congratulations. It is well-deserved," Aikman continued. I know your family and friends are so proud of you, as am I. And speaking of family, I understand you and [wife] Dani are going to be proud parents of a little baby boy in 2023. Nothing better than being a father. It's even better than being an All-Star. So, enjoy that, congratulations to you and I'm sure proud of you. Best of luck in the remainder of this season and going forward."
"Wait till I show my dad," Terry said. "It will make my dad cry." He then turned to his teammates and said, "Thank you. You all know how much I care about all you guys. I love you guys."
Terry will suit up for the Pacific Division team in this year's 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, to take place February 3 and 4 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. He's just the seventh two-time All-Star in Ducks franchise history.
Selected by Anaheim in the fifth round (148th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, the native of Denver has scored 64 goals and added 82 assists in 243 career games (though January 5). He led Anaheim in points (31-37=68), even-strength goals (24), even-strength points (54), game-winning goals (5) and shots (228) in the 2022 calendar year.
The 25-year-old has been a bright spot in a challenging season so far for the Ducks, racking up a team-leading 12 goals and 20 assists through 39 games. He gave early indication that last year was no fluke, scoring just 51 seconds into Opening Night vs. Seattle at Honda Center, then potting the overtime game-winner on a breakaway in a 5-4 triumph over the Kraken.
