Seventeen Seasons of Scoring: A Look at Getzlaf's Road to 1K Points

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf became the first player in franchise history to record 1,000 points as a Duck in Anaheim's 3-2 OT win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at Honda Center. Getzlaf became the 92nd player in NHL history to reach the 1,000 point milestone and the 39th player to do so all with the same club. Of the 29 retired players to record their first 1,000 points with a single franchise, 26 have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
To celebrate Getzlaf's historic accomplishment, we take a look back at some of his notable moments on the road to 1K.

Point #1
Date: October 14, 2005
Opponent: Columbus Blue Jackets
Location: Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
Getzlaf began his illustrious career with Anaheim in 2005, going scoreless in his first three games. He found the scoresheet for the first time in game number four, assisting on Joffrey Lupul's second-period goal.
Point #2
Date: October 21, 2005
Opponent: Detroit Red Wings
Location: Joe Louis Arena
The pass-first prowess that became a hallmark of Getzlaf's game was on display from his rookie season, but it also quickly became clear the strong 20-year-old Sasketchewan kid could fire it, too. Getzlaf scored his first career NHL goal at Joe Louis Arena in his seventh career NHL game, a booming slapshot from the right point that snuck through traffic in front of Red Wings netminder Manny Legace.

The goal also marked the first power-play point of Getzlaf's career. Getzlaf would eventually become one of the NHL's most lethal power-play setupmen and now ranks tied for seventh among active players in power-play points (355) and power-play assists (250) since his debut season.
Point #7
Date: November 12, 2005
Opponent: Phoenix Coyotes
Location: Glendale Arena

Point #7 marked a monumental occasion for Ducks fans, even if they didn't know it at the time. With Anaheim trailing by a goal in the second period, Corey Perry set up Getzlaf for the game-tying goal, the first of countless connections by the pass-first center and his sharpshooting partner-in-crime.
Points #23-26
Date: March 24, 2006
Opponent: Nashville Predators
Location: Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
Late in an already impressive rookie season, Getzlaf put on a performance hinting at his limitless potential, dishing out four assists in a 6-3 Ducks win over Nashville. Getzlaf would go on to record 18 more nights with at least four points, second in franchise history behind Selanne, the recipient of one of Getzlaf's setups on this night 15 years ago.
"You could see this guy was going to be unbelievable," Selanne recalled of his then rookie teammate. "He had all the tools. He was big, strong and super smart. He didn't have any weaknesses. He just got better and better."

Already seasoned beyond his years and seemingly immune to the hype building around him, Getzlaf brushed off the success at the time, instead focusing on the Ducks' upcoming playoff push.
"Anything that happens out there, you don't see anyone panicking," Getzlaf told the Associated Press that night. "We're keeping it together and those are the things you have to do down the stretch."
Point #40
Date: October 6, 2006
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
Location: Honda Center
Getzlaf opened his sophomore season, the 2006-07 campaign that Ducks fans would go on to remember fondly, with a critical goal that broke a third period tie with the Kings. More than coming into his own as a passer at the NHL level after notching 25 assists as a rookie, Getzlaf surprised everyone with a shot, beating Kings netminder Dan Cloutier glove side for the go-ahead goal. The win began Anaheim's then NHL-record 16-game season-opening point streak (12-0-4).

Seventeen years later, Getzlaf owns 19-39=58 career points against Anaheim's Southern California rival.
Points #83-85
Date: March 9, 2007
Opponent: Edmonton Oilers
Location: Honda Center
By March of 2007, the Ducks had continued their early season success and established themselves as Stanley Cup contenders. With a lineup of established veteran stars including Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Jean-Sebastian Giguere, the question facing the Western Conference leaders was whether their young guns, Getzlaf and Perry along with rising forwards Dustin Penner and Chris Kunitz, could continue their play throughout a grueling postseason journey.

Getzlaf and Perry helped put some of those questions to rest with a dominant showing in Anaheim's win over Edmonton at the newly renamed Honda Center. The dynamic duo combined for five points, including three goals, as the Ducks cruised to a victory against the team that had eliminated them in the previous year's Western Conference Final.
"You can't go into the summer and say that you've got a couple of second-year players and rookies that you can expect 20 goals out of," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told the Associated Press at the time. "But we've been able to allow those young players to develop under much less pressure because we get a huge contribution from the back end of our lineup. And that's always a comfort."
Those youngsters would play a key role in Anaheim's postseason run, helping to bring the Stanley Cup to California for the first time.

Point #100
Date: October 6, 2007
Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins
Location: Mellon Arena
Just a few months after hoisting the Stanley Cup in Anaheim, Getzlaf eclipsed the century mark with his 100th NHL point, assisting on Perry's third-period goal in Pittsburgh in his 144th career NHL game. The game also marked the second meeting between Getzlaf and Sidney Crosby, now two of the longest-tenured captains in the NHL, who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals together representing Team Canada.
Point #156
Date: January 23, 2008
Opponent: Detroit Red Wings
Location: Honda Center
Getzlaf continued his ascent to becoming one of the game's elite players throughout his third season in Anaheim, headlined by a 15-game point streak spanning more than a month. The streak began with an assist on December 22, 2007 in San Jose and saw Getzlaf collect 22 points (6-16=22). The 15-game run ranks as the third-longest scoring streak in Ducks history. The 22nd and final point of the streak came on January 23, an assist on Pronger's power-play goal.
Point #179
Date: April 6, 2008
Opponent: Phoenix Coyotes
Location: Honda Center
The 82nd point of Getzlaf's third NHL campaign, and the 179th of his NHL career, capped the center's first season as Anaheim's leading scorer. Getzlaf ended the 07-08 campaign on a tear, finding the scoresheet in eight of his last nine games, including three multi-point performances. A month short of his 23rd birthday, Getzlaf led Anaheim in scoring (82) and assists (58).
Points #186-190
Date: October 29, 2008
Opponent: Detroit Red Wings
Location: Honda Center
Getzlaf opened the 2009-10 season on a slow start by his lofty standards, with only one point in his first six games. Now a Ducks alternate captain and team leader, he bounced back in a big way with points in nine straight games, highlighted by a record-setting night against Detroit. Getzlaf assisted on all five Anaheim goals in a 5-4 defeat of the Red Wings, including the primary helper on Francois Beauchemin's overtime game-winner, matching Anaheim's all-time record for assists and points in a single game.
Point #300
Date: December 1, 2009
Opponent : Los Angeles Kings
Location : Honda Center
Getzlaf hit 300 points as a 24-year-old in his fifth NHL season, reaching the milestone with a two-assist night against the Kings. Point 299 went to Perry, an assist by way of James Wisniewski, before Ryan Whitney buried number 300 with a third period power-play goal.
In 14 seasons together, Getzlaf assisted on 177 goals scored by Perry, the most by any duo in franchise history.
Point #310
Date: December 22, 2009
Opponent: Colorado Avalanche
Location: Pepsi Center
One of the most clutch and dependable players in Ducks history, Getzlaf earned his reputation with points like number 310, a game-winning goal in Colorado that completed a third period comeback. The Ducks trailed by two with eight minutes to play, tying the score on consecutive goals by Niedermayer and Dan Sexton. Getzlaf finished the job, beating Craig Anderson for the game-winning goal.
The late heroics gave Getzlaf goals in four straight games, tied for the longest streak of his career.
Points #340-343
Date: October 13, 2010
Opponent: Vancouver Canucks
Location: Honda Center
Following Scott Niedermayer's retirement in the summer of 2010, the Ducks named Getzlaf the eighth captain in club history. In his fourth game wearing the "C", Getzlaf torched the Canucks, factoring in all four goals for his first points as Ducks captain in a 4-3 Anaheim win.

"It's an honor and a responsibility that I accept with it," Getzlaf said at the time. "I've thought of myself as a leader, and I will try to be the same way throughout this year. I'm up for the challenge and am looking forward to it."
Points #405-406
Date: March 26, 2011
Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks
Location: United Center
Getzlaf enjoyed a productive first season as Anaheim's captain, finishing fourth among NHL leaders in assists (57), despite missing 15 games after taking a puck to the face. Points 405 and 406 came late in the campaign, as the Ducks prepared for their fifth postseason appearance in six seasons and pushed the soon-to-be 26-year-old Getzlaf past 50 assists for the fourth straight year.
Points #462-463
Date: March 12, 2011
Opponent: Detroit Red Wings
Location: Honda Center
Getzlaf appeared in his 500th career game in March of 2011, going scoreless in a visit to Colorado. He bounced back two nights later with points 462 and 463, primary assists to Kyle Palmieri and Bobby Ryan in a 4-0 Ducks win over the Red Wings.
Ryan ranks fourth in goals assisted by Getzlaf (47), trailing only Perry, Selanne and Rickard Rakell.
Point #500
Date: March 8, 2013
Opponent: Calgary Flames
Location: Honda Center
March 8, 2013 was a monumental day in the Getzlaf household. In the morning, the Ducks announced the team had locked up its captain, agreeing to an eight-year deal that would keep the franchise center in Anaheim for the foreseeable future.
Just hours after the Ducks had shown their commitment to Getzlaf, he returned the favor, posting his 500th career NHL point and leading the Ducks to the club's 16th straight home win over the division rival Flames.
"He's synonymous with Anaheim," coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game. "And to get a big number one center locked up for eight years, which is so hard to do in the NHL -- let alone one as talented as he is -- is something that our ownership did a fabulous job with."
Getzlaf became the second Ducks player to record his first 500 career points with Anaheim, joining Kariya (669). He led Anaheim in the shortened 2012-13 season in points (49) and assists (34).
Point #580
Date: January 25, 2014
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
Location: Dodger Stadium
Of all 1,000 points in Getzlaf's storied career, number 580 may be the most unique, the lone scoring play to occur outdoors. In a special Stadium Series edition of the Freeway Faceoff at Dodger Stadium, Getzlaf set up Perry just two minutes into the action, a goal that would stand as the game-winner in a 3-0 Ducks shutout victory.
Getzlaf has at least one career point in 38 different arenas, including 539 at Honda Center, 459 on the road and one at a baseball stadium.
Points #599
Date: March 23, 2014
Opponent: Florida Panthers
Location: Honda Center
Point 599 marked the end of an era in Anaheim, the final goal Getzlaf and Selanne would factor in as teammates, a third period tally by Getzlaf that cemented his first career 30-goal season.

From 2005-14, Selanne and Getzlaf combined on 114 goals. The first came Oct. 23, 2005 vs. Phoenix on a goal by Petr Sykora (from Getzlaf, Selanne), the last on this night in March of 2014.
"I learned a lot of things away from the game from Teemu that people don't see," Getzlaf said last month. "How to conduct yourself, how to deal with 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 where most of us can't really do skate anymore."
Getzlaf had the primary assist on a Selanne goal on 33 occasions, while the two also combined on six overtime goals.
Point #602
Date: March 31, 2014
Opponent: Winnipeg Jets
Location: Honda Center
With Getzlaf now well-established as one of the game's premier passers, point number 602 represented a milestone for Getzlaf the goal scorer. The captain scored his 31st and final goal of the 2013-14 season, kickstarting one of the most unlikely comebacks in Ducks history. Anaheim trailed by three early in the final period before Getzlaf's goal started a three-goal barrage, including Perry's game-tying tally with 23 seconds to play in regulation. Stephane Robidas scored his first goal as a Duck to complete the comeback 16 seconds into overtime.
Getzlaf finished the 2013-14 season with 31 goals, still the best mark of his 17-year career and ranked second among NHL leaders in scoring (31-56=87), behind only Crosby. Getzlaf was named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team and finished as the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) runner-up.
Point #712
Date: February 4, 2016
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
Location: Staples Center
Getzlaf collected his 500th career assist on this 2016 night in Los Angeles with the primary helper on a goal scored by David Perron. Getzlaf and Perron were not together in Anaheim long, but the duo treated Ducks fans to an exciting half-season playing together as Perron posted 8-12=20 points in 28 games as a Duck following his acquisition from Pittsburgh in January of that year.

"When I moved on to Anaheim, I got to play with Getzlaf, who really is going to make you feel good with the puck," Perron told NHL.com in 2016. "There were times I felt like I was always looking to give him the puck because he's such a good player. There would be times where he'd say, 'Hey bud, you've got to keep the puck. I got enough. Keep it. You're doing well.' It really instills confidence in you. He's pushing confidence in you. You feel like you're starting to have an impact every night. That's where it went and really saved my season last year in a way."
Point #750
Date: November 1, 2016
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
Location: Staples Center
Back in the same building eight months later, Getzlaf reached the three-quarter mark on his march to 1,000 points with number 750, an assist on Ryan Kesler's power-play in a 4-0 rout of the Kings.
Getzlaf sits alongside Selanne in all of Anaheim's power-play records, ranking first in power-play assists (250), second in power-play points (335) and fourth in goals on the man advantage (85).
Getzlaf is second among active players in points against the Kings (58).
Point #852
Date: February 21, 2018
Opponent: Dallas Stars
Location: Honda Center
Number 852 may go down as one of the most memorable goals of Getzlaf's career and also one of the strangest. With Anaheim protecting a one-goal lead in the third period, Getzlaf threw a Hail Mary pass to himself, lofting the puck high above the Honda Center ice towards the Dallas end of the rink. The puck made it past the Stars defender before coming to a rest near the top of the faceoff circles. Dallas netminder Ben Bishop hesitated before skating out to play the puck, allowing Getzlaf to win the race, poke the puck past and jump over the sliding goaltender and score into an empty net.

Point #890
Date: November 21, 2018
Opponent: Vancouver Canucks
Location: Honda Center
While number 852 may have been one of Getzlaf's most unique points, number 890 may go down as his prettiest. With the Ducks hosting the Canucks at Honda Center, Getzlaf got to a loose puck in the slot, evading an unsuspecting defender by pulling it between his legs and then lifting a backhand shot over an outstretched Jacob Markstrom for a highlight-reel goal.

Getzlaf also ranks second among active players with 52 career points against the Canucks.
Point #933
As hard as it may be to score in a unique way after over 900 points in the NHL, number 933 represented a first for Anaheim and its captain, a goal broadcast en español. On the inaugural Dia de Muertos Night at Honda Center, a tradition Getzlaf celebrated with
another goal two years later
, he brought the crowd to its feet in overtime, taking a breakaway pass from Troy Terry and beating Markstrom, who had sprinted out of his net attempting a poke check.

Getzlaf has been a force in 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 overtime throughout his career. He's currently the NHL all-time leader in OT assists (24) and is tied with Crosby (37) for third all-time in OT points.
Point #988
Date: October 29, 2021
Opponent: Vegas Golden Knights
Location: T-Mobile Arena
Getzlaf matched Selanne atop the Anaheim record book with his 988th career point last month in Las Vegas as part of another third-period Ducks comeback. With Anaheim trailing 4-1 late in the game, Getzlaf head-manned the puck to Benoit-Olivier Groulx on left wing. Groulx took his time, lofting a pass of his own to Terry, who tucked it inside the post to tie Getzlaf with the Finnish Flash.
Point #989
Date: October 31, 2021
Opponent: Montreal Canadiens
Location: Honda Center
Two days later, Getzlaf officially stood alone as Anaheim's all-time leading scorer. On Halloween afternoon at Honda Center, Getzlaf led Terry in on a breakaway and the 24-year-old winger capitalized, beating Canadiens netminder Sam Montembeault with a backhand move.

Ducks players immediately poured over the boards to mob their captain in the corner, eager to acknowledge a historic moment for an all-time great.

"It's been a long time here in Anaheim and I've played with some great players," Getzlaf said. "I'm honored to be standing here now."
Said Selanne, "I'm very proud of him for what he's achieved and what he's done for this organization."
Point #1000
Date: November 16, 2021
Opponent: Washington Capitals
Location: Honda Center
Getzlaf hit 1,000 points on Tuesday at Honda Center, becoming the 92nd player in NHL history to reach the milestone and the 39th player in NHL history to do so all with the same club. Of the 29 retired players to record their first 1,000 points with a single franchise, 26 have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Much like they did two weeks prior, the Ducks players piled off the bench and mobbed their captain in the exact same corner of the Honda Center ice.

"I'm absolutely glad [all the milestones] are done because now my teammates can stop coming on the ice," Getzlaf said with a laugh.