Ryan Getzlaf is perhaps the greatest Anaheim Ducks player in the history of the franchise.
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In his 17-year NHL career, the 12-year captain is the Ducks’ all-time leader in games played (1157), points (1019), and assists (737). In his playing career, he won a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks, a U18 World Championship gold medal, a World Junior Championship gold medal, a World Cup of Hockey gold medal, and two Olympic gold medals.
Getzlaf recently appeared on the “Missin Curfew” podcast hosted by former Ducks player Shane O’Brien and former NHLer Scottie Upshall, where he stated his desire to work in the front office of an NHL organization.
Following his playing career, Getzlaf was brought on board within the Ducks organization in the role of Player Development Coordinator in June 2023.
In April, Getzlaf was named to the Team Canada management group for the 2025 NHL “4 Nations Face-off,” where he holds the title of “player relations advisor” and works alongside GM Doug Armstrong.
“The (Team) Canada stuff is where I’m kind of gaining that experience that I love,” Getzlaf said during his podcast appearance when asked about his post-playing goals. “Being part of that group that’s learning from those GMs who brought me in and let me sit in all the meetings, talk to me, ask me questions.
“I get to see their whole process on how they do things. That’s definitely the end goal, and where I think my heart is, trying to build a championship team.”
Ryan Getzlaf joins NHL Department of Player Safety
In August, Getzlaf joined the Department of Player Safety to work with former teammate and NHL Senior Vice President Player Safety George Parros.
“I was working with the Ducks. I got the opportunity to do the Hockey Canada thing, which was a big honor for me,” Getzlaf said. “And then just the Ducks stuff wasn’t really working the way that we wanted it to. And Georgie had reached out, lives here in Nashville, and talked about possibly joining his team, and so I just went down that road.”
Getzlaf recounted when Parros asked him to speak to players at the NHL Rookie Orientation Camp.
“George wanted me to speak a little bit on the way the game has changed over my career,” Getzlaf said. “I gave a little presentation to the young guys on protecting themselves. I think a big part of the league is players have gotten away from protecting themselves, and they rely on the rules a little bit too much to do that.
“I was able to give them a little bit of information on what I did to help myself. At the end of the day, whether a guy gets suspended or not, if you’re laying there with a concussion for the next month and a half, it really doesn’t make any difference. So we’d rather avoid those issues rather than react to (them).”
Ducks Development Camp Takeaway: Cutter Gauthier’s Commitment
Getzlaf was present at the Anaheim Ducks Development Camp in July, where he joined the coaching staff, assisting in on-ice instruction with recently drafted players like Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke, offering wisdom gained during his 17 seasons in the NHL.
Though ties to the Anaheim Ducks organization remain uncut, Getzlaf is looking toward the horizon for what’s to come during his post-retirement career. He seems to be taken by the ongoings of NHL general managers more than anything, and his passion will likely land him a role in an NHL front office sooner rather than later if that’s what he desires.
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