Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim Ducks goalie Ryan Miller announced Thursday that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.

Miller said the following about his retirement, via the Ducks' official website:

"It was a dream come true when I played my first NHL game and it has been a privilege to spend 18 years as a professional. I have decided that I am going to retire after the season having been given more time doing what I love than I could ever have hoped for. Thank you to you my teammates and staff, past and present. I'm thankful to so many who made my career possible and helped me on my journey from youth hockey to the NHL. Thank you to my family for supporting me with so much love and enthusiasm."

Miller, 40, spent 18 seasons in the NHL from 2002-21 with the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Ducks.

He is best known for his 11 seasons with the Sabres, during which he was a one-time All-Star and won the 2010 Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL.

The Ducks tweeted a highlight reel Thursday in celebration of Miller's highly productive and successful NHL career:

Congratulations, @RyanMiller3039, on 18 incredible NHL seasons and the impact you've had on the game. pic.twitter.com/pKZQeGRoAf

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 29, 2021

The Sabres did so as well and tweeted a statement congratulating Miller:

https://twitter.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1387785219852353537

Thank you for everything, @RyanMiller3039. pic.twitter.com/Md7KFFpvhP

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 29, 2021

Miller entered the NHL in 2002 after Buffalo selected him in the fifth round of the 1999 NHL draft. He was twice named the NCAA's best goaltender and won the 2001 Hobey Baker award as the top player in college hockey at Michigan State.

The Lansing, Michigan, native picked up where he left off in the NHL, going 284-186-57 with a 2.58 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and 28 shutouts in 540 regular-season games as a member of the Sabres.

Miller also went 25-22 with a 2.47 GAA, .917 save percentage and three shutouts for Buffalo in playoff action, leading it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007.

He is the Sabres' all-time franchise leader in career goalie appearances and wins, and he also holds the single-season wins record for Buffalo with 41 in 2009-10.

After stints with the Blues and Canucks, Miller spent the final four seasons of his career with the Ducks, primarily in a backup role behind John Gibson.

For his career, Miller is 390-289-87 with a 2.63 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 44 shutouts. Among American goaltenders, he is first in NHL history in wins and second in both games played and shutouts.

Miller was also a standout on the international stage, representing Team USA at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. At the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Miller led the U.S. to a silver medal and was named the MVP and best goaltender of the tournament, going 5-1 with a 1.35 GAA and .946 save percentage.

The Ducks noted that Miller is the only player in history to be named the best goalie in the NHL, Winter Olympics and AHL, as well as the top goalie and best player in the NCAA.

While Miller was never quite able to break through by winning a Stanley Cup or Olympic gold, his place in hockey history is secure, and he could receive some consideration for the Hall of Fame in the future.

The Anaheim Ducks used the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft to select highly regarded defenseman Jamie Drysdale.

NHL Central Scouting named Drysdale the No. 3 North American skater and top defenseman in its final rankings.

The 18-year-old spent the past two years with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, finishing the 2019-20 season with 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) in 49 games. He was also a key part of Team Canada as it won the World Junior Championship in January.

In both competitions, Drysdale showcased his offensive skill set as a scorer and passer:

3 🇨🇦 GOALS in 3 minutes and 55 seconds...😮😮 This one coming from Jamie Drysdale!

To say @HC_WJC is having a great start would be the understatement of the year. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/ibfGsZSaOw

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 4, 2020

Jamie Drysdale's ridiculous moves on full display here 👀

The #NHLDraft hopeful's incredible skating display leads to an amazing pass from behind the net to set up @ErieOtters rookie @Aswank21's tap-in 👏 pic.twitter.com/2tpB2AG5w0

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 12, 2020

Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory described what Gregory brings to the table, via Adam Kimelman of NHL.com:

"Jamie Drysdale is the type of player that every team is looking for. Very smart puck-moving defenseman who can beat you with his vision, beat you with his hockey sense. [He's] able to use that great quickness and thinking to defend and strip a puck and turn it around, and before you know it, it's going the other way and finding the open man on the attack."

This two-way ability gives the 5'11", 175-pound player a lot of upside as he tries to make the leap to the next level.

Drysdale should be a reliable contributor for the Ducks before too long, even if he doesn't make an immediate jump to the NHL.  

Anaheim selected fellow defenseman Jackson LaCombe in the first round last season and have promising young contributors like Jacob Larsson on the current roster, but this could be another key addition to help solidify the unit going forward.

After producing one of the worst records in the NHL this season, this pick should help move the squad back toward contention.

Part-time employees of Anaheim Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli's sports and event management companies will continue to be paid through June 30 "for current or future rescheduled, postponed or canceled events," the Ducks announced on Thursday. 

Anaheim Arena Management President and CEO Tim Ryan provided a statement:

The Anaheim Ducks have reportedly found their new head coach.

Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times reported the Ducks are expected to announce Dallas Eakins as the head coach Monday. Eakins coached the San Diego Gulls—Anaheim's minor league affiliate—the last four seasons.

Eakins previously coached the Edmonton Oilers during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns but finished with a 36-63-14 record and zero playoff appearances.

He was much better in the minor leagues and led San Diego to the playoffs in three of the last four seasons after he took the Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup Final in 2012.

Anaheim struggled this season on the way to a 35-37-10 record, snapping a stretch of six straight trips to the postseason. The team fired Randy Carlyle after 56 games and turned to Bob Murray as the interim coach but is going with a familiar face to many in the organization in Eakins.

Zupke noted he "helped grow the franchise's prospects, such as Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour, and more recently Maxime Comtois, Sam Steel, Max Jones and 2018 top draft pick Isac Lundestrom."

He will be under the microscope as he attempts to turn around a franchise that is accustomed to competing in the Western Conference. The Ducks won the 2007 Stanley Cup Final and reached the conference finals in two of the last five years.

The Anaheim Ducks announced the firing of coach Randy Carlyle on Sunday amid the team's seven-game losing streak.

General manager Bob Murray will take over the coaching position on an interim basis. 

"We thank Randy for everything he has done for the organization," said Murray. "Leading the team to a Stanley Cup and three conference final appearances, he has accomplished so much in Anaheim. Difficult decisions need to be made when times are tough, and our play has clearly been unacceptable. We have a tradition of success in Anaheim and we need to get back to that."

Carlyle, 62, was in the third season of his second tenure with the Ducks. He initially coached them from 2005 to his firing in the 2011-12 season. The Ducks made the playoffs in five of the seven seasons of his first tenure and each of the first two of his second. 

However, things have fallen apart since a sweep in the 2018 playoffs. Anaheim is currently tied for last in the Western Conference with 51 points and has the worst goal differential in the sport by a whopping 22 goals. 

Murray, 64, has been the Ducks GM since 2008. The franchise has made the postseason in six straight seasons, a streak that will almost certainly end in 2019.

Murray has no professional coaching experience at any level. 

The Anaheim Ducks will be without defenseman Cam Fowler for the immediate future after he suffered a serious facial injury during Monday's shootout win over the Nashville Predators.

Anaheim announced he suffered a "complex right facial fracture involving the orbital bone, cheekbone and upper jaw bone" after he was hit in the face by a puck during the game. The team will know how long he will be out after he undergoes surgery Friday.

Fowler has been a member of the Ducks since they drafted him in the first round in 2010.

He has 10 points (seven assists and three goals) through 19 games this season and sports a plus-minus of plus-three. He posted a positive plus-minus in each of the past two seasons and finished the 2017-18 campaign with 32 points on 24 assists and eight goals.

The defenseman was an All-Star in 2016-17, when he posted 39 points—his highest mark since he was a rookie.

Anaheim has postseason expectations in the Western Conference after reaching the playoffs in each of the past six campaigns and will need other defensemen to carry more of the load while Fowler is sidelined.

Look for the combination of Hampus Lindholm, Jacob Larsson and Josh Manson to be given additional responsibility while the Ducks battle for points as the season approaches the quarter mark.

Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry will be out 20 weeks, or approximately five months, after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair meniscus and MCL injuries, the team announced. 

Perry has served as one of the team's alternate captains since 2014 and recorded 17 goals, 32 assists and 49 total points last season. 

Although the 33-year-old's production went down for a second consecutive season in 2017-18, he isn't far removed from being a prominent goal-producer. He scored at least 33 goals in five of the six seasons between 2010 and 2016, and he piled up 50 goals, 48 assists and 98 total points in 2010-11.

Since being drafted in the first round in 2003, Perry has spent his entire career with the organization. Along the way, he has turned himself into one of the greatest players to ever wear a Ducks sweater.

According to Hockey Reference, Perry ranks second in franchise history in games played (957) and goals (366), as well as third in assists (400), points (766) and plus-minus (plus-92). He needs just 10 more appearances to pass Teemu Selanne for most games played.

Not only does he rank near the top of many individual statistical categories, but he also helped the Ducks win their first and only Stanley Cup in 2007.

Perry has three years remaining on the eight-year, $69 million extension he signed in March 2013. He is set to have a base salary of $6.5 million this upcoming season, per Spotrac.

The Anaheim Ducks social media team removed a video showcasing Ryan Kesler walking nude through an office.

An apology was provided on the official account:

Our tweet posted earlier today was meant to be a lighthearted video celebrating the NHL’s 100th birthday. We realize in retrospect the content of the video may have been insensitive and we have removed the video and apologize.

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 26, 2017

As Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.com noted, the video celebrated the NHL's 100th anniversary but was seen as insensitive in light of recent sexual harassment stories.

Kesler, who was censored by a black rectangle in the video, walked past multiple women in the office before being confronted about being naked. 

"It's the NHL's 100th birthday. I'm celebrating in my birthday suit," he said in the video.

While the entire situation was clearly staged, there were some who felt it was disrespectful to the women involved and others who have been harassed in the workplace. 

Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf could miss two months of the NHL season after undergoing surgery to repair a cheekbone fracture. 

SportsCentre passed along the update Tuesday from Ducks general manager Bob Murray.

Getzlaf has long been one of the NHL's premier two-way centers and a franchise cornerstone for the Ducks. He's capable of playing in any situation, which makes him an extremely valuable asset, especially when playoff time rolls around. He's tallied seven points in six games this season.

The 32-year-old captain has remained mostly durable throughout his career. He last missed more than eight games in a season during the 2010-11 campaign. He did miss a little time last year with an upper-body issue and dealt with a lower-body injury during the early stages of the current season.

With Getzlaf out of the lineup, Richard Rakell will take over as the team's top center. Antoine Vermette and Derek Grant also figure to step into more important roles in the middle of the ice as the team tries to fill the major void for an extended period.

That said, Getzlaf's presence will be difficult to replace for Anaheim. There aren't many players in the league who can match his all-around skill set, both in terms of his on-ice production and off-ice leadership.

Uh, was that a Superman punch or….? pic.twitter.com/TxA0BbXAy3

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) October 24, 2017

It appears Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa has been training with WWE Superstar Roman Reigns. 

With around three minutes remaining in the first period of Tuesday's game versus the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center, Pennsylvania, Bieksa and Philadelphia's Radko Gudas met for a fight near center ice. 

Bieksa got the better of the encounter, downing Gudas with what looked like a Superman Punch: 

Kevin Bieksa superman punch pic.twitter.com/r8PZs3jchF

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) October 24, 2017

The 36-year-old may have the goods to become WWE champion in the future: 

[Twitter]