Corey Perry (Getty Images file)
Spotlight on… Corey Perry, right wing, Ducks
When: The Avalanche plays the Ducks at the Pepsi Center on Sunday. It’s the teams’ first meeting of the season.
What’s up: It seems safe to proclaim now that Corey Perry is a pretty good hockey player. With nine goals in his first 10 games, the native of Peterborough, Ontario, is off to a great start in his bid to win a second Hart Trophy. Perry had back- to-back hat tricks as part of his red-hot start.
Background: With all that he has accomplished in his career, it seems hard to believe Perry went only 28th in the first round of the 2003 NHL draft. While it was one of the best draft years in league history, plenty of teams probably would do their picks over again if they could. (The Avalanche didn’t have a first-round draft pick that year.)
While Perry posted some big scoring years with the London Knights of the OHL, his speed was a question mark for the NHL at the time, and he fell on the draft board. The Ducks, who also acquired Ryan Getzlaf in that draft, were happy that he dropped.
Dater’s take: Perry isn’t very fast, but his hand-eye coordination is right up there with the best of them. He’s great on one-timers and deflections and tricky little moves in the hard areas around the net.
He also is strong on the puck and always is spinning off hits and finding ways to create shots. He can be a chippy player too, with a history of suspension for some of his actions. Bottom line: He’s a proven scorer and a proven winner, with a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal in his trophy case.
