(Irvine) Radko Gudas became the first captain of the Anaheim Ducks since Ryan Getzlaf retired two seasons ago.
The Ducks made the announcement on the first day of training camp Thursday.
Gudas joined the Ducks a year ago via free agency. The 34-year-old Czech defenseman has scored six goals, added 12 assists and racked up 128 penalty minutes, also providing a needed veteran presence in the club’s young core.
Gudas is the ninth captain in Ducks history and the first European since Teemu Selanne, who served as co-captain with Paul Kariya during the 1997-98 campaign.
The Ducks were without a captain for the past two seasons for the first time in team history after Getzlaf retired, a 12-year captain, the longest tenure the Ducks have ever had.
The Ducks have rotated alternate captains over the past two seasons, including veteran defenseman Cam Fowler, who has been with the Ducks since the start of his National Hockey League (NHL) career.
Gudas’ appointment by general manager Pat Verbeek and second-year head coach Greg Cronin establishes a more traditional leadership structure for the Ducks, who have missed the playoffs for six straight seasons, the longest drought in team history.
“Radko has emerged as a natural leader who possesses all the qualities of a captain and the respect of his teammates, our staff and his peers,” Verbeek said in a statement. “With a young group of players establishing themselves in the NHL, we felt it was necessary to have a veteran to lead our team.”
The Ducks are Gudas’ fifth NHL team, having moved to North America as a teenager. He also won a gold medal with the Czech Republic at the world championships this summer.
In his early days with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers, Gudas built a repertoire as a fiery defenseman who regularly delivered questionable shoulder hits. He has since matured, with stints with the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers before California.