Troy Terry, Cam Fowler and, most likely, Mason McTavish were among the names considered for the leadership role for the Ducks. However, Gudas, who charmed everyone after his arrival from Florida in California last year, was ‘laughing’.
And not only because of his reliable performances in the new jersey (6+12 in 66 matches), but also because of his friendly attitude towards younger players, advice, and overall attitude in the cabin. The fearless Czech bearded man immediately became a favorite of teammates and fans thanks to his relentless playing style.
Photo: Vlastimil Vacek, Sport.cz
Radko Gudas with the cup for the 2024 world champions.
And now the captaincy will be added to his pile of tasks. “I am honored to be named captain of the Ducks and lead our team into an exciting era. I take pride in the confidence that (general manager) Pat (Verbeek), our management, coaches and teammates have placed in me. I look forward to representing the Ducks on and off the ice,” the ninth captain in Anaheim history said in a statement.
The Ducks have been captainless for the past two seasons following the departure of iconic forward Ryan Getzlaf. Among his predecessors with the label were real hockey talents: Paul Kariya, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger… Gudas will have someone to follow in his thirteenth season in the NHL.
“Radko proved to be a natural leader who embodies all the qualities of a captain. He has the respect of his teammates and management,” said GM Verbeek. “Given how many young players we have, we wanted a veteran to lead our team. Radko is an example of what it means to be a professional, how to behave on the ice, off it and in the community. He is a mentor to our youngsters who will become the future leaders of the team.”
Before Gudas, Jaromír Jágr (Pittsburgh 1998-01; New York Rangers, 2006-08), Patrik Eliáš (New Jersey, 2006-07), Robert Holík (Atlanta, 2007-08) and Milan Hejduk wore the Czech name in the NHL. (Colorado, 2011-12). Jaroslav Špaček (Buffalo) and Filip Kuba (Minnesota) were also captains, but in both cases only for a month.
As Verbeek mentioned, the Ducks have a large group of promising youngsters (Trevor Zegras, McTavish, Olen Zellweger, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Pavel Minťukov, Cutter Gauthier), but Anaheim fans will have to be patient for a little while longer. Last season, the Ducks lost 39 points in the playoffs. But the new captain Gudas will do everything so that this deficit against the competition starts to decrease drastically.
