Mike Ricci
Michael " Mike" Ricci ( born October 27, 1971 in Scarborough, Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player of Italian descent who was active in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes.
Career
Mike Ricci began his career in 1987 in the Canadian Junior Football League OHL with the Peterborough Petes, where he scored in his first season 61 points in 41 games. His best year in the OHL he had in 1989/90 when he scored 116 points and was voted the best player in the OHL and the entire Canadian Hockey League. Added to this came the distinction of being the fairest player in the OHL.
The following NHL Entry Draft 1990, he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round at position four and joined the team. There he sat down and played immediately by two convincing years for Philadelphia.
In the summer of 1992, he was part of probably the largest transfer business in the history of the NHL. Along with Ron Hextall, Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Chris Simon, two first-round draft picks and 15 million dollars, he was transferred for Eric Lindros Quebec Nordiques to the. In his first season for the Nordiques he managed with 78 points, a personal best, which he has not reached again. 1993/94 with 30 goals he set another record. Alone five of the 30 goals he scored in a game against the San Jose Sharks.
1995 attracted the Quebec Nordiques to Denver and named by Colorado Avalanche. Ricci went with to Colorado and was part of the team that won the Stanley Cup in the 1995/96 season. He achieved this in the 22 playoff games 17 points.
In November 1997 he was transferred to the San Jose Sharks, where he became one of the best defensive forwards of the National Hockey League. However, this declined his points haul. The NHL Awards 2000 he was nominated for the Selke Trophy Frank J., awarded to the best defensive forward in the league. In the 2003 /04 season, he was an important support for the team, for the first time in its history, the Western Conference Finals reached and he wore in the first ten games, the "C" as team captain.
In summer 2004, Ricci has signed a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, but had to wait for his first appearance a year since the NHL season was canceled in 2004/05 because of the lockout. In the season 2005/ 06 he then gave his debut with the Coyotes. It was the worst season in his career. He scored only 16 points, was in the plus / minus rating at -22 and missed the playoffs with the team.
In the summer of 2006 he moved to a serious injury to the neck and missed both the training camp and the first 20 games of the season Coyotes. On November 20, 2006, he returned to the squad of Phoenix, but stood until the beginning of January only seven times in the main contingent of the team. Ricci's advisers said on 4 January 2007, that Ricci and his family advice and will then make a decision whether he continues his career in Phoenix or possibly even completed. Ricci came initially to the decision to continue his career, played in the season 2006/ 07 no longer a game.
In August 2007, Ricci finally the end of his career was known.
Ricci was considered a very good defensive forward who was especially strong in Bullies. He was also a leading figure in almost any of its teams. So he wore the "A" as an alternative captain for the Quebec Nordiques, the Stanley Cup victory of the Colorado Avalanche at the San Jose Sharks and finally in Phoenix.
A few weeks after the announcement of his career end Ricci returned as Advisor of Hockey Operations back into the organization of the San Jose Sharks.
Others
- Mike Ricci had in 2005 in the film Maurice Richard, on the same hockey player, made some appearances in the role of Elmer Lach. It had other NHL players played in the film, but Ricci was the only one who had the text.
- Since 2005, Ricci wore the jersey number 40 in honor of American football player Pat Tillman, who was for the United States Army in Afghanistan, and there died. Both had met in San Jose.