Long time rivals Ryan Getzlaf and Jonathan Quick embrace and mark the end of an era.
That is what hockey is all about.
It wasn't his last game in the National Hockey League but it certainly did have that type of feel to it on Saturday night, and full credit to the Los Angeles Kings for showing such a tremendous amount of class and respect towards a man that has been a bitter rival of theirs for well over a decade now.
As many of you reading this will already know, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has announced that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2021 - 2022 National Hockey League regular season and that meant that on Saturday night he was playing against the Los Angeles Kings and playing at the Staples Center for the very last time in his professional hockey career.
During his long tenured career with the Ducks in Anaheim Getzlaf has felt just how intense the Southern California hockey rivalry can be with team's like the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks all crowding that SoCal hockey market and all bringing in their own legion of loyal fans. That has resulted in some rough times on the ice between the aforementioned teams but thankfully everyone was able to put that behind them on Saturday night and celebrate Getzlaf for his incredible hockey career.
The moment of the night however would come during the closing moments of the night, when the entire Los Angeles Kings team lined up at center ice to give Getzlaf a ceremonial handshake, a sign of respect. In that long line of Kings was another long time veteran of the SoCal hockey rivalry, veteran Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick who was drafted just 2 years after Getzlaf was and who like Getzlaf has played his entire career in Southern California. The moment shared between Quick and Getzlaf, 2 men who in theory would have every reason to hate one another, was something to behold.
As Getzlaf reached Quick in the handshake line the 2 men shared a brief handshake before eventually embracing in a full on hug, a sign of the mutual respect the 2 long time rivals hold for one another. That ladies and gentlemen is what this sport is all about.
Here's a longer video of the whole handshake line:
