Ryan Getzlaf tears up in special moment of his press conference

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that he will retire at the conclusion of the regular season, ending his 17-year NHL career spent entirely with one club.

This was an emotional day for the veteran forward, who held the presser in front of his family, and took the time to thank a special person that inspired him throughout his career.

Getzlaf got emotional and teared up as he thanked former teammate and now Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry, his “best friend.”

”We started out on this journey together. It would have been nice to finish it together, but (hockey) is what it is.”

He also expressed how he is going to miss playing, and being part of such a wonderful team, and group of people.

“Team is everything for me. That’s what I’m going to miss the most. Showing up at the rink and going to battle with guys.”

Getzlaf and Perry won the Stanley Cup together during their second NHL season back in 2007, teaming up with Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Jean-Sébastien Giguère as the Ducks became the first California club to claim hockey’s ultimate prize.

Perry was released in 2019 by the Ducks and is now a member of the Lightning.

The Ducks are not contenders and will miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

Getzlaf scored 1,013 points in 1,150 games since his NHL debut in October 2005 with the then-Mighty Ducks. He became Anaheim’s career franchise scoring leader last Oct. 31, and then became the 92nd player in league history to score 1,000 points on Nov. 16. Getzlaf also leads the Ducks in career games played and assists (731). He has been Anaheim’s captain for the past 12 seasons.

He is a Stanley Cup champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada, a three-time NHL All-Star and the runner-up for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP in 2014.

While the Ducks’ last game of the season come on April 29 against the Stars in Dallas, Getzlaf’s last NHL contest will be on April 24 at home against the visiting St. Louis Blues.

This was a very special and emotional press conference: