- Mike Ricci
-
Mike Ricci Born October 27, 1971
Scarborough, ON, CANHeight 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) Position Centre Shot Left Played for Philadelphia Flyers
Quebec Nordiques
Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks
Phoenix CoyotesNational team Canada NHL Draft 4th overall, 1990
Philadelphia FlyersPlaying career 1990–2007 Michael Ricci (born October 27, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes.
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Playing career
Mike Ricci went to St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic school. He grew up in Scarborough, Ontario playing hockey in the former Metro Toronto Hockey League (now Greater Toronto Hockey League). He was a 2nd round pick of the OHL's Peterborough Petes in 1987 after a strong season with the Toronto Marlboros Bantams.
Ricci was also a talented soccer player growing up playing for the Scarborough Blues program with his cousin, Paul Peschisolido,[1] who would go on to a solid international career. Ricci's father Mario was a professional soccer player in Italy before emigrating to Canada.
Ricci was selected 4th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He had come off of three stellar seasons with the Peterborough Petes, and was dubbed a cannot-miss prospect. Ricci lasted only two years in Philadelphia, as in the summer of 1992 he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in the Eric Lindros blockbuster trade.
Ricci would have a career year in his first season with the Nordiques, scoring 78 points. The next season, 1993–94, he would score a career-high 30 goals, with 5 of those coming in one game against the San Jose Sharks. In 1996, Ricci and the Colorado Avalanche would win a Stanley Cup following the franchises relocation from Quebec. On November 21, 1997, Ricci would begin a new endeavor with the Sharks, the same team against whom he had scored 5 goals.
Ricci quickly became an elite defensive centreman with San Jose, but he never was able to regain the offensive prowess of his earlier years. Ricci was an essential cog to San Jose's success, and was there when the team made its first trip to the Western Conference Final in 2004. San Jose fans admired Ricci for his gritty style of play and were saddened when he was let go.
In 2005, Ricci switched his uniform number to 40 in honor of former National Football League (NFL) player Pat Tillman, who was killed in action while serving for the U.S. Army.[2] The two had met in San Jose. Ricci played the 2005–06 season with the Phoenix Coyotes.
On August 13, 2007, Ricci announced his retirement after telling The Peterborough Examiner that he had not recovered from neck surgery as well as he had hoped.[3]
Ricci rejoined the San Jose Sharks organization in the 2007–08 season as an advisor, [4] and was introduced at the Sharks' rescheduled Opening Night festivities on October 18, 2007.
Mike Ricci is known for donning a witch's hat in a commercial for ESPN. He is also known for his long hair.
Acting
Ricci had a bit-part as Elmer Lach in the 2005 Quebec film The Rocket, about the life of Maurice Richard.[5] Out of several NHL players who appear in the film, Ricci and Sean Avery are the only ones with any dialogue.
Awards
- Stanley Cup champion – 1996
- Named to the OHL Second All-Star Team (1989)
- Named to the OHL First All-Star Team (1990)
- Named the OHL MVP (1990)
- Named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year (1990)
Records
- San Jose Sharks' franchise record for consecutive games played (228)
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1986–87 Toronto Marlboros MTHL 38 39 42 81 27 — — — — — 1987–88 Peterborough Petes OHL 41 24 37 61 20 12 7 6 13 12 1988–89 Peterborough Petes OHL 60 54 52 106 43 17 19 16 35 18 1989–90 Peterborough Petes OHL 60 52 64 116 39 — — — — — 1990–91 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 68 21 20 41 64 — — — — — 1991–92 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 78 20 36 56 93 — — — — — 1992–93 Quebec Nordiques NHL 77 27 51 78 123 6 0 6 6 8 1993–94 Quebec Nordiques NHL 83 30 21 51 113 — — — — — 1994–95 Quebec Nordiques NHL 48 15 21 36 40 6 1 3 4 8 1995–96 Colorado Avalanche NHL 62 6 21 27 52 22 6 11 17 18 1996–97 Colorado Avalanche NHL 63 13 19 32 59 17 2 4 6 17 1997–98 Colorado Avalanche NHL 6 0 4 4 2 — — — — — 1997–98 San Jose Sharks NHL 59 9 14 23 30 6 1 3 4 6 1998–99 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 13 26 39 68 6 2 3 5 10 1999–00 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 20 24 44 60 12 5 1 6 2 2000–01 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 22 22 44 60 6 0 3 3 0 2001–02 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 19 34 53 44 12 4 6 10 4 2002–03 San Jose Sharks NHL 75 11 23 34 53 — — — — — 2003–04 San Jose Sharks NHL 71 7 19 26 40 17 2 3 5 4 2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 78 10 6 16 69 — — — — — 2006–07 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 7 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 2006–07 San Antonio Rampage AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — NHL totals 1099 243 362 605 979 110 23 43 66 77 Medal record Competitor for Canada Ice hockey World Championships Gold 1994 Bolzano World Junior Championships Gold 1990 Helsinki International
Year Team Comp GP G A Pts PIM 1989 Canada WJC 7 5 2 7 6 1990 Canada WJC 5 0 4 4 0 1994 Canada WC 8 2 1 3 8 Junior int'l totals 12 5 6 11 6 Senior int'l totals 8 2 1 3 8 See also
- List of NHL players with 1000 games played
References
- ^ Rivett, Al (2008-05-14). "Pesch ponders his next move". newsdurhamregion.com. http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/featured/article/98895. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ Associated Press (2004-09-09). "Tillman was killed April 22 in Afghanistan". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1877716&classif=. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ Clifford, Dale (2007-08-14). "Ricci retires from NHL". The Peterborough Examiner. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=652490&catname=Sports&classif=. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
- ^ Wharnsby, Tim (October 13, 2007). "Pair of old warriors join Sharks". The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071013.WBhockeyblog20071013112649/WBStory/WBhockeyblog/. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ Canadian Press (2006-04-19). "Ricci, Avery, Lecavalier have roles in 'The Rocket'". CTV. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060419/the_rocket_NHL_060419?s_name=&no_ads=&classif=. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
External links
- Mike Ricci's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Mike Ricci at Hockey-Reference.com
- Mike Ricci's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Mike Ricci's NHL player profile
- Mike Ricci at the Internet Movie Database
Preceded by
Bryan FogartyCHL Player of the Year
1990Succeeded by
Eric LindrosPreceded by
Claude BoivinPhiladelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
1990Succeeded by
Peter ForsbergPreceded by
Owen NolanSan Jose Sharks captain
2003
first 10 gamesSucceeded by
Vincent DamphousseCategories:- 1971 births
- Canadian ice hockey centres
- Colorado Avalanche players
- Ice hockey people from Ontario
- Living people
- National Hockey League first round draft picks
- People from Scarborough, Ontario
- Peterborough Petes alumni
- Philadelphia Flyers draft picks
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Phoenix Coyotes players
- Quebec Nordiques players
- San Antonio Rampage players
- San Jose Sharks
- San Jose Sharks coaches
- San Jose Sharks players
- Stanley Cup champions
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