Perry named NHL's player of the month.
The latest accolade for Corey Perry might not be the last.
The Ducks' right wing was named the NHL's Player of the Month on Friday. He finished March with a league-leading 15 goals, bringing his league-leading season total to 46 and becoming just the fifth NHL player since Jan. 1997 to score 15 goals in a single month.
The first question he took on a national conference call was about what might be next: The Rocket Richard Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's leading goal-scorer.
"I don't know if you can ever say that you're going to win it," Perry said. "I mean, you have to have a lot of great bounces and teammates to play with. I have to give a lot of credit to them. Recently it's been going well, and you know, I'm just trying to help the team win. That's all I'm worried about."
Perry's 15 goals were the most in a single month in franchise history. Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne previously shared the record (Kariya had 13 in January, 2000 and Selanne recorded 13 in November, 1997).
For the season, Perry is also tied for first in the league game-winning goals (10, also Daniel Sedin and Alex Ovechkin). He's tied for fourth in points (89) and power-play goals (12), and tied for eighth in short-handed goals (3). He also ranks second among all NHL forwards in ice time (22:07), which is also first among all right wingers.
"You just go into every game expecting to play well," Perry said. "Things happened in March that doesn't happen very often. It's one of those things where you go out, you play your game, and you see what happens. But you know, March was a good month, and hopefully there's more to come."
March was a good month for a few Ducks.
The Ducks' right wing was named the NHL's Player of the Month on Friday. He finished March with a league-leading 15 goals, bringing his league-leading season total to 46 and becoming just the fifth NHL player since Jan. 1997 to score 15 goals in a single month.
The first question he took on a national conference call was about what might be next: The Rocket Richard Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's leading goal-scorer.
"I don't know if you can ever say that you're going to win it," Perry said. "I mean, you have to have a lot of great bounces and teammates to play with. I have to give a lot of credit to them. Recently it's been going well, and you know, I'm just trying to help the team win. That's all I'm worried about."
Perry's 15 goals were the most in a single month in franchise history. Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne previously shared the record (Kariya had 13 in January, 2000 and Selanne recorded 13 in November, 1997).
For the season, Perry is also tied for first in the league game-winning goals (10, also Daniel Sedin and Alex Ovechkin). He's tied for fourth in points (89) and power-play goals (12), and tied for eighth in short-handed goals (3). He also ranks second among all NHL forwards in ice time (22:07), which is also first among all right wingers.
"You just go into every game expecting to play well," Perry said. "Things happened in March that doesn't happen very often. It's one of those things where you go out, you play your game, and you see what happens. But you know, March was a good month, and hopefully there's more to come."
March was a good month for a few Ducks.
Led by several standout performances, the Ducks finished the month with an 11-3-0 mark, tying the club record for wins in any single
month (also 11 in March, 2006). Ryan Getzlaf one point behind Perry, collecting 2-18=20 points in 14 contests. Lubomir Visnovsky posted a plus-13 rating, one ahead of Getzlaf. Teemu Selanne's 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) was one behind Getzlaf.
Asked if he's picked up anything from playing the 40-year-old Selanne, Perry said, "just the way he trains himself off the ice."
"Just watching him over the past six years has been enough for me. You know, he comes in every day, like I said, with a smile on his face. He loves the game, and the way he works in practice is truly amazing at 40 years old. It doesn't seem like he's aging at all, and hopefully he comes back for a couple more years. We have a running joke in the dressing room that we are three-quarters of the way there, getting him to come back, so hopefully he's listening to us."
Asked if he's picked up anything from playing the 40-year-old Selanne, Perry said, "just the way he trains himself off the ice."
"Just watching him over the past six years has been enough for me. You know, he comes in every day, like I said, with a smile on his face. He loves the game, and the way he works in practice is truly amazing at 40 years old. It doesn't seem like he's aging at all, and hopefully he comes back for a couple more years. We have a running joke in the dressing room that we are three-quarters of the way there, getting him to come back, so hopefully he's listening to us."
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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