Corey Perry is right winger for the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. Drafted out of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he captured a Memorial Cup with the London Knights and a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships during his major junior career. He was selected by the Ducks 28th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2007. In 2008, Perry's numbers improved as he scored 29 goals and recorded 25 assists. In 2009, Perry scored 72 points and was named to his first NHL All-Star team. Perry continued his success in 2010 as he scored 27 goals and had 49 assists. In 2010, he won the Olympic Gold Medal with Canada at the Vancouver Games. In 2011, Perry won the Hart Trophy as the National Hockey League MVP for the 2010-11 season. He led the NHL in goals with 50 and finished 3rd in points behind Daniel Sedin and Martin St. Louis with 98 points.
Minor hockey
Perry was born on May 16, 1985 in Peterborough, Ontario. He grew up playing hockey with the Peterborough Tiny Petes AAA organization of the OMHA in the Eastern AAA league. In 2001, Perry led his Petes to a victory in the inaugural OHL Cup Bantam AAA championship held in Peterborough. Perry had a great year. He scored 73 goals in 67 games.
Junior Hockey
Perry was drafted fifth overall into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) by the London Knights in the 2001 Priority Draft. He immediately produced at a point-per-game pace for the Knights, recording 59 points in 60 games in his rookie season. The following year, his NHL draft year, Perry improved to 78 points and was selected 28th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Perry attended Saunders Secondary School in London as he remained with the Knights for two more seasons and was nearly traded by the Ducks in the NHL season immediately after his draft. It was reported that Perry was to be sent to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Mike Comrie, but the trade never materialized as Oilers' GM Kevin Lowe asked Comrie to repay a portion of his bonus money.
In the 2003-2004 season, Perry scored 40 goals and recorded 73 assists for 113 points in just 66 games. He became the first London Knight to reach 100 points in a season since Jason Allison did it back in 1994. During the season, the Ducks were talking about trading Perry to the Edmonton Oilers for Mike Comrie. The Oilers agreed to acquire Perry for Comrie, however, there was one problem. Edmonton felt that Comrie should return $2.5 million. Comrie refused and the trade fell through. In the playoffs, Perry scored 7 more goals. His great success earned him a call-up to the Ducks' top farm team, in Cincinnati. Perry was named OHL First-Team All Star after the season.
Entering his fourth and final year with the Knights in 2004–05, Perry scored a junior career high 130 points in 60 games. He went on to post an additional 38 points in the post-season to capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions, en route to a Memorial Cup championship. In 18 postseason games, Perry scored 11 goals and handed out 27 assists. The Knights swept Sidney Crosby's Rimouski Club in the final.
Anaheim Ducks
Perry made his debut with the Ducks the following season, in 2005–06, however, he was sent down to the American Hockey League early in the year, along with fellow rookie and future linemate Ryan Getzlaf. Perry scored his first career goal against the Edmonton Oilers on October 10. In his first 4 career games, Perry recorded a point in each of them. Perry recorded his first career muilt-goal game against the Los Angeles Kings on January 28. In the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Perry had no goals but did record 3 assists. However, the Ducks lost to the Oilers to end their season. Perry and Getzlaf combined for 67 points in 36 games with the Portland Pirates and were subsequently called back to the Ducks. Perry finished his rookie season with 25 points in 56 games with Anaheim.
In 2006–07, Perry improved to 44 points in a full 82 games, playing with Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Penner on a combination dubbed the "Kid Line". He went on in the playoffs to win a Stanley Cup championship with the Ducks, recording 15 points in 21 games. Perry assisted on a goal in game one against the Senators in the Stanley Cup Finals. In game three, he scored a goal that helped the Ducks take the lead. After the Senators tied the socre, Perry assisted on Getzlaf's goal as the Ducks took the lead again. However, the Senators scored the last three goals of the game and won, 5-3. In the final game, Perry scored a goal and had an assist.
The following year, in 2007–08, Perry increased his totals to 29 goals and 54 points and was named to his first NHL All-Star Game as an injury replacement, along with Scott Niedermayer, to join Chris Pronger and Ryan Getzlaf as four Ducks on the Western Conference squad. Perry also made Ducks history. On January 4, in a game against the Blackhawks, Perry scored a goal just 16 seconds into the game. It was the fastest goal ever by a Duck in a home game. The Ducks would lose to the Dallas Stars in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perry played in 3 games and had 2 goals and a assist. In the off-season, on July 1, 2008, Perry signed a five-year contract extension with the Ducks worth $26.625 million – identical to a deal Getzlaf had agreed to the previous off-season.
2008–09 was a breakout year for Perry. He led the Ducks with 32 goals, and finished second on the team with 72 points. On November 1, Perry recorded 5 points in a game against the Canucks, 4 in which were assists, a career high. On January 3, Perry was suspended for 4 games for elbowing Flyers forward Claude Giroux during the third period of the game the previous night. Perry finished the season by scoring 4 goals in the last 5 games. He contributed eight goals and six assists during the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs that saw the Ducks advance to Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the rival Detroit Red Wings, who ultimately ended the Ducks season with the Game 7 victory. Perry scored the Ducks second goal of that game. In Game 1, Perry scored a goal but the Ducks lost, 3-2. The Ducks won Game 2 as Perry dished out 2 assists. After recording no points in a Ducks win in Game 3, Perry scored 2 goals and also dished out an assist in Game 4 but the Ducks lost the game, 6-3. In Game 7, the Ducks lost the game despite Perry scoring a goal and dishing out an assist.
In 2009–10, Perry had a 19-game point streak going until it was snapped on December 4, 2009, against the Dallas Stars. Perry ended the year with 76 points, which led the team. In the process, Perry led the Ducks in penally minutes. He was second on the club with 27 goals, only Bobby Ryan had more with 28. Perry also was second on team with 49 assists. Only Getzlaf had more assists with 50.In 2010–11, Perry led the league with 50 goals, winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. He reached the feat with a hat trick against the San Jose Sharks on April 6, 2011. With 48 assists, he finished the season 98 points, which ranked third in the league. Perry was also chosen to the 2011 NHL All Star Game, where he won the Shootout Elimination Challenge in the Skills Competition. Perry recorded his first career hat trick in a game against the Minnesota Wild on December 12. He also recorded 2 assists in the game and had a total of 5 points. After the All Star Game, Perry had a monster second half. From February 2–18, Perry recorded at least a point in 7 consecutive games. He recorded his second career hat trick on February 5 against the Colorado Avalanche. His third goal of the game was in an empty net. In the process, Perry became just the fourth Ducks player to score all three of his team's goal in a game. Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and Bobby Ryan were the others.
By the near end of the season, Perry continued on a tear. On March 9, Perry scored 2 more goals. It was his 32nd and 33rd goal of the season. He surpassed his career high in goals in a season. Perry scored another goal in a win against Colorado. In the next game, he scored the only 2 goals as the Ducks lost to the Cyotes.From March 19 through April 6, Perry recorded a least a point in 10 consecutive games. Perry took the league lead from Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning when he scored 2 goals against the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks. He recorded his third career hat trick in a game against the San Jose Sharks on April 6. His third goal of the game gave him his 50th of the season.
Led by Perry's late season surge, the Ducks finished with 99 points, good for 4th best in the Western Conference. They would meet the Nashiville Predators in the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After scoring no points in the first game, Perry showed why he was one of the best players in the league. He scored the Ducks first goal on a power play in game 2 against Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. Late in the second period, Perry set up Getzlaf's goal that gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead. Near the end of the game, Perry set up Bobby Ryan's empty net goal as the Ducks went on to win, 5-3. In Game 3, Perry recorded 2 assists but the Ducks fell, 4-3. In Game 4, Perry set up Cam Fowler's power play goal early in the first period. In the early part of the third period, Perry scored a shorthanded goal that gave Anaheim the lead. The Ducks never looked back as they won, 6-3. However, the Ducks would lose the last 2 games and was eliminated. Perry recorded no points in the last 2 losses. In the series, Perry scored 2 goals and handed out 6 assists.
At the end of the 2011 NHL Season, Perry won the Hart Trophy, winning over finalists Daniel Sedin and Martin St. Louis, as the MVP of the regular season. He became the first Ducks player to win the Hart Trophy and the first Ducks player to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy since Selanne won it in 1999.
