It's Troy Terry's Time as Ducks Veteran Enters Stanley Cup Playoffs for the First Time

It's been 488 regular season games.

135 goals.

207 assists.

2,900+ days.

The wait for Troy Terry has been lengthy enough, and now it’s his time to finally embark on his first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance.  

The 2015 fifth-round selection of the Ducks has come a long way from learning how to be a pro from former teammates like longtime Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf. Now eight seasons since the club last made the postseason, No. 19 is finally getting his shot.

“It’s been a bit of a process since I’ve been here,” Terry said. “Just the amount of change that’s gone on and the retooling or rebuilding. I know for everyone in here, and selfishly for me, it means a lot.”

While Terry was briefly part of the 2017-18 Ducks team that last earned a playoff berth, he played just two games that season and didn’t appear in the postseason.

Since then, he’s endured his share of losing seasons and coaching changes. He’s said goodbye to multiple veterans either by retirement or transaction. Said hello, hej, ahoj, or hei to numerous new teammates. And oh yeah, stayed the course when a global pandemic impacted the league in multiple ways.

So spare Terry when he uses the term “selfish.” It’s been a journey, but one the right winger doesn’t take for granted.

“It’s been challenging at times but it’s exciting to be where we are,” he said. “Everything’s coming together. We’re not just happy to make the playoffs, but I’m just excited.”

That anticipation is felt all throughout Orange Country. The team finished third in the Pacific Division with a 43-33-6 record, its first winning season since 2018. The Ducks’ 92 points gave them their best season since the last time they made the playoffs, ending their eight-year drought. Anaheim’s 265 goals during the season also eclipsed a franchise record.

Though he only played 61 games while battling through a combination of upper and lower-body injuries, Terry’s 57 points (19-38=57) were his best total since the 2022-23 season (23-38=61). He was one of six Ducks players who reached at least 50 points this year, tied for the most in a single season in franchise history since 2006-07, and he led the team in plus/minus at +11.

The Ducks play south of Hollywood, but their season has had a flair for the dramatic. The “Cardiac Quacks” had an NHL record 26 comeback wins, and Terry himself has six goals and 12 points in the final 5:00 of regulation this season. He also scored 2-4=6 points on game-tying or game-winning goals in the final 2:00 of regulation and OT.

That was never more impactful than in Anaheim’s regular season finale, a crucial 5-4 victory in Nashville that improved the Ducks’ playoff positioning. Terry took a Predators high stick to the face with just under four minutes left in regulation with the score tied 4-4.

Nashville was levied a 4-minute penalty due to Terry getting cut. After getting his lip tended to on the bench, he returned to the game, and with 2:54 left, he capitalized on a shot from Mikael Granlund to punch the rebound into the net for the eventual game-winning goal.

Grit personified.

“I think in the last period,” head coach Joel Quenneville said, “we got ignited there. Let’s get excited about these playoffs and let’s don’t think it’s going to be an on-off switch come playoff time.”

And now, playoff time is here.

Led by Quenneville, who has three Stanley Cup championships and earned his 1,000th win earlier this season, the head coach has certainly been a guiding force to bringing this group along for their remarkable turnaround.

"He's won a lot of hockey games, a lot of playoff hockey games,” Terry said over the weekend of his head coach. “He's won Cups, and just to see his excitement (at practice) today, you can tell, it’s like Christmas to him, just being able to gameplan for one team and just the whole playoff format and the atmosphere.”

Much like eight years ago when he sought advice, soaking in everything he could as a pupil in the NHL, Terry’s doing it again despite being a 28-year-old veteran. He said he’s spoken to the Ducks’ all-time leading scorer in the leadup to the series with Edmonton that begins tonight.

Getzy’s advice? “Just enjoy it.”

No longer the quiet youngster, Terry’s long-awaited time is now. And he’s ready for him and his teammates to make a statement.

“At the end of the day, I think we have a lot of difference-makers in here, and I put myself into that category,” Terry said. “Just try to be a leader on the team. We have some guys in here who have won Cups and played a long time. [I] just try to do things the right way and be kind of an example, but I want to be a difference-maker.”