Foes to friends: Pavelski, Perry share unique bond in quest for Cup

Two of the most fierce competitors in the Pacific Division, Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski traded jabs and face-washes for more than a decade as members of the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, respectively.
Both signed with the Stars as free agents in the summer of 2019, and when they were sitting at a table doing a Zoom call from Edmonton recently, the image looking back made them laugh.

"I think it's great," said Pavelski Friday as he relived the press conference. "A few games ago, we did one of these and I just kind of looked up at the screen and saw it, and I just kind of started laughing. This is great, here in the playoffs with Corey Perry. It's been awesome. There's tons of experience, we've competed against each other for a long time, it's fun to be on the same side."
Especially when they are preparing to compete in the Stanley Cup Final -- and both have been through significant challenges.
Perry won the Stanley Cup as a rookie with Anaheim in 2007 and became the franchise's second leading scorer over a 14-year career. However, he suffered a knee injury in 2018-19 and the Ducks decided they needed to move forward. So they bought out the final two years of his contract, basically paying him $8 million to not play for the team.

That was a tough moment for the iconic player, but he said he understood the business and had to move on.
"That wasn't the easiest conversation we had, but it is what it is," Perry said. "They wanted to go a different way, and you have to respect them on that side of it. Like I said all along, there were no hard feelings. Everybody knows it's a business and you go about it."
It's worked out well for Perry, who signed a one-year deal with Dallas, but it hasn't been easy. He hurt his foot in the original training camp and got off to a slow start. He tallied 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists) in 57 games while averaging just 13:43 per game. It was a transition into a new world, but Perry dug in and he has become an important part of the team's grinding net front presence on the power play in the playoffs.
"You end one chapter, and you start a new chapter, and hopefully we continue this here," Perry said. "But to think about it, it's been 15, 16 months that have gone by and we're still playing the same season, so it is a little weird."
The same goes for Pavelski. He signed a three-year deal that averages $7 million, so he a little more stability. He's also averaging 18 minutes a game, so he's playing a bigger role. Still, he too has had to adapt to a significant transition away from the only team he knew.

After it was clear he couldn't stay in San Jose, Pavelski narrowed his free agent choices to Dallas and Tampa Bay.
"For me, if I was going to be leaving San Jose I wanted to go where I was going to have a good chance to win," Pavelski said Friday. "For me, I liked the goalies here, I liked their structure defensively, they don't give up a lot of goals, and you need that especially in the playoffs to find those types of wins. And there is some high-end talent on this team, as well."
All of that has proved important in the playoffs. One, it has helped put Pavelski in position to help win some tight games. Two, it has helped put Pavelski on the ice with players like Alexander Radulov, Denis Gurianov and Miro Heiskanen.
Of course, Pavelski has also been able to play with Perry, and as surreal as that seems, the two have formed a very strong combo both on and off the ice.
"When you start to build a team, and you want to add some pieces, and all of a sudden names like Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry pop up. They've had success where they've been, they still are driven to be even better, and it's how they affect other players," Stars general manager Jim Nill said.

"They've taught me things, and I think they've taught the coaching staff things. They're winners, and there is a reason you want those players on your team. I'm so happy for those guys, they've come together and gelled this team and pulled us through a lot of this."
And had a few laughs along the way.
"There are lots of battles that we've gone through, regular season, playoffs, whatever it may be…Internationally," said Perry, who has been a stalwart of Team Canada and played against Pavelski's Team USA on many occasions
"There's been a lot of hockey played between us," Perry said. "It's nice to be sitting here beside him right now and doing this."
And he wasn't just talking about another Zoom call.

Stanley Cup Final: Stars vs. Lightning, Game 1

Tonight, 6:30 p.m. CT
Where:Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV:NBC, Ch. 5
Radio:The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.