Steve Rucchin

Steve Andrew Rucchin (/ˈruːtʃɪn/; born July 4, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for three teams in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Steve Rucchin
Born (1971-07-04) July 4, 1971
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
New York Rangers
Atlanta Thrashers
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 1994 NHL Supplemental Draft
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Playing career 1994–2007

Playing career

Rucchin played high school hockey for Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London, Ontario. His coach happened to also be an assistant with the University of Western Ontario and recruited him. He was an Ontario University All-Star in three of his four seasons there, and was named Player of the Year and First-team All-Canadian in his senior season. He was drafted 2nd overall in the 1994 NHL Supplemental Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.[1]

He soon centered Anaheim's top line with Paul Kariya and Teemu Selänne, a major feat for a former CIS player. Though there are numerous former NCAA players in the NHL, Canadian Interuniversity Sport alumni are few and far between in the NHL, let alone a top line center. Rucchin was an alternate captain from 2000–2003, and captain in 2003–05. In the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Rucchin earned his spot in Mighty Ducks immortality when he helped the Ducks upset the Detroit Red Wings in a sweep of four games by scoring the game-winning and series-clinching overtime goal in Game 4. At the 1998 World Championship in Switzerland, he and his older brother Larry made history when they faced each other, with Steve playing for Canada, while Larry played for Italy.

In August 2005, he was traded to the New York Rangers for minor-league enforcer Trevor Gillies and a conditional 2007 draft pick in a move to dump salary.[2] He ranks fifth in Ducks history in assists (279), goals (153), points (432), and game-winning goals (23). Known as a great locker-room teammate, he provided veteran leadership in 2005–06, as an alternate captain (along with Jaromir Jagr and Darius Kasparaitis) on a young Rangers team.

On July 3, 2006, Rucchin signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers. In his 47th game with the Thrashers, on March 6, 2007, he suffered a concussion on a hit by Ben Guite of the Colorado Avalanche.[3] He was ruled out for the remainder of the season with post-concussion syndrome. Prior to the 2007-08 season, Rucchin failed a physical at training camp and sat out the final year of his contract effectively ending his professional career.[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1989–90 Thamesford Trojans SOJHL 2 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
1990–91 University of Western Ontario OUAA 34 13 16 29 14 — — — — —
1991–92 University of Western Ontario OUAA 37 28 34 62 36 — — — — —
1992–93 University of Western Ontario OUAA 34 22 26 48 16 — — — — —
1993–94 University of Western Ontario OUAA 35 30 23 53 30 — — — — —
1994–95 San Diego Gulls IHL 41 11 15 26 14 — — — — —
1994–95 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 43 6 11 17 23 — — — — —
1995–96 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 64 19 25 44 12 — — — — —
1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 79 19 48 67 24 8 1 2 3 10
1997–98 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 72 17 36 53 13 — — — — —
1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 69 23 39 62 22 4 0 3 3 0
1999–2000 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 71 19 38 57 16 — — — — —
2000–01 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 16 3 5 8 0 — — — — —
2001–02 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 38 7 16 23 6 — — — — —
2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 82 20 38 58 12 21 7 3 10 2
2003–04 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 82 20 23 43 12 — — — — —
2005–06 New York Rangers NHL 72 13 23 36 10 4 1 0 1 0
2006–07 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 47 5 16 21 14 — — — — —
NHL totals 735 171 318 489 164 37 9 8 17 12

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1998 Canada WC 6th 61232
Senior totals 61232

Personal life

Rucchin currently resides in London, Ontario, and frequently travels to Anaheim, California.

References
  1. "Ducks aren't quite as tough as Mustangs". University of Western Ontario. 2006-07-03. Archived from the original on 2011-05-15. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  2. "Veterans Rucchin and Leclerc are traded to free cap room". OC Register. 2005-08-24. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  3. "Belanger on the move again". The Globe and Mail. 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  4. "Steve Rucchin news and notes". Canada.com. 2007-09-16. Archived from the original on 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
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