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IRVINE, Calif. -- Radko Gudas has been named the first captain of the Anaheim Ducks since Ryan Getzlaf's retirement two seasons ago. The Ducks made the announcement on the first day of training camp Thursday. "I'm really thrilled that the guys think of me in this way," Gudas said. "I want to help guys and lead in the right way. It's a tremendous honor, and I want to do everything possible in my power to help everybody and be the right person that they need me to be." Gudas, 34, joined Anaheim a year ago as a free agent. The Czech defenseman had 6 goals, 12 assists and 128 penalty minutes last season while providing badly needed veteran leadership for the Ducks' talented young core. Gudas is the ninth captain in Ducks history. He is their first European captain since Teemu Selanne, who served as co-captain with Paul Kariya during the 1997-98 season. The Ducks spent the past two seasons without a captain for the first time in team history following the retirement of Getzlaf, who had been their captain for 12 seasons since 2010. The playmaking center was by far Anaheim's longest-serving captain. Anaheim went with a series of alternate captains instead for the past two seasons, most prominently veteran defenseman Cam Fowler, who has been with the Ducks for his entire NHL career since 2010. Gudas' appointment by general manager Pat Verbeek and second-year head coach Greg Cronin establishes a more traditional leadership structure for the Ducks, who have missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, the longest drought in team history. "Pat and I have talked about our team has to have this relentless mentality, and I think what player better personifies that than Radko?" Cronin asked. "He has this image where he's this ferocious player, intimidating. And he's got the beard, so he's got the look that backs up his play. I knew within my (first) conversations with him that he was just a good guy. He's just a really nice person, a nice guy." The Ducks are the fifth NHL team for Gudas, who moved to North America as a teenager. He also won a gold medal with the Czech Republic at the world championships this summer. Early in his career with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, Gudas had a reputation as a feisty defenseman who regularly delivered questionable hits, leading to league scrutiny and condemnation from opponents. Gudas has matured during his years in the NHL, making stops in Washington and Florida before he joined the Ducks. "I think it took a lot of mistakes, a lot of learning," Gudas said. "A lot of hurdles in my way that I had to overcome and stay strong. Being around great leaders, and being around great teammates in the locker room, helped me grow as a person and a player to overcome those things and understand what it means to be a great leader and a great team player and help guys in certain situations on and off the ice. Those are things that I really cherish." Anaheim lost a franchise-record 50 games in regulation last season while finishing seventh in the Pacific Division. The Ducks haven't finished higher than sixth in the division since 2018, the year of their last playoff appearance. Gudas is the sixth player from the Czech Republic to be named an NHL captain. He joins Peter Stastny (Quebec, 1985-90), Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh, 1998-01, and New York Rangers, 2006-08), Patrik Elias (New Jersey, 2006-07), Bobby Holik (Atlanta, 2007-08) and Milan Hejduk (Colorado, 2011-12). The Ducks open the regular season Oct. 12 at San Jose. Their home opener is Oct. 16 against Utah.
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