Thrust into a first-line role centering prodigious point-producers, and vaunted wingers,
Paul Kariya and
Teemu Selanne for much of his time in an Anaheim Ducks jersey, Rucchin has rarely been credited for his contributions. Rather, he’s been victimized and labelled as a player whose contributions were predicated on the performance of the dynamic duo he had the luxury of centering. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Rucchin certainly found his name on the game sheet fairly regularly, but his most notable contributions are a product of playing a complete game and competing at both ends of the rink. There’s a tendency to anoint Kariya and Selanne as the only players who mattered on Anaheim’s number-one line, but the reason for their lofty point totals, aside from their obvious skill-sets, was Rucchin’s attention to detail.
While the Ducks’ stars would play an up-tempo, free-wheeling game, Rucchin played a responsible, two-way game ensuring he was first on the backcheck, and his defensive abilities created many a chance for his gifted wingers.
When Kariya and Selanne weren’t flying down the wing and scoring goals, they were looking for dead areas in the slot in order to put pucks on net.
The man that did the dirty work so they could have the puck on their sticks was Rucchin, who always made great use of his 6’2, 210 lbs. frame in the corners and along the boards. Beyond his gritty, two-way game with a dash of offensive prowess was an oft-overlooked, but no less valuable trait Rucchin brought to the table, his face-off ability. Winning an average of 53% of his draws in Anaheim allowed them to dictate the pace of play, and as a result, afforded Kariya and Selanne the opportunity to play at the fast pace in which they thrived.
