Mike Ricci (ice hockey)

Mike Ricci
Ricci with the Colorado Avalanche in 1997
Born (1971-10-27) October 27, 1971 (age 53)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Philadelphia Flyers
Quebec Nordiques
Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks
Phoenix Coyotes
National team  Canada
NHL draft 4th overall, 1990
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1990–2006
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Bolzano
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Helsinki

Michael Ricci (born October 27, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes.

Ricci currently serves in the Sharks front office as a scout & development coach.[1]

Playing career

Ricci was born and raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. He attended St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic school and Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute.[citation needed] As a youth, he played in the 1984 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga.[2] He was a 2nd round pick of the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes in 1987 after a strong season with the Toronto Marlboros Bantams.[citation needed]

Ricci was also a talented soccer player growing up playing for the Scarborough Blues program with his cousin, Paul Peschisolido,[3] who went on to a solid international career. Ricci's father Mario was a professional soccer player in Italy before emigrating to Canada.[citation needed]

Ricci was selected in the 1st Round 4th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.[citation needed] He had just completed three stellar seasons with the Peterborough Petes, and was dubbed a cannot-miss prospect. Ricci lasted only two years in Philadelphia, as in the summer of 1992 he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in the Eric Lindros trade.[citation needed] He had a career year in his first season with the Nordiques, scoring 78 points. The next season, 1993–94, he scored a career-high 30 goals, with 5 of those coming in one game against the San Jose Sharks. In 1996, Ricci and the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup following the franchise's relocation from Quebec. On November 21, 1997, Ricci began a new endeavor with the Sharks.[citation needed]

Ricci quickly became an elite defensive centreman with San Jose, but never was able to regain the offensive prowess of his earlier years.[citation needed] Ricci was an essential cog to San Jose's success, and was there when the team made its first trip to the Western Conference Final in 2004. San Jose fans admired Ricci for his gritty style of play and were saddened when he was let go.[citation needed]

In 2005, Ricci switched his uniform number to 40 in honor of former National Football League (NFL) player Pat Tillman, who was killed in action while serving for the U.S. Army.[4] The two had met in San Jose. Ricci played the 2005–06 season with the Phoenix Coyotes.

On August 13, 2007, he announced his retirement after telling The Peterborough Examiner that he had not recovered from neck surgery as well as he had hoped.[5]

Post-playing career

Ricci rejoined the Sharks organization in the 2007–08 season as an advisor,[6] and was introduced at the Sharks' rescheduled Opening Night festivities on October 18, 2007. He is actively involved in the Sharks Alumni Foundation.[7]

On December 11, 2019, Ricci was named an assistant coach for the Sharks.[8]

Acting

Ricci had a bit-part as Elmer Lach in the 2005 Quebec film The Rocket, about the life of Maurice Richard.[9] Out of several NHL players who appear in the film, Ricci and Sean Avery are the only ones with any dialogue.[citation needed]

Personal life

Ricci and his wife Beth, who is from Peterborough, Ontario, were married July 4, 1998. They have three children.[citation needed] Ricci is an accomplished soccer player, fisherman, and avid fan of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.[10] He owns property in Los Gatos, CA[11] and a lakeside cottage in Haliburton, Ontario.[12] He's a cousin of former footballer Paul Peschisolido.

Records

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1986–87 Toronto Marlboros AAA MTHL 38 39 42 81 27 — — — — —
1987–88 Peterborough Petes OHL 41 24 37 61 20 12 7 6 13 12
1988–89 Peterborough Petes OHL 60 54 52 106 43 17 19 16 35 18
1989–90 Peterborough Petes OHL 60 52 64 116 39 — — — — —
1990–91 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 68 21 20 41 64 — — — — —
1991–92 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 78 20 36 56 93 — — — — —
1992–93 Quebec Nordiques NHL 77 27 51 78 123 6 0 6 6 8
1993–94 Quebec Nordiques NHL 83 30 21 51 113 — — — — —
1994–95 Quebec Nordiques NHL 48 15 21 36 40 6 1 3 4 8
1995–96 Colorado Avalanche NHL 62 6 21 27 52 22 6 11 17 18
1996–97 Colorado Avalanche NHL 63 13 19 32 59 17 2 4 6 17
1997–98 Colorado Avalanche NHL 6 0 4 4 2 — — — — —
1997–98 San Jose Sharks NHL 59 9 14 23 30 6 1 3 4 6
1998–99 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 13 26 39 68 6 2 3 5 10
1999–00 San Jose Sharks NHL 82 20 24 44 60 12 5 1 6 2
2000–01 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 22 22 44 60 6 0 3 3 0
2001–02 San Jose Sharks NHL 79 19 34 53 44 12 4 6 10 4
2002–03 San Jose Sharks NHL 75 11 23 34 53 — — — — —
2003–04 San Jose Sharks NHL 71 7 19 26 40 17 2 3 5 4
2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 78 10 6 16 69 — — — — —
2006–07 San Antonio Rampage AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2006–07 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 7 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,099 243 362 605 979 110 23 43 66 77

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1989 Canada WJC 4th 7 5 2 7 6
1990 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 0 4 4 0
1994 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 2 1 3 8
Junior totals 12 5 6 11 6
Senior totals 8 2 1 3 8

Awards and honours

Award Year
OHL
Second All-Star Team 1989
First All-Star Team 1990
Red Tilson Trophy 1990
William Hanley Trophy 1990
CHL Player of the Year 1990
NHL
Stanley Cup (Colorado Avalanche) 1996

See also

References

  1. ^ "Front Office Directory". San Jose Sharks. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  2. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  3. ^ Rivett, Al (2008-05-14). "Pesch ponders his next move". newsdurhamregion.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
  4. ^ Associated Press (2004-09-09). "Tillman was killed April 22 in Afghanistan". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
  5. ^ Clifford, Dale (2007-08-14). "Ricci retires from NHL". The Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved 2007-08-14.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Wharnsby, Tim (October 13, 2007). "Pair of old warriors join Sharks". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  7. ^ "Mike Ricci - Sharks Alumni Foundation | Sharks Alumni Foundation". sharksalumnifoundation.org. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  8. ^ "Sharks Announce Changes to Coaching Staff". San Jose Sharks. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Canadian Press (2006-04-19). "Ricci, Avery, Lecavalier have roles in 'The Rocket'". CTV. Retrieved 2008-08-25.[dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Official San Jose Sharks Website". NHL.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  11. ^ "Property valuation of Mountain Laurel Lane, Los Gatos, CA: 286 (MICHAEL RICCI TRUSTEE & AL ET RICCI & ELIZABETH D RICCI TRUSTEE), 287 (KEVIN C AND SHARON M THOMPSON TRUSTEE), 288 (AJIT MANOCHA TRUSTEE & AL ET MANOCHA & VANITA MANOCHA TRUSTEE), 289 (ROBERT S AND ERIKA B MILLARD TRUSTEE), 290 (RAYMOND A AND LEE ANN MARTINO), 291 (TIMOTHY AND DEBORAH KINSLOW), 293 (DAVID B AND CANDACE D GARRETT), 299 (LIONEL T AND KIMBERLY N WILLINGHAM TRUSTEE) (tax assessments)". www.city-data.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  12. ^ "Woman became pregnant following Cup kiss". NHL.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  13. ^ "Flyers A-Z - Mike Ricci". NHL. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  14. ^ Pashelka, Curtis (2016-01-11). "Patrick Marleau set to play 500th consecutive game". Mercury News. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by CHL Player of the Year
1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by San Jose Sharks captain
2003
first 10 games 		Succeeded by