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.
| Mike Ricci | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Ricci with the Colorado Avalanche in 1997 | |||
| Born |
October 27, 1971 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 | |||
Ricci currently serves in the Sharks front office as a scout & development coach.[1]
Playing career
editRicci 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
editRicci 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
editRicci 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
editRicci 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
edit- Ricci held the San Jose Sharks' franchise record for consecutive games played at 228 (later surpassed by Patrick Marleau).[13][14]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| 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
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Canada | WJC | 4th | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 1990 | Canada | WJC | 
|
5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1994 | Canada | WC |
|
8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 6 | ||||
| Senior totals | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "Front Office Directory". San Jose Sharks. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ Rivett, Al (2008-05-14). "Pesch ponders his next move". newsdurhamregion.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ Associated Press (2004-09-09). "Tillman was killed April 22 in Afghanistan". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ Clifford, Dale (2007-08-14). "Ricci retires from NHL". The Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved 2007-08-14.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Wharnsby, Tim (October 13, 2007). "Pair of old warriors join Sharks". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ "Mike Ricci - Sharks Alumni Foundation | Sharks Alumni Foundation". sharksalumnifoundation.org. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ^ "Sharks Announce Changes to Coaching Staff". San Jose Sharks. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Canadian Press (2006-04-19). "Ricci, Avery, Lecavalier have roles in 'The Rocket'". CTV. Retrieved 2008-08-25.[dead link]
- ^ "Official San Jose Sharks Website". NHL.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Woman became pregnant following Cup kiss". NHL.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ^ "Flyers A-Z - Mike Ricci". NHL. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Pashelka, Curtis (2016-01-11). "Patrick Marleau set to play 500th consecutive game". Mercury News. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Mike Ricci at IMDb