Mike Ricci (ice hockey)

Mike Ricci
Ricci with the Colorado Avalanche in 1997
Born	(1971-10-27) October 27, 1971 (age 52) 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	1990–2007
Medal record Representing   Canada Ice hockey World Championships 1994 Bolzano World Junior Championships 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

• Ricci held the San Jose Sharks' franchise record for consecutive games played at 228 (later surpassed by Patrick Marleau). ^{[13] [14]}

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	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		7	0	1	1	4		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
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			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

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

• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

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.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database
• Mike Ricci at IMDb

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Bryan Fogarty	CHL Player of the Year 1990	Succeeded by Eric Lindros
Preceded by Claude Boivin	Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick 1990	Succeeded by Peter Forsberg
Preceded by Owen Nolan	San Jose Sharks captain 2003 first 10 games	Succeeded by Vincent Damphousse