Michael "Mike" Ricci (born 27 October, 1971 in Scarborough, Ontario) is a Canadian ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL.

Playing career

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Mike Ricci was selected 4th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He had come off of three stellar seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, and was dubbed a can't-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 blockbuster trade.

Ricci would have a career year in his first season with Quebec, scoring 78 points. The next season, 1993-94, he would score a career-high 30 goals, with 5 of those coming in one game against the San Jose Sharks. Ricci would win a Stanley Cup in 1996 with the Colorado Avalanche, the Nordiques had moved to Colorado for that season. On 21 November, 1997 Ricci would begin a new endeavour with the Sharks, the same team he had scored 5 goals against.

Ricci quickly became an elite defensive centreman with San Jose, but he never was able to regain the offensive prowess of his earlier years. 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. When Ricci touched the puck, the fans would chant 'Reeeech' in unison. However, 2004 would be his last year with San Jose, and he would sign with Phoenix that summer.

Mike Ricci is also known for appearing in ESPN commercials in which he wore a witch's hat.

Awards

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• Named to the OHL Second All-Star Team (1989)
• Named to the OHL First All-Star Team (1990)
• Named the OHL MVP (1990)
• Named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year (1990)

Records

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• San Jose Sharks' franchise record for consecutive games played (228)

Career statistics

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				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
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		29	3	1	4	24
15 seasons	NHL career			1043	236	356	592	925		110	23	43	66	77

See also

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• Captain (ice hockey)
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons

References

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• Mike Ricci on HockeyDB

1971 births | Canadian ice hockey players | Colorado Avalanche players | Italian Canadians | Living people | National Hockey League first round draft picks | Ontario sportspeople | Peterborough Petes alumni | Philadelphia Flyers players | Phoenix Coyotes players | Quebec Nordiques players | San Jose Sharks players | Stanley Cup champions