The gritty 38-year-old forward says he's got plenty of fuel and fire left. Looks forward to backing Connor Bedard and other Blackhawks kids.
Corey Perry’s an old-school hockey player who’s known for not backing down from challenges.
On or of the ice.
And Perry says he still has plenty of fire left as he enters his 19th season after signing a one-year $4 million contract with the Blackhawks.
“There was no thought of retirement and there still isn’t," the 38-year-old right wing said in Chicago on Friday. “I feel like I can have a few more years left in me.”
Perry won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP in 2010-11 with Anaheim when he scored a career high 50 goals and 98 points The 6-foot-3 native of Peterborough, Ontario was a driving offensive force along with Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne on some strong Ducks teams, starting with a Stanley Cup squad in 2007.
But Perry also has 1,380 penalty minutes in 1,257 career NHL games. He incurred many of those for making physical statements, not lazy hooks from behind.
He’s mixed it up with Blackhawks players in the past. He’s even dropped the gloves with incoming new teammate Nick Foligno, who also signed a $4 million, one year deal with Chicago.
The two tangled when Perry was with Montréal and Foligno with Toronto in 2020-21 after a hit on the Maple Leafs John Tavares let to Tavares being carried off the ice. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejUITRecR9Q
Maybe the only thing that might motivate the soft-spoken Perry more is being told by a team that his services are no longer needed. After Anaheim bought him out of an eight-year, $69 million contract in 2019 – two years before it ran out -- he went on to sign free-agent deals with the Canadiens, Stars and then the Lightning.
Perry says he has more left in the tank.
“You never like hearing (from a team), ‘We’re going to go in a different direction’ and that’s kind of been the fire that’s lit me,” Perry said. “I heard it in Anaheim when they bought me out. It’s something that fuels me. I’m excited to see where this goes.”
Along with Foligno and Taylor Hall, acquired from Boston last week, Perry comes to Chicago to provide a veteran presence – as well as producing – to support a growing core of youngsters headlined by 2023 No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard. That includes being a linemate, teammate, mentor and, yes, protector.
“This league is not easy,” Perry said. “Coming in at 18 years old, (Bedard) is going to have things he hasn’t seen before and playing against men and other things.
“That’s why you have to do what you have to do, and that’s what kind of what’s kept me in this league."
Perry hasn’t met Bedard or the kids yet. But he helped in the same sort of role in the past, especially in Montréal in 2020-21 where he worked alongside the likes of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Perry’s value caught the attention of Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson, an assistant in Montréal in 2020-21.
“He’s a winner and he’s going to help guys on our team, like he did in Montréal with guys like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki,” Richardson said. “He had a big footprint in making them what they are today.
“That’s why I thought when they (Hawks brass) brought his name up, he would be a great fit for us right now.”
One of the first messages Perry will deliver to Hawks youngsters: “Take it all in.”
“I remember walking into that (Anaheim) dressing room and they said, ‘Don’t take it for granted’ and make sure you remember everything,” Perry said. “That’s something, I’ll pass along to these young guys.”
Perry’s positive it will pay off with the rebuilding Blackhawks.
“I think it’s starting to come together,” he said. “Connor obviously is a big boost. I’m excited to be a part of this.”