Getzlaf busy with event
Ryan Getzlaf chuckles when he reveals where he keeps his gold medal.
“In the drawer of my nightstand,” said Getzlaf, the Anaheim Ducks captain who was on Canada’s gold-medal winning team at least year’s Winter Olympics. “I want to put it in a case. I just moved into a new house in September. It’s kind of tough to do anything during the season. I have work to do.”
Getzlaf, a Tustin resident, probably won’t have his gold medal encased anytime soon. That’s because he’ll be busy with his inaugural Getzlaf Golf Shootout. It’s a two-day charity event for Talk About Curing Autism that will take place in Costa Mesa and Newport Coast next week.
The event is close to Getzlaf’s heart.
“I have a cousin who is autistic,” he said. “It was something I always wanted to get involved with. The kids need so much attention and I’ve seen how much it helped him.”
Getzlaf would not say the name of his cousin. He is 18 and the son of Getzlaf’s mother’s sister. Getzlaf said he spent a lot of weekends with his cousins while growing up in Regina, Saskatchewan. He said he always sees his autistic cousin when he goes to Canada.
When Getzlaf goes to visit again, he’ll mostly likely share what took place at his Getzlaf Golf Shootout. It begins with a pre-event reception/dinner at Sutra in Costa Mesa Saturday night.
Getzlaf’s teammates, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Luca Sbisa, will be among the athletes and celebrities in attendance. There will be a live and silent auction, as well as music provided by DJ Eman and DJ Reflex of Power 106 FM.
Getzlaf and his friends will make sure not to party too much at Saturday’s event. That’s because the next day, the Getzlaf Golf Shootout Tournament will take place at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast. More of Getzlaf’s teammates will be there including George Parros, Andy Sutton and Shane O’Brien, as well as NHL players Paul Bissonnette, Brett Festerling andJoffrey Lupul.
Getzlaf even got actors Kevin Dillon and Kevin Connelly of “Entourage” to play in the golf tournament.
“We have a few connections in Hollywood,” said Getzlaf, who has a website for the event, https://www.getzlafgolf.com. “I got some teammates to show up. They were all gracious enough to help out.”
Getzlaf will be sure to have fun next week. He said his life has been like a whirlwind since getting married to his wife Paige nearly a year ago, along with the move to the new home and the birth of his son, Ryder, four months ago.
“Everything has been great,” he said. “I’m the happiest guy in Orange County. I definitely didn’t want the season to end the way it did. But it definitely motivates you to be better going into camp.”
Getzlaf also gained some more motivation while watching Game 7 of the NHL Finals Wednesday night, when Boston beat Vancouver for the Stanley Cup.
Getzlaf, who analyzed the game with a blog for the Los Angeles Times, paid close attention to the action. As the Bruins celebrated the victory with the Stanley Cup, he still couldn’t look away.
“It brings back a lot of feelings that I was able to feel in my career,” said Getzlaf, a key forward on the Ducks’ first Stanley Cup championship team in 2007. “You get that tingling inside. You want to get that feeling again with a new group of guys.”
As Getzlaf begins preparation for next season, he’ll spend time finding a case for his gold medal. And, there’s also his charity event that he would like to see continue past its inaugural year.
“I’m trying to start something here that’s going to last for years to come,” he said.