Corey Perry

Lore & Background

Perry is known for his goal-scoring ability and an abrasive playing style with an ability to get under his opponent's skin. The former earned him the affectionate nickname 'Scorey Perry'; the latter the less affectionate 'the Worm'. He won the Memorial Cup with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s London Knights and a gold medal with Canada at the World Junior Championships during his major junior career. Perry was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 NHL entry draft and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2007. In 2011, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player for the 2010–11 season. He led the NHL with 50 goals and finished third in points behind Daniel Sedin and Martin St. Louis, with 98. During his two one-year campaigns with the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens respectively, Perry lost consecutive Stanley Cup Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021; Perry proceeded to join the Lightning the very next season, where he lost a third straight Final series in 2022, and in doing so became the first player in NHL history to lose three consecutive Final series with three different teams. Perry then returned to the Final for a fifth and sixth time with the Oilers in 2024 and 2025, losing both times, becoming the first player in NHL history to reach the Final with five different franchises, and the first player in NHL history to lose four Final series with four different teams. Internationally, Perry has won gold medals with Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. He became a member of the Triple Gold Club after captaining Canada to gold at the 2016 World Championship, in addition to previously winning the Stanley Cup and the Olympic gold medal. Perry is only the second player (joining Scott Niedermayer) to combine Triple Gold membership with gold at the World Junior Championships, a Memorial Cup win, and a World Cup of Hockey win.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights hummed over the Honda Center ice, casting long shadows where Perry stood at center stage for the face-off. The crowd roared, a deafening wall of orange and black anticipation. He dropped his stick, eyes locked on the puck, ready to ignite the engine that had driven this team from obscurity to immortality.

Reader's Guide

Perry was born on May 16, 1985, in New Liskeard, Ontario. He grew up playing hockey with the Peterborough Minor Petes AAA organization. In 2001, Perry led his Petes to a victory in the inaugural OHL Cup Bantam AAA championship. He was drafted fifth overall into the OHL by the London Knights in the 2001 Priority Draft. In his rookie season, he recorded 59 points in 60 games. The following year, he improved to 78 points and was selected 28th overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In the 2003–04 season, Perry scored 40 goals and 73 assists for 113 points in just 66 games, becoming the first Knight to reach 100 points in a season since Jason Allison. In the OHL playoffs, he scored seven more goals, earning a call-up to the Ducks' AHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. He was later named an OHL first-team All-Star. In 2004–05, Perry scored a junior career-high 130 points in 60 games, then posted an additional 38 points in the postseason to capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions, en route to a Memorial Cup championship. Perry made his NHL debut with the Ducks in 2005–06. He scored his first career goal against the Edmonton Oilers on October 10, 2005. He finished his rookie season with 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 56 games. In 2006–07, he improved to 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in all 82 games, playing with Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Penner on a combination dubbed the 'Kid Line'. He went on in the 2007 playoffs to win the Stanley Cup with Anaheim, scoring 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 21 games. In 2007–08, Perry increased his totals to 29 goals, 25 assists and 54 points in 70 games and was named to his first NHL All-Star Game as an injury replacement. On July 1, 2008, Perry signed a five-year, $26.625 million contract extension. The 2008–09 season was a break-out year: he led the Ducks with 32 goals and finished second on the team in points, with 72. In the 2009–10 season, he posted 27 goals and 49 assists.

Did You Know?

• Perry is the first player in NHL history to lose three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams (2020 with Dallas, 2021 with Montreal, 2022 with Tampa Bay).
• He is the first player in NHL history to reach the Final with five different franchises.
• Perry is only the second player (after Scott Niedermayer) to combine Triple Gold membership with gold at the World Junior Championships, a Memorial Cup win, and a World Cup of Hockey win.
• He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 2010–11 season.