Corey Perry

Losing three straight Stanley Cup Finals kinda puts it on you.

But as the Ducks learned, counting on Perry when it mattered was the best way to hand up with nothing but a handful of yourself. Perry has lost three straight Cup Finals, with three different teams, as he more nakedly ring-chases than Karl Malone. He’s put in all that time, all that work, and three seasons in a row he’s had to stand there and watch someone else celebrate. You can see their entire being deflate behind their eyes for even trying to take a pro-Perry position, even the theory of one, for just a matter of seconds. His vacant face trying to hide the thousands of punches to the back of someone’s head, or the spears to the gut during scrums, or the hits from behind, or whatever other misdeed he could think of as long as it was behind an official’s back and his opponents weren’t looking. Maybe you can find a Stars or Canadiens or Lightning fan that barely stomached his presence for a season and will try to convince you while really trying to convince themselves, “Oh, I get it now. Oh sure, if you can find a Ducks fan in the wild (and I doubt you can), they’ll tell you he’s an Orange County hero, a phrase that tells you everything you need to know about a person and place.