Corey Perry is hoping that it’ll be third time’s the charm in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
The 37-year-old forward has reached the championship series for the third consecutive season and the fourth time overall in his 17-year career.
His first trip to the Final came in 2007 when he won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. Perry then spent the next 12 seasons attempting to replicate that success with the Ducks.
He certainly did his part, winning the Hart Trophy in 2011 and helping his club return to the Western Conference Final in 2015 and 2017.
Unfortunately, Anaheim would fail to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, and Perry and the organization parted ways at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 season.
Corey Perry’s quest for a second title has been unorthodox.
After spending his entire career with the Ducks, Perry made the move to the Dallas Stars in 2019. Despite the long hiatus thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to do in one year with Dallas what he couldn’t do in those 12 years in Anaheim: play for the Cup.
The Stars won the Western Conference but were unable to overcome the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Final. Fast forward one year, and Perry, as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, would meet an identical fate, watching the Bolts hoist the Cup for the second year in a row.
Now, he is playing for all the marbles for a third straight season, this time with the team that beat him in 2020 and 2021.
It’s fascinating that after one Finals appearance in 14 years with the Ducks, despite seeming to be so close for so many years, Perry has suited up for three teams in three seasons and has reached the Final with all three.
Will 2022 be the year that Perry gets the Stanley Cup back in his hands? This likely could be his last and/or best chance to become a two-time champion.