As a junior, Getzlaf played four seasons with the Calgary Hitmen and was twice named to a Western Hockey League (WHL) all-star team.

[3] Ryan played tailback in football, and represented Saskatchewan as a catcher in a national youth baseball tournament, but focused on his hockey career when he was 5 [4] While a member of the Regina Bantam AAA Rangers in 2000, Getzlaf was drafted into the Western Hockey League (WHL) by the Calgary Hitmen with the 54th pick in the 2000 WHL Bantam Draft.

[4] He was named team captain, but was briefly stripped of the title by the coaches after earning several misconduct penalties for arguing with the officials.

[10] After recording his first point with an assist on October 14 against the Columbus Blue Jackets,[10] Getzlaf scored his first NHL goal seven days later against goaltender Manny Legace of the Detroit Red Wings.

[10] At the age of 22 years, Getzlaf joined with Corey Perry (21) and Dustin Penner (24) to form the Ducks' "kid line" which emerged as a top scoring unit during a 2007 playoff run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

[15] The "kid line" was broken up prior to the 2007–08 season after Penner signed a contract as a restricted free agent with the Edmonton Oilers;[16] however, Getzlaf opted to remain in Anaheim.

[17] Getzlaf emerged as one of the NHL's top young stars as he played in his first All-Star Game in 2008,[18] and led the Ducks in both assists (58) and points (82).

[23] Ducks' head coach Randy Carlyle described the promotion of the 25-year-old in terms of Getzlaf's maturation as an NHL player.

[10] Another milestone came late in the 2012–13 season as Getzlaf recorded his 500th point on March 8, 2013, with an assist on a Bobby Ryan goal in a 4–0 win over the Calgary Flames.

[10] In 2013–14, Getzlaf recorded a career-high 31 goals and 56 assists to finish second to Pittsburgh Penguins forward and captain Sidney Crosby in league scoring with 87 points.

Getzlaf was named to the second All-Star team and was a first-time finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in the regular season.

[30] In the final seconds of Anaheim's opening contest in the 2014 playoffs, against the Dallas Stars, Getzlaf suffered lacerations and bruises after blocking a shot with his face.

[34] The Ducks would eventually fall to the Blackhawks in seven games, one win short of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals and surrendering a 3–2 series lead in the process.

[37] During the Western Conference finals against the Nashville Predators, Getzlaf was fined $10,000 for using a homophobic slur to insult an on-ice official.

"[38] Early in the 2017–18 season on October 29, 2017, Getzlaf was sidelined with a broken cheekbone after a hit in the face by a puck during a game against the Carolina Hurricanes that required surgery.

On April 23, 2018, Getzlaf was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy as a player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and gives back to his community; the award went to Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.

[42] During the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season on March 18, 2021, Getzlaf recorded his 700th NHL assist on a goal by Jamie Drysdale in a 3–2 OT win against the Arizona Coyotes.

[44] On October 31, Getzlaf scored his 989th career NHL point, passing Teemu Selänne as the Ducks' all-time leading scorer, in a 4–2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

[citation needed] On November 16, Getzlaf scored his 1,000th career NHL point, an assist on a goal by Cam Fowler, in a 3–2 overtime win over the Washington Capitals.

Afterwards, Getzlaf gave an emotional address to the crowd before taking one final lap around the Honda Center and closing the books on his 17-year career.

[50] Getzlaf made his international debut as a member of the seventh-place Canada-West entry at the 2002 World U17 Hockey Challenge in Manitoba.

In seven games at the tournament, Getzlaf recorded two goals and two assists as Canada, in its second appearance at the event, won the nation's first gold medal at the U18 level.

[54] With Canada leading 3–1 early in the third period of the final, both Getzlaf and Sidney Crosby failed to capitalize on opportunities to add an extra goal that may have sealed a victory.

[56] The 2004–05 lock-out ensured that several players who would otherwise have been playing in the NHL, including Getzlaf, were available to return to the national team for the 2005 World Junior Championship.

He is credited as having both a powerful shot and willingness to engage in physical play, but also criticized for taking poor penalties at times and occasionally passing despite being in a quality shooting location.

[10] An active member of the Orange County community, Getzlaf hosts an annual golf tournament on behalf of CureDuchenne, an organization that seeks a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.