Life begins at 40 for Anaheim Ducks’ Teemu Selanne
At the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, the Winnipeg Jets used the 10th overall selection to draft a young Finnish forward named Teemu Selanne. The Jets had no idea what they were getting. They were
just as shocked as anyone when Selanne scored 76 goals and 56 assists for a total of 132 points in his rookie season four years later. The 76 goals catapulted the Helsinki native into the record books, as it was the most goals ever scored by a rookie.
“The Finnish Flash” was born.
Eighteen years after making his National Hockey League debut, Selanne hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down. At age 40, he is one of the oldest active players in the league, but he hasn’t
let that statistic impede his progress at all.
Selanne recently surpassed the “Golden Jet” himself, Bobby Hull, for the number 15 position on the NHL’s list of all-time goal scorers. If Selanne scores seven more goals, he’ll claim
the 14th spot from Joe Sakic, his one-time teammate with the Colorado Avalanche.
The dream shared by NHlers of all ages is to win a Stanley Cup championship. Selanne managed to do that in 2007 with Anaheim Ducks. However, when all was said and done, The Finnish Flash
began to contemplate his retirement from the game. After taking some time to think about his decision, Selanne opted to continue playing.
Selanne said he would retire several more times after winning the Cup, but he has always ended up back in the Ducks’ line-up the following season.
“The time (to retire) is when you don’t enjoy coming to the rink anymore,” Selanne told NHL.com. “So far, it’s been fun. If you still think you can play at this level and you can succeed
here, that’s my theory. But obviously, I’m 40, so you know it’s going to happen sooner or later. So far, I’m really enjoying coming here and playing, and that’s all that matters.”
A stroke of bad luck with injuries was what convinced the veteran right-winger to return to the Ducks this season. Last season, he was shelved for 25 games with injuries, most of which
were accidental. He played in only 54 games in 2009-10, but still managed to score 27 goals for the second consecutive season.
“The time when I was healthy, I felt like I was playing really well. I was really having a lot of fun,” Selanne said. “Especially at the end, I’m having so much fun that I’m crazy if I
retire now, because I felt so good.”
The injuries motivated Selanne to continue playing the game he loves, but they also helped him realize that it’s never a good idea to put an end to a good thing when your emotions are
still running full tilt.
“During the injury times, I thought it was time to do something else,” Selanne said. “It’s funny how your mind changes. That’s why I never wanted to do any decisions before the season
is over; around 2-3 weeks later. You don’t know how you're going to feel about everything. I think it’s not a good thing to think too much about those things during the season.”
Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle, who was Selanne’s team-mate during their time with the Winnipeg Jets, is amazed that Selanne still has such a high compete level at age 40.
“It’s amazing that the 40-year-old can continue to score goals at the rate he has,” Carlyle said. "Teemu’s one of those guys who has to find his ‘happy place.’ We all don’t know what that
means, but I think I figured it out – when he’s scoring, he’s happy. We just like to keep him in that place. So far, he’s made a huge contribution to our hockey club early in the season.”
But Selanne says that the goals, statistics, and other associated numbers are not what keep him happy. Rather, the notion of still being able to play hockey is what brings him happiness.
“I still feel like I have a lot of jump,” Selanne said. "The thing is, if I feel like I can’t really use my speed or the things I have been doing over the years, there’s no reason to play.
I still think I have the good jump, and that’s why I’m still playing.”
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