Teemu Ilmari Selänne (born 3 July 1970) is a Finnish retired ice hockey right winger. He played a career total of 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Colorado Avalanche. He is nicknamed "The Finnish Flash". He is the highest scoring Finn in NHL history, and one of the highest overall. Before he retired, he was the 11th all-time with 684 goals and 15th with 1,457 points. He is also the holder of many team scoring records for both the Winnipeg/Arizona franchise and the Anaheim Ducks.
He also played for the Finland men's national ice hockey team. He won a bronze medal with them at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Career
Before playing in the NHL, Selänne played three seasons in the SM-liiga with Jokerit. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets with the 10th overall pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He played four seasons with the Jets. He was traded along with Marc Chouinard and a fourth-round draft pick on February 6, 1996 to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He was exchanged for first-round draft picks Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky, along with a third round selection at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.[1] He was partnered with Paul Kariya. They helped the Mighty Ducks reach their first playoff appearance in 1997. They defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, but were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.[2]
In March 2001, Anaheim sat last place in the Western Conference. On March 5, they traded Selänne to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jeff Friesen, Steve Shields, and a second-round selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Later on, the Sharks became unable to qualify for the playoffs. They were trying to make changes and the New Jersey Devils were interested in a trade for Selänne. However, Selänne's contract said that he could not be traded, so they were unable to make a deal. He would later sign a $5.8 million contract for one year with the Colorado Avalanche. There, he was joined by former teammate Paul Kariya.[3]
After a year, he struggled with knee problems and had to have surgery. There was a labour dispute and the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled. He used the time to recover from his surgery. He returned to the NHL during the 2005-06 NHL season. He was not signed to any team when the season started. He decided to sign a contract with the Anaheim Ducks and return to Anaheim.[4] The Ducks were able to defeat the Ottawa Senators in five games during the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals to win the Stanley Cup.[5]
Selänne announced that the 2013–14 NHL season would be the last season of his NHL career.[6]
On May 16, 2014, he played his final NHL game as the Ducks were eliminated from the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings. After the game, he took a final lap around the rink and was saluted by fans, teammates and opponents.[7]
Awards
- NHL Awards
- Calder Memorial Trophy (1992-93)[8]
- Played on the NHL All-Rookie Team (1992-93)
- He was a First Team All-Star (1992-93, 1996-97)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007)
- Second Team All-Star (1997–98, 1998–99)
- Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (1998-99)[9]
- Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (2005-06)[10]
- Stanley Cup (2005-06)
References
Other websites
