ANAHEIM – When Teemu Selanne, the most popular player in Mighty Ducks history, slapped a back-hander past Kings goalie Mathieu Garon in the third period Monday night, the sellout crowd at The Pond erupted to celebrate the go-ahead goal.
It was Selanne’s 1,000th career point in the NHL, which is why the Ducks bench emptied for a league-approved hug-a-thon at center ice and why the standing ovation continued to rock the building until Teemu acknowledged the cheering with a wave from the bench and an incandescent smile.
Ever the consummate team player, a humble Selanne afterward credited all of the teammates, past and present, who helped him achieve the milestone, also acknowledging that fortuitous bounces and countless tape-to-tape passes factored into the equation.
“A thousand points …” Selanne said as he was inadvertently checked toward his locker by a fast-growing media mob after the game. “You need lots of luck and great players around you.”
Then he made certain to emphasize the Ducks victory, a 4-3 overtime conquest of the Kings, was the most important development of the night.
It was so Teemu to try to deflect attention on a night of singular accomplishment.
One thousand points – 476 goals and 524 assists in 928 career games.
Impressive, indeed.
He is the 70th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points, the seventh European and just the second Finnish-born player, joining boyhood idol Jari Kurri, a former King and former Duck.
So, naturally, I had to ask about another childhood hero.
Is he going after Wayne Gretzky next?
Selanne laughed loudly. He knew I was joking.
“I don’t know how he could score 3,000 points,” Selanne said.
Actually, “The Great One” racked up only 2,795 points: 885 goals and 1,190 assists.
“A thousand points is a lot, but those numbers are unbelievable,” Selanne said, shaking his head and laughing again.
OK, maybe Selanne, long ago dubbed the “Finnish Flash,” should go after Kurri instead. After all, Kurri is the highest-scoring European player in NHL history, with 1,398 points (601 goals, 797 assists).
“I hope I’m not going to be in the league that long,” said a grinning Selanne, 35, who leads the Ducks in scoring with 49 points.
It’s safe to say most Mighty Ducks fans are hoping Teemu sticks around to break a lot more records in his second tour of duty in Anaheim, where he ranks second in franchise history to former teammate Paul Kariya in goals, assists and points.
Acquired in a trade from Winnipeg in 1996, Selanne played five-plus seasons with the Ducks before being traded to San Jose in 2001; he returned this past winter as a free agent, at the bargain-basement salary of $1 million. (Think he’ll get a nice raise next year?)
On the night of his latest milestone, I asked Teemu to name his three most memorable goals in a Ducks sweater.
One was his first goal at home on Feb. 25, 1996, shortly after arriving in the trade from Winnipeg.
“It was right after my son (Eemil, now 9) was born,” Selanne recalled. “I had no sleep, maybe a couple hours in a couple days. I was so close to telling (then-Coach) Ronnie Wilson not to suit me up. But for some reason, my legs felt great and I scored three goals.”
Another goal that leaped to his mind was one that he didn’t score, but rather one he set up – the winning goal in the Ducks’ series-squaring, 3-2 overtime playoff victory in Phoenix on April 27, 1996.
Selanne lofted a long pass to a streaking Kariya, who gathered it in stride and beat Coyotes goalie Nikolai Khabibulin to win Game 6, sending the series back to The Pond, where the Ducks won Game 7 to capture their first playoff series in franchise history.
“That one was awesome, too,” Selanne said. “And I’ll never forget the chemistry Paul and I had together here.”
And, of course, the third was the go-ahead goal Monday night, his second of the night, for point No. 1,000.
“I would have liked to get the third one,” Selanne said, smiling, “but the bottom line is we won the game.”
Just wondering:The Ducks and Kings have now split the first six games in this year’s Southern California Freeway Series, with the last two regular-season showdowns scheduled April 4 at The Pond and April 8 at Staples Center.
“This one seemed like a playoff game,” said Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer, who scored the winner in overtime.
Can you imagine the intensity, on the ice and in the stands, if the division rivals meet in the playoffs for the first time?
Banner of the Day:Spotted at The Pond on Monday night: “BEAT THE QUEENS.”
See what Shaq started?
Contact the writer: (714) 796-5050 ext. 1026 or ryoungman@ocregister.com
