Selänne accepts pay cut to secure position on Anaheim roster

Anaheim’s Burke applauds right winger for his loyalty to team

Teemu Selänne

Brian Burke

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Finnish Ice hockey player Teemu Selänne’s NHL season starts right on time, after the old hand signed a two-year contract with his former team Anaheim Ducks.
      Selänne spent more than half of last season pondering whether he should continue to play ice hockey or not.
      This time around the greatest difficulty was for Anaheim to make room in the salary table for the top forward.
     
A hard shooting defender Mathieu Schneider had to yield when the team kept the back door open for Selänne.
      Anaheim Ducks Executive Vice-President and General Manager Brian Burke is seemingly excited at Selänne’s decision to continue to play, and in Anaheim Ducks of all teams.
      "This is a guy who's taking a pay cut to play for Anaheim. These values reflect what Teemu means to us, and what Anaheim means to him", Burke enthuses on the NHL website.
     
Selänne would have been able to secure a much more lucrative contract had he offered himself up for a bidding contest. Now his two-year contract will earn Selänne USD 5.25, or EUR 3.75 million.
      “Every time an athlete does something like this it is worth mentioning. He is a brilliant young man”, Burke praises the 38-year-old Selänne.
      Burke says he has not met many equally loyal players during his long career as an NHL director. Detroit’s Chris Chelios is in the same league with Selänne.
     
Selänne’s new contract extends past the Vancouver Olympics, so it is possible the veteran might be seen playing for the Finnish Olympic team one last time.
      “A two-year contract was Teemu’s requirement”, Burke says. “I think the idea of playing in the Olympics still attracts him. It will probably be his last time appearing in the line-up of the Finnish national team. I am not saying he will definitely play in Vancouver - that is up to the Finnish selectors - but surely it is in the back of his mind.”
     
For Selänne and his family the decision to stay in Anaheim must have been the most convenient one. The boys are in school and the family's young daughter is looked after by Selänne’s wife Sirpa.
      “This is the only place I want to play”, Selänne says. "We have great owners, great fans and a chance to win again. This team is hungry and ready to go."
      Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in the spring of 2007, and Selänne finally received his first championship ring 15 years after his 1992 NHL debut in the Winnipeg Jets.
     
Selänne, whose career has had more than its share of injuries, came back strongly at the Torino Olympics in 2006, and was voted the tournament's most valuable player, as Finland fell to Sweden at the last hurdle.
      Although he very publicly announced he was quitting international duties earlier this year, he has often been seen as an impulsive type, and it would come as no great surprise if he were to seek a last shot an an elusive gold medal, provided he stays fit.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Teemu Selänne bows out after nearly 20 years of hockey internationals (20.5.2008)
  Selänne and Anaheim win Stanley Cup (7.6.2007)

Links:
  Teemu Selänne (Wikipedia)

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